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--- Wednesday --- October 22, 1997 --- Vol. 1 --- No. 20 ---
NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS PANEL
NEGP Weekly
THE UPDATE ON AMERICA'S NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS
www.negp.gov
__________ __________
TEACHER SAYS | SPOTLIGHT |
The U.S. DoEd is asking | |
teachers nationwide to answer | REGION OF |
five questions about teaching | ABSOLUTE NECESSITY |
and teacher training. Teachers | |
can complete a questionnaire on | Mastery of mathematics |
the DoEd's Web site: | opens the gates to higher |
www.ed.gov/comments/nationalfor | learning, according to a |
um97/. The questions are: | U.S. DoED study. Students |
What role must teachers play | who take algebra and geom- |
in the support of beginning | etry are twice as likely to |
teachers? | attend college as their |
What role must teachers play | classmates who do not. |
in helping all teachers improve | |
their teaching? | Low-income students are |
What role must teachers play | even more affected by the |
in encouraging and rewarding | math courses they take -- |
excellence in teaching? | or don't take. According |
What role must teachers play | to the study, 71% of low- |
with poorly performing | income students who took |
teachers? | rigorous math classes |
What is one thing I can do, | enrolled in college, |
or one step I can take, to | compared to only 27% of |
ensure that there is a | poor students who did not. |
talented, dedicated and well- | |
prepared teacher in every | "Mathematics takes us |
classroom? | still further from what is |
| human, into the region of |
GRAMMAR: A RELIC? | absolute necessity, to |
The English language as we | which not only the actual |
know it may not be around next | world, but every possible |
century. A NEWSWEEK article | world, must conform. |
(10/27) points out that the | (Bertrand Russell, "The |
grammar cops are losing the | Study Of Mathematics") |
battle in schools nationwide. |_____________________________|
============== QUOTE OF THE DAY ==============
"They're not kids in trouble, they're more-troubled kids."
Ed Gotgart, headmaster of Boston University's Residential Charter
School, one of the first new boarding schools for children who
are wards of the state. (#1)
_______________________________________________________________
| (c) by the Education Policy Network, Inc. |
| 1255 22nd Street NW; Washington, D.C. 20010; 202/724-0124 |
| EPN, Inc. hereby authorizes further reproduction and |
| distribution with proper acknowledgement. |
| Publisher: Barbara A. Pape |
|_______________________________________________________________|
============== TABLE OF CONTENTS ==============
GOAL TWO: HIGH SCHOOL COMPLETION
ANNIE REVIVAL: Boarding schools for poor children. (#1)
GOAL FOUR: TEACHER ED/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
TEACHER LICENSING AND MENTOR TEACHERS: Changes in Ind. (#2)
GOAL FIVE: MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE
SCIENCE IN THE REAL WORLD: "Chemistry in the Community." (#3)
MATHEMATICS: Gateway to success. (#4)
TAKING STOCK
PROFESSORS OF EDUCATION: Different strokes. (#5)
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===== GOAL TWO: HIGH SCHOOL COMPLETION =====
*1 ANNIE REVIVAL: BOARDING SCHOOLS FOR POOR CHILDREN
Orphanages, a concept that fell out of favor during the
1940s as a way to house and educate children without families who
could provide for them, are making a revival (AP/DALLAS MORNING
NEWS, 10/13).
This time around they are being supported by taxpayer
dollars, rather than the largesse of philanthropists. Boston
University's Residential Charter School, located in rural western
Mass., soon will open its doors to nearly 200 7th- through 12-
grade students who are wards of the state, writes the paper. The
state will pick up the annual cost of $6,000 for education, while
the Department of Social Services will probably cover the $29,000
per child each year for room and board. Agency officials claim
the cost is the same for a year in a group home or other program.
"They're not kids in trouble, they're more-troubled kids,"
said Ed Gotgart, the school's headmaster, describing his new
students. "The kids bounce form school system to school system
and try as they may, the public system just can't keep up quickly
enough."
According to the paper, Boston U's residential charter
school is modeled after an English boarding school. Students
will study traditional subjects at their own pace.
Trenton, N.J., last month opened the nation's first public
boarding school for inner-city students. The NEWS reports that
Pa. lawmakers are debating legislation that would start three
public residential schools. And communities in Texas, Md.,
Calif., Ill., and Fla., are bandying about similar plans,
explained Heidi Goldsmith, executive director of the
International Center for Residential Education in Wash., D.C.
Advocates of residential programs agree with Lorraine Carli,
spokeswoman for the Mass. Department of Social Services who
claims the concept "holds a lot of promise for a population
that's very difficult to deal with sometimes in regular schools."
