The NEGP WEEKLY for November 2, 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 - November 2, 2000 -- Vol. 2 -- No. 78
*************************************************

CONTENTS

**STATE POLICY 
1.) ED FLEX: PENNYSLVANIA IS FIRST STATE (Goal 3) 
2.) MATH: ALIGNING STATE ASSESSMENTS AND STANDARDS (Goal 5)

**COMMUNITY AND LOCAL NEWS 
3.) EXEMPLARY READING PROGRAMS: AN IRA AWARD (Goal 3)
4.) BIG CITY SCHOOLS: WHAT WORKS (All Goals)

**FEDERAL POLICY NEWS 
5.) SCHOOL CRIME DECLINES: REPORT ON SCHOOL SAFETY (Goal 7) 
6.) THE PRE-SCHOOL CHALLENGE: CREATING GOOD ONES (Goal 1) 

**RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PRACTICE 
7.) HIGH SCHOOL MATH: NEEDED FOR JOBS OF TOMORROW (Goals 5 and 6) 
8.) CHARTER SCHOOLS: NEW NSBA REPORT CITES MIXED RESULTS (All Goals) 

**FEATURE STORY
9.) IN THE CLASSROOM: TEACHER PRACTICES MATTER MOST FOR STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
(Goals 3 and 4)
 

***FACT OF THE WEEK***

Between 1990 and 1997, the U.S. and 37 states (out of 49) significantly
reduced the percentages of infants born with one or more of four health
risks.

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



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


1.) ******** ED FLEX: PENNYSLVANIA IS FIRST STATE
(Goal Three: Student Achievement)

Pennsylvania is the first state allowed to waive certain federal rules and
regulations, after guaranteeing to improve student achievement.  States can
seek exemption from federal rules under the Education Flexibility
Partnership Act, otherwise known as Ed Flex.  

EDUCATION DAILY reports that to qualify for the program, Pennsylvania had to
develop state content standards, put in place Title 1 performance standards
and aligned assessments, and demonstrate the inclusion of all students on
statewide tests (Cardman, 10/17).  The state also was required to "implement
its own waiver authority to free districts from state regulations," writes
the newsletter.

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



2.) ******** MATH: ALIGNING STATE ASSESSMENTS AND STANDARDS
(Goal Five: Math and Science)

The National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) recently awarded a $976,000,
14-month contract to the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) for
the purpose of aligning national math assessments with state standards.  The
goal is to reach a national consensus on a framework for the 2004 National
Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) math exam.  

According to NAGB, the updated framework will be designed to maintain the
most recent math trend on the NAEP, while adding some new elements to
reflect changes in math education, particularly in state standards and
tests.  The current NAEP math framework was developed in 1988.

"The consensus process will be open to all points of view about mathematics
instruction and assessment," said Mark Musick, chairman of the independent,
bipartisan NAGB.  "We are trying to reach a balanced approach to mathematics
assessment that will provide the most useful information on what students
know and can do in mathematics and on trends in student achievement."

For more information, visit the National Assessment Governing Board at
http://www.nagb.org.



*************************
Community And Local News
*************************


3.) ******** EXEMPLARY READING PROGRAMS: AN IRA AWARD
(Goal Three: Student Achievement)

To help promote success stories for reading instruction, the International
Reading Association (IRA) annually presents its Exemplary Reading Program
Awards to schools throughout the U.S. and Canada that have a proven language
arts program.  Although the schools range from large to small, rural to
urban, common threads weave through all the winning programs, including:
>  a balanced approach to reading instruction
>  strong community involvement
>  an emphasis on reading and writing across the curriculum
>  encouragement for students to read for enjoyment

One winning school, Stockdale Elementary in Bakersfield, California,
actively promotes its "Stockdale Star Readers" program.  Throughout the
school, reading is emphasized as an important and fun activity.  The library
is a special place at Stockdale Elementary, with a full-time librarian and
well-stocked shelves.  Corners in the library are transformed into a magic
kingdom castle, tree house, and comfortable beanbag chairs are scattered
throughout to make reading fun and relaxing for students.

Other winners hail from Chicago, Illinois; Indianapolis, Indiana; Havelock,
North Carolina; Portland, Oregon; and Greenville, South Carolina.

For more information, visit the International Reading Association at
http://www.ira.org.  Refer to their newspaper, READING TODAY
(October/November 2000).



4.) ******** BIG CITY SCHOOLS: WHAT WORKS
(All Goals)

School reforms underway in big city school districts are taking hold,
according to a new report issued by the American Federation of Teachers
(AFT).  Doing What Works: Improving Big City School Districts profiles big
city school districts and has found "substantial progress in raising student
achievement."    

"While no one would claim that urban school districts have yet achieved
universal excellence, no one can deny the progress evident in their
accomplishments over the past few years," said Sandra Feldman, AFT
president.

While almost all urban school districts can claim a school or two that has
against all odds risen to the top in student achievement, this report notes
that entire school districts are showing steady improvement.  Some of the
factors considered critical for getting a school system to "work" are: high
standards, implementation of research-based academic programs, strong
professional development, smaller class size, extra help for struggling
students, safe schools and broadbased involvement of school officials,
staff, unions, families and community organizations.

For more information and a copy of the report, visit the AFT at
http://www.aft.org.



