NEGP Weekly for April 26, 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 - April 26, 2001 -- Vol. 2 -- No. 98
*************************************************

CONTENTS

**STATE POLICY 
1.) SCHOOL REPORT CARDS: EMPOWERING PARENTS (All Goals)
2.) BEFORE- AND AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS: AN NGA DATABASE (Goals 2 and 3) 

**COMMUNITY AND LOCAL NEWS 
3.) TEACHER TRANSFERS: WHERE THEY GO (Goals 3 and 4) 
4.) HARVARD'S ED SCHOOL: AN URBAN BENT (Goal 4) 

**FEDERAL POLICY NEWS 
5.) CONDITION OF EDUCATION: SHORT AND SWEET (All Goals)
6.) IDEA:  AN IDEA TO MAKE IT MANDATORY (Goal 3) 

**RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PRACTICE 
7.) FIRST-GRADE TEACHERS: WHAT THEY DO (Goals 1 and Goal 3) 
8.) CHILD CARE: LEADS TO AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR? (Goal 1)

**FEATURE STORY
9.) TIME:  A DETERRENT TO INVOLVEMENT IN SCHOOLS (All Goals)


***FACT OF THE WEEK***
Between 1991 and 2000, the U.S. and 51 states (out of 51) significantly
increased the numbers of Advanced Placement examinations receiving a grade
of 3 or higher (per 1,000 11th and 12th graders).

--Promising Practices: Progress Toward the Goals, 2000
tp://www.negp.gov/promprac/promprac00/promprac00.pdf


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


1.) ******** SCHOOL REPORT CARDS: EMPOWERING PARENTS
(All Goals)

The Center for Community Change, a nonprofit group housed in Washington,
D.C. and San Francisco, is calling on Congress to require all states to
expand on the information provided in state report cards of schools as a
condition to receive Title I funds.  

According to a survey conducted by the Center, only 10 states regularly
offer school report cards that contain information other than student test
scores.  The report, Individual School Report Cards: Empowering Parents
and Communities to Hold Schools Accountable, also found that 13 states do
not issue any report card on schools.

The Center argues that state report cards should include attendance rates,
graduation rates, teacher qualifications and class-size information so
parents can get a true picture of their child's school.  The Center also
would like states to report on each schools' expulsion and suspension
rates.

For more information, visit the Center for Community Change at
http://www.communitychange.org.   Or, request a copy of the report ($8.00)
by calling the Center at (202)342-0567.


2.) ******** BEFORE- AND AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS: AN NGA DATABASE
(Goal Two: School Completion and Goal Three: Student Achievement)

The National Governors' Association (NGA) conducted a nationwide survey to
find "best practices" of state-level programs that offer before- or
after-school learning experiences for students.  The database is intended
to be a "comprehensive catalog of extra learning opportunity programs at
the state level, [with] programs that receive funding from a variety of
sources -- state, federal, local, foundations, parent fees -- ...
included."

The database is an evolving document.  It can be searched by state,
program name, or a keyword search of program descriptions, or you can
click on "Advanced Search" to search several fields. 

For more information, visit the National Governors' Association's Center
for Best Practices at http://www.nga.org/elodata/.  If you would like to
add your program to the National Governors Association database, download
(in PDF) an NGA survey from the Web site, complete it, and e-mail or fax
it to Theresa Clarke at tclarke@nga.org or 202/624-5313. 


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


3.) ******** TEACHER TRANSFERS: WHERE THEY GO
(Goal Three: Student Achievement and Goal Four: Teacher Education and
Professional Development)

In preparation for teacher contract negotiations, the Philadelphia school
district conducted a study of teacher transfers (Viadero, EDUCATION WEEK,
4/18).  Researchers found that teacher transfers, whether they occur in or
out of the same district, "can exacerbate educational inequities, writes
the paper.  The study is unique because most studies either examine
student-mobility rates and the impact on school performance or teacher
transfers from poor, urban districts to more wealthy suburban schools.

