The NEGP WEEKLY for January 25, 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 25, 2002 -- Vol. 2 -- No. 133
*************************************************

CONTENTS

**STATE POLICY 
1.)  ******** Latchkey Kids:  Seeking Options In Massachusetts (Goal 6)
2.)  ******** Look And See:  Teacher Credentials In Full View Online (Goal
4)

**COMMUNITY AND LOCAL NEWS 
3.)  ******** Zero-Tolerance:  To Be Or Not To Be, In Milwaukee (Goal 6)
4.)  ******** "Dying On The Vine:"  Class Size Reduction In California (Goal
3)

**FEDERAL POLICY NEWS 
5.)  ******** Bush And Kennedy:  Like Minds On Early Childhood? (Goal 1)

**RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PRACTICE 
6.)  ******** Girls' Club:  Lures Girls Keen On Math And Engineering (Goal
5)
7.)  ******** New State Of Suspension:  Students In Trouble Now Learn (Goals
3 & 6)

**FEATURE STORY
8.)  ******** States And ESEA:  Admirable Goals, But Can States Comply? (All
Goals)

 

********************
STATE POLICY NEWS
********************
1.) ******** Latchkey Kids:  Seeking Options In Massachusetts
(Goal Six:  Safe And Drug-Free Schools)

While most parents surveyed in a poll conducted by Massachusetts 2020 favor
after-school programs, the state of Massachusetts offers few options
(Gomstyn, BOSTON GLOBE, 1/23).  Consequently, more than one-fifth of
Massachusetts's school children, many as young as six, return home after
school to an empty house because parents are at work.  

Chris Gabrieli, chairman of Massachusetts 2020, a nonprofit group that
advocates for more quality after-school and summer programs, said to his
surprise the survey found that "parents of all races and all economic
backgrounds echoed the same concerns regarding their children's after school
activities," there is little if anything to choose from, reports the paper.

After-school programs are critical because between the hours of 3 and 8 p.m.
violent juvenile crime triples, according to the FBI.

For more information on after-school programs, visit the After School
Alliance at http://www.afterschoolalliance.org.


2.) ******** Look And See:  Teacher Credentials In Full View Online
(Goal Four:  Teacher Education and Professional Development)

The Teacher Certification Inquiry Web site shows the credentials of every
teacher and administrator in Kentucky (Blackford, HERALD-LEADER, 1/16).
"This is about public information," said Mary Ellen Wiederwohl, spokeswoman
for the Education Professional Standards Board.  "It's also a tool for
districts."

The web site was partly created to address the problem of "out-of-field"
teaching, in which teachers teach a subject for which they are not trained,
reports the paper.  This year, only 18 teachers are teaching out of field,
whereas in 1998 about 10 percent of Kentucky teachers were teaching out of
field.

For more information, visit the Teacher Certification Inquiry Web site at
http://www.kde.state.ky.us/otec/epsb


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

3.) ******** Zero-Tolerance:  To Be Or Not To Be, In Milwaukee
(Goal Six:  Safe And Drug-Free Schools)


The Milwaukee School Board, unable to decide how far to go with its
zero-tolerance policy for drug and alcohol use, decided to organize a public
forum to debate the district's entire school discipline policy
(Schulhofer-Wohl, Milwaukee JOURNAL SENTINEL, 1/23).  

At a recent board meeting, some school officials argued against
zero-tolerance, saying school leaders "need the option of leniency when it
would better serve a child's needs," writes the paper.  "No one should be
denied an education because of a mistake such as using drugs or alcohol,"
said Shamaura Ward, a senior at Metropolitan High School.  Others held that
holding students, teachers, and parents to such a high standard is the
correct response for drug and alcohol use.

In the end, board members recommended that a citywide group reviews all
discipline procedures and policies and report back to the board by March.  

For more information, the National Center for Education Statistics has data
on public schools with zero-tolerance policy at http://www.nces.ed.gov.


4.) ******** "Dying On The Vine:"  Class Size Reduction In California
(Goal Three:  Student Achievement And Citizenship)

Class size reduction is "dying on the vine," laments Jim Fleming,
superintendent 
of California's Capistrano Unified School District.  According to the L.A.
TIMES, for the first time a few school districts are opting out of the
state's "popular" class size reduction program, "citing their worsening
financial picture." (Garrison, 1/21).  

The TIMES reports that up until this year, the state's 900 eligible school
districts participated in the voluntary program.  Under the program, class
sizes are capped at 20 in first through third grade and some kindergartens.
Parents and teachers have enthusiastically supported the program that went
into effect six years ago.

