NEGP Weekly for March 2, 2000

[NEGPWEEK@westat.com (NEGPWEEK)]

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*******************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 - March 2, 2000 -- Vol. 2 -- No. 45
***************************************************

CONTENTS
**STATE POLICY 
1.) GEORGIA'S ACCOUNTABILITY PLAN: PASSES LEGISLATURE (Goal 3)
2.) "TEACHING IN COLORADO:" REPORT SHOWS DISPARATE POLICIES (Goal 4)


**COMMUNITY AND LOCAL NEWS 
3.) DALLAS READING PLAN: NOT YET EFFECTING STUDENTS (Goals 3 and 4)
4.) CUTTING CLASS?:  SCHOOLS HAVE HIGH-TECH ADVANTAGE   (Goal 2)

**FEDERAL POLICY NEWS 
5.) TURN-AROUND SCHOOLS: GETTING A NOD FROM CLINTON (Goal 3)
6.) HIGH-STAKES TESTS: BENEFITS AND CONCERNS (Goal 3)

**RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PRACTICE 
7.) IMPROVING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: WHAT STATES, SCHOOLS AND THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT CAN DO (Goal 3 and 4) 
8.) SOS: SUMMIT ON SCIENCE (Goal 5)

**FEATURE STORY
9.) "EDUCATION=SUCCESS:" A CRITICAL EQUATION FOR HISPANICS YOUTH AN ADULTS
(All Goals)
 
***FACT OF THE WEEK***

Between 1991 and 1996, the U.S. and 51 states (out of 54) significantly
increased the percentage of degrees earned by all students that were awarded
in mathematics or science.

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


********************
STATE POLICY NEWS
********************


1.) ********GEORGIA'S ACCOUNTABILITY PLAN: PASSES LEGISLATURE
(Goal Three: Student Achievement and Citizenship)

Georgia Governor Roy Barnes' school accountability plan has passed both the
Senate and House, with a conference committee being scheduled to iron out
the differences.  While some legislators are grappling over the cost of the
bill and who will pay for it (AccessAtlanta, 2/29), Barnes' education
proposals have stayed intact.

The Governor's plan calls for reduced class-size reduction, stronger links
between the state's K-12 and higher education systems, and several policies
to handle disruptive students.  However, the proposal rests on a new system
for holding schools more accountable for student achievement.  Under the
plan, schools would receive a grade based on their students' test scores and
on how much the students improved on the tests.  Teachers at schools that
earn an A would receive $1,000 bonuses, those at B rated schools would earn
$500.

Schools that earn a D or F would require some type of state intervention
that becomes more severe if the schools do not improve over time.

For more information, http://www.state.ga.us/governor.


2.) ********"TEACHING IN COLORADO:" REPORT SHOWS DISPARATE POLICIES
(Goal Four: Teacher Education and Professional Development)

Colorado's history as a state with strong local control over education is
evident in a new report on how teachers are recruited, hired, paid,
developed and evaluated (Bradley, EDUCATION WEEK, 3/1).  Teaching in
Colorado:  An Inventory of Policies and Practices, conducted by researchers
at the National Conference of State Legislatures was presented last month to
the Alliance for Quality Teaching, a group of state legislators, education
policymakers, educators and Colorado residents.  The Alliance intends to use
the report to develop recommendations for legislative action.

Findings from the report include: 

>  More than half the districts surveyed reported having difficulty finding
full-time math and science teachers.
>  Colorado has no statewide programs to recruit candidates to the
profession, although about one-quarter of the districts reported having
their own program.
>  Districts reported spending widely varying amounts on teachers'
professional development.

>From the report:  "Although this decentralized approach allows districts to
design programs that best reflect their teacher and student needs it appears
to be creating inequities in the type and scope of programs that affect
teachers across districts."

EDUCATION WEEK can be found at http://www.edweek.com.


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


3.) ********DALLAS READING PLAN: NOT YET EFFECTING STUDENTS
(Goal Three: Student Achievement and Citizenship and Goal Four: Teacher
Education and Professional Development)

A new Dallas, Texas, reading initiative significantly changed the way
teachers teach, but has not yet had an impact on student achievement (Manzo,
EDUCATION WEEK, 3/1).  The program emerged in 1997 and featured the Dallas
Reading Academy, offering professional development opportunities to
teachers.  Teachers who attend the Academy participate in classroom
observations and receive assistance from expert reading teachers.  All the
district's K-3 teachers receive less intensive in-service training in
reading.

