The NEGP WEEKLY for October 19, 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 - October 22, 2001 -- Vol. 2 -- No. 122
*************************************************

CONTENTS

**STATE POLICY 
1.) Back To School:  California Teachers Study Reading and Math(Goal 4)
2.) Southern Teachers:  Leave Teaching Due To Lack Of Respect (Goal 4) 

**COMMUNITY AND LOCAL NEWS 
3.) New Haven's Accountability Plan:  It Does Take A Village (Goals 3 and 8)
4.) Colleges Of Education:  Illinois Ranks Schools (Goal 4)

**FEDERAL POLICY NEWS 
5.) University Of Texas:  Grants For Early Childhood and Reading Programs
(Goals 1 and 3)
6.) America's Fund For Afghan Children: Children Helping Children(Goal 3)  

**RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PRACTICE 
7.) An Education Summit:  Use Testing To Diagnose (Goal 3)
8.) K12 Inc.:  Bill Bennet's Education Company

**FEATURE STORY
9.) March Toward Excellence:  Department Of Defense Schools Rule (All Goals)

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


1.) ******** Back To School:  California Teachers Study Reading and Math
(Goal Four:  Teacher Education and Professional Development)

California Governor Gray Davis recently signed into law a bill that allows
nearly 200,000 teachers and over 20,000 classroom aides to attend the
University of California for training in reading and math instruction
(Martin, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, 10/13).  The Mathematics and Reading
Professional Development Program will cost $80 million next year and $580
million total during the next four years.

"We know that teaching is the most important element in a student's
success," said Kerry Mazzoni, Davis' education secretary, on the impetus for
the bill.
For more information, visit Governor Gray Davis' web site at
http://www.governor.ca.gov or
http://www.governor.ca.gov/state/govsite/gov_htmldisplay.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@
@@1431851096.1003429984@@@@&BV_EngineID=iadccfgejjhmbemgcfkmchcog.0&sCatTitl
e=Press+Release&sFilePath=/govsite/press_release/2001_10/20011013_l01131_tea
cher_professional_development_low_performing_schools.html&sTitle=GOVERNOR+DA
VIS+EXPANDS+MATH+AND+READING+TEACHER+PROFESSIONAL+DEVELOPMENT+PROGRAM+10%2f1
2%2f2001&iOID=25206.



2.) ******** Southern Teachers:  Leave Teaching Due To Lack Of Respect
(Goal Four:  Teacher Education and Professional Development)

Nearly half of teachers in 16 Southern states leave teaching in the state
where they started, or quit teaching entirely within five years, according
to a new report issued by the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB).

These teachers leave the profession due to a lack of support or respect from
their administrators.  The report also notes that beginning teachers often
are handed the most challenging students.  From the report:  "Many new
teachers feel they are left to 'sink or swim' early in their careers,"
writes the report.

For more information, visit the Southern Regional Education Board at
http://www.sreb.org.



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

3.) ******** New Haven's Accountability Plan:  It Does Take A Village
(Goal Three:  Student Achievement and Citizenship and
Goal Eight:  Parent Involvement)

Placing the education of children on the shoulders of the entire community
is the foundation of New Haven, Connecticut's, accountability plan (Reid,
EDUCATION WEEK, 10/17).  "The whole community should be rallying around
developing young people academically and socially," said Superintendent
Reginald Mayo.  "Therefore, other people should be held accountable:
parents, business, higher education institutions and the faith community." 

For example, parents who make sure their children complete homework and
attend school will be recognized on a "parent honor roll" and given
discounts at local businesses.  However, parents who fail to live up to
expectations could be referred to the Connecticut Department of Children and
Families, charged with neglect, notes the paper.

For more information on New Haven schools visit http://www.nhps.net/main.
Or visit National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education at
http://www.ncpie.org.


4.) ******** Colleges Of Education:  Illinois Ranks Schools
(Goal Four:  Teacher Education and Professional Development)

Controversy swirls around Illinois' ranking of statewide colleges of
education, reports the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES (Grossman, 10/12).  Most of the
state's colleges of education received an "A" on the new state board of
education rankings, "but experts say the rankings are almost meaningless
because they are rigged in favor of the schools."

Colleges are ranked based on student performance on state competency exams.
The paper explains that the colleges, under direction from the federal
government, count a student's best score on state competence tests over five
years, "even if that student failed multiple times before passing."

Some educators point to the American Bar Association (ABA) as a model.  The
ABA publishes pass rates on first-time attempts at the bar exam.  "There is
no reason why we shouldn't do that for schools of education," said Arthur
Wise, president of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher
Education.
For more information on colleges of education, visit the National Council
for Accreditation of Teacher Education at http://www.ncate.org.


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

5.) ******** University Of Texas:  Grants For Early Childhood and Reading
Programs
(Goal One:  Ready To Learn and Goal Three:  Student Achievement and
Citizenship)

Last week, U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige announced the award of two
grants totaling more than $1.7 million to two University of Texas projects
for pre-kindergarten teacher training materials and professional development
in early childhood reading instruction.