But money woes are causing some school districts to withdraw from the
program.  "Nobody wants to do it," said Mike Boyd, head of business services
for Riverside's Val Verde Unified.  "It's not the right thing to do, but
it's the right thing to do to keep us fiscally solvent."
For more information, visit the California Department of Education at 
http://www.cde.ca.gov/csr.



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

5.) ******** Bush And Kennedy:  Like Minds On Early Childhood?
(Goal One:  Ready To Learn)

President Bush and Senator Edward Kennedy have found common ground on early
childhood education, and may be working to "laying the groundwork for a
potentially significant compromise" on early childhood legislation, writes
the Boston GLOBE (Kornblut, 1/22).  "They both share an approach about the
role of the government, the responsibility of the government, to help
education children," said Ari Fleischer, White House press secretary. 

For more information on early childhood programs, visit I Am Your Child at
http://www.iamyourchild.org.


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

6.) ******** Girls' Club:  Lures Girls Keen On Math And Engineering
(Goal Five:  Math And Science)

Science teacher Gail Green's after-school math and science club is a big hit
among middle school girls at Keller Junior High School in Schaumburg,
Illinois (Benoit, Chicago TRIBUNE, 1/16).  Girls in Engineering and Math
(GEMS) was created by Green to address what she observed as a "lack of
student interest in science and math," reports the paper.  	

The 7th- and 8th-grade girls listen to guest speakers, solve problems, work
on group projects and take field trips.  Green said she incorporates ideas
for the club from the work of groups including the Women in Engineering
Program Advocacy Network and the Program for Women in Science in Engineering
at Iowa State University.

For more information on girls and school, visit the American Association of
University Women at http://www.aaus.org.


7.) ******** New State Of Suspension:  Students In Trouble Now Learn
(Goal Three:  Student Achievement And Citizenship And
Goal Six:  Safe And Drug-Free Schools)

Many schools across the Washington, D.C., area have put a new face on
student suspensions (Wax, WASHINGTON POST, 1/12).  In the past, suspension
usually meant sitting home doing nothing or sitting in a study hall doing
nothing.  However, many school leaders soon realized that at-risk students
should not be banned from learning.  New programs have shot up in the D.C.
metro area that provide students suspended from school for drug use,
fighting or other infringements with a full academic slate.  

Alexandria, Virginia, students suspended from school meet in one building
where they get a full day of counseling and academics.  According to the
POST, students in Fairfax, Virginia, and Montgomery County, Maryland, offer
similar programs.  In Washington, D.C., students who are suspended attend an
alternative center.

For more information on student suspension, visit the Education Commission
of the States at http://www.ecs.org and search for "student suspension."


*****************
FEATURE STORY
*****************
8.) ******** States And ESEA:  Admirable Goals, But Can States Comply?
(All Goals)

While state leaders applaud the new Elementary and Secondary Education Act
(ESEA), with its focus on accountability and results, some are scratching
their heads over how to comply with several of the law's mandates (Olson,
EDUCATION EEK, 1/16).  

ESEA's testing requirements are particularly troublesome.  The law requires
that each state test all students in grades 3-8 in reading and math every
year.  Currently, only nine states administer a standards-based test in
reading and math in all of those grades, reports the paper.  Some states
must simply add a few grades to be tested, while other states will be forced
to retool their entire testing system.  Alexa Pochowski, Kansas' assistant
commissioner of education, said her state is "not looking at this as a
burden, but as an opportunity."  Kansas tests students in math in grades 4,
7 and 10 and in reading in grades 5, 8 and 11, writes ED WEEK.

Other state officials are concerned they will not be able to meet the law's
teacher-quality goal, which states that a "highly qualified" teacher will be
in every classroom by the 2005-2006 school year.  "Will we have a qualified
teacher in every classroom by 2005?  No, of course not," said a Colorado
official.  "There are [complex] reasons, and those reasons will not be waved
away.  But it's the right direction to point in."

The school choice provision of ESEA, which states that low-performing
schools that fail to make adequate progress for two consecutive years must
permit their students to transfer to other, higher-performing schools within
a district, with the district providing transportation, is worrisome for
rural educators.  "In Wyoming, you can be in school, and there may not be
another school for 30 miles in each direction," said Scott Marion, Wyoming's
state testing director.

For more information, visit EDUCATION WEEK at http://www.edweek.com  and
search for the 1/16 issue.  


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