The reading program for teachers is grounded in both phonics and whole
language instruction, notes the paper. Although some improvement in reading
test scores was noted in the third grade from 1997 to 1999, the gains cannot
be linked to the reading plan, conceded Katy Denson, director of reading and
social studies evaluation for the district and author of a new report issued
on the impact of the reading initiative.  "It has definitely led to a change
in teachers' instructional behavior in the classroom and the types of
strategies and techniques they used," she said.  "It did not show up in test
scores last year, but hopefully ... once they've had a chance to use what
they've learned ... we'll see a change." 


4.) ********CUTTING CLASS?:  SCHOOLS HAVE HIGH-TECH ADVANTAGE   
(GOAL TWO: SCHOOL COMPLETION)

Students who cut class at some Philadelphia high schools receive a "wake-up
call" the next morning when the student tries to enter the school (Snyder,
Philadelphia INQUIRER, 3/1).  According to the paper, a computerized system
that requires students to swipe a bar-coded card with their photo as they
enter the school building lets out a "rousing rooster cock-a-doodle-doo if a
student skipped a class the day before."  John Amatruda, president of the
Maryland-based School Technology Management, creator of the system, said it
has reduced class-cutting by 10 to 75 percent.  

Under the system, teachers are sent computer-generated class lists that note
the time each student entered the building.  The computer marks students
present on the list.  If they are missing from class, the teacher fills in a
bubble highlighting the discrepancy and sends the sheet back to the office
for computer input, reports the paper.

Students who try to enter the school building after having cut a class are
rerouted to another computer station where a school official reviews their
attendance records.  Students receive a warning for the first cut, detention
and suspension for multiple infractions. One high school reported that class
cuts have dropped from 1,000 to between 200 and 300 a day.  It was found
that about 70 students are "hard-core class-cutters." 

For more information, visit http://www.phillynews.com


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


5.) ********TURN-AROUND SCHOOLS: GETTING A NOD FROM CLINTON
(Goal Three: Student Achievement and Citizenship)

President Clinton in his weekly radio address pointed to the steps states
must take to implement a federal funded program targeted to turning around
low-performing schools.  New funding -- $134 million nationally from the
Title I Program - are available to help school districts turn around
low-performing schools.  The law also requires schools districts receiving
these funds to provide students in low-performing schools with an
opportunity to choose a higher-quality public school.

Schools districts and schools must spend funds on school improvement
activities, such as developing and implementing school improvement plans
conducting professional development, strengthening curriculum or enhancing
parental involvement.  Participating school districts also will provide
students in low-performing schools with a choice to attend another school
within the district, as the budget agreement requires.  For example, funds
could be used to cover the costs of planning a choice program and conducting
outreach to parents.    

A U.S. Department of Education press release notes that under Title I,
states or school districts may close down, reconstitute, withhold funds, or
convert to charter schools, schools that fail to meet state expectations.


6.) ********HIGH-STAKES TESTS: BENEFITS AND CONCERNS
(Goal Three: Student Achievement and Citizenship)

The question is not whether to use high-stakes testing, but how best to use
these tests, according to an issue brief issued by WestEd.  The short report
lists several benefits of high-stakes tests, such as they clarify and
establish challenging performance expectations for students, teachers and
schools, they highlight achievement gaps and they boost student performance.

Drawbacks include increased student retention and failure rates to
unacceptably high levels, a narrowing of the focus of instruction and
assessment, and an increased burden on teachers and students.  A solution
accompanies each drawback sited in the report.  

The High Stakes of High-Stakes Testing also calls for sufficient funding of
professional development of teachers in the use of tests and remediation of
students who initially fail."

For more information, contact WestEd at (415)565-3000 or toll-free at
1-877-4WestEd.


*********************************
Research and Education Practices
*********************************


7.) ********IMPROVING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: WHAT STATES, SCHOOLS AND THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CAN DO 
(Goal Three: Student Achievement and Citizenship and Goal Four: Teacher
Education And Professional Development)

States, schools and the federal government are urged to assume more
responsibility in defining, disseminating and advancing models of
professional development, according to a new report issued by the National
Staff Development Council (NSDC).  A National Plan for Improving
Professional Development is based on the premise that high-quality,
well-trained teachers are better able to help develop high achieving
students.

