The NEGP Weekly for May 18, 2000

[NEGPWEEK@westat.com (NEGPWEEK)]

****INVITATION****

You are invited to attend the following NEGP events:

Who:  You are invited to join Governor Tommy Thompson (WI), Chair of the
NEGP and US Representative Matthew Martinez, Panel member
Where:  Alhambra City Hall, Council Chambers, Los Angeles, California
When:  Monday, May 22, 9:00AM -12:30PM
What:  Regional field hearing on achieving high academic standards with
minority
and urban students
Why:  Hear current effective practices in use in Los Angeles, CA and Texas.

And

Who:   You are invited to join Governor Tommy Thompson (WI), Chair of the
NEGP
      and US Senator Jim Jeffords, Panel member
Where:  Trinity College, Delehanty Hall, Burlington, VT
When:  Thursday, June 1, 1:30 - 5:00PM
What:  Regional field hearing on empowering educators to bring all students
to high standards 
Why:  Hear current effective practices in use in Vermont, Connecticut,
Boston and New York City.

These field hearings are the first of four scheduled to be held nationwide
as part of the Panel's 2000 agenda. The hearings are intended to raise
public awareness of the current best practices in helping all students
achieve high academic standards.  These field hearings will be delayed
broadcast on the NEGP web site at http://www.negp.gov.  The Los Angeles
hearing will be available May 25 on the web site  and the Vermont hearing
will be available June 5 on the web site.  To view this webcast you will
need the free Realplayer 7 downloaded to your computer. You can download
Realplayer 7 for free by visiting the Goals Panel web site at
http://www.negp.gov and following the links to the webcast!

*******************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 - May 18, 2000 -- Vol. 2 -- No. 58
***************************************************

CONTENTS

**STATE POLICY 
1.) FRIENDS:  A NEW PEER-REVIEW PROGRAM (Goals 3 and 4)
2.) THE STATE OF STATE ASSESSMENTS: A BOARD OF ED REVIEW (Goal 3)

**COMMUNITY AND LOCAL NEWS 
3.) PEER REVIEW: AGREEMENT REACHED IN L.A. (Goal 4)
4.) "ARTS, HEARTS, AND SMART": WALNUT HILL SCHOOL (Goal 3)
 
**FEDERAL POLICY NEWS 
5.) FUNDS FOR LITERACY AND CIVICS: DoED GRANTS TO STATES (Goal 6)
6.) ENGLISH AND CIVICS: HOW TO COMBINE INSTRUCTION (Goal 6) 

**RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PRACTICE 
7.) TEAM SPIRIT: AWARDS FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS (Goals 3 and 4)
8.) TEACHER COLLEGE PERFORMANCE: NEW STANDARDS RELEASED (Goal 4)

**FEATURE STORY
9.) RE-THINKING HIGH SCHOOL: GRADUATION AFTER GRADE 10? (Goals 3,4, and 6)


***FACT OF THE WEEK***
Between 1990 and 1997, 2 states (out of 55) significantly reduced the
percentages of infants born at low birthweight (less than 5.5 pounds.)
These states were the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands.

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


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


1.) ******** FRIENDS:  A NEW PEER-REVIEW PROGRAM
(Goal Three: Student Achievement and Goal Four: Teacher Education and
Professional Development)

Critical Friends is a teacher peer-review program active in 27 states and
130 schools.  It is an initiative run by Co-nect, a for-profit company based
in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  As part of a long-term effort to improve
instruction and student achievement, seven Philadelphia schools last week
welcomed a group of educators from around the country for an "intensive"
three-day review (Snyder, Philadelphia INQUIRER, 5/11). 

Each school pays a fee of $55,000 to $65,000 a year on average to
participate in Co-nect's reform program, notes the paper.  Each review is
based on five Co-nect benchmarks for school reform:  use of technology,
student projects, testing and assessment, school organization and
accountability.  Educators brought in to a school to conduct the review are
given a half-day of training before beginning the review.  Other big-city

districts that participate in Co-nect's program are Chicago, Houston, Los
Angeles, Cincinnati and Memphis.  According to the paper, schools get a
"critical visit" during their second year of participation.

For more information, visit Co-nect at http://www.co-nect.net.


2.) ******** THE STATE OF STATE ASSESSMENTS: A BOARD OF ED REVIEW
(Goal Three: Student Achievement and Citizenship)

The Spring 2000 issue of The State Education STANDARD, a quarterly journal
published by the National Association of State Boards of Education,
spotlights state assessments.  Several viewpoints of state assessments are
presented in the issue.  Articles include:
>  A look at the philosophical framework and critical elements of statewide
testing.
>  An article by Indiana State Superintendent Suellen Reed that examines
difficult assessment issues that crop up for states, including how to
prepare for errors related to testing that are bound to happen.
>  Stuart Kahl, head of Measured Progress, a nonprofit educational testing
contractor, also takes on problems with testing, including errors in test
scoring.
>  Bruce Penniman, the 1999 Massachusetts teacher of the year, presents the
teacher's perspective on assessments.
>  Education writer Katherine Fraser discusses the impact of assessments on
students with disabilities and/or limited English proficiency.
>  The "critics corner" includes an article by Monty Neill, executive
director of FairTest, who criticizes states for trying to do too much with
tests that Neill finds to be of low quality.
>  Larry Cuban, professor at Stanford University, calls for a watchdog
agency for standardized test makers.

