NEGP Weekly for April 12, 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

Wednesday - April 12, 2000 -- Vol. 2 -- No. 51
***************************************************

CONTENTS
**STATE POLICY 
1.) STATE EDUCATION INDICATORS: A SNAPSHOT OF K-12 EDUCATION (Goals 3 and 5)
2.) HIGH SCHOOL WARRANTIES: SREB REPORTS (Goal 2)

**COMMUNITY AND LOCAL NEWS 
3.) TEXAS A&M: COMMITTED TO PRODUCING MORE TEACHERS (Goal 4)
4.) ALL'S WELL IN ALDINE: TEXAS DISTRICT CLOSES ACHIEVEMENT GAP (Goals 2 and
3)

**FEDERAL POLICY NEWS 
5.) AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS: SAFE AND SMART (Goals 2 and 3)
6.) A COOL WEB SITE: COLLEGE OPPORTUNITIES ON-LINE (Goal 6)

**RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PRACTICE 
7.) EQUITY AND ADVANCED PLACEMENT: COLLEGE BOARD CAMPAIGN (Goal 3)
8.) COMPUTER CLUBHOUSE: BROUGHT TO YOU BY INTEL (Goal 3)

**FEATURE STORY
9.) CAMBRIDGE COLLEGE: A TRADITION OF ADULT LEARNING (Goal 6)
 

***FACT OF THE WEEK***
Between 1992 and 1997, 13 states (out of 26) significantly reduced the
percentages of students in Grades 9-12 who left school without completing a
recognized secondary program.  These states were Connecticut, District of
Columbia, Georgia, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
Rhode Island, West Virginia, Wyoming, and Puerto Rico.

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


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


1.) ******** STATE EDUCATION INDICATORS: A SNAPSHOT OF K-12 EDUCATION
(Goal Three: Student Achievement and Goal Five: Math and Science)

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) released its annual
report, State Education Indicators with a Focus on Title I, 1999, which
provides a snapshot of K-12 education in each state.

The report includes a two-page state profile that provides a comprehensive
view of key education indicators, key differences between state education
systems, data on preparation of teachers and student demographics and
measures of student achievement.  The report disaggregates student
achievement data in order to present information not only on the average
student, but also on students in high poverty schools, migrant students and
students with limited English proficiency.  "This will help ensure that no
student is left behind as schools work to help all children reach high
standards," notes Michael Cohen, assistant secretary for elementary and
secondary education for the U.S. Department of Education, in the report.    

Gordon Ambach, executive director of CCSSO also adds that the report
includes "special data about the education of children in poverty and the
assistance they receive toward achieving state standards through Title I,
the largest single federal education program."  

State Education Indicators with a Focus on Title I, 1999 will be available
at the Council of Chief State School Officers' web site at
http://www.ccsso.org.


2.) ******** HIGH SCHOOL WARRANTIES: SREB REPORTS
(Goal Two: School Completion)

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a few states began to issue warranties as
well as high school diplomas, with the purpose of holding "themselves
accountable for high school graduates' abilities, reports the Southern
Regional Education Board (SREB).  The purpose for the warranties were to
assure employers and college officials that high school graduates had
mastered certain basic skills. Only Georgia and West Virginia passed
statewide policies to retrain any graduate who did not achieve basic skills.

A SREB report, Focus on High School Warranties: Are They Working? provides
background information on the efforts of these two states, as well as
efforts underway in Virginia, Kentucky, Delaware, Florida and Texas to
promote warranty policies.  The report also raised several question about
warranties, such as:
>  Why don't more graduates return to be retrained?
>  Are employees and colleges aware of the warranty policies?
>  Is retraining easy to obtain?
>  Do graduates who go straight to work receive on-the-job training in the
skills they lack?

For more information, visit the Southern Regional Education Board at
http://www.sreb.org.


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


3.) ******** TEXAS A&M: COMMITTED TO PRODUCING MORE TEACHERS
(Goal Four: Teacher Education and Professional Development)

Officials from the Texas A&M University System recently announced their
commitment to significantly increase the production of public school
teachers over the next five years.  The program, part of the Regents'
Initiative for Excellence in Education, will focus on high-need fields, such
as technology, math, science, foreign language, special education and
bilingual/ESL.

One goal of this "unprecedented" effort undertaken by Texas A&M is to
reinforce ties among public schools, community colleges and the A&M System.


More information can be found at http://partnerships.tamu.edu


4.) ******** ALL'S WELL IN ALDINE: TEXAS DISTRICT CLOSES ACHIEVEMENT GAP

(Goal Two: School Completion and Goal Three: Student Achievement)

Black and Hispanic students in Aldine, Texas, public schools have closed the
performance gap with white students and outperform their white peers
statewide (Johnston, EDUCATION WEEK, 4/5).  "The cultural value in Aldine
has shifted so the achievement gaps between kids by ethnicity are not OK,"
said Linda Skrla, assistant professor of education at Texas A&M University.
"They have stopped accepting excuses for differential achievement."  Besides
Aldine's new emphasis on high achievement for all students, the district
also stresses English and oral language skills in its preschools, assessment
and intervention and after-school skills-development courses.  

The district also has built four 9th-grade centers, rather than new high
schools that house grades 9 through 12.  While some students complain of the
daily regiment they must follow, supporters argue that separate 9th-grade
schools allow young students to "spend another year without the distractions
of large high schools," writes ED WEEK.  The paper also notes that dropout
rates are the highest in 9th-grade at most high schools.

For more information on the Aldine schools, visit
http://www.aldine.k12.tx.us/


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


5.) ******** AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS: SAFE AND SMART
(Goal Two: School Completion and Goal Three: Student Achievement)

After-school programs can have a positive impact on children and youth,
especially those at risk for delinquency.  An updated guide, Working for
Children and Families: Safe and Smart After-School Programs, jointly
prepared by the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice, provides data on
after-school programs and a description of successful programs throughout
the country.