The paper offers a set of guidelines designed to assist schools and
districts evaluate staff development programs and initiatives.  Specific
policy recommendations include:
> A restructuring of the federal government's professional development
program.
> State action to raise funding for quality staff development to a level
closer to the 7 percent that businesses spend on average to train their
employees and require professional development and training programs to
produce evidence that they use research-validated practices.
> Local action to build learning schools where the entire staff is engaged
in sustained, intellectually rigorous study of what they teach and two they
teach it; and provide more time for staff development by rearranging
teachers' schedules to allow for common planning periods and collaboration.

The report also calls for the creation of a new National Center on
Professional Development that would serve as a resource for educators
working to install or refine their local programs.

For more information, contact the National Staff Development Council at
NSDCOffice@aol.com.


8.) ********SOS: SUMMIT ON SCIENCE
(Goal Five: Mathematics and Science)

A Summit on Science is in the making, with an expected launch this summer.
The Summit is the brainchild of Science Service, a Washington, D.C.-based
non-profit organization.  Numerous organizations and individuals are
supporting the Summit, including the National Academy of Science, Nasdaq
Stock Market, Intel, Bayer, Popular Science magazine and Nobel Laureate Leon
Lederman.  The purpose of the Summit is to "sound the alarm over the state
of science literacy in American," writes a Science Service press release.  

Besides the launch of the Summit in the summer, the initiative provides for
a Community Awareness Month (October 2000), in which over 500 aquariums,
zoos, science and technology centers and museums nationwide will "open their
doors to help promote science literacy."  The actual Summit will occur on 20
November 2000, as a town meeting that will offer parents, educators,
corporate leaders and others an opportunity to discuss issues in science
literacy.  The focus of the Summit is to create a national call to action
and to encourage implementation of the action plan at the local level.

In December, a "Give Smart, Give Science" campaign will be underway to
bolster the efforts of the program by publicizing how toys and books can
encourage science learning.

For more information, visit http://www.summitscience.org.

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


9.) ********"EDUCATON=SUCCESS:" A CRITICAL EQUATION FOR HISPANICS YOUTH AN
ADULTS
(All Goals)

How to close the education and economic gap for Hispanics is the theme of a
new report issued jointly by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and the
Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU).
Education=Success: Empowering Hispanic Youth and Adults looks at how the
nation is doing to provide access to education, especially postsecondary
education, to the nation's fastest growing minority community.  

Hispanic access to college is increasing, and the trend is expected to
continue.  However, Hispanic youth still trail non-Hispanic white youth in
educational achievement.  As a result, Hispanic students are significantly
underrepresented on today's college campuses.  The report then links
under-representation on campus with under-representation in good jobs, which
also means lower earnings.  

"How can we better serve the postsecondary educational needs of all Hispanic
students?" queries the report.  Financial aid is "essential for low-income
families and has not kept pace with increasing college costs," according to
the report.  However, Hispanic students, especially those who are
first-generation Americans or first-generation college students, need "more
social support, counseling and college and career planning than are
currently available."
Affirmative development and affirmative outreach for all Hispanic students
throughout the K-16 system, "not just affirmative admission focused on
relatively few students in the spring of their senior year of high school,"
is critical to close the education and economic gap.  

Tests that are diagnostic and authentic, "that address real-world
performance standards and that validate and support diversity" also are
needed.

The report points to the need for bilingual education and language immersion
programs as an "important means to improve Hispanic academic performance and
career prospects."  However, while the "usual answers" of money, affirmative
action, testing and bilingual education are helpful, they do not comprise
the total solution, according to the report.  Education=Success calls for
investing in Hispanic social capital, which means "showing interest,
defining and imparting values and advising and caring."  According to the
report, social capital investments "pay off in self-esteem and high academic
expectations."  

>From the report:  "If we focus on these deeper academic and social causes of
frustrated potential among Hispanic Americans, our policies will evolve
toward less controversial and more surefooted solutions."

For more information, visit HACU at http://www.hacu.net., or ETS at
http://www.ets.org.


************************************
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 
http://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 Tommy G. Thompson, WI (Chair, 2000);
John Engler, MI; Jim Geringer, WY; James B. Hunt, Jr., NC; Frank Keating,
OK; Frank O'Bannon, IN; Paul E. Patton, KY; Cecil H. Underwood, WV;
Secretary of Education Richard Riley; Michael Cohen, U.S. Assistant
Secretary for Elementary and Secondary 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 the Goals Panel or at its web site
http://www.negp.gov. Requests can be made by mail, fax, e-mail, or Internet.


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