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


5.) ******** SCHOOL CRIME DECLINES: REPORT ON SCHOOL SAFETY
(Goal Seven: Safe Schools)

Overall school crime continues to drop, consistent with a declining rate of
crime against students outside of schools, notes the third Annual Report on
School Safety.  The U.S. Departments of Education and Justice jointly
released the report last week.

The report also found a steady and significant decline in the percentage of
high school students who reported they carried a weapon to school - seven
percent in 1999, down from 12 percent in 1993.  The report includes sections
on the nature and scope of school violence, information on school discipline
policies and resources on school safety and crime.

For more information on the report Indicators of School Crime and Safety
2000, visit the Department of Education at http://www.ed.gov.



6.) ******** THE PRE-SCHOOL CHALLENGE: CREATING GOOD ONES
(Goal One: Ready To Learn)

The U.S. Department of Education Satellite Town Meeting scheduled for
November 15, 2000 will focus on preschool education.  Called Creating
High-Quality Preschool: New Ideas for Supporting Early Learning Programs,
meeting participants will suggest ways that schools and districts can use
existing federal funds and form partnerships to support pre-school programs.
Representatives from the Department of Education will take questions during
the program.  

For more information and to register visit http://registerevent.ed.gov.



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


7.) ******** HIGH SCHOOL MATH: NEEDED FOR JOBS OF TOMORROW
(Goal Five: Math and Science and Goal Six: Adult Literacy and Lifelong
Learning)

Secondary schools should improve math education so high school graduates are
better prepared to take jobs in information technology, according to a draft
summary of a National Research Council report on preparing high-tech workers
(Learner, EDUCATION DAILY, 10/26).  The report argues that it is "critical"
that the U.S. better educate and train its own high-tech workforce rather
than rely on highly skilled foreign workers to fill our nation's high-tech
labor crunch, notes the paper.

The report calls for several changes in U.S. policy toward foreigners who
work under an H-1B visa program.  However, it also "urges employers to
increase their support for training current workers."

For more information on the report, Building a Workforce for the Information
Economy, which will be released early next year, call (800) 624-6242.



8.) ******** CHARTER SCHOOLS: NEW NSBA REPORT CITES MIXED RESULTS (All
Goals) 
(All Goals) 

Although charter school parent and student satisfaction is high, the charter
school movement has not lived up to the claims of its early proponents,
according to a new report issued by the National School Boards Association.
Charting a New Course: Fact and Fiction about Charter Schools examines
historical and contemporary forces that have shaped the charter school
movement, describes charter schools as they exist today, evaluates their
performance in raising student achievement and assesses their influence on
traditional public schools.

The report points to several areas in which the charter school movement has
not lived up to early expectations, including: student achievement,
innovation and special education.   The authors caution that without
corrective legislative action, the charter school movement may begin to lose
support.

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



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


9.) ******** IN THE CLASSROOM: TEACHER PRACTICES MATTER MOST FOR STUDENT
ACHIEVEMENT
(Goal Three: Student Achievement and Goal Four: Teacher Education and
Professional Development)

What teachers do in the classroom contributes more to student learning than
does professional development or non-classroom aspects such as teacher
education levels, according to a new study issued by the Educational Testing
Service (ETS) and supported by the Milken Family Foundation.  "This study
shows not only that teachers matter most," said research Harold Wenglinsky
of ETS's Policy Information Center, "but how they most matter."

How Teaching Matters is the first study to use national data to link a
comprehensive set of classroom practices to student academic performance.
It does this by analyzing data from the National Assessment of Educational
Progress (NAEP).   Wenglinsky examined data from two national samples of
students: 7,146 eighth graders who took the NAEP math assessment in 1996 and
7,776 eighth graders who took the 1996 NAEP science assessment.

Three types of teacher quality were measured in the study:
>  classroom practices such as the use of small groups and hands-on learning
>  professional development to support particular classroom practices
>  teacher inputs, such as teacher education levels and years of experience

Wenglinsky then linked these classroom practices, professional development
and teacher inputs to student academic performance taking into account other
possible influences, such as student background and average class size.
The largest effects on student achievement derived from classroom practices.
Students in this study whose teachers conduct hands-on learning activities
outperform their peers by about 70 percent of a grade level in math and 40
percent of a grade level in science.  Students whose teachers emphasize
higher-order thinking skills outperform their peers by about 40 percent of a
grade level in math.

Professional development follows as the next largest effect on student
learning.  In science, students whose teachers received professional
development in hands-on learning or lab experiments did better than their
peers by about 40 percent of a grade level.  In math, students whose
teachers received professional development in higher-order thinking skills
also did better by about 40 percent of a grade level.

Of the teacher inputs, only majoring or minoring in the relevant subject is
associated with improved student academic performance.

"Overall, these findings suggest that policymakers are correct in
emphasizing the importance of teaching for helping students meet high
academic standards," said Wenglinsky.  "However, these findings indicate
that less attention needs to be paid to attracting certain kinds of people
into teaching, and more attention needs to be paid toward improving what our
current crop of teachers does in the classroom."

Wenglinsky recommends that teachers be provided with more opportunities to
receive professional development and that the training occur over an
extended period of time.  Topics should be closely tied to effective
classroom practices.  He also urges that teachers be rewarded for putting
into practice a curriculum oriented toward effective classroom practices,
perhaps through offering advanced certification, such as that offered by the
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

For more information and a copy of How Teaching Matters:  Bringing the
Classroom Back into Discussions of Teacher Quality visit the Education
Testing Service at http://www.ets.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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