We're back! Happy New Year!
--- Wednesday --- January 13, 1999 --- Vol. 4 --- No. 1 ---
NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS PANEL
NEGP Weekly
THE UPDATE ON AMERICA'S NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS
in cooperation with the DAILY REPORT CARD
AFTER-SCHOOL WORKSHOPS
The U.S. DoEd and the Charles
Stewart Mott Foundation will
host a series of technical
assistance workshops nationwide
throughout January for
potential after-school program
applicants. The 21st Century
Community Learning Center
Program provides grants to
rural and inner city public
schools, or consortia of
schools, working with community
partners, to implement top-
notch before- and after-school
and summer school programs.
The DoEd will award $100M in
new grants this year. The
workshops are financed by the
Mott Foundation.
Workshops are scheduled for:
Providence, Rhode Island;
Boise, Idaho; Minneapolis,
Minnesota; Portland, Oregon;
Arlington, Virginia; King of
Prussia, Pennsylvania; Flint
Michigan; Houston, Texas; and
Atlanta, Georgia.
For more info, visit the 21st
Century Community Learning
Center's web site at
www.ed.gov/offices/OERI/
21stCCLC, or call the National
Community Education Association
at 703/359-8973.
__________ __________
| SPOTLIGHT |
| |
| "STARTING OUT RIGHT" |
| |
| Parents are urged by |
| everyone -- from the |
| President to teachers -- to |
| help their offspring learn |
| to read. Many parents |
| embrace the call for |
| participation, but are |
| befuddled over how to help. |
| |
| A new guidebook issued by |
| the National Research |
| Council was prepared with |
| parents in mind. In plain |
| and simple language, |
| "Starting Out Right: A |
| Guide to Promoting Child- |
| ren's Reading Success" |
| offers parents a solid |
| background in the reading |
| process as well as tips on |
| how best to encourage their |
| young child to develop |
| literacy skills. |
| |
| The book focuses on birth |
| to third grade because |
| "there is no substitute for |
| an all-out effort to ensure |
| that all of our children |
| start out right." (#4) |
|_____________________________|
============== QUOTE OF THE DAY ==============
"Some SREB states with accountability systems identify schools
for intervention based on the number of students who score in the
bottom 25 percent on a standardized test. Yet these same states
accept the bottom 25 percent as 'good enough' for teachers."
Sondra Cooney, director of SREB's middle grades initiative. (#3)
_______________________________________________________________
| (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
DISCIPLINE PROBLEMS?: Lower mandatory-attendance age. (#1)
GOAL THREE: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND CITIZENSHIP
THE KEY TO WORK: Better high school preparation. (#2)
GOAL FOUR: TEACHER ED/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
TEACHING MIDDLE SCHOOL: Teachers fall short in the South. (#3)
GOAL EIGHT: PARENTAL PARTICIPATION
HELP FOR PARENTS: Encouraging children to learn to read. (#4)
IN THE NEWS
IN THE NEWS: Charter schools. (#5)
===== GOAL TWO: HIGH SCHOOL COMPLETION =====
*1 DISCIPLINE PROBLEMS?: LOWER MANDATORY-ATTENDANCE AGE
Virginia seventeen-year-olds may be able to officially drop
out of school, if state lawmakers vote in favor of a proposal
that recently emerged from a legislative commission (Salmon, WASH
POST, 12/24/98). The proposal also would allow sixteen-year-olds
to leave traditional high school programs for other studies.
A major consideration for the shift in policy is interest in
reducing school discipline problems by offering older students
educational options. "If you make certain children stay [in
school] who don't want to be there, they're either just going to
drop out ... or they're going to stay there and not be
productive," said Kim Echelberger, legislative analyst for the
Commission on Youth.
Virginia's mandatory-attendance law is one of the strictest
in the nation, according to the POST. Currently, students are
required to stay in traditional school until their eighteenth
birthday. Most states require teens to attend school until they
are 16, notes the paper.
The proposal from the Commission on Youth will be introduced
in the General Assembly after the session begins on 13 January.
===== GOAL THREE: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND CITIZENSHIP =====
*2 THE KEY TO WORK: BETTER HIGH SCHOOL PREPARATION
Greater cooperation between schools and the business
community is needed to ensure that Ohio high school students are
prepared for the demands of skilled entry-level jobs, according
to a new report issued jointly by the Ohio Business Roundtable
and the state Department of Education.
