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--- Wednesday --- February 24, 1999 --- Vol. 2 --- No. 7 ---
NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS PANEL
NEGP Weekly
THE UPDATE ON AMERICA'S NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS
in cooperation with the DAILY REPORT CARD
Y2K HELP IS ON THE WAY
Year 2000 computer problems
have you longing for the good
old days of manual typewriters?
U.S. Education Secretary
Richard Riley is sending help
to the nation's 15,000 school
districts in the form of a
guide to walk educators through
solutions to Y2K problems.
Produced with the Council of
the Great City Schools, the
document, "Squashing the
Millennium Bug: A Year 2000
Compliance Guide for
Elementary/Secondary Schools
and School Districts," contains
a 57-point checklist, computer
tests, Web resources, sample
letters to vendors, contract
clauses and other suggestions
schools can use to assure that
their computer systems function
properly on 1 January and
beyond.
The handbook also includes a
section on "Key Dates to
Consider."
The guide is linked to the
Education Department's Web site
at www.ed.gov/y2k under the
heading, "How To." It also can
be found at the Council of the
Great City Schools' site at
www.cgcs.org/y2k12. __________ __________
| SPOTLIGHT |
| |
| COUNT ON THE COUNT |
| |
| Many preschoolers are |
| captivated by Sesame |
| Street's Count Drakula |
| character, with his |
| effervescent play with |
| numbers. A new report |
| issued by the American |
| Association for the |
| Advancement of Science's |
| Project 2061 discusses the |
| ability of very young |
| children to grapple with |
| math, science, and |
| technology concepts. |
| |
| Although the research |
| does not clearly dictate |
| what every young child |
| should experience in a math |
| or science class, it does |
| strongly suggest that these |
| children are capable of |
| handling much more than |
| what traditional thinking |
| posits. Unfortunately, it |
| would be easy for the Count |
| to add up the number of |
| early childhood programs |
| that offer math and science |
| activities. (#2) |
|_____________________________|
============== QUOTE OF THE DAY ==============
"It's time to focus on the classroom not the courtroom."
Bill Lann Lee, acting assistant attorney general for civil rights
at the U.S. Department of Justice, on an agreement reached in
Denver for students with limited English language skills. (#4)
_______________________________________________________________
| (c) by the Education Policy Network, Inc. |
| 1255 22nd Street NW; Washington, D.C. 202/724-0124 |
| The DRC hereby authorizes further reproduction and |
| distribution with proper acknowledgment. |
| Publisher: Barbara A. Pape |
|
|
|_______________________________________________________________|
============== TABLE OF CONTENTS ==============
GOAL THREE: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND CITIZENSHIP
A BALANCING ACT: CALIF.'S NEW LANGUAGE FRAMEWORK. (#1)
GOAL FOUR: TEACHER ED/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
TEACHERS & TECHNOLOGY: NEW REPORT CALLS FOR
TRAINING.(#2)
GOAL FIVE: MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE
MATH AND SCIENCE: IS IT FOR THE PRE-SCHOOL SET. (#3)
IN THE NEWS
EDUCATION AND OPPORTUNITY: DENVER AGREEMENT. (#4)
===== GOAL THREE: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND CITIZENSHIP =====
*1 A BALANCING ACT: CALIF.'S NEW LANGUAGE ARTS FRAMEWORK
While a seminal report issued by the National Research Council last year,
"Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children," signaled the end of the
reading wars, skirmishes continue to flare up in states, school districts
and
classrooms nationwide. For example, California educators and policymakers
are
engaged in the challenging task of revamping the state's reading/language
arts
framework. The new framework, which stresses direct instruction, replaces
1987
guidelines based on a literature-based approach to teaching reading.
Besides
featuring a more phonics-driven program, the new guidelines also call for
extending language arts instruction to at least two hours per day.
A recent article in READING TODAY, a publication of the International
Reading Association, applauds California's efforts but cautions against a
pendulum swing in the other direction February/March 1999). According to
the
article, a revised version of the framework offers a "much more balanced"
approach than the original. However, the IRA and the California Reading
Association (CRA) cites seven areas of concern:
There is still too little attention to the issue of balance.
Appropriateness of instruction for the range of student needs and
abilities is
often ignored.
There is sometimes a lack of research support for recommendations; in a
document that bases its view on research as scientific, this lapse is
unacceptable.
There is too great an emphasis on reading from the single viewpoint of
synthetic phonics, a method most often taught in special education
programs.
There is inadequate attention to the needs of English as second language
learners.
The role of literature in the instructional program is very limited.
The role of writing in beginning reading instruction is undeveloped.
In conclusion, the IRA encourages California policymakers to "adopt a
broader and more balanced approach to instruction þ an approach that is
congruent with the learning needs of all students." The IRA points out that
as
goes California, so does the rest of the country when it comes to curriculum
frameworks. The state is the largest textbook market in the U.S., and
publishers
"often tailor their products to meet the requirements" of California.
According to READING TODAY, the California Board of Education has
indicated that several areas highlighted by the IRA and CRA will be
incorporated into documents that will be produced by the state Department of
Education to support the framework. The reading/language arts framework
will
be released this spring. State Department of Education personnel are
traveling
the state to conduct regional presentations to explain the new framework to
teachers and administrators.
For more information on the IRA and its reading positions: 800 Barksdale
Road; P.O. Box 8139; Newark, Delaware 19714-8139; 302/731-1600.
