The NEGP Weekly for March 8, 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 - March 8, 2001 -- Vol. 2 -- No. 93
*************************************************

CONTENTS

**STATE POLICY 
1.) SEEKING MORE TIME: CALIFORNIA MAY POSTPONE GRADUATION EXAM (Goal 3)
2.) CALIFORNIA NEEDS MORE TEACHER TRAINING: UNION REPORT (Goal 3)

**COMMUNITY AND LOCAL NEWS 
3.) SUPER SATURDAYS: CLEVELAND'S MATH AND SCIENCE TEST-PREP SHOW (Goal 3)
4.) CITIES BUILDING CITIES: HELP FROM PEERS (All Goals)

**FEDERAL POLICY NEWS 
5.) IMPROVING MATH AND SCIENCE: STATES STILL SEEK FEDERAL AID (Goal 5)
6.) FIRST LADY'S EDUCATION INITIATIVES: TEACHING AND LEARN(Goals 4 and 8)

**RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PRACTICE 
7.) THE SAT: LAST DAYS IN CALIFORNIA? (Goal 6)
8.) NORDSTROM'S MAKES MUSIC: PARTNERSHIP WITH LEVINE SCHOOL OF MUSIC (Goal
3)

**FEATURE STORY
9.) DROPPING OUT: HOW TO STEM THE TIDE (Goals 2 and 3)
 


***FACT OF THE WEEK***
Between 1991 and 1997, no state (out of 29) significantly reduced the
percentage of public high school students who reported having five or more
drinks in a row at least once during the past 30 days.

--The National Education Goals Report: Building a nation of learners, 1999
http://www.negp.gov/reports/99rpt.pdf


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


1.) ******** SEEKING MORE TIME: CALIFORNIA MAY POSTPONE GRADUATION EXAM
(Goal Three: Student Achievement)

California lawmakers are considering whether to postpone the state's high
school exit exam, which is scheduled to take effect as a requirement for
graduation by 2004.  Last month, the Senate voted 21-13 to delay
implementation to 2005, primarily because many hold that students have not
been adequately prepared to pass the exam.  The Senate's bill would make
this year's exam only a practice test for 9th graders, not an opportunity
for students to take the test and fulfill their graduation requirements.

However, members of the Assembly's education committee reversed the Senate's
delay.

For more information, visit the state of California at http://www.ca.gov.


2.) ******** CALIFORNIA NEEDS MORE TEACHER TRAINING: UNION REPORT
(Goal Three: Student Achievement)

The California Teachers Association (CTA) urges the state to provide more
teacher training as well as class-size reduction for the lowest performing
students (EDUCATION BEAT, 2/23).  These proposals are the only way to close
the student achievement gap, according to a report issued by the CTA.  

CTA research found a "high correlation between the lower ranks [of student
performance] and the number of teachers who carry emergency credentials."
The bottom 10 percent of elementary schools have 25 percent of teachers
hired on emergency credentials, on average, while the top 10 percent have
only 12 percent.

For more information, visit EDUCATION BEAT at
http://www.capitolalert.com/pulse/edbeat or the California Teachers
Association at http://www.cta.org.


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


3.) ******** SUPER SATURDAYS: CLEVELAND'S MATH AND SCIENCE TEST-PREP SHOW 
(Goal Three: Student Achievement)

After the success of the Cleveland school district's math and science
test-prep Saturday classes provided to slightly more than 1,000 students,
the district decided to expand the program by airing the classes on
television.  In a partnership with City Beat 50, a local public-access cable
channel, the district and station developed "Super Saturdays:  Entering the
PASSing Zones."

The show will run from January to March, when the state exams are scheduled
to be given.  EDUCATION WEEK reports that each show is a taped version of a
Saturday-morning class given at a local school a week earlier, and a shorter
lesson-of-the-day (2/28).  The show's content alternate between 4th- and
9th-grade lessons.

For more information, visit the Cleveland public schools at
http://www.cmsdnet.net


4.) ******** CITIES BUILDING CITIES: HELP FROM PEERS
(All Goals)

"Cities Building Cities" is a program offered by the Council of Great City
Schools geared to encourage urban school district leaders to help their
peers in other cities develop top-notch management and operations.
According to EDUCATION WEEK, the program links educators and administrators
from its membership to review urban districts and develop recommendations to
improve their school systems (Reid, 2/28).

Michael Casserly, executive director of the Council, said the project pairs
"the best of the best" in urban education to help with the specific needs of
the district seeking advice.

For more information, visit the Council of Great City Schools at
http://www.cgcs.org.

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


5.) ******** IMPROVING MATH AND SCIENCE: STATES STILL SEEK FEDERAL AID
(Goal Five: Math and Science)

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) has released a report to
the National Science Foundation (NSF) that recommends how NSF can work with
states to advance statewide improvement of mathematics and science education
based on standards for student learning. The summary report with
recommendations is based on CCSSO's consultation with state leaders in
mathematics and science education, an assessment of current needs of states,
and a review of findings about the efforts of systemic reforms in math and
science education supported by NSF in the 1990s. 

Recommendations include: leadership and support is needed to improve
alignment of standards, curriculum and assessments at the state, district
and school levels; NSF can assist states in using "partnerships" to advance
science and math education; and NSF support and leadership can serve as a
catalyst for statewide reforms and instructional improvement.

For more information, visit the Council of Chief State School Officers at
http://www.ccsso.org.



