The NEGP Weekly, January 27, 2000

[NEGPWEEK@westat.com (NEGPWEEK)]

*******************THE NEGP WEEKLY****************
A weekly news update on America's Education Goals 
and school improvement efforts across America from the 
NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS PANEL

Thursday - January 27, 2000 -- Vol. 2 -- No. 41
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CONTENTS

**STATE POLICY 
1.) "GAINING GROUND": PRICHARD COMMITTEE'S VIEW OF KERA (All Goals)
2.) LEARNING DISABLED: A LABEL FOR CHILDREN NOT TAUGHT TO READ (Goal 3)

**COMMUNITY AND LOCAL NEWS 
2.) STANDARDS AND TESTING: A PHILADELPHIA SUCCESS STORY (Goal 3) 
4.) URBAN SCHOOLS: DESPERATELY SEEKING TEACHERS (Goal 4)

**FEDERAL POLICY NEWS 
5.) CLASS SIZE: BENEFITS OF SMALLNESS (Goal 3)
6.) HIGHER EDUCATION BUDGET: CLINTON UNVEILS PLAN (Goal 6)

**RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PRACTICE 
7.) K-12 AND HIGHER EDUCATION: A PATH TO PARTNERSHIP (Goals 3 and 4)
8.) SAFE SCHOOLS NOW: NEA PRODUCTION (Goal 7) 

**FEATURE STORY
9.) ON A COLLISION COURSE: DISABILITY RIGHTS AND STANDARDS (Goal 3)
 

***FACT OF THE WEEK***
Between 1992 and 1996, the U.S. and 7 states (out of 39) significantly
increased the percentages of public school 4th graders who scored at or
above Proficient in mathematics.  Those states were Colorado, Connecticut,
Indiana, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia.

--The National Education Goals Report: Building a nation of learners, 1999



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STATE POLICY NEWS
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1.)******** "GAINING GROUND": PRICHARD COMMITTEE'S VIEW OF KERA
(All Goals)

Kentucky schools have gained ground during the last decade, particularly
through the efforts of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA), according
to a new report issued by the Prichard Committee (November 1999).  After
decades of "false starts," state leaders learned that the "only hope for
better schools was to be found in a comprehensive program of interconnected
steps that would require an extended period of time and deep commitment to
become reality."  

The report elaborates on the elements of the state's education reform plan
and details "signs of progress," such as the closing of funding gaps that
"for decades hampered the education of children in less-wealthy districts,"
more teachers per student, higher teacher salaries than in the past and an
improved high school graduation rate.  It also provides a series of
recommendations for further improvement in the Kentucky public school
system.

Gaining Ground: Hard Work and High Expectations for Kentucky Schools was
produced by the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence in collaboration
with the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and the Partnership for Kentucky
Schools.  Copies are available from the Prichard Committee, P.O. Box 1658,
Lexington, Kentucky 40588-1658. (606)233-9849.


2.)******** LEARNING DISABLED: A LABEL FOR CHILDREN NOT TAUGHT TO READ  
(Goal Three: Student Achievement and Citizenship)

In a series on special education, the L.A. TIMES writes that thousands of
California students are labeled "learning disabled," when their problem is
not having been taught to read properly (12/12/99).  They are "twice
failed," reports the paper.  First, they are not taught to read, then they
are placed in a special education program that is "badly flawed."  

The paper notes that public education costs have soared and "academic
prospects have dimmed for otherwise bright children" due in part to
inadequate reading instruction in the early grades.  "Learning disabilities
have become a sociological sponge to wipe up the spills of general
education," said G. Reid Lyon, head of the federal government's research
efforts into reading and learning disabilities.  "It's where children who
weren't taught well go in many respects."

According to the TIMES, the country, and especially California, downplayed
the importance of phonics beginning in the late 1980s, resulting in a
"steady rise in the number of students identified as learning disabled."  

The series reported in the L.A. TIMES, "Twice Failed: California's Lost
Students" can be found at
www.latimes.com/news/state/reports/specialeduc/lat_contacts991215.htm.


