NEGP Weekly for August 10, 2000

[Negpweek <NEGPWEEK@WESTAT.com>]

*******************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 10, 2000 -- Vol. 2 -- No. 66
***************************************************

CONTENTS

**STATE POLICY 
1.) DROPOUT RATES: MUST DROP IN TEXAS (Goal 2)
2.) SHARING INFO: SCHOOLS AND POLICE IN COLORADO (Goal 7) 

**COMMUNITY AND LOCAL NEWS 
3.) KEEPING THE PEACE: NEW PROGRAM MAY HELP (GOAL 7)
4.) TEACHER QUALITY: AIM OF NEW MONTGOMERY COUNTY PROGRAM (Goal 4)

**FEDERAL POLICY NEWS 
5.) WONDERING ABOUT THE WEB: CHALLENGE OF A NEW COMMISSION (Goals 3 and 4) 
6.) AMERICA'S CHILDREN: HOW ARE THEY DOING? (All Goals)

**RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PRACTICE 
7.) GENERATION Y: LOOK WHO'S GOING TO COLLEGE (Goal 6)
8.) GED:  INCREASED NUMBER OF TAKERS (Goal 6)

**FEATURE STORY
9.) HARD-TO-STAFF SCHOOLS: IDEAS AND ILLUSTRATIONS (Goal 4)
 

***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



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


1.) ******** DROPOUT RATES: MUST DROP IN TEXAS
(Goal Two: School Completion)

The maximum allowable dropout rate allowed in Texas public schools will be
decreased from 6 percent to 5.5 percent next year and 5 percent the year
after (Stutz, DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 8/40).  Schools that do not meet the new
standard will be branded with an "unacceptable" rating, under Texas
Education Commissioner Jim Nelson's new standard.  "School administrators
should start looking at how they can strengthen their dropout prevention and
recovery programs, and look at ways that they can keep more of our kids in
school," he said.  "It is obvious that children cannot learn if they are not
in class."

At the same time, Nelson said he would not lower the minimum-passing rate on
the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills.  Currently, half of the student
body in a district or campus must pass the exam for the school or school
system to earn an "acceptable" rating.

In 1998, the Texas Education Agency tightened up the dropout reporting
system throughout the state.  Schools were required to account for every
student in grades 7 through 12 who left school.  A code of 37 different
reasons was developed to help facilitate a school's recording of dropout
information.

Other changes in the accountability system endorsed by Nelson include:
>  The dropout standard for schools to earn a "recognized" rating, the
second-highest rating, also will be lowered from 3.5 percent to 3 percent
next year, 2.5 percent the year after.  An "exemplary" rating remains at 1
percent.
>  More students will be counted in the new system.  For example, a group of
blacks, Hispanics, whites or low-income students will be counted if there
are at least 30 who make up 10 percent of all students at the campus or in
the district.  If a group reaches 50 or more members, they will be counted
regardless of their percentage of students.  
>  No performance ratings will be issued because the Legislature has issued
a new, more rigorous testing system to be put in place.

For more information, visit the Texas Education Agency at
http://www.tea.state.tx.us



2.) ******** SHARING INFO: SCHOOLS AND POLICE IN COLORADO
(Goal Seven: Safe Schools)

An updated version of the Colorado School Violence Prevention and Student
Discipline Manual includes a new law that requires police and school
officials to share information about the activities of potentially troubled
students (Martinez, DENVER POST, 8/4).  The law was developed as a possible
way to red flag student behavior before it crests into a Columbine High
School disaster, writes the paper.  

The POST notes that privacy concerns caused sheriff's deputies not to inform
school officials that one of the Columbine shooters had downloaded
information into his computer about making bombs.  Although the deputies
cautioned school officials, the boy's name was withheld.  Likewise, teachers
who reported to parents the boys' "disturbing essays" written for class, did
not share the information with the police.

According to the paper, schools across the state welcomed the new policy.

For more information, visit the Colorado Department of Education at
http://www.cde.state.co.us



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


3.) ******** KEEPING THE PEACE: NEW PROGRAM MAY HELP
(GOAL SEVEN: SAFE SCHOOLS)

Kent State University's Institute for the Study and Prevention of Violence
is conducting a longitudinal study of the Peacebuilders violence-prevention
program in place in seven Arizona elementary schools.  Peacebuilders was the
only violence-prevention program to receive an "A" grade in a recent
national study evaluating these programs.

Psychologist Daniel Flannery, director of the Institute, found that
"students' social competence and peace building behaviors improved six
months after schools started the program," reports the Cleveland PLAIN
DEALER.  However, students' aggressive behavior returned to
pre-Peacebuilders level after the six months.  Flannery comments that the
program still may have had a lasting effect because during the same period
of time, aggressive behavior escalated at the control schools that had not
implemented an anti-violence program.

