The NEGP Weekly for October 12, 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 - October 12, 2000 -- Vol. 2 -- No. 75
*************************************************

CONTENTS

**STATE POLICY 
1.) INCLUSIVE SCHOOLS: IOWA'S GOAL (All Goals)
2.) CALIFORNIA'S GOOD NEW: STUDENTS IMPROVE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE (Goal 3)

**COMMUNITY AND LOCAL NEWS 
3.) AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM: LOS ANGELES' SHINES LIGHT (Goal 3) 
4.) KIDS IN SCHOOL: A BALTIMORE SCHOOL KEEPS THEM COMING (Goal 2)

**FEDERAL POLICY NEWS 
5.) SMALLER LEARNING COMMUNITIES: PERSONALIZING FOR SUCCESS (Goals 2 and 3)
6.) GUN-FREE SCHOOLS: GETTING RESULTS (Goal 7)

**RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PRACTICE 
7.) PRINCIPAL INSTITUTE: A "LEARNING INNOVATION" (Goal 4)
8.) TEACHER DEVELOPMENT: POLICIES THAT WORK (Goal 4)

**FEATURE STORY
9.) NATIONAL BOARD TEACHERS: BETTER PAY, MORE RESPECT (Goal 4)


 
***FACT OF THE WEEK***
Between 1990 and 1996, the U.S. and 27 states (out of 46) significantly
increased their 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.) ******** INCLUSIVE SCHOOLS: IOWA'S GOAL
(All Goals)

Iowa recently unveiled a comprehensive plan to help schools deal with their
growing and diverse student population.  Building Inclusive Schools and
Communities broadens the state's school desegregation policies to go beyond
only issues of black and white students.  

Demographic changes throughout the state are the impetus for this plan.  In
1985 minorities comprised only 2.5 percent of the state's student enrolment.
Last school year, they made up 10 percent of the state's enrollment.  A
two-year review of the state's nearly 30-year-old desegregation guidelines
culminated in the report, and proposed policies will be presented to the
State Board of Education in March.

Several recommendations made in the report include multicultural education
training for school staff, recruitment and retention of school employees of
varied backgrounds and additional resources for schools serving low-income
students.

For more information, visit the state Department of Education at
http://www.state.ia.us/educate



2.) ******** CALIFORNIA'S GOOD NEW: STUDENTS IMPROVE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
(Goal Three: Student Achievement)

California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin last
week announced that students increased their scores on the Academic
Performance Index (API).  The API is the cornerstone of the 1999 Public
Schools Accountability Act, which established a statewide accountability
system for California public schools. 

The API is a numeric index that ranges from a low of 200 to a high of 1000.
Each school's target is set at five percent of the difference between the
school's API and the statewide performance target of 800.  Schools must not
only meet their five percent schoolwide target but also demonstrate
comparable improvement for ethnic and socio-economically disadvantaged
subgroups within the school with large enough numbers to be significant.

Seventy-one percent of California schools with an API met their growth
targets, while 67 percent are eligible for awards.  Financial awards are
granted to elementary and middle schools where 95 percent of their eligible
students took the Stanford 9 in 2000, while high schools must show a
participation rate of 90 percent.  

For more information, visit the California Department of Education at
http://www.goldmine.cde.ca.gov


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


3.) ******** AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM: LOS ANGELES' SHINES LIGHT
(Goal Three: Student Achievement and Goal Seven: Safe Schools)

Los Angeles School Superintendent Roy Romer, former Colorado governor,
announced the creation of a new top-level position responsible for improving
and overseeing after-school programs (Jacobson, EDUCATION WEEK, 10/11).
John Liechty, the former assistant superintendent in charge of the
district's school in the San Fernando Valley, accepted the post.  His
position will be announced at the Lights On After-School event this month.

Mary Lavo Ford, director of the National Institute on Out-of-School Time
located in Wellesley, Massachusetts, said many districts have an
administrator in charge of community schools, but she knows of no other
district that has placed the programs under the authority of an assistant
superintendent.

Liechty hopes Los Angeles' programs both meet the need of working parents
for child care in a safe environment and improve children's performance in
the classroom.  He intends to work with before- and after-school providers
to set performance standards for their programs.  

For more information, visit the Los Angeles public schools at
http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us



4.) ******** KIDS IN SCHOOL: A BALTIMORE SCHOOL KEEPS THEM COMING
(Goal Two: School Completion)

Canton Middle School, located in downtown Baltimore, Maryland, has been
praised by the National Dropout Prevention Network as a model for keeping
students in school.  Since the school adopted several strategies for dropout
prevention, daily attendance has increased from 79 percent in 1991 to 92
percent this year (Gehring, EDUCATION WEEK, 10/11).

One initiative used by Canton is a job-shadow program.  In a partnership
with the Sheraton Inner Harbor Hotel, struggling students are paid to
"shadow" hotel employees as they do their job.  Teachers also telephone
parents when a child does not show up for school and competitions are held
to determine the homerooms and grades with the best attendance rates.  

Several years ago, a city judge who handles chronic truants began to
volunteer her time twice a month to formally summon parents of Canton
students who are not attending school.  "Only two parents have been put in
jail so far," said Deborah Ptak, a school social worker.  "Everyone else has
stepped up to the plate."

For more information on dropout prevention visit EDUCATION WEEK at
http://www.edweek.com


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


5.) ******** SMALLER LEARNING COMMUNITIES: PERSONALIZING FOR SUCCESS
(Goal Two: School Completion and Goal Three: Student Achievement)

School districts in 39 states have received grants from the U.S. Department
of Education's Smaller Learning Communities Program to help create smaller,
more personalized learning communities in large high schools. 