*************************
Community and Local News
*************************


3.)******** STANDARDS AND TESTING: A PHILADELPHIA SUCCESS STORY
(Goal Three: Student Achievement and Citizenship)

A recent Philadelphia INQUIRER analysis of student achievement in city
schools reveals improved student achievement in schools citywide (Langland,
1/23).  According to the paper, the sustained gains tend to lend credibility
to the test, known as the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment, and to
the local, state and national push for academic standards that has taken
hold over the last decade."

"The long and the short of it is the test has made the difference to us,'
said Jean di Sabatino, curriculum director of the Chester Upland system.
"The [test] set the standards, the goals we have to meet.  Di Sabatino added
that teachers "build instruction around the standards and the state battery
of tests no longer intimidates them." 

Last year, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge labeled the Chester Upland
district "academically distressed," writes the paper.  This year, the
district's Main Street School is one of the schools making "great strides"
since 1996, reports the paper.

Visit the Philadelphia INQUIRER at www.phillynews.com


4.)******** URBAN SCHOOLS: DESPERATELY SEEKING TEACHERS
(Goal Four: Teacher Education and Professional Development)

The nation's city schools face the challenge of finding enough top-notch
teachers to work in classrooms at all levels, according to a new report
issued by three groups --Recruiting New Teachers, the Council of the Great
City Schools and the Council of the Great City Colleges of Education.
Critical teacher shortages exist primarily in special education, math and
science.  Minority teachers also are in high demand in urban schools.

The Urban Teachers Challenge also reveals problems at the nation's colleges
of education.  Teacher education students "are still flocking to
over-subscribed programs," notes the reports.  These are instructional areas
such as elementary education, social studies/history and early childhood
that have the most appeal to students pursuing teaching careers, despite
severe shortages in other disciplines.

Copies of the report are available free-of-charge from Recruiting New
Teachers at (617)489-6005, or at www.cgcs.org or www.rnt.org.


*********************
Federal Policy News
*********************


5.)******** CLASS SIZE: BENEFITS OF SMALLNESS
(Goal Three: Student Achievement and Citizenship)

A new publication issued by WestEd describes the benefits and challenges of
efforts to reduce class size (January 2000).  Class Size Reduction: Great
Hopes, Great Challenges, lists several benefits to class size reductions,
including achievement gains, improved identification of special needs and
fewer classroom discipline disruptions.  

However, the report also presents critical challenges to successful
implementation of class size reduction programs.  The supply and quality of
the teaching force is essential.  Class size reduction programs can
"exacerbate teaching shortages and lead to the hiring of underqualified
teachers, for example.  Other challenges include equity issues and finding
adequate facilities.  

WestEd recommends targeting class size reduction efforts to children in the
primary grades, especially low-income and minority children.  The group also
suggests appropriate teacher preparation programs to offset an influx of
"new and possibly inexperienced teachers hired to enact class size reduction
policies."

For more information, visit www.WestEd.org.


6.)******** HIGHER EDUCATION BUDGET: CLINTON UNVEILS PLAN
(Goal Six: Adult Literacy and Lifelong Learning)

Last week, President Clinton announced his plans for making investments in
higher education and training.  His initiatives include:

>  A $30 billion college opportunity tax cut to provide tax relief for
families struggling to make college more affordable.
>  Nearly $1 billion for college completion challenge grants, Pell Grants
and other initiatives to help students afford and be able to stay in school.
>  Over $400 million in increased initiatives to "keep young people on the
track to success."  Programs include Gear Up, a nationwide initiative to
encourage more disadvantaged young people to have high expectations, stay in
school, study hard and take the right courses to go to and succeed in
college; TRIO, a program designed to motivate and prepare students to go to
and to stay in college; and Job Corps, the nation's largest and most
comprehensive residential education and job training program that targets
impoverished young people.

U.S. Education Secretary Richard Riley commented on the President's higher
education budget.  "The President's plan will help to reduce the amount of
borrowing necessary for college," he said.  "It is part of the
Administration's sustained commitment to expanding federal student aid over
the past seven years." 

For more information, visit The White House at www.whitehouse.gov.