Flannery's study is in its final year of data collection and soon will issue
a full report.

For more information, visit the Institute for the Study and Prevention of
Violence at http://www.kent.edu/violence/projects.htm.



4.) ******** TEACHER QUALITY: AIM OF NEW MONTGOMERY COUNTY PROGRAM
(Goal Four: Teacher Education and Professional Development)

A new Teacher Evaluation System was launched in Montgomery County (Maryland)
Public Schools that sets high standards and provides resources for
professional growth.  The system has abandoned a "one-size-fits-all"
approach, in favor of treating differently teachers who meet or exceed the
standards from those who do not.  

Experienced teachers who meet the grade participate in the five-year
Professional Growth Cycle.  Peer observation and collaboration are hallmarks
of this program.  Beginning teachers and teachers who are not performing up
to the county's standards are assigned to the Peer Assistance and Review
(PAR) program.  A consulting teacher is paired with the classroom teacher to
offer support and guidance.  If the classroom teacher continues to perform
poorly, or in the case of a new teacher does not cut the muster, a PAR Panel
will recommend the teacher be removed from their assignment.

Six performance standards were developed for the county's teacher quality
program:
>  Teachers are committed to students and their learning.
>  Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach them to students.
>  Teachers are responsible for establishing and managing student learning
in a positive learning environment.
>  Teachers continually assess student progress, analyze the results, and
adapt instruction to improve student achievement.
>  Teachers are committed to continuous improvement and professional
development.
>  Teachers exhibit a high degree of professionalism.

For more information, visit the Montgomery County Public Schools at
http://www.mcps.k12.md.



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


5.) ******** WONDERING ABOUT THE WEB: CHALLENGE OF A NEW COMMISSION
(Goal Three: Student Achievement and Goal Four: Teacher Education and
Professional Development)

The Web-based Education Commission was created by Congress last year and
charged with developing recommendations to maximize the "educational
promise" of the Internet for students in pre-K through post-secondary
schools.  Commission members plan to release a final report this fall that
will highlight these issues:  access and equity, cost and affordability and
ensuring rigorous standards.  

ED DAILY lists a series of questions the Web-Based Education Commission is
trying to answer, including:
>  How should teaching and instruction change to accommodate the Internet?
>  How is the Web creating new kinds of learning institutions or remaking
existing ones?
>  What regulatory issues are preventing full deployment of Web-based
learning strategies?
>  What is the potential for improving achievement among non-traditional
learners, including those with disabilities?

"The Web has won," said David Byer, executive director of the commission.
"[The nation had] better learn how to harness it," he added.

For more information, visit the Commission at http://www.webcommission.org.



6.) ******** AMERICA'S CHILDREN: HOW ARE THEY DOING?
(All Goals)

The future for children looks bright, according to the U.S. government's
annual report, America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being
2000.  Children in America are less likely to die during childhood, less
likely to live in poverty, less likely to be at risk for hunger and less
likely to give birth during adolescence.  

"Today is a good news day for America's children," cheered U.S. Secretary of
Education Richard Riley.  In a press release, Riley also pointed out that
volunteerism is up among high school students, with 55 percent of ninth
through twelfth-grade students participating in volunteer activities, up 10
percentage points from 1996.

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



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


7.) ******** GENERATION Y: LOOK WHO'S GOING TO COLLEGE
(Goal Six: Adult Literacy and Lifelong Learning)

College enrollments are expected to surge over the next two decades, as the
children of the baby-boomers march off to the university.  A new report
issued by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) gives a closer look at who
is going to college.  Crossing the Great Divide:  Can We Achieve Equity with
Generation Y? reports that 80 percent of the 2.6 million new students in
college by 2015 will be minorities.  Minority enrollment will rise in both
absolute terms and in the percentage these students make up of the entire
student population.  The report provides national and state-by-state data on
numerous indicators.  

"Closing the remaining gap in minority undergraduate enrollment should be a
high national priority," write the report authors, Anthony Carnevale and
Richard Fry. A section of Crossing the Great Divide is devoted to reporting
on the economic returns of diversity.

For more information, visit ETS at http://www.ets.org.



8.) ******** GED: INCREASED NUMBER OF TAKERS
(Goal Six: Adult Literacy and Lifelong Learning)

The move to an information-based society, welfare reform and a "rapid"
increase in the number of home-schooled children, who often take the GED as
a way to document their learning and qualify for college financial aid, are
reasons given for the increase in the number of adults who earned a GED high
school equivalency diploma last year, according to a new American Council of
Education report.

