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--- Wednesday --- January 20, 1999 --- Vol. 2 --- No. 2 ---
NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS PANEL
NEGP Weekly
THE UPDATE ON AMERICA'S EDUCATION REFORM EFFORTS
In cooperation with the DAILY REPORT CARD
AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
Want to know the status of your
state's assessment for math? What
grades are tested? Are the tests
only multiple choice? Or, are you
interested in teacher standards?
Information on these issues and other
state education policies are provided
in a new report released by the
Council of Chief State School
Officers (CCSSO). "Key State
Education Polices on K-12 Education"
reports on the current status of
graduation, assessment, teacher
licensure, time and attendance, and
content standards in all 50 states
and 5 extra-state jurisdictions.
The publication is part of a
continuing series, first begun in the
1980s.
CCSSO also issued "State Education
Accountability Reports and Indicator
Reports: Status of Reports across
the States, 1998," which also
provides state-by-state information.
For more information: CCSSO; One
Massachusetts Avenue NW; Suite 700;
Washington, D.C. 0001-1431; 202/408-
5505; www.ccsso.org.
__________ __________
| SPOTLIGHT |
| |
| TALKIN' ABOUT |
| OUR GENERATION |
| |
| Education was featured |
| prominently in the last |
| State of the Union Address |
| of the 20th century. |
| Clinton, evoking a need to |
| better prepare our |
| students, teachers and |
| schools, presented a five- |
| point proposal to |
| invigorate the nation's |
| public school system. |
| |
| His plan rests on |
| "accountability for |
| results" by: ending social |
| promotion, turning around |
| or shutting down poor- |
| performing schools, putting |
| quality teachers in every |
| classroom, empowering |
| parents through issuing |
| school report cards, and |
| passing tough school disci- |
| pline policies. If we do, |
| "we will begin to meet our |
| generation's historic |
| responsibility to create |
| 21st century schools," says |
| Clinton. (#5) |
|_____________________________|
============== QUOTE OF THE DAY ==============
"In too many communities it's easier to get information on the
quality of the local restaurants than on the quality of the local
schools."
President Bill Clinton, in his State of the Union Address. (#5)
_______________________________________________________________
| (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 ONE: READY TO LEARN
PRESCHOOL: Full day in New Jersey. (#1)
GOAL THREE: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND CITIZENSHIP
"THE NEED TO READ:" Miami Herald's year of reading. (#2)
GOAL FOUR: TEACHER ED/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
TEACHER QUALITY: New standards for the next millennium. (#3)
GOAL FIVE: MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE
TRACKING ELEPHANTS IN CAMEROON: Education on-line. (#4)
IN THE NEWS
21ST CENTURY SCHOOLS: Featured in Clinton's State of Union.(#5)
===== GOAL ONE: READY TO LEARN =====
*1 PRESCHOOL: FULL DAY IN NEW JERSEY
New Jersey three- and four-year-olds in 28 low-income districts will
be
able to attend full-day preschool under a new plan announced earlier this
month by Gov. Christine Todd Whitman.
The call for full-day preschool comes on the heels of a state Supreme
Court settlement that requires the state to provide half-day preschool for
all four-year-olds in the 28 poorest school districts, and half-day
preschool
for three-year-olds in the disadvantaged districts that request it (Newman,
N.Y. TIMES, 1/7).
"Investing in quality early childhood programs is without question
one
of the most critical things we are doing for the future of our children and
our state," said Whitman.
The paper reports that New Jersey's plan for full-day preschool
places
the state at the head of a class of states "beginning to heed the advice of
education experts who assert that the years before age 5 are a critical
learning time for children." According to the paper, nearly 40 states set
aside money for preschool programs. New Jersey plans to spend $8,000 per
child on the full-day preschool program.
Whitman's plan also calls for a 20-to-3 student-to-teacher ratio.
One
of the adult supervisors is required to have a child development associate
credential, earned from a program that typically demands about 12 hours of
special training. Dr. W. Steven Barnett, director of the Center for Early
Education at Rutgers University, questions the low standard for preschool
teachers. He holds that class size should be about 12, with at least one
certified teacher.
"What's good about this plan is that it is a recognition that kids
do
need full-day programs and it recognizes that it costs a lot more than the
schools are getting now," he said. "The problem is that they've set the
standards for what they want to achieve so low, that they're just throwing
their money away."
Whitman stands firm in response to such criticism. "Let's be clear:
we
are talking about kids," she said. "Three and four-year-olds should be
doing
what they do best: playing, not cramming for kindergarten."
