THE NEGP WEEKLY for February 15, 2001

[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 - February 15, 2001 -- Vol. 2 -- No. 90
*************************************************

CONTENTS

**STATE POLICY 
1.) ENDING SOCIAL PROMOTION: A PLAN FROM GEORGIA (Goal 3) 
2.) CHANGING TIMES: GOVERNOR LOCKE'S NEW IDEAS (All Goals)

**COMMUNITY AND LOCAL NEWS 
3.) TEACHER CONTRACT: MORE PAY, MORE R`	ESPONSIBILITLY IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY,
MARYLAND (Goal 4)
4.) RECRUITING:  CHICAGO STYLE (Goal 4) 

**FEDERAL POLICY NEWS 
5.) TEACHER QUALITY: A FRIST PROPOSAL (Goal 4) 
6.) FAITH-BASED GROUPS: INCLUDED IN BUSH'S AFTER-SCHOOL PLANS (All Goals)

**RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PRACTICE 
7.) VOCATIONAL VISION: STATE LEADERS IDENTIFY KEY PRINCIPLES (Goals 3 and 6)

8.) THE FUTURE OF CHILDREN: A PACKARD REPORT (Goal 3) 

**FEATURE STORY
9.) INVESTING IN TEACHING: GOOD BUSINESS SENSE (All Goals)

 
***NEW NEGP PUBLICATION ***
Check out the NEGP's latest publication: Promising Practices: Progress
Toward
the Goals, 2000 to see what states and districts across America are doing to
reach the Goals. Available on the NEGP's web site now!

--Promising Prctices: Progress Towards the Goals, 2000
http://www.negp.gov/promprac/promprac00/promprac00.pdf


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


1.) ******** ENDING SOCIAL PROMOTION: A PLAN FROM GEORGIA
(Goal Three: Student Achievement)
	
Georgia Governor Roy Barnes urged the end of social promotion in his State
of the State address earlier this month (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 2/9).
While details are sparse, he plans to tie promotion in part to student
scores on the state exam called the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests
(CRCT).  The tests began in grades 4, 6 and 8 last spring, but now are being
expanded into other grades.

Barnes also hopes to use President Bush's education plan to combine
Georgia's K-5 remedial programs and federal Title 1 funds to develop a
"comprehensive improvement effort that could include longer school days,"
with the intention of boosting student achievement.	

For more information, visit the Georgia Department of Education at
http://www.doe.k12.ga.us.


2.) ******** CHANGING TIMES: GOVERNOR LOCKE'S NEW IDEAS
(All Goals)

Rules and regulations featured in the two-inch thick Common School Manual
would become obsolete under Washington Governor Gary Locke's "bold"
education reform plan, writes the SEATTLE TIMES (2/8).  "We need to give our
schools greater flexibility," said Locke.  "Let's strip away the regulations
that hinder us."

To begin his quest for education reform that works, Locke recommends two
demonstration projects to help state leaders decide what policies should
drive the new school manual.  The projects are:  a flexibility-grant program
that would give a district "carte blanche" in operating schools; and a
change in the way teachers are paid, giving districts resources to develop a
pay system based on teacher performance and skills and knowledge.  Locke
wants to spend $8 million to jumpstart these pilot programs for two years.

Locke's plan is being debated in the state legislature.

For more information, visit the state of Washington at
http://www.access.wa.gov and click on Education.


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COMMUNITY AND LOCAL NEWS
*************************


3.) ******** TEACHER CONTRACT: MORE PAY, MORE RESPONSIBILITLY IN MONTGOMERY
COUNTY, MARYLAND
(Goal Four: Teacher Education and Professional Development)

A new teacher contract announced last week in Montgomery County, Maryland,
calls for teachers to receive 5 percent raises in each of the next three
years, coupled with an enhanced role in curriculum decisions and academic
planning (Perez-Rivas, WASH POST, 2/9).  Four additional days will be added
to the work year for teachers to participate in professional development.

Union and school leaders agree that the new contract is a "model plan that
will strengthen Montgomery's hand in the midst of a teacher shortage that
has heightened competition among districts in the region to hire and retain
quality teachers," writes the paper.