For example, the report found that:
>  85% of adults say it is hard to find after-school programs for children
and teens.
>  44% of third graders are unsupervised at least some of their time out of
school and about 35% of 12-year-olds are regularly by themselves after
school.

The report also notes several characteristics common among high-quality
after-school programs.  Successful programs link learning and teachers
during the school day and after school, set goals and have strong
leadership, hire skilled and qualified staff and provide them with on-going
training.  They also form partnerships with community-based organizations,
juvenile justice agencies, law enforcement and youth groups and reach out to
families.

Working for Children and Families: Safe and Smart After-School Programs can
be found at http://www.ed.gov.


6.) ******** A COOL WEB SITE: COLLEGE OPPORTUNITIES ON-LINE
(Goal Six: Adult Literacy and Lifelong Learning)        

The U.S. Department of Education boasts a new web site with direct
information on more than 9,000 U.S. colleges, universities and career
schools.  College Opportunities On-Line (COOL) was built and is managed by
the National Center for Education Statistics.  It has information not
available on most commercial sites, including:
> three years of college cost information, rather than the single year found
on most sites,
>  details on degrees awarded, enrollment and student demographics; and
>  official data reported to the federal government, especially for federal
student aid programs.

COOL can be found at http://www.nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cool.


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


7.) ******** EQUITY AND ADVANCED PLACEMENT: COLLEGE BOARD CAMPAIGN      
(Goal Three: Student Achievement)

Access to The College Board's Advanced Placement (AP) program is an "equity
issue," said College Board President Gaston Caperton as he launched a
nationwide campaign to ensure that at least ten AP courses are offered in
all 23,000 American high schools by 2010.  The College Board's effort was
sparked by U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley's challenge for every
high school in America to offer at least one AP class by the year 2002 and
to add at least one new course each year over the next ten years.

Caperton has embarked on a cross-country "Learning Tour" to find out
first-hand from students, parents and educators about the status of AP and
other programs that could foster educational equity on a local level.  

For more information, visit the College Board at
http://www.collegeboard.org.


8.) ******** COMPUTER CLUBHOUSE: BROUGHT TO YOU BY INTEL
(Goal Three: Student Achievement)

Intel, the computer-chip corporation, last month unveiled a $20 million,
five-year initiative designed to boost technology skills for disadvantaged
students (Gladfelter, EDUCATION DAILY, 3/6).  "Computer Clubhouse" grants
totaling about $2 million this year will be designated for community-based
nonprofit groups.  The grants will support the creation of "clubhouses"
where low-income 8- to 18-year-olds and their adult mentors work on
technology projects, writes the paper.

Applicants for funds this year must be located near Intel facilities in
Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington and the District of
Columbia.  Intel intends to expand the program over the next five years to
100 "clubhouses" worldwide.  Rosalind Hudnell, Intel's community education
program manager and director of the "clubhouse" program, said her
corporation's program differs from other "digital divide" efforts because of
its focus on content.  "Access is just the beginning," she said.  "I think
we all have a different role."

More information and the request for proposals can be found at
http://www.intel.com/education.


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


9.) ******** CAMBRIDGE COLLEGE: A TRADITION OF ADULT LEARNING
(Goal Six: Adult Literacy and Lifelong Learning)

Cambridge College began 30 years ago as an institution geared for urban
teachers to earn master's degrees while continuing to work in the classroom.
The CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR writes, "it was among a small group of
pioneering adult-learning institutions" (Teicher, 4/4).  Today it is "one of
the leading institutions doing adult-learning work in the country,' said
Pamela Tate, president of the Chicago-based Council for Adult and
Experiential Learning.  "They are very innovative."     

The college is renowned for its record of reaching and teaching black and
Latino students.  According to the MONITOR, blacks and Latinos made up 12
percent and 10 percent of the U.S. population, respectively.  But they
accounted for only 7.5 and 4.7 percent of bachelor's degrees and 4.7 and 3.4
percent of Ph.Ds.  Cambridge College boasts that it is the source of 25
percent of the master's degrees earned by black and Hispanics in
Massachusetts.  

Eileen Moran Brown, founder and president of Cambridge College, said the
school's admission process is "really a counseling process."  Rather than
rely on measures such as the SAT, the school officials review an applicant's
on-the-job and life experiences.  However, Brown stresses that once
admitted, students are held to high standards.  "We've tried to create an
academically excellent, time-efficient, cost-effective education," said
Brown.  "More and more, other colleges are turning to us and saying, 'How do
you do that?'"

One way Cambridge College successfully meets the needs of non-traditional
students is through bonds built among students, faculty and community.  The
newspaper calls the relationships that often develop between student and
teacher a "lifeline."  One student, Maria Madrid, who recently earned a
master's degree in education from Cambridge College and completed a Ph.D.
elsewhere said, "It's like a support group, the whole class.  On days you
feel like you won't be able to finish, those teachers, they come up to you
and tell you, 'You can make it.  What can I do for you?"

Brown founded the college based on the motto that "each of us has something
to learn and something to teach."  This philosophy is cultivated among
faculty who face students challenged by financial, personal or work-related
problems.  Many Cambridge College graduates go on to become leaders in
schools or community-service agencies. "It's a very important population for
reclaiming our inner cities, and of course, problems identified with the
inner cities are really national problems," explained Brown.

The MONITOR notes that 69 percent of Cambridge College students are women,
41 percent are members of minority groups, 14 percent speak English as a
second language, 34 percent earn less than $25,000 a year and 77 percent
receive financial aid.

Visit the CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR at http://www.csmonitor.com and click on
the "Learning" section.


************************************
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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