===== GOAL FOUR: TEACHER ED/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT =====
*2 TEACHERS & TECHNOLOGY: NEW REPORT CALLS FOR TRAINING
While most schools are wired for computers, few boast professional
development programs to help teachers travel on the Information Highway,
according to a new report issued by the CEO Forum. The report also found
that
while the percentage of schools using technology effectively has doubled in
a
year, more than half are not set up to prepare children for the next
century.
"We are encouraged that more and more schools are becoming wired for the
next
century, but we still have work to do," said Alan Spoon, president of the
Washington Post Company and CEO Forum co-chair. "More than half of our
nation's schools still have too little equipment, are not connected to the
Internet,
and have too few teachers who are integrating technology in their
classroom."
The CEO Forum urges school districts to allocate more funds for teaching
teachers how best to integrate technology in the classroom. According to
the
report, U.S. schools on average spend just five percent of their technology
dollars
on teacher training. The U.S. Department of Education recommends that
schools spend 30 percent of their technology funding on teachers.
A Department of Education survey of teachers found that only one of every
five teachers feel comfortable using technology in the classroom, notes
msnbc.com. (Llanos, 2/22). Terry Crane, president of Jostens Learning
Corporation and another CEO Forum co-chair compared classroom technology
with space missions. Investing in technology without adequate dollars
targeted to
teacher training is like "building the space shuttle and sending the crew to
space
with no training," she said.
The report labeled schools as "low", "middle," "high," or "target" in
terms of
technology. While 95% of "target" schools have Net access and about one
multimedia PC for every three students, only 39% of "low" end schools have
one
multimedia PC for every 25 students. The report includes a chart to help
school
leaders determine if their school is ranked "low," "middle," "high," or
"target."
Other findings:
At least one-third of the colleges of education does not have facilities
to rain
future teachers to use technology effectively in the classroom.
More than half of the nation's schools consider technology training and
education "optional."
Only North Carolina and Vermont require teaching candidates to have a
portfolio that shows they can use technology.
Crane urges businesses to adopt colleges of education, arguing that "we
have
a huge opportunity to teach future teachers to be comfortable with
technology,"
writes msnbc.com. According to the report, professional development
opportunities should be created not with new funds, but by redirecting
resources,
creating business partnerships and hiring teachers who leave college with
high
technology skills.
Copies of the report soon will be available at the CEO Forum's Web site:
www.ceoforum.org.
===== GOAL FIVE: MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE =====
*3 MATH AND SCIENCE: IS IT FOR THE PRE-SCHOOL SET
Much has been written about improving instruction in math and science for
students in grades K through 12. Few have discussed the implications of
teaching
math and science concepts to younger children. In 1998, a multidisciplinary
group of more than 100 educators, scholars and researchers participated in
the
Forum on early Childhood Science, mathematics, and Technology Education,
sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Subsequent to that meeting, the American Association for the Advancement
of Science (AAAS) assembled a collection of papers that presents sundry
views
on math and science education for young children. "Dialogue on Early
Childhood Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education" is comprised of
eleven papers on topics ranging from professional development of teachers of
young children in math and science to equity issues in preschool math,
science
and technology. The report "represents some of the latest thinking about
early
childhood science, mathematics, and technology education," writes George
Nelson, director of Project 2061 for AAAS, in the preface of the report.
Nelson cites several "intriguing ideas" that emerged from the papers,
including:
Children are capable of learning more than we had previously thought,
though we don't know enough about child development yet to say what
experiences every child should have.
Math and science are usually absent in early childhood education.
Early childhood teachers and caregivers are often ill prepared to
incorporate
appropriate science, math, or technology experiences into children's
lives.
The range of early childhood experiences is vast, and the resources for
early
childhood education are few and inequitably distributed.
One reason for the increasing emphasis on early childhood experiences in
math, science, and technology is cutting-edge brain research, which
indicates that
very young children may be capable of concept-based theoretical learning.
The report also includes a bibliography and list of resources for
educators and
parents. "Dialogue on Early Childhood Science, Mathematics, and Technology
Education," (9906S) is available for $12.95 from AAAS Distribution Office;
P.O.
521 Annapolis Junction, Maryland 20710; 800/222-7809. It soon will be
available
at AAAS's Web site: www.project2061.aaas.org
==== NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS PANEL UPDATE ====
*4 EDUCATION AND OPPORTUNITY: DENVER AGREEMENT
Under an agreement reached with the U.S. Justice Department, private
plaintiffs and the Denver Public Schools, students with limited English
language
skills will have additional opportunities to become fluent in English. The
agreement, which must be approved by the U.S. District Court in Denver,
requires the public school system to implement a revised transitional
language
program that incorporates a number of instructional tools, including native
language instruction and English as a Second Language techniques (U.S.
Department of Justice press release, 2/4).
"Education is the key to opportunity," said Bill Lann Lee, acting
assistant
attorney general for civil rights at the Department of Justice. "This
agreement
ensures that all children will have an opportunity to share in the American
dream."
The new program creates a three-year goal for moving students into
classroom environments where English is the primary language of instruction.
Students who do not progress sufficiently after three years can remain in
the
program. The district will develop an individual plan to help the student
progress satisfactorily.
The agreement also requires the school district to:
Develop a process for identifying gifted and talented English language
learners;
Train teachers to identify and respond to language barriers;
Establish a recruitment plan to ensure that there is a sufficient number
of
fully qualified teachers; and
Create an instructional Services Advisory team in each school to make
recommendations regarding program entry, exit, and services.
The parties also agreed that an independent monitor should review the
district's efforts for three years and report on the implementation of
the
program.
"It's time to focus on the classroom not the courtroom," said Lee.
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