For more information, visit the Montgomery County public schools at
http://www.mcps.k12.md.us.


4.) ******** RECRUITING:  CHICAGO STYLE
(Goal Four: Teacher Education and Professional Development)

Facing a teacher shortage, Chicago public schools leaders embarked on an
aggressive teacher recruiting campaign in the U.S. and abroad that,
according to EDUCATION WEEK, is a success (Johnston, 11/1/00).  Chicago
targets students at Big Ten universities and other regional colleges,
reports the paper.  The number of new teachers coming to Chicago from Big
Ten schools has more than doubled in recent years.

"In the past, we weren't even on their radar screen," said Gery Chico,
school board president.

Chicago and other major urban districts also are looking overseas for new
recruits.  The city's Global Educators Outreach Program already has
recruited and hired 36 teachers from more than 20 countries to teach in
"high-need" areas, including math and science, notes the paper.  These
recruits are required to earn a master's degree in education within three
years.  However, Mildred Hudson, head of Recruiting New Teachers, a Belmont,
Mass.-based group, cautions that international recruits may not remain in
teaching for the long term.  "We've not seen one study about how long they
stay, or how well students gain," she added.

According to ED WEEK, Chicago officials plan to spend $5.7 million to hire
3,000 teachers for next year.  

For more information, visit the Chicago public schools at
http://www.cps.k12.il.us


*********************
FEDERAL POLICY NEWS
*********************


5.) ******** TEACHER QUALITY: A FRIST PROPOSAL
(Goal Four: Teacher Education and Professional Development)

U.S. Senator Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) re-introduced legislation last month that
would promote teacher quality and encourage quality teachers to stay in the
classroom.  A Million Quality Teachers Act (S 195) would support state
efforts to recruit, retain and retrain highly qualified teachers.  He first
introduced the legislation during the last Congressional session.

Frist's bill would support a competitive grant program to fund many state
incentives, including teacher signing bonuses, performance bonuses, stipends
for additional certification, teacher testing and merit pay programs, as
well as scholarships for teachers to pursue advanced coursework and
mentoring programs.  

The bill also features a loan forgiveness program that would help repay
federally subsidized or guaranteed loans on a graduated bases so that the
longer a qualified teacher remains in the field the more of their student
loan would be forgiven.  Alternative certification stipends would be offered
to help students gain the necessary certification for teaching.

For more information and a copy of the legislation, visit
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c107:S.195:.


6.) ******** FAITH-BASED GROUPS: INCLUDED IN BUSH'S AFTER-SCHOOL PLANS
(All Goals)

President George Bush is trumpeting the inclusion of faith-based groups in
helping to solve the nation's social ills, including several
education-related issues (Walsh, EDUCATION WEEK, 2/7).  After-school
programs is one area in which Bush hopes to involve religious groups.  

"I want to fully open up the after-school program, called 21st Century
Learning Centers, to all after-school programs, including faith-based
groups," said Bush.

In his first weeks in office, Bush has promoted the inclusion of religious
groups in education through a series of executive orders and proposed
legislation, including:
>  Creating through executive order a White House Office of Faith-Based and
Community Initiatives;
>  Ordering five Cabinet departments, including Education, to create their
own centers for faith-based initiatives to work to eliminate regulatory
barriers to the participation of religious organizations in providing social
services in federal programs;
>  Calling for President Clinton's AmeriCorps to direct some of its
participants to work in literacy and after-school programs sponsored by
religious groups.

For more information, visit the White House at http://www.whitehouse.gov.


*********************************
RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PRACTICES
*********************************


7.) ******** VOCATIONAL VISION: STATE LEADERS IDENTIFY KEY PRINCIPLES
(Goal Three: Student Achievement and Goal Six: Adult Literacy and Lifelong
Learning)

State vocational education leaders late last month developed a "vision
statement" that describes five key principles that provide the foundation
for all types of workforce education.  EDUCATION DAILY writes that "whether
it's called vocational, technical, career, occupational, applied,
professional-technical or workforce training," the education provided is a
critical component of America's education system (Learner, 1/26).

