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--- Wednesday --- September 3, 1997 --- Vol. 1 --- No. 14 ---
THE NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS PANEL
NEGP Weekly
THE NATIONAL UPDATE ON AMERICA'S NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS
__________ __________
WELCOME BACK | SPOTLIGHT |
... to the 52.2 million | |
students expected to attend | WHAT WORKS |
school this fall -- another | |
record, according to the U.S. | Computers in the |
DoEd. | classroom, academic |
The second annual back-to- | standards, removing chronic |
school report, prepared by the | troublemakers and allowing |
DoEd's National Center for | students to attend the |
Education Statistics, found | public school of their |
that total public and private | choice are what works for |
school enrollment this fall | improving student |
will surpass last fall's all- | achievement, according to |
time high of more than 51 | Americans surveyed in the |
million students. | 29th Annual PDK/Gallup poll |
Ed Sec Richard Riley predicts | on education. (#6) |
that the surge in enrollments | |
will continue unabated for the | Respondents also were |
next decade, putting stress on | asked what makes some |
schools already over-crowded | public schools outshine |
and the demand for new | others. Their response: |
teachers. | parental involvement, |
The largest increase will be | financial support and the |
among teenagers, notes the | type of student who attends |
report. Copies of the "Baby- | the school. |
boom Echo Report" are available | |
by calling 800/424-1616. | Vouchers for private |
| schools are on the verge of |
TUNE IN | being entered on the "what |
PBS will air "The Merrow | works" list. The survey |
Report" on Friday, 9/5. This | found that opposition has |
is the kick-off for John | declined since the question |
Merrow's four-part series on | was first asked in 1993, |
education, and it features | from 74% to 52% in 1997. |
three charter schools. |_____________________________|
============== QUOTE OF THE DAY ==============
"If this falls apart it will be because of liberals who hate the
world 'testing' and conservatives who hate the word 'national,'
and it looks like that's beginning to come true."
Chester Finn, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute,
on national testing. (#2)
_______________________________________________________________
| (c) by the Education Policy Network, Inc. |
| 1255 22nd Street NW; Washington, D.C. 20010; 202/632-0952 |
| EPN, Inc. hereby authorizes further reproduction and |
| distribution with proper acknowledgement. |
| Publisher: Barbara A. Pape |
|_______________________________________________________________|
============== TABLE OF CONTENTS ==============
GOAL ONE: READY TO LEARN
NOT ACCEPTABLE: Immunization rates in Maryland. (#1)
GOAL THREE: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND CITIZENSHIP
NATIONAL TESTING: Prepare for battle. (#2)
RAISING MIDDLE-SCHOOL STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT: SREB initiative.(#3)
GOAL FOUR: TEACHER ED/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK: Baltimore Co. teacher orientation. (#4)
GOAL EIGHT: PARENTAL PARTICIPATION
STRONG FAMILIES-STRONG SCHOOLS: Makes strong communities. (#5)
TAKING STOCK
THE 29th ANNUAL PDK EDUCATION POLL: The public speaks. (#6)
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===== GOAL ONE: READY TO LEARN =====
*1 NOT ACCEPTABLE: IMMUNIZATION RATES IN MARYLAND
Md. Gov Parris Glendening, charging that the state's 80%
immunization rate is "simply not acceptable," launched a new
campaign to ensure that at least 90% of Md. children are
immunized by age 2.
Under the proposal, which is the first stage of the
governor's "Children First" program, state health clinics will
waive immunization fees through 6 September and will remain open
during evenings and the weekend, writes the paper. It also will
include 500 health fairs and enlist more than 18,000 volunteers.
While Glendening did not put a price tag on the program, he
offered that it would be paid for out of current agency budgets.
"The real cost is every child that does not have immunization,"
he said. The governor also noted that the campaign will depend
on the support of churches, civic organizations and leaders of
immigrant communities "to reach groups that have traditionally
had low immunization rates," reports the paper.
Md. parents who want more information can call 800/456-8900.
===== GOAL THREE: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND CITIZENSHIP =====
*2 NATIONAL TESTING: PREPARE FOR BATTLE
In his 1997 State of the Union address, President Clinton
called for voluntary, national exams for fourth-grade reading and
eighth-grade math. His expressed goal: To get a snapshot of
where students stand and to use the data to improve student
achievement. However, his plan is under attack by the left, many
of whom complain of cultural bias in testing, and the right, who
fear any national testing program could lead to a national
curriculum.