But critics counter that children belong in a home setting, not
residential schools paid for by taxpayers.
===== GOAL FOUR: TEACHER ED/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT =====
*2 TEACHER LICENSING AND MENTOR TEACHERS: CHANGES IN INDIANA
Beginning September 1999, Ind. teacher applicants will be
required to pass a new exam, the PPST (Praxis I), which assesses
basic skills in reading, writing and math (POLICY NEWS & NOTES,
Indiana Education Policy Center at Indiana U, Summer 1997). The
new test, created by Educational Testing Service, will replace
the Core Battery, the state's current minimum competency test for
teachers.
The law, P.L. 156-1997, also establishes a transition period
from 1 July 1997 through 31 August 1999, during which teacher-
license applicants who have not passed the Communication Skills
and General Knowledge portions of the Core Battery are permitted
to receive renewable, limited one-year licenses until the Praxis
I is in place, writes the newsletter.
However, applicants must post passing scores during the
transition period on the Professional Knowledge portion of the
Core Battery and on tests in the applicant's specialty area.
Applicants who do not pass the Praxis I may receive limited
license status that is subject to a re-examination. However, the
newsletter notes that limited licenses will not be issued after
2002.
Other provisions of P.L. 156-1997:
the Indiana Professional Standards Board may not release an
applicant's license examination score without the person's
consent, unless required to do so by law or court order; and
licenses will not be granted to individual's who owe state
taxes.
Another state law, P.L. 260-1997, provides a $600 stipend to
teachers in accredited non-public schools who mentor newly
certified teachers in the state's Beginning Teacher Internship
Program.
For a look at the bills in their entirety, go to the Indiana
General Assembly's Web site at
www.state.in.us/legislative/index.html.
===== GOAL FIVE: MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE =====
*3 SCIENCE IN THE REAL WORLD: "CHEMISTRY IN THE COMMUNITY"
Students at Millard North High School in Omaha, Neb., can
enroll in a new chemistry program sponsored by the American
Chemical Society, explains Dave Noodell, chair of the school's
science department (STATE & LOCAL REACTION, American Chemical
Society, Fall 1997). The program, "Chemistry in the Community"
(ChemCom) is designed for college-bound students.
According to Noodell, ChemCom focuses on chemistry concepts
"intermingled with societal issues." One reason Noodell and
others at Millard North selected the program is because it
introduces chemistry facts on a "need-to-know" basis in a
curriculum that maintains high standards. "The majority of
students do not need the experience of a prep class for an honors
college chemistry course," writes Noodell. "They need to learn
chemistry concepts that will help them become good problem
solvers."
For example, Noodell points out that the ChemCom curriculum
does not contain a chapter titled "Balanced Equations." Instead,
it "teaches balanced equations in a unit called "conserving
Chemical Resources" where understanding why the importance of
conservation of matter is useful to society."
During the process to select a chemistry curriculum, Noodell
said teachers pondered the question: "What do students really
need from a high school chemistry course? If the approach is not
to teach students everything to go onto the next level, then how
will they compete at the next level."
Noodell highlights ChemCom's objective to develop student
ability to "solve problems with science knowledge and process so
they can be productive in whatever they choose to do after this
class." For example, a mock town meeting in which a town has
experienced a fish kill in the river that runs through the
community is staged. Students are assigned different roles:
local business owners, scientists, elected officials. According
to Noodell, this exercise forces students to use scientific
principles to defend their positions.
Another advantage to ChemCom: "It opens up chemistry to a
broader audience," writes Noodell.
For more info on ChemCom, call 202/872-6383, or visit its
Web site at: www.ChemCenter.org
*4 MATHEMATICS: GATEWAY TO SUCCESS
Students who take rigorous math courses, such as algebra and
geometry, are twice as likely to attend college than their
classmates who did not enroll in math classes, according to a new
survey released by the U.S. DoEd. Ed Sec Richard Riley, citing
data found in a new analysis from the National Education
Longitudinal Study, said that 83% of students who took algebra
and geometry classes went to college, more than double the rate
of students who did not take these courses.
Low-income students benefited even more from math classes:
71% of disadvantaged students who took rigorous math classes went
on to college, compared to only 27% of low-income students who
did not enroll in algebra and geometry.
"The problem we confront is that too many students --
particularly low-income students -- are not taking algebra and
geometry," said Riley. "Only 63% of all students took algebra
and geometry. And for low-income students that percentage drops
to only 46%."
Other findings highlighted in the report:
Algebra is the "gateway" to advanced math and science in
high schools, yet few middle school students enroll in
algebra.
Math achievement depends on the courses a student takes, not
the type of school the student attends.
Students whose parents are involved in their school work are
more likely to take challenging math courses early.
