The NEGP Weekly for April 6, 2000

[NEGPWEEK@westat.com (NEGPWEEK)]

For information regarding the NEGP Teleconference on April 13, 2000 at 1PM
EDT, visit the NEGP web site at http://www.negp.gov.  This teleconference
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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 - April 6, 2000 -- Vol. 2 -- No. 50
***************************************************

CONTENTS
**STATE POLICY 
1.) GOVERNOR DAVIS' EDUCATION PLAN: SOME WANT MORE AID TO NEEDY (Goals 3 and
6)
2.) EARLY CHILDHOOD PLAN: NEW KENTUCKY LAW (Goal 1)

**COMMUNITY AND LOCAL NEWS 
3.) IN THE LINE OF FIRE: ADMINISTRATORS IN DALLAS (Goals 3 and 4) 
4.) SOCIAL PROMOTION: FINAL DAYS IN CALIFORNIA (Goal 3) 

**FEDERAL POLICY NEWS 
5.) RILEY ON SUMMER BREAKS: KEEP THEM TO ONE MONTH 
6.) ED-FLEX:  STATES SHOW LITTLE INTEREST (All Goals)

**RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PRACTICE 
7.) TEACHER EDUCATION: A CHANGING LANDSCAPE (Goal 4)
8.) ON THE WEB: HIGH SCHOOL COURSES (Goals 3 and 4) 

**FEATURE STORY
9.) TEACHERS' VIEW: THE SIXTH PHI DELTA KAPPA POLL (All Goals) 
 

***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.  These states were Colorado, Connecticut,
Indiana, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia.

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


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


1.) ******** GOVERNOR DAVIS' EDUCATION PLAN:  SOME WANT MORE AID TO NEEDY

(Goal Three: Student Achievement and Goal Six: Adult Literacy and Lifelong
Learning)

The SACRAMENTO BEE reports that California Governor Gray Davis' proposals to
improve achievement in the state's lowest-performing schools has met with
disapproval from some advocates who demand more aid to needy students
(Bazar, 3/30).  The governor's program includes proposals to reward high
school students with merit scholarships based solely on test scores, boost
high school Advanced Placement offerings and recruit teachers to work in the
state's lowest-performing schools.  

The merit scholarship plan met with the most disapproval from opponents who
claim it would give money to families who already can afford to send their
children to college.   According to the paper, the merit scholarship program
would award $1,000 scholarships to students whose test scores are in either
the top 10 percent statewide or the top 5 percent for their high schools.
It also would offer $2,500 scholarships to students who receive the highest
scores on Advanced Placement math and science exams.  Some lawmakers would
like to target the money into a scholarship program based on merit and need.

Visit the SACRAMENTO BEE at http://www.capitolalert.com.  


2.) ******** EARLY CHILDHOOD PLAN: NEW KENTUCKY LAW
(Goal One: Ready To Learn)

Kentucky lawmakers earlier this month passed a "landmark" early childhood
bill that "closely resembled" a plan initially proposed by Governor Paul
Patton.  According to EDUCATION WEEK, 25 percent of the state's settlement
money from tobacco companies will be targeted for efforts to improve child
care and health services for children under the age of 6 (Galley, 4/5).
Local committees will be created to screen proposals for state grants and
private centers will be eligible to apply.  

The proposal also will establish a state system for rating child-care
centers and preschools based on factors such as teacher-student ratios,
staff size and teacher training.

For more information, visit the Kentucky Legislature at
http://www.lrc.state.ky.us.


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


3.) ******** IN THE LINE OF FIRE: ADMINISTRATORS IN DALLAS
(Goal Three: Student Achievement and Goal Four: Teacher Education and
Professional Development)

School principals and other high-level administrators in schools where
student achievement has not improved could loose their jobs, under a plan
sponsored by Dallas Superintendent Bill Rojas (Wertheimer, DALLAS MORNIGN
NEWS, 3/30).  While he says his goal is "not to create a bloodbath," he
stated his intention to judge administrators by student progress.  