Chester Finn, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute: "I
thought in January that maybe this was one of the odd Nixon-in
China moments when the Democrats could deliver the liberal
critics and enough Republican Governors and Congressmen could
deliver the conservatives for it to come together. But if this
falls apart it will be because of liberals who hate the world
'testing' and conservatives who hate the word 'national,' and it
looks like that's beginning to come true."
Specifically, Clinton's plan is facing a Congressional
challenge. Rep. William Goodling (R-Pa.) has pledged to "derail,
even abolish, the groundbreaking testing plan by prohibiting the
Education Department from spending any money on it," writes the
WASH POST (Sanchez, 8/19). Goodling, who chairs the House
Committee on Education and the Workforce, remarked that "we
already have plenty of testing ... why another measurement
instrument to tell us what we already know?" The Congressman has
introduced a resolution and an amendment to a House
appropriations bill designed to stop or delay Clinton's testing
program.
Diane Ravitch, a professor at New York U, in July resigned
from the steering panel designing the test. In an editorial in
the WASH POST (8/26), Ravitch, who once was a self-avowed
"enthusiastic" supporter of Clinton's testing plan, says she is
disgruntled over the direction of the testing plan. Ravitch
claims that the White House's decision to allow the U.S. DoEd to
supervise the test only will serve to politically taint the
testing program. She recommended that the program be handed over
the National Assessment Governing Board, an independent and
bipartisan group.
In a press release issued the same day as Ravitch's
editorial, it is pointed out that Riley, while on CBS' Face The
Nation, announced plans to ask Congress to authorize the NAGB to
set policy for the voluntary national tests in 4th-grade reading
adn 8th-grade math. The proposed legislation will call for an
expansion of NAGB's authorty to include setting policy for the
voluntary national tests.
Ravitch also notes that the "Internet is humming with
charges that the national tests will be stacked to favor 'whole
language' theories of reading and against phonics and to promote
'fuzzy math' ... and against computation." She adds: "I do not
know whether any of these fears are valid, but the
administration's partisan control of the test development
processing has inflamed such feverish concerns."
Ravitch also charges that the administration is "pushing
ahead without public hearings or explicit authorization by
Congress."
A U.S. DoEd press release reports that the department
already has issued a contract to develop the voluntary national
tests. From the release: "An alliance that includes the
nation's most respected test publishers and a bipartisan council
on basic skills will be responsible for developing the voluntary
national tests in 4th-grade reading and 8th-grade mathematics."
The American Institutes for Research will oversee the multi-year
effort, with subcontractors including California Test
Bureau/McGraw Hill; Council for Basic Education; Educational
Testing Service; Harcourt Brace Educational Measurement; National
Computer Systems; Riverside Publishing; and Westat, Inc.
The $13,035,848 contract was "awarded competitively
following a review and recommendation by an evaluation panel,"
reports the release.
Advisory panels will be established this fall to oversee
test development and test items and scoring criteria will be
developed this fall, with a field test to be ready next spring.
The release reports that sample tests will be posted on the
Internet in fall 1998 and AIR will oversee efforts to get public
comments on the sample tests and to develop user-friendly reports
of student test results.
A N.Y. TIMES article reflects on the magnitude of a national
testing policy and the unprecedented, sustained focus on
education (Applebome, 8/31). From the paper: "Experts disagree
on how much of what is happening reflects a long-term shift
toward greater Federal involvement or is a result of a historical
moment: a politically adroit President intensely focused on
education, aging baby boomers who have made education a leading
national issue and an absence of competing issues."
Marc Tucker, president of the National Center on Education
and the Economy: "This is a country that is trying very hard to
figure out how to do something no nation on earth has done
before, which is to have national standards without a national
ministry of education, and the competing pressures are just
enormous."
Ed Sec Richard Riley, defending the department's mission to
design and deploy voluntary national tests, claims the federal
government has not lost sight of the nation's decentralized
school system. Improving student achievement, which will make
the nation more economically viable in the future, remains "a
state responsibility, a local function and a Federal priority,"
he said.
*3 RAISING MIDDLE-SCHOOL STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT: SREB INITIATIVE
The Southern Regional Education Board recently launched an
initiative that aims to raise academic expectations and
achievement of middle school students (SREB press release).
Partially funded by the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, SREB
officials plan to work with state policy makers, teachers,
principals, community leaders and parents on the Middle Grades
Education Initiative.
Sondra Cooney, director of the initiative, explained that
one reason a high rate of students drop out during their first
year of high school is that middle schools have not prepared them
"for what they're facing" in high school. Mark Music, SREB
president: "It is our hope that this project will generate
academic improvements in the middle grades in the same fashion
that our High Schools That Work program has improved the
scholastic picture in so many high schools."
