The NEGP WEEKLY for January 4, 2002

[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 - January 4, 2002 -- Vol. 2 -- No. 130
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CONTENTS

**STATE POLICY 
1.) Learning English:  More Money From Arizona (Goals 2 & 3)
2.) Superintendent Shortage:  Looking For A Few Good Candidates (Goal 4)

**COMMUNITY AND LOCAL NEWS 
3.) Getting To Know You:  New Theme In Houston High Schools (Goal 2)
4.) Manhattan Comprehensive:  Linking High School And College (Goal 6)

**FEDERAL POLICY NEWS 
5.) Congress:  Passes Education Bill(All Goals)
6.) Preschool Research:  New Grant From Department Of Education (Goal 1)

**RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PRACTICE 
7.) Teacher Spending:  Dipping Into Their Own Pockets For Classroom Expenses
(Goal 4)
8.) "Rhetoric Vs. Reality:"  New Rpeort On Vouchers And Charter Schools
(All Goals)

**FEATURE STORY
9.) Beefing Up On Writing:  California's Experience (Goals 3 & 4) 
 

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

1.) ********  Learning English:  More Money From Arizona
(Goal Two:  High School Completion & Goal Three:  Student Achievement And
Citizenship)

Arizona Governor Jane Hull late last year signed into law a bill that
provides millions of dollars for programs that help students learn English
(Scutari, The ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 12/28).  Under the new bill, $45 million
will be provided in 2003 for student tutoring, teacher training and
instructional materials.  It also provides $340 for every English-learner
student, an increase of $170 per child, writes the paper.  The new law also
includes $5.5 million a year in additional money for tutoring and $.5
million a year of teacher training.  

The bill was proposed to address the 1992 court case, Flores vs. Arizona, in
which U.S. District Judge Alfredo Marquez ruled that the state has
insufficient teaching materials to help non-English-speaking students, too
many students in a class and not enough qualified teachers to help them.

For more information, visit The Arizona Republic at
http://www.arizonarepublic.com/arizona/articles/1228ENGLISH28/html.


2.) ********  Superintendent Shortage:  Looking For A Few Good Candidates
(Goal Four:  Teacher Education And Professional Development)

California, like many states, is experiencing a shortage of superintendent
candidates.  State leaders have resorted to employing "high-priced
headhunters to scour the country," writes the MERCURY NEWS (Portner, 12/30).
Some districts in the state also have increased superintendent salaries by
15 percent, "to more than $250,000 in some of the state's largest
districts," notes the paper.  

The paper reports that some educators point to the "glut" of mandatory tests
in California as one of the reasons superintendents leave their posts.  

California's new standards-based achievement tests "hold the top
administrators directly responsible for students' success and failure,"
according to the paper.

For more information, visit the MERCURY NEWS at
http://www.mercurycenter.com/premium.local/educatioin/docs/search30.html.

  
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COMMUNITY AND LOCAL NEWS
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3.) ********  Getting To Know You:  New Theme In Houston High Schools
(Goal Two:  High School Completion)

In an attempt to improve the graduation rate, many high schools in the
Houston school district are establishing smaller communities of students
(Markley, HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 1/2).  At Lee High School, for example,
teachers are assigned to small communities of students who take courses
"geared to their interests," writes the paper.  Many teachers stay with the
same group of students from one year to the next.

The smaller communities typically have a career theme that is designed to
attract and motivate students.

Mike Klnosky, director of the Small School Workshop at the University of
Illinois at Chicago, said one reason the small-schools movement is sweeping
the nation is the funding provided by groups such as Carnegie Corporation,
Bill and Melinda Gate Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education.
However, he added:  "Just changing the size of the learning communities is
not adequate.  This requires a real change in the way that teachers work
together and the way that teaching and learning takes place."

For more information, visit the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation at
http://www.gatesfoundation.org.


4.) ******** Manhattan Comprehensive:  Linking High School And College
(Goal Six: Adult Literacy And Lifelong Learning)

Manhattan Comprehensive was established in 1989 to help immigrants and other
students too old for traditional high school, yet needing a high school
diploma to pursue further academics.  Currently the school of about 800
students offers classes in every required high school subject and Advanced
Placement courses in math and English.  Students who speak Spanish or
Chinese can take subjects like math and biology in their native language.

Ninety-two percent of the school's students graduate, with sixty percent
immediately enrolled in college.  About sixty-five percent are immigrants
representing 42 countries.  

For more information, visit the Manhattan Comprehensive Day and Night School
at http://www.panix.com/userdirs/mancomp1.


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

5.) ********  Congress:  Passes Education Bill
(All Goals)

Senate and House members late last year passed their revisions to the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA (Robelen, EDUCATION WEEK,
12/18).  

"I commend members of Congress for acting boldly and in an overwhelmingly
bipartisan way to help make sure no child in America is left behind," said
Present Bush.  Bush is expected to sign the bill later this year.

The legislation, which passed by overwhelming majorities, "imposes new
requirements on states and school districts to improve student achievement,"
writes the newspaper.  It also mandates statewide testing in reading and
math each year in grades 3-8 and provides "new educational options for
students in failing schools."  

For more information, visit the U.S. Department of Education at
http://www.ed.gov.


6.) ******** Preschool Research:  New Grant From Department Of Education
(Goal One:  Ready To Learn)

The U.S. Department of Education is requesting applications form public and
private organizations, institutions of higher education and state and local
education agencies to conduct research on the effectiveness of preschool
curricula.

"One thing we know for sure is that many of our preschool programs need to
enhance their instructional content," said Grover "Russ" Whitehurst, U.S.
assistant secretary for the Office of Educational Research and Improvement.
"This grant program will help us create a wealth of scientifically based
research on effective preschool programs that will enable educators to make
better selections of classroom curricula." 

For more information on the 2002 Preschool Curriculum Evaluation Research
Grant Program, visit
http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/announcements/index.html.


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

7.) ******** Teacher Spending:  Dipping Into Their Own Pockets For Classroom
Expenses
(Goal Four:  Teacher Education And Professional Development)

A new survey from the National School Supply and Equipment Association finds
that teachers spend an average of $589 of their own money on school supplies
and instructional materials each year.  The SACRAMENTO BEE describes the
spending habits of several teachers in the area.  For example, one teacher
from Foothill Oaks Elementary School already spent almost $800 of her own
money to equip and decorate her room.  

"The budget for school supplies is often limited," said Melinda Anderson, a
spokeswoman for the National Education Association, at teachers union.
"Teachers recognize students have certain needs.  When needed they dip into
their own pockets to fill the void." 

However, Anderson added that "it should not be the norm for teachers to use
personal funds," writes the paper.

For more information visit the SACRAMENTO BEE at
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/1389921p-1464009c/html.


8.) ********"Rhetoric Vs. Reality:"  New Rpeort On Vouchers And Charter
Schools
(All Goals)

Rand Corporation recently released a review of scholarly research on private
school vouchers and charter schools.  The report, "Rhetoric vs. Reality:
What We Know and What We Need to Know About Vouchers and Charter Schools,"
analyzes dozens of recent studies and data.  EDUCATION WEEK writes:  "It
examines not only academic achievement, but also such topics as racial and
socio-economic integration in voucher programs and charter schools."