Researchers examined the results of American College
Testing's (ACT) Work Keys tests in Applied Mathematics, Reading
for Information, Applied Technology and Locating Information
taken by nearly 15,000 Ohio high school seniors. Test results
were compared with the skill levels required for successful
performance in typical Ohio occupations that offer "good wages
and career paths," writes the newsletter.
Only seven percent of students taking the exams met
workplace standards in all four skill areas.
"We are not preparing all of our students to meet world-
class standards in core academic areas, and too few students
graduate prepared for productive work," said John Goff, Ohio
superintendent of public education. "Our schools must continue
strengthening students' preparation in reading, math and science
and must find ways to help students learn to apply knowledge to
real-world situations."
Other findings:
about 70% of college-bound students met workplace standards
in Applied Mathematics and Reading for Information, while
only 30% of non-college-bound students met those standards;
fewer than 30% of college-bound and only 11% of non-college-
bound students met workplace standards in Applied Technology
and Locating Information.
urban students perform somewhat lower than rural and
suburban students; and
overall, students perform well in Applied Math and Reading
for Information, but less well on Applied Technology and
Locating Information, "which measure job-relevant skills not
generally emphasized in the classroom," writes the
newsletter.
The report, titled "Knowledge and Know-How: Meeting Ohio's
Skill Gap Challenge," offers 21 recommendations to "help
educators, employers, parents, students, public officials, and
communities work together to close Ohio's 'skill gap,'"
including:
demand higher academic standards and increased
accountability at every level;
involve parents, employers, and community leaders in setting
academic and skill standards;
encourage employers to incorporate academic standards into
their own recruitment, hiring and certification
requirements; and
provide teachers and administrators with appropriate
professional development opportunities that give them a
better understanding of the workplace.
Copies of "Knowledge and Know-How: Meeting Ohio's Skill Gap
Challenge" are available by calling the Ohio Business Roundtable
at 614/469-1044.
===== GOAL FOUR: TEACHER ED/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT =====
*3 TEACHING MIDDLE SCHOOL: TEACHERS FALL SHORT IN THE SOUTH
Student achievement in the middle grades is linked with how
well teachers are prepared and the ongoing training they receive,
according to a new report issued by the Southern Regional
Education Board (SREB). "Improving Teaching in the Middle
Grades: Higher Standards for Students Aren't Enough" underscores
the need for better prepared teachers to meet the needs of middle
school students.
SREB reports that most states set the passing scores on
teacher assessments so low that "they offer little assurance of a
high-quality pool of teacher trainees." For example, of the 11
SREB states that use the Education Testing Service's Praxis I
tests in reading, math and writing to screen candidates for
teacher education programs, only three states set a passing score
on the writing and reading tests above the 25th percentile.
"Interestingly, some SREB states with accountability systems
identify schools for intervention based on the number of students
who score in the bottom 25 percent on a standardized test. Yet
these same states accept the bottom 25 percent as 'good enough'
for teachers," said Sondra Cooney, director of the SREB's middle
grades initiative. "Is scoring at or below the 25th percentile a
high enough standard for prospective teachers," she queries.
Other findings:
Almost two-thirds of sixth-grade mathematics classes are
taught by teachers with elementary education majors who may
have had six or fewer hours of mathematics training.
In eighth-grade science, two out of five classes are taught
by teachers without a science major, and only 11 percent of
science classes are taught by teachers who majored in a
science such as biology, chemistry or physics.
In grade eight, 70 percent of the English classes are taught
by teachers with either an elementary education major or a
home economics education major.
"Few states collect enough detailed information to make this
kind of analysis," said SREB Senior Vice President Lynn Cornett,
"but the data we do have from one state leaves little doubt that
states in the SREB region should look closely at the content
preparation of middle grades teachers." Cornett added: "We can
say with some confidence, for example, that at least a third of
the middle grades teachers in the SREB states today hold
elementary teaching license."
"Improving Teaching in the Middle Grades" makes a series of
recommendations, including:
States should eliminate licenses that overlap in the middle
grades and should have different requirements for teachers
of those grades.
States should require potential teachers of the middle
grades to have at least an academic minor in content areas
they teach.
States should examine entrance requirements for teacher
education programs and consider raising the standards.
States and districts should require every school to have a
professional development plan that is linked to student
performance on state and local standards; and
States and district should identify funds spent on
professional development and should measure the results of
those funds through the school accountability process. All
new funding for professional development should be tied to
school improvement plans.
SREB's 16 member states are: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware,
Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi,
North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas,
Virginia and West Virginia.
For more information, contact SREB at 592 10th Street NW;
Atlanta, Georgia 30318; 404/875-9211; www.sreb.org.