*********************************
Research and Education Practices
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7.)******** K-12 AND HIGHER EDUCATION: A PATH TO PARTNERSHIP
(Goal Three: Student Achievement and Citizenship and Goal Four: Teacher
Education and Professional Development)

American higher education needs to become a more active partner in the K-12
school reform movement, according to a report released jointly by the
Institute for Educational Leadership, the National Center for Public Policy
and Higher Education and the State Higher Education Executive Officers.
Higher Education and the Schools summarizes the current condition of K-12
school reform and "explores the policy implications of these reform issues
for the future of higher education."

P. Michael Timpane, senior advisor for education policy at RAND and author
of the report, finds the current relationship between K-12 and higher
education "disappointing but not surprising that American higher education
has been so little involved in the formulation or execution of contemporary
school reform."  
The report is part of a series titled Perspectives in Public Policy:
Connecting Higher Education and the Public Schools.  Copies are available
for $15 each via e-mail: iel@iel.org, fax: (202)872-4050.  Please refer to
publication title and number (K-16 Report #99-02).  


8.)********SAFE SCHOOLS NOW: NEA PRODUCTION 
(Goal Seven: Safe, Disciplined, Alcohol- and Drug-Free Schools)

Anger management, policymaking for safe schools and peer mediation are some
of the issues that will be featured in a "groundbreaking" 10-part television
series produced by the National Education Association's Safe Schools Now
Network (NEA press release, 1/13).  The series premiered 20 January 2000,
with additional broadcasts scheduled for 24 February, 23 March, 27 April.
The NEA project combines the efforts of several groups:

>  original television programming produced by the NEA that highlights the
best research-based strategies and user-friendly information on how to
achieve school safety;
>  the donation of 1,000 free satellite television dishes and air time to
school districts nationwide by EchoStar Communications Corporation, a
private company based in Littleton, Colorado, near Columbine High School,
and its D.C.-based partner FutureView;
>  support in publicizing and distributing the broadcasts to more than 6,000
sites through the U.S. Departments of Education, Justice and Health and
Human Services, as well as Learning First Alliance, a coalition of the
nation's leading 12 education organizations.

For more information, visit the NEA at: www.safeschoolsnow.org.


*****************
Feature Story
*****************


9.)******** ON A COLLISION COURSE: DISABILITY RIGHTS AND STANDARDS
(Goal Three: Student Achievement and Citizenship)

The WALL STREET JOURNAL reports that two national movements are on a
collision course: disability rights and academic standards (Golden, 1/21).
The paper features a lawsuit filed against the state of Oregon and the
Portland school district by a group of dyslexic students who want to use
computers with spell-check to take a state test that is used to rate
Oregon's schools and adjust pay for principals.  Currently, the state bans
the use of spell-check on statewide exams.  

According to the paper, students with learning disabilities typically were
excluded from taking standardized tests, "for fear that they would drag down
average test scores."  From the paper:  "But as such tests became
increasingly influential, advocates for the disabled concluded that if
special-education students were tested, teachers would have to pay as much
attention to them as to regular students."  In 1997, amendments made to the
federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) promotes that
view by requiring states to include special-needs students in standardized
tests with "appropriate accommodations where necessary" or lose federal
funds.

The JOURNAL points out that the College Board also grants accommodations to
students with disabilities, granting some extra time to complete the SAT.
The College Board reports that the number of students taking the SAT with
extra time nearly doubled from 1993 to 1999.  About 80% of the increase is
due to students who are labeled learning disabled.  A high percentage of
those classified learning disabled are white males from affluent families,
causing some educators to cast doubt on the student having any real
disability.  Instead, "savvier students are claiming learning disabilities
to gain an advantage," writes the paper.

A new report issued by the American Council on Education, College Freshmen
with Disabilities: A Biennial Statistical Profile, also found an increase in
the number of learning disabled students who are first-time, full-time
freshmen enrolled in a postsecondary institution.  In 1998, 9 percent of
these students reported having at least one type of disability, more than
triple the percentage of freshmen that reported a disability 20 years
earlier.   The most common disability cited in 1998 by freshmen was learning
disability.  Between 1988 and 1999, learning disability was the
fastest-growing category of disability reported among freshmen with
disabilities - cited by 41 percent, up from just 15 percent in 1988.