The five principles defined by the National Association of State Directors
of Vocational Technical Education Consortium call for career and technical
education to:
>  draw its curricula, standards and organizing principles from the
workplace;
>  be an integral component of the total education system and offer
career-oriented benefits for all students;
>  be a critical component of the workforce development system and provide
the essential foundation for a thriving economy;
>  maintain high levels of excellence by adhering to academic and workplace
standards by measuring performance and by placing high expectations on
students; and
>  be robust and flexible and respond to the needs of multiple educational
settings, customers and levels of specialization.

For more information, visit the National Association of State Directors of
Vocational Technical Education Consortium at http://www.iris.org/~nasdvtec.


8.) ******** THE FUTURE OF CHILDREN: A PACKARD REPORT
(Goal Three: Student Achievement)

Classroom technology use is the focus of a report published by The David and
Lucile Packard Foundation based in Los Altos, California.  The Future of
Children argues that our nation must better support research into the best
classroom uses for technology.  Margie Shields, a Packard policy analyst,
explains that educators must know what technology applications work best for
children at all grade levels and with various learning styles, reports
EDUCATION DAILY (1/26).  

Positive impacts of technology noted by the researchers include the learning
and creative opportunities offered by some educational software and Web
sites; the chance to communicate online with friends and others with common
interests and some academic gains.  However, the researchers also note some
negative effects of technology, including how too much time spent in front
of a computer can heighten a child's chances of becoming obese, to withdraw
socially and, if engaged in violent computer gains, to demonstrate more
aggressive behavior.

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


*****************
FEATURE STORY
*****************


9.) ******** INVESTING IN TEACHING: GOOD BUSINESS SENSE
(All Goals)

Responding to nationwide concern over student achievement, business groups
unveiled a report that underscores the importance of a quality teacher
heading every classroom.  Investing in Teaching is the report developed by
The Business Roundtable (BRT), National Alliance of Business (NAB), the
National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and the U.S. Chamber of
Commerce.  

"Teaching is one of the most vital roles in our society," said Keith Bailey,
president, chairman and CEO of Williams, chairman of NAB and a member of the
BRT's Education Task Force.  "We must ensure that teachers go through
rigorous training and exacting standards from the credentials to practice.
In return, teachers should receive higher financial, social and professional
rewards for success.  This is what we mean when we talk about elevating
teaching to a profession."

In the report, the business groups acknowledge that higher student
achievement will not come with standards and assessments alone.  They
clearly state that teachers can make the critical difference in whether or
not a student succeeds.  According to the report, improving academic
achievement for all children requires supporting teachers by improving
teacher preparation, professional development, compensation, employment
conditions and the school environment.

Investing in Teaching makes a series of recommendations that aim at bringing
significant financial and professional reward to teachers, while raising the
bar for the performance of all teachers.  The report calls for action in
three areas:

>  Create a rigorous new model for teacher preparation and professional
development.  For example, raise the bar for admission to teacher
preparation, require all preparation programs to be accredited and establish
a performance-based licensing system.
>  Create a new model of pay tied to performance and a new employment
compact.
Ideas noted in Investing in Teaching include enhancing career opportunities
for teachers with progressive steps, increase salaries and tie pay to
performance and spell out expectations for performance, improvement and
evaluation.
>  Create a new school environment that provides teachers with the freedom
and flexibility to achieve results.

To create such an environment, Investing in Teaching recommends the
decentralization of authority, budget decisions and personnel decisions.
The report also argues for making teacher licenses portable so teachers can
move freely from one state to another, which gives them more flexibility for
career progress and helps stem the tide of teacher shortages.
			
Investing in Teaching includes several state and local examples in which
educators already are achieving progress through approaches similar to the
report's recommendations.  A databook that includes state-specific
information on teaching also is available.

For more information and a copy of the report, visit either The Business
Roundtable at www.brt.org or the National Alliance of Business at
http://www.nab.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 Acting Executive Director: Emily O. Wurtz 
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.


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