==== GOAL EIGHT: PARENTAL PARTICIPATION ====
*4 HELP FOR PARENTS: ENCOURAGING CHILDREN TO LEARN TO READ
Much of what is written about learning to read is suited
primarily for researchers. The National Research Council (NRC),
using the "exhaustive" review of reading research found in its
1998 report "Preventing Reading Difficulties In Young Children,"
has produced a guidebook fit for parents, teachers and other
caregivers of young children.
"Starting Out Right: A Guide To Promoting Children's
Reading Success" is filled with tips to enhance a young child's
language and literacy experiences. The book provides a brief
introduction into the reading process. It then groups literacy
concepts and skills by age, from infancy to the primary grades.
A final chapter addresses reading difficulties experienced by
some young children and offers interventions to help children
reach their reading potential.
The book's authors underscore the urgency for addressing
reading difficulties. "We are most concerned with the children
in this country who do not read well enough to meet the demands
of an increasingly competitive economy," notes the book.
Ideologies and "narrowly focused beliefs" have beguiled
practitioners from implementing "genuine reforms in reading
instruction," according to the book. Similar to "Preventing
Reading Difficulties in Young Children," the guidebook promotes a
balanced approach to reading -- one that incorporates
phonological awareness and phonics with a literature-rich
environment.
The book focuses on early childhood and the primary grades
because an "enriched preschool environment and excellent primary
grade instruction can be a deciding factor between success or
failure that will follow them all their lives."
A glossary and list of resources is provided in the
appendix.
Copies of "Starting Out Right" are available for $14.95 from
the National Academy Press by calling 800/624-6242 or at
www.nap.edu.
==== IN THE NEWS ====
*5 IN THE NEWS: CHARTER SCHOOLS
MARYLAND: Some members of a Maryland task force established
to recommend charter school legislation to the General Assembly
this month are concerned that the group's proposal is too
restrictive (Nakashima, WASH POST, 12/17). Other charter school
advocates have joined in the criticism, claiming that the
proposal grants too much authority to local education boards,
"which would have the power to approve or deny an application,"
writes the paper.
"If this is passed, these will be charter schools in name
only, " said Joni Gardner, president of the Maryland Coalition
for Education Reform.
However, leaders of the 12-member task force say their plan
has earned bipartisan support. The proposal recommends that
charter school applicants be limited to public school staff, to
parents of children attending a public school, or to a college or
university. Schools seeking charter school status must win the
approval of 60% of its parents and staff. Charter school
teachers must hold Maryland certification, "unless the
requirement was waived for that individual," reports the paper.
The plan also allows for appeals to be made to the state
Board of Education.
Jay Michael Gillen, a co-founder and teacher at a Baltimore
charter school, criticized the proposal for giving exclusive
power to "charter" a school to local education boards. "If a
board feels territorial and does not want a charter school to get
started, it might impede its progress through regulations," said
Gillen.
However, state Senator Christopher McCabe (R), a task force
member, said the plan is "moderate enough to pass the Democrat-
controlled legislature," writes the paper. McCabe added that in
order for the law to promote a "true charter school program," the
proposal should be bolder.
MINNESOTA STUDY: A study conducted by Minnesota's Office of
Educational Accountability (OEA) concludes that "low achievement
scores, low attendance rates in secondary grades and low
graduation rate of some charter schools will pose a challenge to
their sponsoring agencies." ED DAILY reports that the Minnesota
study strikes "another blow to the charter school movement."
(Lake, 1/7).
A UCLA study issued late last year concluded that many
California charter schools lack mechanisms for measuring
accountability in the schools, reports the newsletter.
The OEA report measures the performance of students in
charter schools and compares that data with state averages. For
example, the study found that 40% of charter school students meet
the state's graduation requirements for math, compared with 71%
of students statewide. Forty-three percent of charter school
students meet reading achievement standards, compared to 68%
statewide. The OEA study also found that attendance and
graduation rates were lower for charter school students.
Critics say it is misleading to compare achievement,
attendance and graduation rates of charter school students with
statewide averages. "Most of the students in charter schools are
from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Area," said Wayne Jennings,
president-elect of the Minnesota Association of Charter Schools.
"These kids are not representative of the whole state." He adds
that three out of four charter school students are considered to
be "at-risk." ED DAILY notes that even the OEA report found that
51% of charter school students are economically disadvantaged,
compared with only 24% statewide.
For more information on the OEA study, visit the 1998
Minnesota Education Yearbook at http://edspy.coled.unm.edu/oea.
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