For more information, visit the National Association of School Boards at
http://www.nasbe.org.


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


3.) ******** PEER REVIEW: AGREEMENT REACHED IN L.A.
(Goal Four: Teacher Education and Professional Development)

A teacher peer-review program designed to help teachers who have received
poor evaluations or inexperienced teachers in low-performing schools may see
the light of day in Los Angeles.  Teacher union leaders and district
officials reached tentative agreement last week on paying senior teachers to
consult with their peers.  According to the L.A. TIMES, the agreement was
sparked by a 
new state law that requires all school districts to gradually replace mentor
teacher programs with peer assistance (Smith, 5/12).  The current mentor
program does not allow teachers to make recommendations for poor-performing
colleagues.  The legislation also provides financial incentives for
districts to start the program this year, reports the paper.  

The union is expected to adopt the program, which will call on the
district's 14 full-time mentor teachers and reach into the ranks of its
retired teacher force to serve as consultants in the peer-review program.

Howard Miller, Los Angeles Unified School District Chief Operating Officer,
said the peer assistance program does not "eliminate the district's position
that teacher accountability should be based, in part, on test scores,"
writes the TIMES.
        
For more information, visit http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/


4.) ******** "ARTS, HEARTS, AND SMART": WALNUT HILL SCHOOL
(Goal Three: Student Achievement and Citizenship)

Walnut Hill School, located in Natick, Massachusetts, is one of only three
independent residential high schools in the U.S. that combines artistic
training with a college-preparatory academic program (Campbell, CHRISTIAN
SCIENCE MONITOR, 5/9).  According to the paper, a new framework for
educating artistically accomplished children has emerged that shuns the
stereotype of the "child prodigy . . . locked in a studio or practice room
at the expense of life experience and general knowledge."  Instead, the
training of these children should focus on the whole child, "where the
skills inherent to pursuing artistic excellence are brought to bear on a
broad range of studies," notes the paper.

Roger Shoemaker, dean for the arts at Walnut Hill, believes his school's
vision could be incorporated in other schools.  "Talent is not rare," he
said.  "Everybody can sing or play an instrument or draw - talent is out
there.  You could do programs like ours in virtually any school."  At Walnut
Hill, the motto is "arts, hearts, and smarts."  

Students at Interlocken Arts Academy in Michigan, another residential high
school that combines artistic training with a rigorous curriculum, posted
SAT scores that were nearly 33 percent higher than the national average,
reports the MONITOR.  Idyllwild Arts Academy in Riverside, California, has a
16-member Calculus Club.  

For more information, visit Walnut Hill School at
http://www.walnuthillarts.org.


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


5.) ******** FUNDS FOR LITERACY AND CIVICS: DoED GRANTS TO STATES
(Goal Six: Adult Literacy and Lifelong Learning)

The U.S. Department of Education recently allocated funds for state grants
through the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act.  The purpose of the act
is to address the growing need for English literacy services.  The grants
will allow states and U.S. territories to award competitive grants to local
programs that provide high-quality, integrated English literacy and civics
education services to immigrants and other adults with limited English
proficiency.    

Congress requires that funds be distributed to states that have both the
'greatest need" and the "largest recent growth in need" for English literacy
services.  Nineteen states and three territories will not receive funds
because they did not demonstrate both a "great need" and "large recent
growth in need."

For more information, visit the National Institute for Literacy at
http://www.nifl.gov.


6.) ******** ENGLISH AND CIVICS: HOW TO COMBINE INSTRUCTION
(Goal Six: Adult Literacy and Lifelong Learning)

Twelve programs in seven states received grants from the U.S. Department of
Education's Office of Vocational and Adult Education to test ways of better
combining instruction in English and civics.  The awards total $6.9 million
over two years.  Projects funded are in the states of California, Illinois,
Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia.  

"Proficiency in English and some knowledge and appreciation of what it means
to be an American are tools that help immigrants enter the mainstream of our
community life," said U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley.

Examples of the grantees include:
>  Process of English and Civics Education (PEACE Curriculum Project,)
Pasadena, California - California Literacy, Inc., will use its statewide
network of more than 150 literacy programs and more than 300 learning
centers to develop, field test, revise and distribute an English and Civics
Literacy Curriculum.  The content of the lesson plans will stress English
literacy skills and civics education topics to cover the daily rights and
responsibilities of active daily participation as a resident and citizen.
>  Bright Ideas:  Providing Effective Ideas to Hard-to-Serve Clients,
Chicago - This project presents a unique collaboration between a coalition
of community-based organizations serving ethnic groups and a minority-owned
research and technical assistance firm specializing in hard-to-serve
populations.  The collaboration centers on training community teachers how
to teach literacy and communication skills needed for self-sufficiency,
citizenship and civic engagement.