Some states also note an increase in the number of students labeled with
learning disabilities in recent years.  Scott Trimble, Kentucky associate
commissioner of education, said the proportion of the state's fourth-graders
in special education "soared to 13% today from 8% in 1992," notes the
JOURNAL.  "We could have some misidentification," he said.

In Oregon, the case before the U.S. district court focuses not only on the
use of spell-check but also the "larger question" of whether states can
override individualized education plans, reports the JOURNAL.  So far, both
sides agreed to refer the case to a panel of national experts - two chosen
by the parents who filed the suit, two chosen by the school and district and
two picked by the four panel members.  "One issue for the panel is whether
spelling still matters - or whether it has become a lost art with the advent
of spell-check and other aids," writes the paper.  The panel is expected to
make draft recommendations on the case by 31 March, with a final report due
by 30 May.

Copies of the report College Freshmen with Disabilities: A Biennial
Statistical Profile can be found at the American Council on Education's web
site at www.HEATH-Resource-Center.org.  The WALL STREET JOURNAL is at
www.wsj.com.



************************************
The NEGP WEEKLY is a publication of:
The National Education Goals Panel 
1255 22nd Street NW, Suite 502 
Washington, DC 20037; 
202-724-0015 

NEGP Executive Director: Ken Nelson 
Publisher: Barbara A. Pape 
www.negp.gov 
************************************

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WHAT IS THE NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS PANEL? 
The National Education Goals Panel is a unique bipartisan body of state and
federal officials created in 1990 by President Bush and the nation's
Governors to report state and national progress and urge education
improvement efforts to reach the National Education Goals. 

WHAT DOES THE GOALS PANEL DO?
The Goals Panel has been charged to: 
* Report state and national progress toward the National Education Goals. 
* Work to establish a system of high academic standards and assessments. 
* Identify promising and effective reform strategies. 

* Recommend actions for state, federal, and local governments to take. 
* Build a nationwide, bipartisan consensus to achieve the Goals. 

WHAT ARE THE NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS? 
There are eight National Education Goals set for the year 2000. They are: 
1) All children will start school ready to learn. 
2) The high school graduation rate will increase to at least 90%. 
3) All students will become competent in challenging subject matter. 
4) Teachers will have the knowledge and skills they need. 
5) U.S. students will be first in the world in math and science achievement.
6) Every adult American will be literate. 
7) Schools will be safe, disciplined, and free of drugs, guns and alcohol. 
8) Schools will promote parental involvement and participation. 

WHO SERVES ON THE GOALS PANEL AND HOW ARE THEY CHOSEN?
Eight governors, four state legislators, four members of the U.S. Congress,
and two members appointed by the President serve on the Goals Panel. Members
are appointed by the leadership of the National Governors' Association, the
National Conference of State Legislatures, the U.S. Senate and House, and
the President. The number of Republicans and Democrats are made even by
appointing five governors from the party that does not control the White
House.
 
The current Panel Members are Governors Paul E. Patton, KY, (Chair, 1999);
John Engler, MI; Jim Geringer, WY; James B. Hunt, Jr., NC; Frank Keating,
OK; Frank O'Bannon, IN; Tommy G. Thompson, WI; Cecil H. Underwood, WV;
Secretary of Education Richard Riley; Michael Cohen, Assistant Secretary of
Education; U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman, NM; U.S. Senator Jim Jeffords, VT;
U.S. Representative William F. Goodling, PA; U.S. Representative Matthew G.
Martinez, CA; Representative G. Spencer Coggs, WI; Representative Mary Lou
Cowlishaw, IL; Representative Douglas R. Jones, ID; Senator Stephen Stoll,
MO. 

The annual Goals Report and other publications of the Panel are available
without charge upon request from t he Goals Panel or at its web site
www.negp.gov. Requests can be made by mail, fax, e-mail, or Internet. 

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