According to the Department of Education, research shows that students have
better attendance, are less likely to dropout, exhibit fewer discipline
problems and perform better when attending a smaller high school.  Yet, more
than 70 percent of high school students attend schools with more than 1,000
students; half attend schools with more than 1,500 students.

The Department of Education suggests the following strategies schools can
take, including career academies, mentoring and other teacher-advisory
systems, schools-within-schools and "houses;" and career clusters.  

A total of 354 schools will benefit from the $8.7 million one-year planing
grants and $33.6 million in three-year implementation grants.

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



6.) ******** GUN-FREE SCHOOLS: GETTING RESULTS
(Goal Seven: Safe Schools)

U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley last week announced that fewer
students are being expelled for bringing firearms to school.  According to
the Department of Education, 3,523 students during the 1998-99 school year
were expelled for bringing firearms to school, compared to 3,658 in the year
before. The most recent number is a significant decrease from three years
ago, when the first report listed 5,724 expulsions. 

The new findings are published in the Report of State Implementation of the
Gun-Free Schools Act - School Year 1998-99: Final Report 2000. 

"When young people don't act responsibly, we must move decisively to protect
others," Riley said. "The Gun-Free Schools Act has helped improve school
safety by making sure that students understand the serious consequences -
expulsion -- of bringing a gun to school. While the trend is moving in the
right direction, it is very disturbing that we still have more than 3,500
young people bringing firearms to school." 

The Gun-Free Schools Act of 1994 required states to pass laws requiring
school districts to expel any student who brings a firearm to school. All
states have complied and this report is the third state-by-state look at
implementation of the federal law. 

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


*********************************
Research and Education Practices
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7.) ******** PRINCIPAL INSTITUTE: A "LEARNING INNOVATION"
(Goal Four: Teacher Education and Professional Development)

WestEd, a nonprofit research, development and service agency serving
Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah, sponsors one-day conferences and
three-day retreats for principals.  Part of the group's Learning Innovations
initiative, principals from high-poverty schools are targeted to attend the
workshops.  The goal is to help principals hone their leadership skills and
become well grounded in research.  Group discussions encourage principals to
share successes and defeats and learn from other working principals.

WestEd also sponsors superintendents' institutes in California, a program
that also targets high-poverty school leaders.

For more information, visit http://www.WestEd.org



8.) ******** TEACHER DEVELOPMENT: POLICIES THAT WORK
(Goal Four: Teacher Education and Professional Development)

In a "knowledgebrief," WestEd calls for standards-based reform of teaching,
"analogous to standards-based reform of schooling." (McRobbie, "Career-long
Teacher Development:  Policies that Make Sense").  The issue brief
recommends that states enact a system of teacher development tied to
agreed-upon expectations for what teachers should know and be able to do.
Most important, the system must encompass the entire "teacher continuum,
from recruitment through preparation, certification, induction and the rest
of a teacher's career."

The issue brief extensively cites the work of Linda Darling-Hammond and the
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards as a basis for what works
to improve teacher learning.  It stresses the need for teacher development
policies that go far beyond piecemeal programs to a "cohesive and
comprehensive approach aimed at aligning policies and incentives for
recruitment, certification, preparation, induction and professional
development under the same set of standards."

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


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


9.) ******** NATIONAL BOARD TEACHERS: BETTER PAY, MORE RESPECT
(Goal Four: Teacher Education and Professional Development)

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification is
a "rapidly expanding movement" throughout the U.S., writes the WASHINGTON
POST (Mathews, 10/10).  In 1994, the first year for national certification,
only 268 teachers nationwide were board certified.  Today that figure is
4,804 and about 4,500 more teachers are expected to be granted certification
next month.  Some educators and policymakers argue that national board
certification may be the "most promising" attempt to give teachers
professional respect and a boost in pay.

According to NBPTS officials, 39 states have approved extra compensation for
teachers who have earned a NBPTS certificate.  The certification process is
a long and arduous one, with teachers spending most of a year documenting
and reflecting on their classroom practices and instruction.  States with
the highest number of nationally certified teachers are:  North Carolina
(1,260), Ohio (593), Florida (570), Mississippi (356), California (346),
Iowa (155), Oklahoma (151) and Minnesota (110).  

Betty Casto, head of the NBPTS and former president of the University of
South Florida, likened certification to a "form of merit pay that teacher
unions can support because it's based on the actions of a board they helped
establish," reports the paper. 

Gary Galluzzo, former dean of George Mason University's School of Education
and now executive vice president of the NBPTS, maintains that the
certification program most likely will raise the standards for teacher
training.  "Teachers say something about the national board process that
they rarely did about the master's programs at education schools I have
known.  They say, 'This was the best professional development experience I
ever had,'" he notes.  George Mason is in the process of renewing its
master's program based on the NBPTS standards.

Despite the gaining popularity of the NBPTS and its certification program,
some question whether board certification improves student learning.  "There
is absolutely no proof as yet that NBPTS-certified teaches are actually more
effective in terms of the academic value that they add to their pupils,"
said Chester Finn, president of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation.  Caster
notes that the NBPTS intends to release a study later this month that shows
how board-certified teachers excel in practices associated with effective
teaching.  The NBPTS also is working with a testing expert to devise ways to
measure improvement among students.

Castor hopes the group's studies will persuade states to increase financial
incentives to teachers for earning certification, writes the paper.  

The NBPTS was formed in 1987 by the major teacher organizations and several
governors and education experts.  

For more information, visit the NBPTS at http://www.nbpts.org



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