The Center for Improving the Readiness of Children for Learning & Education
at the University of Texas-Houston received $1.2 million over two years to
launch professional development programs in early childhood language
acquisition at Head Start centers.

The Texas Center for Reading and Language Arts at the University of
Texas-Austin received $500,000 to develop a national training model for
kindergarten through second-grade teachers in effective early reading
instruction.

For more information, visit the Department of Education at
http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/10-2001/10092001b.html.


6.) ******** America's Fund For Afghan Children: Children Helping Children
(Goal Three:  Student Achievement and Citizenship)

In an address to the nation on the Afghan war, President Bush called on
America's children to send $1 to help Afghan children struggling to cope
with the devastation of war.  Bush asked children to send dollars to the
White House addressed to "America's Fund for Afghan Children."  

"This is an opportunity to help others while teaching our own children a
valuable lesson about service and character," said Bush.  "I hope school
classes or Boy and Girl Scout troops, other youth organizations ill
participate in any way to raise the money to send to the children." 
This week, Bush announced that over 90,000 American children already have
responded to his call. 

For more information, visit the White House at
http://www.whitehouse.gov/kids/connection/20011012.html.
 

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

7.) ******** An Education Summit:  Use Testing To Diagnose 
(Goal Three:  Student Achievement and Citizenship)

Governors, education and business leaders ended an Education Summit in
Palisades, New York, last week with a call to use standardized testing
results not simply to rank students or "embarrass" under-achieving schools,
"but to diagnose problems in order to allocate resources to improve
achievement," reports the WASHINGTON POST (Fletcher, 10/11). 

According to the paper, Summit participants credit their past work with
"helping to create a national consensus around education reform through
setting high standards and testing."  Participants now want to "take the
next step" by focusing on ways to raise achievement in schools that continue
to perform poorly.

However, the paper also reports that teachers may be losing confidence in
standards-based reform.  The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) has found
that teacher support for standards-based reform dropped from 73 percent in
19
to 55 percent this year.  "If teachers become disillusioned, we'll never be
able to carry out this agenda," said Sandra Feldman, president of the AFT.

For more information, visit Achieve, Inc. at www.achieve.org.
Or for information on the AFT, visit http://www.aft.org.


8.) ********K12 Inc.:  Bill Bennet's Education Company

Former Education Secretary William Bennett created K12 INC., an on-line
education program.  The group provides curriculum and instructional tools
for adults working with children in grades K through 2.  Six core subjects
are available:  language arts/phonics, math, history, science, art and
music.
The company delivers all lessons, progress and planning tools, assessments
and a variety of other learning aids over the Internet.  Books, workbooks,
CDs and videos complement the on-line service.

According to the web site, children can work at their own pace and the
program is designed to "exceed international, national, and state
standards."  From the web site:  "Our goal is to provide an education that
will be comparable or superior to the nation's best public and private
schools."

For more information, visit K12 at http://www.k12.com.


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

9.) ******** March Toward Excellence:  Department Of Defense Schools Rule
(All Goals)

Student performance in Department of Defense (DOD) schools ranks among the
best in the nation, according to a new report issued by the National
Education Goals Panel.  The report, March Toward Excellence, was produced by
researchers from the Peabody Center for Education Policy at Vanderbilt
University and was based on visits to 15 middle schools worldwide operated
by the Department of Defense.  
According to the report, if it were a state, the DOD schools would rank
first or second nationally on the National Assessment of Educational
Progress.  For example, only one state, Connecticut, outranked the DOD
schools.

Yet DOD schools encounter similar challenges faced by schools nationwide,
according to the report:  high rates of poverty, parents with no more than a
high school education and frequent family re-location that means students
move from school to school.

"The DOD formula may be one of the best kept secrets in American education,
until now," said Indiana Governor Frank O'Bannon, chairman of the Goals
Panel.  "We recognize that the DOD school system is unique in some ways, but
there are important lessons for all schools," he added.  "Educators across
the nation should take a close look at these recommendations for improving
the academic achievement of all students and closing the achievement gap."
Researchers pointed to a confluence of factors that they claim contributes
to the high success of DOD schools.  The DOD model includes the following
factors that can benefit other schools:

* centralized direction balanced with local decision making;
* policy coherence, structural alignment and efficient flow of data;
* sufficient financial resources;
* staff development;
* small schools;
* academic focus and high expectations for all;
* continuity of care for children; and
* "corporate commitment" to public education.

"Compared to the common experience for minority students in this country,"
said Claire Smrekar, lead researcher, "these schools are just vastly
different and vastly better."

For more information, visit the National Education Goals Panel at
www.negp.gov or
http://www.negp.gov/issues/publication/othpress/rel100101.pdf, to view a
press release or http://www.negp.gov/reports/DoDFinal921.pdf to view the
report.

	 
************************************
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 
************************************

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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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