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NEGP Weekly for August 17, 2000
*******************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 - August 17, 2000 -- Vol. 2 -- No. 67
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CONTENTS
**STATE POLICY
1.) IMPROVING READING: ILLINOIS SENDS KITS TO TEACHERS (Goals 3 and 4)
2.) READY FOR WORK: IN OREGON, THAT MEANS MEETING STANDARDS (Goal 6)
**COMMUNITY AND LOCAL NEWS
3.) UNITED FOR CHILDREN: BUSINESS-PARENT GROUP FORMS IN BOSTON (Goal 8)
4.) TRUANCY: AN ATTENDANCE TEACHER'S TALE (Goals 2 and 3)
**FEDERAL POLICY NEWS
5.) PREVENTING SUPENSION/EXPULSION: HELP ON THE WAY (Goals 2 and 3)
6.) JUST THE FACTS: DATA ON THE 100 LARGEST SCHOOL DISTRICTS (All Goals)
**RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PRACTICE
7.) SCHOOL SIZE: AS CRITICAL AS CLASS SIZE (Goals 2 and 3)
8.) SCHOOL LEADERS AND NEW TEACHERS: SUPPORT IS NEEDED (Goal 4)
**FEATURE STORY
9.) FAILING BOYS: WHAT SCHOOLS CAN DO (Goal3)
***FACT OF THE WEEK***
Between 1990 and 1996, the U.S. and 27 states (out of 46) significantly
increased the percentages of public school 8th graders who scored at or
above proficient in mathematics.
--The National Education Goals Report: Building a nation of learners, 1999
http://www.negp.gov/reports/99rpt.pdf
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STATE POLICY NEWS
********************
1.) ******** IMPROVING READING: ILLINOIS SENDS KITS TO TEACHERS
(Goal Three: Student Achievement and Goal Four: Teacher Education And
Professional Development)
Teachers in grades pre-K to second across Illinois will receive classroom
reading kits this fall to help them improve the pre-reading and reading
skills of their young students (Illinois State Board of Education web site).
Teachers designed the kits, which were produced as a joint project by the
Illinois State Board of Education and First Lady Lura Lynn Ryan's Futures
for Kids program.
Material in the kit was based on best practices and research. The material
also is aligned with the state's Learning Standards.
For more information, visit the Illinois State Board of Education at
http://www.isbe.state.il.us.
2.) ******** READY FOR WORK: IN OREGON, THAT MEANS MEETING STANDARDS
(Goal Six: Adult Literacy and Lifelong Learning)
A recent study of more than 250 juniors from three Oregon high schools found
that those who met the state's Certificate of Initial Mastery (CIM)
standards in reading, writing and math, were twice as likely to demonstrate
to employers that they have the requisite skills and knowledge needed for
the job (Oregon Department of Education web site).
Of the students who met the standards, 75 percent passed a pre-employment
exam, while only 39 percent of students who did not meet the standards
passed the test. The study also found that only 34 percent of students who
plan to begin full-time work immediately after high school graduation passed
the exam; 52 percent of students planning to attend a four-year college
passed the test.
The Oregon Department of Education, the Oregon University System and the
Oregon Business Council conducted the study. "The study confirms our
commitment to the state's effort to set and reach higher standards," said
Jim Ellis, CEO of Wacker Siltronic. "We will put a high value on the CIM
because it is a strong indicator of an applicant's ability to succeed at my
company. Basic knowledge - reading, writing, math - are essential for every
job we have here."
For more information, visit the Oregon Department of Education at
http://www.ode.state.or.us.
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Community and Local News
*************************
3.) ******** UNITED FOR CHILDREN: BUSINESS-PARENT GROUP FORMS IN BOSTON
(Goal Eight: Parent Participation)
Boston United for Children, an unprecedented union among business and
parents, emerged to help the city in "pivotal" negotiations with the city'
teachers union (Hayward, BOTON HERALD, 8/11). The group intends to launch
an advertising and public event campaign this month.
One of the largest issues looming over contract negotiations in Boston
focuses on the rights of veteran teachers to first access of vacant jobs.
