The NEGP WEEKLY for August 31, 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

Friday - August 31, 2001 -- Vol. 2 -- No. 115
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CONTENTS

**STATE POLICY 
1.) First-Year Teacher Incentives:  Colorado's Plan (Goal 4) 
2.) Combating Truancy:  Arizona Schools (Goal 2)

**COMMUNITY AND LOCAL NEWS 
3.) Making The Grade:  Report Cards That Work (Goal 8)
4.) Romer To Principals:  More Classroom Visits (Goal 4)

**FEDERAL POLICY NEWS 
5.) Disadvantaged and Minority Students:  Doed Grant To Improve College
Programs
(Goal 6) 
6.) Improving America's Schools:  Conferences (All Goals)

**RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PRACTICE 
7.) Keeping Parents Posted:  High-Tech Solution (Goal 8) 
8.) Business and Community Colleges:  A Growing Enterprise (Goal 6)

**FEATURE STORY
9.) Success In School = Success In Life:  An Ad Campaign (Goal 3)


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STATE POLICY NEWS
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1.) ******** First-Year Teacher Incentives:  Colorado's Plan
(Goal Four:  Teacher Education and Professional Development) 

Colorado Governor Bill Owens recently launched a new program that will give
first-year teachers in the state up to $8,000 in college loans forgiveness
if they take jobs in areas where there are critical teacher shortages
(Bingham, DENVER POST, 8/24).  The subject areas targeted are:  math,
science, special education and linguistically diverse education (bilingual
education, English as a second language).

To qualify, teachers must be graduates of teacher education programs that
have been approved by the Colorado Commission on Higher Education.

For more information, visit the state of Colorado at
http://www.state.co.us/gov_dir/governor_office.html.  Then, select Press
Office and search for first-year teacher loan forgiveness.


2.) ******** Combating Truancy:  Arizona Schools
(Goal Two:  School Completion)

A "confusing mix of policies" at local schools, even schools in the same
district, has left "educators, courts and police frustrated" with trying to
curtail Arizona's truancy rate (Kossan, THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 8/17).  One
problem that plagues all schools is the amount of time it takes to place a
student in a truancy program.  It takes too long to get into these programs,
explained Phoenix police Officer Eddie Thompson, "So they have a month or
more to continue missing school."

According to the paper, more than 4,200 students ended up in Maricopa County
Juvenile Court in 2000 for truancy violations, which is triple the number
reported in 1995.  Helen Carter, a Maricopa County juvenile-probation
officer, also noted that truants are getting younger.

One challenge is changing laws that govern truancy.  The paper reports that
before 1999, students with 10 or more "unexcused absences" were considered
to be "habitually truant;" since then the number of days changed to five.
There also is no state standard for "excused" and unexcused" absences.

For more information on truancy, visit Maricopa County's Office of Juvenile
Justice and Delinquency Prevention at http://www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org.  Search
for truancy.


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COMMUNITY AND LOCAL NEWS
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3.) ******** Making The Grade:  Report Cards That Work
(Goal Eight:  Parent Involvement)

Parents throughout Illinois are clamoring for a return to letter grades on
their child's report card, according to the CHICAGO TRIBUNE (Black, 8/27).