Rojas said the school district would base evaluations on three years of
student data, including student scores from the Texas Assessment of Academic
Skills and other standardized tests.  Other factors, including attendance
rates, also will be considered when determining whose job to terminate.  The
lowest-performing schools will be required to implement the Dallas Reading
Plan and lead teachers would be required to spend more time in the
classrooms.

Visit the Dallas Morning News at http://www.dallasnews.com.

4.) ******** SOCIAL PROMOTION: FINAL DAYS IN CALIFORNIA
(Goal Three: Student Achievement)

School districts throughout California are gearing up for next year's state
mandate to end social promotion.   Every child in grades two and eight who
earn an F in English will be held back, under the new law.  The L.A. TIMES
profiles Nightingale Middle School, in Cypress Park, and the school's
efforts to get all students achieving at grade level.  

Principal Marylou Amato and her staff at Nightingale have launched a "nearly
nonstop series of meetings, initiatives and programs in a rush to shore up
the grades of their failing students," writes the paper (Sahagun, L.A.
TIMES, 3/27).  However, she remains pessimistic about the chances for
getting all children at grade level.  "I have every educational reform
program known to man here, I have counselors and psychologists and a
$400,000 budget surplus," she said.  "My teachers are doing their level best
to help our kids promote.  What I don't have is time to do this right," she
added.  "The speed at which this change is being implemented is
mind-boggling."

One initiative underway at Nightingale is mandatory after-school
intervention classes for children who are below grade level.  Teachers also
try to encourage more parent involvement and monitor children's progress via
testing.  

For more information, visit the L.A. TIMES at http://www.latimes.com.  The
California Department of Education can be found at http://www.cde.ca.gov.
        

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


5.) ******** RILEY ON SUMMER BREAKS: KEEP THEM TO ONE MONTH 

U.S. Education Secretary Richard Riley called for students and teachers to
have a shortened summer break in order to catch up with technological
advances (Grahnke, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 3/22).  "Teachers need to teach with
current technology with computers and the Internet," Riley told a group of
reporters gathered at the American Council of Education meeting in Chicago.
"If students have no opportunity to learn and use technology after they
graduate from grade school and high school, they will be going into a
foreign world, where they may never catch up."

Riley also touted President Clinton's proposed College Opportunity Tax Cut,
which would provide up to $1,400 in tax relief in 2001 and $2,800 in 2003.

Visit the SUN-TIMES at http://www.suntimes.com.  The U.S. Department of
Education can be found at http://www.ed.gov.


6.) ******** ED-FLEX:  STATES SHOW LITTLE INTEREST
(All Goals)

The Education Flexibility Partnership Act, a new law designed to emphasize
local control of schools, has met with lukewarm response from the states,
reports the WASH POST (Cooper, 3/27).  Only North Carolina has applied to
the U.S. Department of Education to receive Ed Flex funds.

The law allows states to "relax rules for federal education programs - for
the entire state or for individual school districts - in exchange for
adopting a statewide plan to lift the achievement of disadvantaged students
served by the Title I remedial program," writes the paper.  Officials from
states that have not applied for Ed Flex funds say they already have the
ability to "make federal programs work for them, according to the POST.  "I
can get the flexibility I want under the current opportunities," said Peter
McWalters, Rhode Island's education commissioner. 

Representative William Goodling (R-Pennsylvania), chairman of the House
Committee on Education and the Workforce, expressed disappointment over the
lack of state applications for the funds, but said he was not surprised.
"If you don't have any ingenuity, if you don't have any creativity, if
you're just satisfied with the status quo, it's just much easier to do what
the federal government says," said Goodling, a former school superintendent.

For more information on Ed Flex, visit the U.S. Department of Education at
http://www.ed.gov.


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


7.) ******** TEACHER EDUCATION: A CHANGING LANDSCAPE
(Goal Four: Teacher Education and Professional Development)

For-profit organizations are beginning to offer teacher education programs.
EDUCATION WEEK reports on the entry of Sylvan Learning Systems and the
for-profit University of Phoenix into the world of teacher training
(Bradley, 3/29).  Sylvan has contracts with Baltimore schools and a school
district in Prince George's County to provide teacher education programs.
Coursework mainly is provided through distance learning via videos. 