To no surprise, the study found that teachers who transferred in the same
district moved to schools with better test scores, lower poverty rates and
fewer minority students.  Surprisingly, this pattern held true whether
teachers decided to switch schools or were forced to leave their current
school.
The new teacher contract, using the data from this study, allows school
districts to pay a higher salary to teachers who take jobs teaching
"hard-to-fill" subjects or hard-to-staff schools.  

For more information, visit the Philadelphia public schools at
http://www.philsch.k12.pa.us.


4.) ******** HARVARD'S ED SCHOOL: AN URBAN BENT
(Goal Four: Teacher Education and Professional Development)

The Harvard University Graduate School of Education (HGSE) is revamping
its curriculum to favor urban education (Archer, EDUCATION WEEK, 4/18).
Reasons given for the switch in program emphasis include the continued low
achievement of disadvantaged children, state requirements for teachers
that emphasize "academic-content knowledge and classroom skills over
coursework" and the standards movement, notes the paper.

Changes being discussed include:
>  A new master's degree designed to give experienced teachers advanced
training focusing on specific skills, such as bilingual education.
>  New coursework that stresses how public policy and leadership roles can
be used to promote reform initiatives.
>  Producing graduates well trained to earn a National Board for
Professional Teaching Standards certificate.

For more information, visit the Harvard Graduate School of Education at
http://www.gseweb.harvard.edu


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


5.) ******** CONDITION OF EDUCATION: SHORT AND SWEET
(All Goals)

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) publication, Condition
of Education 2000, is available on-line in a small and easy-to-use format.
The Condition of Education 2000 is an indicator report, summarizing the
health of education, monitoring important developments, and showing trends
in major aspects of education.

Indicators examine relationships; show changes over time; compare or
contrast sub-populations, regions, or countries; or assess characteristics
of students from different backgrounds and types of schools. 

This easier-to-use publication includes graphs that highlight the 30
indicators excerpted from the Condition of Education 2000.  

For more information and a copy of the report, visit NCES at.
http://www.nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2001045


6.) ******** IDEA:  AN IDEA TO MAKE IT MANDATORY
(Goal Three: Student Achievement)

Congress is debating whether to make funding for the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandatory.  Currently, funding for the
special education law is discretionary, meaning that it is vulnerable to
the "politics of the annual appropriations process," reports EDUCATION
WEEK (Sack, 4/25).

The Senate "unexpectedly" passed an amendment sponsored by Senator Tom
Harkin (D-Iowa) that "cleared a procedural hurdle to making special
education funding mandatory," writes the paper.  Congress may continue the
discussion on IDEA funding this week as they debate a compromise budget
resolution.

For more information on IDEA, visit the Department of Education's Office
of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services at
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS.


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


7.) ******** FIRST-GRADE TEACHERS: WHAT THEY DO
(Goal One: Ready To Learn and Goal Three: Student Achievement)

First-grade teachers spend most of their time leading large groups in
reading, with little attention paid to science, math or social studies,
according to researchers from the National Institute of Child Health and
Human Development.  Overall, very little time is spent teaching academic
skills because teachers focus on classroom management.

They study found that there is no uniform standard for what appropriate
first-grade instruction should be, notes the L.A. TIMES (Garrison, 4/20).
Researchers also report that they found no correlation between class size
or the teacher experience and education and the amount of time devoted to
teaching as opposed to filling out work sheets or playing.

For the study, researchers observed 687 public school classrooms and 140
private school classrooms in 26 states.

For more information, visit the National Institute of Child Health and
Human Development at http://www.nichd.nih.gov


8.) ******** CHILD CARE: LEADS TO AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR?
(Goal One: Ready To Learn)

Toddlers who spend many hours in child care are more likely to turn out
aggressive, disobedient and defiant by the time they are in kindergarten,
according to a new study released by the National Institute of Child
Health and Human Development (NICHD).  Researchers found that 17 percent
of children who spent over 30 hours a week in childcare showed problem
behaviors by the time they were between the ages of 4 1/2 and 6.  