===== GOAL THREE: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND CITIZENSHIP =====
*2 "THE NEED TO READ:" MIAMI HERALD'S YEAR OF READING
The MIAMI HERALD just completed a year of stories about learning to
read. Called "The Need to Read," the series included articles on phonics,
early intervention, first-grade programs, Mother Goose, tips from experts
and adult reading projects.
An article published on 4 December 1998 is an interview with six
teachers and reading specialists who offer tips to parents. The experts
encourage parents to help their child -- even the youngest -- to read for
comprehension.
Other topics discussed are the role of phonics, appropriate computer
programs, how to discover your child's reading ability, how to "wean"
children from TV to books, and what can a parent who does not read well or
does not read English do to help their child learn to read.
The series is available at the MIAMI HERALD'S Web site:
www.miamiherald.com
===== GOAL FOUR: TEACHER ED/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT =====
*3 TEACHER QUALITY: NEW STANDARDS FOR THE NEXT MILLENNIUM
The first set of draft standards for teacher education programs was
released earlier this month by the National Council of Accreditation of
Teacher Education (NCATE). NCATE 2000 could "revitalize schools of
education," according to Gary Galluzzo, dean of George Mason University's
graduate school of education (Fox, ED DAILY, 1/6).
Currently, a school of education would receive NCATE accreditation
based
on the classes offered at the school. The new standards are performance-
based, with accreditation tied to student performance. The new standards
provide schools of education with ways to measure subject knowledge and
teaching ability. Schools also are provided with guidance on revamping
their
teacher preparation program to align with the standards.
NCATE officials note that their draft standards "take cues" from the
National Board of Professional Teaching Standards, which grants subject
certification to mid-career teachers who pass a rigorous assessment process,
and the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium, which
certifies new teachers, writes ED DAILY.
NCATE will accept comments on the proposed standards until 30 June
1999.
The standards were developed with support from the Carnegie Corporation of
New York and the Pew Charitable Trusts.
For more information: NCATE; 2010 Massachusetts Avenue NW; Suite
500;
Washington, D.C. 20036-1023; 202/466-7496; www.ncate.org.
===== GOAL FIVE: MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE =====
*4 TRACKING ELEPHANTS IN CAMEROON: AN ON-LINE EDUCATION
Middle school students in the Chatham County (North Carolina) public
schools have embarked on a unique on-line trek. They are studying tracking
patterns of elephants in Cameroon through a collaborative project that
includes the county schools, the North Carolina Zoological park, World Wide
Fund for Nature and several other partners.
Teachers will be able to meet curriculum objectives in several
subject
areas by tracking the elephants through satellite communications with Dr.
Mike Loomis, chief veterinarian with the N.C. Zoo, and Dr. Martin Tchamba,
head of WWF's elephant conservation programs in Cameroon.
A Web site was established to allow students and teachers to learn
about
the project, meet the elephant tracking team, participate in lessons and
activities correlated with the tracking and also contribute their own ideas
on several inquiry questions and elephant activities.
"The available activities and educational experiences with this
project
are extraordinary," said Dr. Fran Nolan, curator of education with the N.C.
Zoo. "Teachers will be able to cross subject area boundaries because the
project encompasses the geography, social structure and cultural diversity
of
West Africa in addition to the scientific information included in the
elephant project."
The purpose of the project, which includes the Cameroon Ministry of
Environment and Forests, is to develop ways to reduce conflicts between the
country's dwindling elephant population and the villages and farms that lie
within their ranges.
==== IN THE NEWS ====
*5 21ST CENTURY SCHOOLS: FEATURED IN CLINTON'S STATE OF UNION
In the last State of the Union address of this century, President
Clinton proposed a five-point plan to improve the nation's public school
system. After congratulating the nation for working to amass current
success
-- financial aid options that have "finally opened the doors of college to
all Americans," state-developed academic standards, the creation of a
voluntary national test, technology in the schools and an emphasis on class-
size reduction -- Clinton outlined his proposal to drive public education
into the 21st century.
"Now each year the national government invests more than $15 billion
in
our public schools," said Clinton. "I believe we must change the way we
invest that money to support what works and to stop supporting what does not
work."
He unveiled his Education Accountability Act, which combines
accountability and results. According to a White House background report,
the Education Accountability Act is "designed to hold students, teachers and
schools to high standards, and to ensure that school districts and states
provide students with a high quality education."
First, Clinton states that schools must end social promotion. He
underscores the valiant efforts of the Chicago school district, which ended
social promotion but supported students by making summer school mandatory
for
those who were not achieving at expected levels. Under Clinton's plan,
states and school districts would have to show how they will help students
meet promotion standards on time by:
strengthening learning opportunities in the classroom with clear
standards, small classes with well-prepared teachers, high quality
professional development and use of proven instructional practices;
identifying students who need help at the earliest possible moment;
providing extended learning time, including after-school and summer
school for students who need extra help;
developing an effective remedial plan, with intensive intervention,
for
students who still do not meet the standards, so they can get back on
track in their schooling.