Under the initiative, SREB during the next two years will
issue a series of reports to answer sundry questions, including:
"What is the academic achievement of middle grades students? Are
teachers prepared to teach in middle grades? What are the
expectations? What should students know to enter the ninth
grade? What are the barriers to improving teaching and
learning?" The initiative will culminate with recommended
policies that "will lead to improved student achievement in
middle grades," writes the release.
Musick: "It is our hope that this project will generate
academic improvements in the middle grades in the same fashion
that our High Schools That Work program has improved the
scholastic picture in so many high schools."
For more information contact the Southern Regional Education
Board; 592 Tenth Street NW; Atlanta, Ga. 30318-5790; 404/875-
9211.
===== GOAL FOUR: TEACHER ED/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT =====
*4 NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK: TEACHER ORIENTATION IN BALTIMORE
Teachers new to the Baltimore County, Md., schools last
month participated in orientation sessions to give them "lessons
they might never have had in college," writes the Baltimore SUN
(Atwood, 9/14). Experienced teachers, school nurses and others
are teaching the new teachers about how to protect themselves
from AIDS, how to help children "too poor to buy a $1.98
notebook," or how to work with disabled children in the regular
classroom.
For example, Chris Hepner, a Dundalk Elementary School
guidance counselor, led discussions on how to teach homeless and
poor children. "One out of three children in Baltimore County is
near the poverty level," she noted.
According to the paper, more than half of the county's new
hires are first-time teachers. Many of the young teachers are
not from the area and the orientation is geared to prepare the
teachers for what to expect in Baltimore County schools. "This
is a much different area than were I grew up," said Mark
Kowalski, who moved from Winchester, Va. "The size of the county
is overwhelming."
The SUN also notes that the orientation gives new teachers
opportunities to network among themselves; "giving tips on
driving routes and sharing recipes for solutions to sanitize
musical instruments."
==== GOAL EIGHT: PARENTAL PARTICIPATION ====
*5 STRONG FAMILIES-STRONG SCHOOLS: MAKES STRONG COMMUNITIES
Non-profit groups in 12 states received nearly $5M from the
U.S. DoEd to establish local parent information and resource
centers (DoED press release, 8/6). The grants, averaging
$400,000 a year over four years, are authorized under Title IV of
the Goals 200 Educate America Act, notes the release.
"Family involvement is essential if we are to give each
child a high-quality education and a safe, disciplined learning
environment," said Ed Sec Richard Riley. Students do better in
school when there is meaningful parental and community
involvement in learning. The American family is the foundation
on which a solid education can and must be built. Strong
families and strong schools make strong communities."
Nonprofit organizations will join forces with schools,
institutions of higher education, social service agencies and
other nonprofits to form the centers. According to the release,
the centers will identify and serve families and schools in
communities with a high proportion of minority, low-income and
limited-English speaking parents.
Objectives of the new centers are: increase parents'
knowledge of and confidence in effective child-rearing
activities; strengthen partnerships between parents and school
professionals to help meet the educational needs of preschool
children (starting from birth) and school-aged children; and
strengthen the development of children who participate in the
program.
Parent-to-parent training activities and hotlines that offer
telephone assistance to parents who have queries about child
development and behavior are examples of services to be offered
by the centers.
The DoEd plans to continue funding the 28 existing centers
that are beginning their third year of operation. Building
Parent Learning Communities in Lincoln, Ill., and the Alliance
for Children, located in Columbia, S.C., are two of the new
grantees. The remaining grantees from this recent grant come
from: Fairbury, Neb.; Mobile, Ala.; Portland, Ore.; Jackson,
Miss.; Baton Rouge, La.; Indianapolis, Ind.; Pawtucket, R.I.;
Minot, N.D.; M.F., Guam; and Springdale, Ark.
==== TAKING STOCK ====
*6 THE 29th ANNUAL PDK EDUCATION POLL: THE PUBLIC SPEAKS
The American public supports a broad range of measures to
improve student achievement, according to the latest Gallup
survey conducted for Phi Delta Kappa.
Placing a computer in every classroom (81%), establishing
national standards for measuring the academic performance of the
public schools (77%), moving chronic "troublemakers" into
alternative programs (77%) and allowing students to attend the
public school of their choice (73%) are some of the specific
ideas approved by the public.