6.) ******** FIRST LADY'S EDUCATION INITIATIVES: TEACHING AND LEARNING 
(Goal Four: Teacher Education and Professional Development and Goal Eight:
Parent Involvement)


First Lady Laura Bush announced her plans to focus America's attention on
recruiting the "best and brightest" to the teaching profession and ensuring
that all young children are ready to read and learn when they enter the
classroom.  Bush made her plans known during a speech at Cesar Chavez
Elementary School in Hyattsville, Maryland.  

Bush's first priority centers on the need for parents to give young children
the skills to succeed before they enter their first classroom.  Her second
priority is to focus on ensuring that preschools have the tools to teach
what works.  Bush also intends to encourage individuals to pursue teaching
as a career.  Specifically, she will promote three efforts already underway
to recruit new teachers: Teach for America, The New Teacher Project and
Troops to Teachers.     

For more information, visit the Department of Education at http://www.ed.gov
and click on press releases.      
                                 

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


7.) ******** THE STAT: LAST DAYS IN CALIFORNIA?
(Goal Six: Adult Literacy and Lifelong Learning)

Richard Atkinson, president of the University of California (UC) system,
late last month, proposed the elimination of SAT scores as a requirement for
admission to UC colleges and universities (Gehring, EDUCATION WEEK, 2/28).
Atkinson announced his plan at a meeting of university presidents sponsored
by the American Council on Education, where he said that the "push to
prepare for college-entrance exams had overshadowed the importance of
authentic learning in the nation's classrooms," reports the paper.

He called for the development of standardized tests "directly tied to the
college-preparatory courses" that UC requires of applicants.  Until these
tests are available, Atkinson said colleges should depend on the SAT II,
which he claims is a better predictor of college performance because it
assesses mastery of specific subjects.

Matthew Gandal, vice president of Achieve, a group that promotes higher
standards, called the proposal a "step in the right direction" because the
policy could "aid efforts to align standards and expectations between K-12
and the higher education world," writes ED WEEK.

For more information, visit the University of California school system at
http://www.calstate.edu.


8.) ********NORDSTROM'S MAKES MUSIC: PARTNERSHIP WITH LEVINE SCHOOL OF MUSIC
(Goal Three: Student Achievement)

Nordstrom Inc., in partnership with the Levine School of Music's Suzuki
piano program, hosted an afternoon of music, with 15 Levine School of Music
Suzuki students playing the Nordstrom piano in the Montgomery County,
Maryland, store.  Nordstrom piano manager Doug Ulrich and store manager
Gregg Welter said the purpose of Nordstrom's involvement in the piano
program is to encourage music education and appreciation among young people.

Besides allowing the students to perform at the store, Nordstrom's made a
financial donation to the school to purchase additional pianos.  

The Levine School of Music provides a wide range of music lessons from
beginning to conservatory training and offers programs that bring music to
the entire community.  It has a strong outreach and scholarship program for
needy public school students.

For more information on Nordstrom visit http://www.nordstrom.com and for the
Levine School of Music visit http://www.levineschool.org.


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


9.) ********DROPPING OUT: HOW TO STEM THE TIDE
(Goal Two: School Completion and Goal Three: Student Achievement)

America's education challenge is how to "raise academic standards for all
students, while simultaneously ensuring that at-risk students receive the
supports they need to meet the standards and stay in school," said Robert
Schwartz, president of Achieve Inc., in a WASHINGTON POST article on the
dropout rate (Fletcher, 3/3).

The article highlights Philadelphia's dropout problem and efforts underway
to help high school students stay in school to earn a degree.  According to
the POST, nearly half the students who enter ninth grade in Philadelphia do
not graduate four years later.  Only 59 percent of students graduate within
six years of entering high school.  Neighborhood schools fare far worse than
magnet programs.

Problems that cause students to leave school generally emerge in the ninth
grade, reports the paper.  Low academic achievement is a primary reason many
students become discouraged and leave school.  A survey conducted at 15
Philadelphia high schools found that on average students enter the
neighborhood high schools reading at a fifth-grade level.  "Not
surprisingly, half do not get promoted to the 10th-grade - what researchers
call the surest sign that a student will drop out," notes the POST.  

High schools also are often not adept at handling social problems students
face upon entering ninth grade.  "To improve achievement among freshmen, you
really have to do something radical," said Elizabeth Useem, a researcher
with the Philadelphia Education Fund, a nonprofit organization that promotes
school reform.  "Ninth grade is a life-and-death situation for these
children."

Strawberry Mansion High School, located in one of Philadelphia's most
impoverished neighborhoods, typifies a school that is turning itself around
and, in the process, improving its dropout rate.  The school started by
segregating freshmen in one area of the building and assigning them a team
of teachers specially prepared to deal with their academic and emotional
needs.  Students then were given double periods of reading and math to bring
them up to a high school level.

The POST reports that the school also opened a late-afternoon program for
disruptive students and others whom do not fit into the traditional school
setting and time.

The program, called Talent Development and funded in part by the
Philadelphia Education Fund, is hailed for boosting student achievement - 55
percent of the school's freshmen passed their core subjects - and curtailing
the dropout rate - nearly two-thirds of the students moved on to become
sophomores last year.

"It's not easy, It's not cheap.  It's not quick," said James McPartland,
director of the Center for the Social Organization of Schools at Johns
Hopkins University, which developed the program.  "But it's possible to make
improvement."



************************************
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 Frank O'Bannon, IN (Chair, 2001);
Jim Geringer, WY (Chair-elect); John Engler, MI; Jim Hodges, SC; Frank
Keating, OK; Paul E. Patton, KY; Jeanne Shaheen, NH; Tom Vilsak, IA; U.S.
Senator Jeff Bingaman, NM; U.S. Senator Jim Jeffords, VT; U.S.
Representative George Miller, 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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