School officials, now with the support of Boston United, argue that a school
principal should be able to hire the candidate of his or her choice. The
union counters that the old policy guards against hiring bias.
According to the paper, parents and business groups feel the "urgency" of
improving education as the state moves closer to the 2003 deadline set for
students to pass the state Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System
exam to graduate from high school. "Parents are aware their kids need more
from education than in the past," summarized Jacqueline Rivers, a parent and
director of the teacher-training group MathPower.
For more information, visit the BOSTON HERALD at http://www.bostonherald.com
4.) ******** TRUANCY: AN ATTENDANCE TEACHER'S TALE
(Goal Two: School Completion and Goal Three: Student Achievement and
Citizenship)
Keeping students who are doing poorly in school in summer school is a
formidable task, even when they risk repeating a grade in the fall. The NEW
YORK TIMES follows Dorothy Onyango and other attendance teachers through the
streets of New York City as they try to encourage the students to return to
the classroom (Holloway, 8/9).
"The teachers shed light on the persistent social problems that explain why
children do not go to school even when the penalty may mean repeating a
grade," writes the paper. Some students' parents are too "drugged out" to
keep their kids in school. In other households, the children rule the roost
and parents do not challenge them. Sometimes in families where English is
not spoken, the parents do not understand the situation or the consequences.
Some students traveled with their families over the summer to visit
relatives in the Caribbean or elsewhere. Yet, some families are so poor,
the children find summer jobs to keep the family financial afloat.
New York City's summer school program has an abysmal truancy rate - forty
percent of the mandated students in kindergarten through 12th grade did not
show up for class this summer, even with additional attendance teachers on
staff who make phone calls and house visits. The paper notes that
attendance teachers differ from truant officers, New York City police
officers who patrol the streets in search of truants.
For more information, visit the NEW YORK TIMES at http://www.nytimes.com.
*********************
Federal Policy News
*********************
5.) ******** PREVENTING SUPENSION/EXPULSION: HELP ON THE WAY
(Goal Two: School Completion and Goal Three: Student Achievement)
A new federal program offers nearly $10 million in grants to school
districts and nonprofit groups to create effective alternative programs that
will help reduce or prevent suspensions and expulsions in schools and to
help educate those students who have already been suspended or expelled.
Applicants for the Alternative Strategies to Reduce Student Suspensions and
Expulsions and Ensure Educational Progress Program were asked how their
program could be spread to other communities also seeking ways to reduce
suspensions and expulsions. While no silver bullet exists to eradicate
suspensions and expulsions, several common characteristics have shown up in
successful programs: small class size; clearly stated mission; measurable
program goal and discipline codes; parent involvement; caring faculty that
receives continual staff development; school staff with high expectations
for student achievement; learning programs specific to the students'
expectations and learning styles; exposure to and preparation for the world
of work; flexible school schedules with community support; and total
commitment to each student's success.
For more information and project descriptions, visit
www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/SDFS/news.html.
6.) ******** JUST THE FACTS: DATA ON THE 100 LARGEST SCHOOL DISTRICTS
(All Goals)
Characteristics of the 100 Largest Public Elementary and Secondary School
Districts in the United States: 1998-1999 recently was released by the
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The report provides
descriptive information about the 100 largest school districts in the
nation, where almost one in four public school students are served.
Besides sheer size, these schools are distinguished from smaller districts
by a distinct set of characteristics including pupil-teacher ratios, high
school graduates and enrollment of minority students.
For more information, visit NCES at http://www.nces.ed.gov.
*********************************
Research and Education Practices
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7.) ******** SCHOOL SIZE: AS CRITICAL AS CLASS SIZE
(Goal Two: School Completion and Goal Three: Student Achievement)
While reducing class size has received a lot of attention lately, smaller
school size may be just as important, according to many educators writes the
WASHINGTON POST (Strauss, 8/8). The paper reports that students enrolled
in smaller schools are more confident and less disoriented and are known
better by their teachers and administrators. This leads to fewer discipline
problems.
A recent study by the Bank Street College of Education found that students
from smaller schools had higher academic achievement, lower dropout rates
and fewer incidences of violence.