Other measures to improve student achievement that won broad
approval include: using standardized national tests to measure
the academic achievement of students (67%), ability-level
grouping (66%); establishing a national curriculum (66%) and
providing health-care services in schools (61%).
The public attributes three factors to the success of some
public schools over others: parental support (97%), the amount
of money spent (91%) and the kinds of students enrolled (67%).
Americans surveyed approved all three of President Clinton's
proposals to improve public schools, enhance student achievement
and provide incentives for students to succeed in school.
Specifically, 82% of respondents approved Clinton's proposed tax
credit for parents of first-year college students; two-thirds of
respondents favor the proposal for placing a computer with
Internet access in every public school classroom and, the least
supported proposal, 57% support Clinton's plan to test student
achievement at the fourth-grade and eighth-grade level .
The survey also found that, while satisfied with their
community schools, respondents appear to be more willing than in
previous years to approve government financial support for
students who wish to attend nonpublic schools. To counter
charges that past questions on private-school choice were tainted
by using the phrase "public expense," this year's poll used a
split-sample design to study the question. While 44% of
Americans support allowing students to attend a private schools
at "public expense," a majority (52%) opposed it. When the
phrase "government expense" is used, the public is evenly
divided, with 48% in favor and 48% opposed.
The survey also found that support for private-school choice
has been growing since 1993, when just 24% were in favor.
Other findings from the report: 43% said state takeovers
would not have much effect on the academic achievement of
students in a public school; 52% said gifted students should be
placed in separate classes; and 63% said extracurricular
activities are very important.
According to the survey, the biggest problems facing local
schools are: lack of discipline (15%); lack of financial support
(15%); use of drugs (14%); and fighting/violence/gangs (12%).
In a press release, U.S. Ed Sec Richard Riley indicated his
pleasure over the support given to voluntary national tests.
Sandra Feldman, president of the American Federation of TEachers
noted Americans' support for public schools. Feldman: "Elected
officials, take note: the public wants public schools fixed, not
abandoned, and they're not afraid of national standards and
national tests for students."
U.S. House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas) also issued
a press release, commenting on the private-school choice response
that found 55% of public school parents supporting school choice.
Armey: "Too many of our nation's children are trapped in failing
public schools that consign children to a life of limited
opportunities, hopelessness and despair. These kids need a way
out, and they need it now. ... The time for school choice has
come." Armey is the sponsor of school-choice legislation for
disadvantaged children in the District of Columbia.
The minimum order for reprints of the published report of
the 1997 Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup education poll is 25 copies for
$10, with additional copies available at 25 cents each. The 664-
page document that is the basis for the published report,
including both the figures for the total sample and for the
public school parent oversample, is available at $95 per copy.
Prices include postage for delivery at the library rate. To
place an order, write to Phi Delta Kappa, P.O. Box 789;
Bloomington, Ind., 47402; 800/766-1156.
THE NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS
* GOAL 1: READY TO LEARN
All children in America will start school ready to learn.
* GOAL 2: SCHOOL COMPLETION
The high school graduation rate will increase to at least
90 percent.
* GOAL 3: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND CITIZENSHIP
All students will leave grades 4, 8, and 12 having
demonstrated competency over challenging subject matter including
English, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics and
government, economics, arts, history, and geography, and every
school in America will ensure that all students earn to use their
minds well, so they may be prepared for responsible citizenship,
further learning, and productive employment in our Nation' modern
economy.
* GOAL 4: TEACHER EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The Nation's teaching force will have access to programs for
the continued improvement of their professional skills and the
opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to
instruct and prepare all American students for the next century.
* GOAL 5: MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE
United States students will be first in the world in
mathematics and science achievement.
* GOAL 6: ADULT LITERACY AND LIFELONG LEARNING
Every adult American will be literate and will possess the
knowledge and skills necessary to compete in a global economy and
exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
* GOAL 7: SAFE, DISCIPLINED, & ALCOHOL- AND DRUG-FREE SCHOOLS
Every school in the United States will be free of drugs,
violence, and the unauthorized presence of firearms and alcohol
and will offer a disciplined environment conducive to learning.
* GOAL 8: PARENTAL PARTICIPATION
Every school will promote partnerships that will increase
parental involvement and participation in promoting the social,
emotional, and academic growth of children.
_______________________________________________________________
| National Education Goals Panel |
| 1255 22nd Street NW; Suite 502; Washington, D.C. 20037 |
| 202/632-0957 (Fax); e-mail: negp@goalline.org |
| Web site: www.negp.gov |
|_______________________________________________________________|
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John Kurilecjmk@ofcn.org