The study points out that this finding remains true despite family income,
gender or whether the child was watched by a relative, nanny or at a
child-care center.  Yet, the Washington POST also notes that child care is
"associated with increased skills in intellectual ability such as language
and memory, leading some academics to suggest that child care turns out
children who are 'smart and nasty.'" (Vedantam, 4/19)

The research tracked more than 1,300 children at 10 sites nationwide since
1991.

For more information, visit the National Institute of Child Health and
Human Development at http://www.nichd.nih.gov.


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


9.) ******** TIME:  A DETERRENT TO INVOLVEMENT IN SCHOOLS
(All Goals)

Americans cite lack of time and expertise as reasons for not becoming
involved in schools and education policy, according to a new poll released
by the Public Education Network (PEN) and EDUCATION WEEK.  Action for All:
The Public's Responsibility for Public Education found that only 22
percent of voters surveyed said people in their community are taking "a
lot of" responsibility for insuring quality public schools.  EDUCATION
WEEK points out that the percentage is low despite Americans ranking
education as a top public-policy priority.

Many Americans want to help, but only in limited ways and usually only
when motivated by a "life-or-death" crisis, such as a school shooting or a
state takeover.  According to the poll, problems of overcrowding in
schools, chronically low test scores and students not able to get a job
are not motivating factors for a majority of Americans to get involved in
schools.

"Like people who inhale second-hand smoke, Americans are increasingly
breathing second-hand democracy," said Wendy Puriefoy, president of PEN.
"The public seems content to sit back and leave school improvement to the
experts instead of raising their voices and hands to bring about essential
change."

Virginia Edwards, editor and publisher of EDUCATION WEEK, added:  "If we
are to see real results in education, we need a public that is more
informed on education issues and the quality of their schools."

Findings from the poll include:
>  When asked to prioritize their responsibility for public education,
about three times as many Americans cite ensuring that their own child
succeeds in school (25 percent) and paying taxes (22 percent) as their
responsibility.  Volunteering (8 percent) and making charitable
contributions in the schools (4 percent) came in much lower.
>  57 percent said they were extremely or very interested in information
about local school board candidates.
>  54 percent they were interested in comparisons of their local schools'
performance with that of others in the state.
>  17 percent said they had no time at all to get involved with the public
schools; 20 percent said they had less than one hour a week and 31 percent
said they had one to three hours a week to give.
>  30 percent cited teacher quality as their highest priority for
improving schools.  However, minority respondents split their response
between teacher quality and equalizing school funding.

Puriefoy said the challenge the survey presents is how to tap into
Americans' "sense of duty to the schools," reports EDUCATION WEEK.  One
key is to ensure that Americans have enough information they need to vote
intelligently for candidates and decide on issues.  "If Americans could do
one thing that could make schools better, it would simply be to become
'education voters,' who know the issues, know the candidates' positions
and use the power of the voting booth to improve the schools," writes the
report.

PEN plans to launch a multiyear campaign that focuses on public
responsibility for the public schools, including a plan to develop a
nationwide support base for public schools of 1 million people.  PEN and
EDUCATION WEEK also intend to sponsor annual surveys related to the
public-involvement theme over the next four years.

For more information and a copy of the survey Action for All: The Public's
Responsibility for Public Education, visit the Public Education Network at
www.publiceducation.org.  Or, visit EDUCATION WEEK at
http://www.edweek.org and search for the 4/18 edition of EDUCATION WEEK
for an article on the survey.
    

************************************
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: John Barth 
Publisher: Barbara A. Pape 
http://www.negp.gov 
************************************

The NEGP/ Daily Report Card (DRC) hereby authorizes further reproduction
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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 Vilsack,
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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