According to the POST, the ideal enrollments are 300 students for elementary
schools, no more than 500 for a middle school and 600 to 900 for a high
school. "We think the research is pretty powerful about that type of
environment - a small school where the staff takes real ownership of the
kids," said Dennis Chaconas, superintendent in Oakland, California. Yet the
average enrollment in public schools increased from 127 to 653 students from
1940 to 1990. The paper also notes that today about 71 percent of all high
school students attend school with a student population over 1,000.
For more information, visit the Bank Street College of Education at
http://www.bnkst.edu.
8.) ******** SCHOOL LEADERS AND NEW TEACHERS: SUPPORT IS NEEDED
(Goal Four: Teacher Education and Professional Development)
School leaders who support new teachers through their tumultuous first year
of teaching will have a stronger faculty at their school, according to the
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). In ASCD's
EDUCATION UPDATE (August 2000), an article is devoted to highlighting
promising practices of first-year teacher-help initiatives.
For example, ASCD recommends new teachers be paired up with a veteran
teacher, be knowledgeable of ways to handle different learning styles and
prepare for the specific children who will step through their doors.
The article features California's Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment
(BTSA) program, a statewide initiative for first- and second-year teachers.
BTSA calls for a veteran teacher to mentor a new teacher for two years, for
the principal to observe the new teacher four times during the year along
with two other staff members. Recommendations for improvement are made
early in the school year to the new teacher so he or she can make changes by
December.
For more information, visit the California Department of Education at
http://www.cde.ca.gov.
*****************
Feature Story
*****************
9.) ******** FAILING BOYS: WHAT SCHOOLS CAN DO
(Goal Three: Student Achievement and Citizenship)
Since the publication of a 1992 report on shortchanging girls in education,
researchers and educators have developed recommendations and programs to
better instruct girls in the classroom. Now, many researchers are turning
their attention to the status of boys in the classroom and they are finding
that boys are falling behind. The CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR reports in an
article "Back-Seat Boys" that boys typically earn lower grades, are twice as
likely to be labeled learning disabled and are significantly more likely to
be suspended or drop out of school. They also are more likely than girls to
be diagnosed for attention-deficit disorder.
"Many aspects of American schools are not sympathetic to boys," said Eli
Newberger, who wrote The Men They Will Become and is a professor of
pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. "Their robust behavior, physicality
and translation of anxiety into inattention is frequently patholigized and
demonized."
The traditional structure and expectations in the classroom make learning a
challenge for many boys, according to the MONITOR. "School days that are
tightly scheduled from start to finish also cast a negative light on
restlessness and rambunctiousness that tend to accompany boys," writes the
paper. "And traditional outlets that help active students let off steam,
such as physical education and recess, have long been on the decline in
schools."
Richard Melvoin, headmaster of Belmont Hill School, an all-boys school in
Belmont, Massachusetts, told the MONITOR that reducing daily activity for
boys "is almost criminal ... It's ignoring who boys are." He praises the
efforts of one of his teachers who has "walk-around" math quizzes, where the
boys move to different parts of the classroom to complete their work. Boys
at Belmont Hill also get morning breaks and participate in a rigorous
athletic program.
Diane Hulse, head of the middle school at all-boys Collegiate School in New
York, said her school features group learning. "Boys can be very
competitive with each other, and we want them to develop alternative
learning strategies where they're mutually supportive," she said. However,
Hulse was quick to point out that it takes a highly competent teacher to
effectively run a group-learning classroom where, for example, teachers
offer mini-lessons during the class to move the pace and give boys
opportunity to move around or build things as part of the learning process.
Carole Shmurak, professor of education at Central Connecticut State College
in New Britain and a former high school teacher, initially focused her
research on gender issues in education, but now has moved to studying what
works best for all students. "The more I got to know the girls [in one of
her studies], that focus [on single-sex or co-ed schooling] became less
relevant," she said. "I concluded that what's important is going to a small
school with dedicated faculty and small class sizes."
For more information, visit the CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR at
http://www.csmonitor.com and visit 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
************************************
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.