Who Took the GED 1999 reports an increase of 4.5 percent in 1999 of both the
number of adults who earned a GED and who participated in the GED Testing
Program.  The number of adults completing the GED in 1999 exceeds all
previous counts in the program's 57-year history, except in 1996.  

Numerous data are presented in the report, including:
>  More than 90 percent of colleges and universities in the U.S. have
policies to accept nontraditional graduates who have a GED diploma.
>  6 percent of all adults in the continental U.S. taking the GED in 1999
used the Spanish-language edition.
>  The average age of U.S. adults taking the GED in 1999 was 24.6.

For more information, visit the GED web site at www.gedtest.org.



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


9.) ******** HARD-TO-STAFF SCHOOLS: IDEAS AND ILLUSTRATIONS
(Goal Four: Teacher Education and Professional Development)

The Education Commission of the States (ECS) devoted a STATE EDUCATION
LEADER journal to policies and practices that encourage recruitment and
retention of quality staff to hard-to-staff schools (Spring-Summer 2000).
ECS defines hard-to-staff schools as "those schools that have a particularly
difficult time finding and retaining adequately trained teachers who are
effective with their student populations." Hard-to-staff schools typically
are located in the inner cities or in rural areas.

To underscore the importance of top-notch teachers in any school, ECS notes
recent research that has found the most critical factor in students'
education success is their teachers.  From ECS:  "Clearly, if the nation is
to guarantee an adequate education and solid career opportunities for all
children, we must put an effective teacher in every classroom and focus
particularly on recruiting, preparing and retaining teaches for
hard-to-staff schools."

Several of the articles in this publication better explain the problems
faced by students and staff of hard-to-staff schools.  Where Are the Data?
Issues of Educator Supply and Demand by Sabrina Laine, A Rural Education
Perspective by Steven Street and It's Tough to Find Teachers in Rural
Wyoming offer a rural viewpoint while Hard-to-Staff Schools: An Urban
Teacher's Experience gives an account of challenges faced in urban schools.

Other articles discuss teacher preparation, issues surrounding recruitment
and effective induction programs for new teachers.  Leading Hard-to-Staff
Schools by John Gardner offers recommendations for principals at the helm of
these schools.  Specific challenges faced by hard-to-staff schools in the
climate of high-stakes accountability are detailed in an article by
Catherine Anthes.

Peppered throughout the journal are promising practices, including a brief
case study of California's goal to end teacher flux in the state by Delaine
Eastin, superintendent of public instruction in California.  Another is a
discussion of what Pennsylvania is doing to fill hard-to-staff schools by
Eugene Hickok, secretary of education for Pennsylvania.

Themes that emerge from the articles include nurturing "home-grown" teachers
who already make a home in the area.   The South Carolina Center for Teacher
Recruitment, created and funded by the General Assembly in 1986, is one
example of encouraging young people from a hard-to-staff area to become
teachers in their neighborhood.  The Center works with 7th and 8th graders
in a program called ProTeam, "where they learn study skills,
decision-making, goal setting, communication skills and teaching methods,"
writes ECS.  They eventually tutor younger children.  High school students
participate in the Teacher Cadet Program, a high school course offered to
academically able students with a 3.0 grade-point average or better and five
teacher recommendations.  This program contains three units: The Learner,
The School and The Teacher and Teaching.  A field experience component
places students in classrooms where they tutor and work with small groups of
younger children.  

An ECS three-year project focuses on helping states improve the quality of
their teacher workforce, with a particular emphasis on hard-to-staff
schools.  The project is supported by the Wallace-Reader's Digest Funds,
which produced this STATE EDUCATION LEADER issue.  A more detailed report is
expected in the fall.

For more information, visit ECS at http://www.ecs.org.   For more
information on the South Carolina Center for Teacher Recruitment, visit
http://www.scctr.org


************************************
Corrections:

***In the July 13, 2000 edition of the NEGP WEEKLY the article Reduce,
Reduce, Reduce: Federal Money for Smaller Classes incorrectly identified the
U.S. Department of Education's award to local communities.  The amount of
this award is $1.3 billion, not $1.3 million.  Additional information on
this award can be found at http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/06-2000/0630.html


***In the July 13, 2000 edition of the NEGP WEEKLY, an article focusing on
the graduation rates of low birth-weight babies, should have said that based
on the study conducted by Dalton Conley and Neil Bennett, babies born
weighing less than five and a half pounds are less likely to finish high
school by age 19 compared to siblings of normal weight and are less likely
to graduate on time.

************************************
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 
www.negp.gov 
************************************

The NEGP/ Daily Report Card (DRC) hereby authorizes further reproduction and
distribution with proper acknowledgment. 

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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
www.negp.gov. Requests can be made by mail, fax, e-mail, or Internet. 

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