The University of Phoenix is "expanding the number of states in which it is
permitted to prepare teachers for licensure," writes the paper.  California,
which faces a severe shortage of qualified teachers, has offered the
University of Phoenix the opportunity to provide licensure programs for Los
Angeles teachers who already have emergency credentials.  

Visit Sylvan Learning Systems at http://www.educate.com. The University of
Phoenix can be found at http://www.uophx.edu. 


8.) ******** ON THE WEB: HIGH SCHOOL COURSES
(Goal Three: Student Achievement and Goal Four: Teacher Education and
Professional Development)

Web-based learning is burgeoning in high schools across the South, according
to the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB).  SREB member states are
experimenting with web courses for two reasons: the need to increase the
number of Advanced Placement courses and core math and science courses; and
the need to improve instruction - particularly in the core academic courses
- for all students.

A new SREB publication, Web Courses for High School Students: Potential and
Issues, provides background information on the move toward web-based courses
and what is needed to develop appropriate web courses for high school
students.  Issues surrounding student access, staffing, quality and costs
are discussed in the issue brief.

For more information, visit SREB at http://www.sreb.org.


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


9.) ******** TEACHERS' VIEW: THE SIXTH PHI DELTA KAPPA POLL
(All Goals)  

The lack of parent interest and involvement in their child's education is
the biggest problem facing public schools, according to the latest Phi Delta
Kappa survey called Teachers' Attitudes Toward the Public Schools.  Since
1984, when Phi Delta Kappa began to poll teachers, the lack of parent
involvement was ranked as the schools' largest problem.

To compare teachers' views with those of the public, a random sample of
public school teachers across the nation answered selected questions from
the 31st Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward
the Public Schools.  Parent involvement is not the number-one problem
reported by the public in another survey commissioned by Phi Delta Kappa.
Instead, it was ranked sixth by members of the public.  The greatest number
of teachers (18%) also say more parent involvement would improve the public
schools, whereas only 3% of the public agree.

Phi Delta Kappa researchers found that since the first poll teachers'
perceptions of the schools rarely coincides with the public's view.  While
it remains unknown why the disagreements occur, it is "clear . . . that as
long as teachers and the public do not agree on what the problems of schools
are, little can be done to resolve them," according to the survey.      

Findings from the latest survey revealed:

>  Teachers and the public disagree about ways to attract and retain good
teachers.  Fewer teachers than members of the public favor incentives that
are tied to performance.  Only 53% of teachers favor increased pay for
high-performing teachers, whereas 90% of the public favors this option.
Fewer teachers (39%) than members of the public (63%) favor tax credits for
teachers who demonstrate high performance.  More teachers (89%) than members
of the public (62%) favor increased pay for all teachers.
>  Only 3% of teachers agree with 47% of the public that students'
standardized test scores should be very important factors when determining a
teacher's salary.  More teachers (66%) than members of the public (52%) say
a teacher's experience is the key factor to be weighed.  A teacher's
academic degree is considered very important by 54% of teachers and by 60%
of the public.  However, a teacher's academic degree is judged very
important by 67% of teachers with a master's degree or higher, compared to
33% of teachers with a bachelor's degree.
>  Teachers and the public agree about the values that should be taught in
the public schools in their communities:  honesty, acceptance of people of
different races and ethnic backgrounds, and democracy rank high for both
groups.
>  Considerably fewer teachers (13%) than members of the public (41%) favor
allowing students and parents to choose a private school to attend at public
expense.  This difference has hardly changed since 1998, when teachers were
first asked this trend question.
>  More teachers (43%) than members of the public (24%) reported that their
community's public schools were very safe and orderly.  
>  Most teachers (70%) think the best way to use federal money is for
class-size reduction, but only half of the public agrees.  

The survey for the Sixth Phi Delta Kappa Poll of Teachers' Attitudes Toward
the Public Schools was mailed to a random, stratified sample of 2,000 public
school teachers throughout the Untied States in October 1999.   The complete
poll will be available at http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/klan0004.htm

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

The NEGP/ Daily Report Card (DRC) hereby authorizes further reproduction and
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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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