The results of the Third International Mathematics and
Science Study reveal that the middle school math curriculum
may be a weak link in the U.S. education system.
Several "promising practices" are mentioned in the report.
For example, the College Board in 1990 launched EQUITY 2000, a
program designed to increase minority enrollment in college
preparatory mathematics courses. Grades six through nine are the
primary focus of EQUITY 2000. The program, initially piloted in
six communities, calls on schools to phase out lower-level math
courses in favor of all students taking a college preparatory
curriculum, beginning with algebra and geometry.
EQUITY 2000 staff provide on-going professional development
to help teachers work with mixed-ability classes. The program
also stresses parental involvement by recognizing the "important
role that parents play in nurturing and reinforcing their
children's desire to attend college," writes the report. For
example, the program sponsors Family Math Nights in which parents
and students learn math concepts together.
For more information, contact EQUITY 2000; The College
Board; 1717 Massachusetts Avenue NW; Washington, D.C. 20036;
202/822-5900; www.collegeboard.org/equity/html/indx001.html.
The report, "Mathematics Equals Opportunity," is available
by calling 800/USA-LEARN and on the DoEd's Web site at
www.ed.gov.
==== TAKING STOCK ====
*5 PROFESSORS OF EDUCATION: DIFFERENT STROKES
A disconnect exists between how parents, teachers and the
public view public schools and what teachers of teachers think
about education, according to a new survey released by the New
York-based Public Agenda. In previous surveys, teachers, parents
and the public found maintaining discipline and order in the
classroom essential. Only 37% of teachers of teachers cited
discipline and order in the classroom as "absolutely essential"
qualities to impart to prospective teachers.
"Professors of education have a particular vision of what
teaching should be -- one that has some appealing features," said
Deborah Wadsworth, executive director of Public Agenda. "But the
disconnect between what the professors want and what most
parents, teaches, business leaders and students say they need is
often staggering. Their prescriptions for the public schools may
appear to many Americans to be a type of rarified blindness given
the public's concerns about school safety and discipline, and
whether high school graduates have even basic skills," she added.
"Different Drummers: How Teachers of Teachers View Public
Education" also found that nearly 80% of teachers of teachers
believe the public's approach toward learning is "outmoded and
mistaken." For example, while the public attaches value to
grammar, punctuation and correct spelling, only 19% of teachers
of teachers consider them to be "absolutely essential" qualities
to pass on to prospective teachers.
Instead, professors consider it "absolutely essential" to
convey to prospective teachers the importance of lifelong
learning (84%), teaching students to be active learners (82%) and
having high expectations of all their students (72%).
Other findings: 59% think academic sanctions such as the
threat of flunking or being held back do not motivate children to
learn; and 61% said when a teacher faces a disruptive class it
probably means she has failed to make lessons engaging enough.
The survey also revealed that teachers of teachers value
process over content. According to 86% of those surveyed, it is
more important for students to struggle with the process of
finding the right answers than knowing the right answer.
Professors also promote a greater reliance on tools and less
on teaching specific facts. For example, 57% agreed that using
calculators from the start will improve children's problem-
solving skills. However, only 10% of the general public and 23%
of public school teachers agree.
Teachers of teachers agree with the public that American
students should be challenged more in school, but the professors
are somewhat reluctant to endorse testing as the way to instill
higher standards. Nearly half would require grade schools
students to pass a test showing mastery of higher standards
before they are promoted to junior high. Although 76% said they
would not allow children to graduate from high school without the
ability to write and speak English well, only 55% would require
students to show they know proper spelling, grammar, and
punctuation before receiving a diploma -- "a drop-off possibly
explained by their lack of faith in standardized tests."
The professors also choose more money for smaller classes
and up-to-date equipment (68%) over standards and discipline
(29%). Public opinion split over the issue, with 47% supporting
more money and 45% higher standards and more discipline.
Other findings: 75% said too many of their prospective
teachers have trouble writing essays with few grammar and
spelling errors; 72% said they often or sometimes come across a
student they say is a weak candidate for becoming a teacher.; 86%
said education programs need to do a better job of weeding out
unsuitable prospective teachers; and 67% support requiring
teachers to pass tests demonstrating proficiency in key subjects
before they are hired.
"Different Drummers" is based on a telephone survey
conducted over the summer with 900 randomly selected professors
of education who work in colleges and universities throughout the
continental U.S. The margin of error is plus or minus 3%.
For more information, contact Public Agenda; 6 East 39th
Street; New York, N.Y. 10016; 212-686-6610;
www.publicagenda.org. "Different Drummer" is available for
$10.00 (ISBN 1-889483-47-8)
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