Clinton's FY 2000 budget proposes to triple federal funding for
after-
school and summer school programs (from $200 million to $600 million) to
help
schools that eliminate social promotion provide students with the extra help
they need to succeed.
Next, Clinton demands that all states and school districts "must
turn
around their worst performing schools or shut them down." He notes that his
policy is based on the efforts of North Carolina, where significant gains
were made in test scores last year.
The President's FY 2000 budget includes $200 million to help states
take
steps to turn around schools. The Administration's legislation to
reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) requires
states
to identify schools with the lowest achievement levels and least
improvement.
Corrective actions must be taken that could include intensive teacher
training, support to improve school discipline, and implementation of proven
approaches to school reform.
If these steps do not turn around the schools and improve student
achievement in two years, Clinton's plan would require states to take
additional corrective actions, such as permitting students to attend other
pubic schools, or reconstituting the school by evaluating the staff and
making any necessary staff changes, or closing the school and reopening it
as
a charter with an entirely new staff.
Clinton's third point stresses the need to put quality teachers in
every
classroom. The President pointed out that far too many teachers do not have
college majors or minors in the subjects they teach. Under the ESEA
proposal, states would be required to adopt performance examinations for all
new teachers, requiring them to demonstrate both subject-matter knowledge
and
teaching expertise.
The plan also would mandate the phase-out, over five years, of the
use
of teachers with emergency certificates and the practice of assigning
teachers to subjects for which they lack adequate preparation. Clinton's
plan provides resources to help states strengthen teacher certification
standards, test new teachers, provide training to current teachers, and give
incentives to recruit more highly qualified teachers.
Clinton also plans to increase funding for his teacher recruitment
effort enacted in last year's Higher Education Act, from $7.5 million to $35
million. The goal is to recruit 7,000 outstanding new teachers into high-
need public schools by giving them scholarships in exchange for a commitment
to teach.
Fourth is a call to "empower" parents by providing them with more
information to make better educational choices for their children. Clinton:
"In too many communities it's easier to get information on the quality of
the
local restaurants than on the quality of the local schools."
The President's ESEA proposal would require states to distribute to
all
parents annual report cards for each school and school district, as well as
the state as a whole. He also makes provision in his budget for 3,000
charter schools to be created early in the next century.
Clinton also called for tougher discipline policies. "Schools must
be a
place of learning," he said. School staff must take steps to ensure order
and safety, including adopting school uniforms, enforcing truancy laws and
imposing curfews. The ESEA proposal requires states and school districts to
ratify discipline policies that "make sure students have the chance to learn
and teachers have the chance to teach," according to the White House
background report.
The President concluded his remarks on education by calling on
Congress
to grant financial support to communities trying to rebuild crumbling
schools. Specifically, Clinton is proposing federal tax credits as
incentives to help states and school districts to build and renovate public
schools. Half of the bond authority would be allocated to the 100 school
districts with the largest number of disadvantaged children, and the other
half would be allocated to the states.
The White House holds that these proposals mark a "sea-change" in
national education policy -- "for the first time holding states and school
districts accountable for progress and rewarding them for results."
Clinton's goal is to encourage Congress to target federal dollars for
programs that work, not those that do not.
In his concluding remarks, Clinton reflected on the momentous
occasion
of delivering the final State of the Union address for this century:
Tonight, as I deliver the last State of the Union Address for the
20th
century, no one anywhere in the world can doubt the enduring resolve and
boundless capacity of the American people to work toward that 'more
perfect union' of our founders' dreams. ...
We must all be profoundly grateful for the magnificent achievements
of
our forbearers in this century.
Yet perhaps in the daily press of events, in the clash of
controversy,
we don't see our own time for what it truly is -- a new dawn for
America.
A hundred years from tonight, another American president will stand
in
this place and report on the State of the Union. He -- or she -- will
look back on the 21st century shaped in so many ways by the decisions we
make here and now.
So let it be said of us then that we were thinking not only of our
time,
but of their time; that we reached as high as our ideals; that we put
aside our divisions and found a new hour of healing and helpfulness;
that we joined together to serve and strengthen the land we love.
My fellow Americans, this is our moment. Let us lift our eyes as
one
nation, and from the mountaintop of this American century, look ahead to
the next one -- asking God's blessing on our endeavors and on our
beloved country.
_______________________________________________________________
| 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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