For more information, visit the Department of Education at
http://www.ed.gov.


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


7.) ******** TEAM SPIRIT: AWARDS FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS
(Goal Three: Student Achievement and Citizenship and Goal Four: Teacher
Education and Professional Development)

Four middle school teaching teams are the winners of the 1999 Teams That
Make a Difference awards sponsored by Prentice Hall and the National Middle
School Association.  The annual competition was open this year to any team
that created a program, activity or strategy that improved academic
achievement or encourages student involvement in local communities.  Each
winning team was awarded $3,000.        
One team from Moreland Ridge Middle School in Blue Springs, Missouri,
organized a program that brought eighth-graders into the wilderness to
monitor local streams for pollution.  The students used math skills to
measure the stream's velocity and volume, social studies skills to map the
watershed, land contour and historical developments in the area.  They also
analyzed the chemical content of water samples and monitored wildlife
habitats, part of their science program.  Students then applied their
writing skills by writing letters to government agencies to report their
findings.

For more information, visit the National Middle School Association at
http://www.nmsa.org   


8.) ******** TEACHER COLLEGE PERFORMANCE: NEW STANDARDS RELEASED        
(Goal Four: Teacher Education and Professional Development)

The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)
announced new performance-based standards for teacher preparation this week.
Schools of education will be required to meet the new standards to be
accredited by NCATE in the year 2001 and beyond.  "The new NCATE
accreditation standards coupled with individual state performance-based
licensing systems bring education reform full circle, raising the bar for
teacher preparation programs," said Nancy Grasmick, Maryland State
Superintendent of Schools. 

The standards include:
>  candidate knowledge, skills and disposition
>  program assessment and unit evaluation
>  diversity
>  faculty performance and development; and
>  unit governance resources

For more information on the NCATE standards, visit NCATE at
http://www.ncate.org.


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


9.) ******** RE-THINKING HIGH SCHOOL: GRADUATION AFTER GRADE 10?
(Goal Three: Student Achievement and Citizenship, Goal Four: Teacher
Education and Professional Development and Goal Six: Adult Literacy and
Lifelong Learning)

The WASHINGTON POST'S "School & Learning" section featured the views of
educators re-thinking the American high school (Strauss, 5/9).   Leon
Botstein, president of Bard College, holds that today's high schools are
obsolete.  He calls for eliminating the 11th and 12th grades to send
students off to work, college or a new form of vocational education.  "By
the age of 16, school is wildly out of step with the actual realities of
American youth," said Botstein.  Botstein, who also is conductor and music
director of the American Symphony Orchestra, said today's high school was
conceived 100 years ago for students "far less biologically mature and far
more insulated from adult culture," notes the paper.

Some educators challenge Botstein's proposal to end high school after the
sophomore year on the grounds that high school is the time and place for
young people to become socially mature.  Botstein counters that "with its
cliques and peer pressure [high school] is hardly the place that promotes
social and emotional development," notes the paper.

Bard College operates the Simon's Rock College of Bard for high-school age
students.  According to the paper, it is the only liberal arts and sciences
college in the country designed for high-school age students.

The POST reports on a variety of reasons that indicate a need to change the
American high school.  Many more college-bound students are enrolled in
rigorous courses, including Advanced Placement (AP) courses and
International Baccalaureate ones, to impress college admissions officers.
But some educators argue they take these college-level courses on a
"frenetic high school schedule that doesn't permit them to explore their
academic interests as deeply as they could on a college campus."

Other educators point out that some college-bound students coast through
school once they are accepted to college, or have enough credits to
graduate.  Non-college bound students also may find that their high school
does not offer a top-notch vocational curriculum.

Stephen Trachtenberg, president of George Washington University, said high
schools must meet the needs of all three types of students.  One way to
accomplish this is to make high school more flexible for students who may
want to finish in two or three years, or by letting others take classes on a
college campus.  Trachtenberg also calls for more vocational options,
reports the paper.

"We have to make classes more lively, interesting, challenging for
students," said Gordon Cawelti, senior research associate at the Educational
Research Office.  Cawelti  argues for decentralization at the school
district and school level in order to give individual high schools and
teachers more control over classroom instruction.  He also calls for
"widespread reforms," especially in professional development.

The POST article refers to the 1999 book "The Failed Promise of the American
High School, 1890-1995," by professors David Angus and Jeffrey Mirel.  The
book's premise is that over time high schools evolved into no more than
custodial care of teenagers.  Although some educators pushed for high
standards beginning in the 1970s, the results have "remained uneven," said
Mirel, director of the Division of Educational Studies at Emory University.


For more information, visit the Washington POST at
http://www.washingtonpost.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 
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.