--- Monday --- February 5, 1996 --- Vol. 6 --- No. 11 ---
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THE NATIONAL UPDATE ON AMERICA'S EDUCATION REFORM EFFORTS
A service of the National Education Goals Panel
__________ __________
KIDS WEB | SPOTLIGHT |
... is designed to help | |
youngsters navigate the World | BUILDING A FLOOR |
Wide Web. It evolved from a | |
computer multi-media class for | Bob Moses is a name many |
eighth graders who were part of | may recall from the |
the 1994 Young Scholars Program | nation's civil rights days. |
at Syracuse U. | Today he is championing a |
Each subject category in Kids | new cause: the Algebra |
Web contains a list of links to | Project. The program |
information that is appropriate | teaches algebra, statistics |
for the K-12 crowd. Arts, | and other high level math |
science, social studies, fun | skills to middle school |
and games, and reference | students in the rural South |
material are some of the | and inner cities. The crux |
categories. | of the Algebra Project is a |
Currently, Kids Web is | hands-on, team approach to |
developing a Web forms | learning. |
interface that will allow | |
students and teachers worldwide | Moses spearheaded the |
to "suggest links to relevant | project because he believes |
Web documents, and allow | "math literacy" is the |
distributed management so that | academic floor needed for |
each subject listing is edited | the next generation to |
by educators who specialize in | secure a productive place |
that field," according to the | in the world. (#2) |
Center for Research on Parallel | |
Computation. | Math in context also is |
KidsWeb is funded by New York | featured in a new |
State. KidsWeb can be accessed | curriculum designed as a |
at http:\\www.npac.syr.edu\ | joint effort between the |
textbook\kidsweb. Comments or | Wisconsin Center for |
offers to be involved with the | Education Research and The |
project should be directed to | Netherlands. (#3) |
kidsweb@npac.syr.edu. |_____________________________|
============== QUOTE OF THE DAY ==============
"They're too busy with the [Algebra Project] activities." -- Ken
Acton, principal of Brinkley Middle School, on why he sees fewer
students with discipline problems. (#3)
_______________________________________________________________
| A service of the National Education Goals Panel |
| Published by the Education Policy Network |
| 1255 22nd Street NW; Wash, D.C.; 20037; 202/632-0952 |
| The DRC hereby authorizes further reproduction and |
| distribution with proper acknowledgement. |
| Publisher: Barbara A. Pape |
|
|_______________________________________________________________|
============== TABLE OF CONTENTS ==============
GOAL THREE: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND CITIZENSHIP
LET'S WRITE: The old fashioned way. (#1)
GOAL FIVE: MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE
THE ALGEBRA PROJECT: A freedom rider's revolution. (#2)
MATH IN CONTEXT: New curriculum emerges. (#3)
HIGHER EDUCATION
HARBINGER FOR DOCTORAL MATH?: U of Rochester cuts program.(#4)
FROM COURTHOUSE TO SCHOOLHOUSE
VOUCHERS: Legal questions abound. (#5)
ON THE HILL
SCARE TACTICS?: Title I cuts will cause teacher layoffs. (#6)
SERVING THE COMMUNITY
LEARN AND SERVE: Michigan funds national service programs.(#7)
===== GOAL THREE: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND CITIZENSHIP =====
*1 LET'S WRITE: THE OLD FASHIONED WAY
Sixteen urban school districts, all members of the Council
of the Great City Schools, will participate in the "Let's Write"
program, sponsored by the Council and the U.S. Postal Service
(CGCS, URBAN EDUCATOR, Dec. 1995). Under the 18-week program,
set to begin 15 Jan., students in grades 3-6 will exchange
letters with students in other school districts without the aid
of technology.
Hawthorne Faison, curriculum director for the Oklahoma City
Public Schools and curriculum coordinator for "Let's Write,"
claims students' writing skills must increase along with the
frequency of computer-related interaction. "It's more important
than ever that you can write a lucid letter," he said, noting
that "e-mail, computers and so forth are only available to a very
small percentage of the population."
According to the newsletter, the "Let's Write" program is
designed to increase students' writing proficiency, understanding
of diversity and interpersonal skills.
===== GOAL FIVE: MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE =====
*2 THE ALGEBRA PROJECT: A FREEDOM RIDER'S REVOLUTION
Bob Moses, renowned civil rights leader, is spearheading a
new movement: the Algebra Project (Watson, THE SMITHSONIAN, Feb.
1996). In 1982, Moses won a "genius grant" from the MacArthur
Foundation to establish the Algebra Project, a hands-on approach
to teaching math to inner city and rural South middle school
students. "Every school needs to focus on how to put a floor
under all students," explained Moses. "In the Algebra Project we
define the floor as preparation to do college-prep math." He
added that "that doesn't mean every student will go to college,
but every student should be ready."
According to the magazine, the Algebra Project actually is a
pre-algebra program that supplements regular math in the sixth
and seventh grades. The project is based on a "five-step
curricular process:" each class begins by playing a game,
"puzzling over" a problem or taking a trip; students then reflect
on the first event; the event then is broken down into component
parts -- for a trip that means "start, finish, direction and
stops along the way;" next, students assign symbols to the
features they have identified; at step five, the students
comfortably use the symbols in their conversations, which Moses
calls "the literature of ordinary talk," reports the magazine.
One trip Moses devised to teach students about integers is a
subway ride. While tutoring at his daughter's school in
Cambridge, Mass., Moses found his students stumped on negative
numbers. He took them on Boston's subway, where they rode from
Cambridge inbound toward Boston, then outbound past their
starting point before returning to square one," writes the
magazine. In class, they drew the subway line, making inbound
stations positive integers and outbound ones negative. From the
magazine: "Such trips are now the core of the Algebra Project."
"At first I didn't believe we were doing math," said
Laurance Kimbrough, a former Moses student. "Now I look back at
what we did and I realize it really helped me." Kimbrough
currently is a high school sophomore taking Honors Algebra II,
who plans to take calculus and eventually attend college to
become a teacher, notes the magazine.
Brinkley Middle School in Jackson, Miss., boasts of the
Algebra Project as part of its curriculum. Principal Ken Acton
said he almost never sees anyone from the Algebra Project for
disciplinary reason, writes the magazine. "They're too busy with
the activities," he said.
Brinkley statistics also show that in 1992, before the
Algebra Project, only 22 of 200 Brinkley eighth-graders took
algebra. However, 130 out of 160 students this fall signed up
for algebra.
Acton also notes that the school's annual Achievement Tests
show that "project veterans" scored 13 national percentile points
higher in math than nonveterans, reports the magazine. "With a
common experience at the root of their lessons, children are not
disadvantaged because of their backgrounds," declared Acton.
"Our kids can learn and learn well if given the right approach."
A Frito-Lay plant located several miles from Brinkley
supports the school as part of Jackson, Miss.'s Adopt-a-School
program. "In our business, probably in many businesses, teamwork
is a missing skill," explained Mark Peden, a spokesman for Frito-
Lay. "A real benefit of the Algebra Project is that it teaches
students to work in teams."
"When we started the Project we had one goal -- to change
the benchmark of a good math education here," said B.J. Walker,
chairman of the Chicago Algebra Project's board of directors.
"Now we have kids who never thought much of math before suddenly
seeing algebra within their grasp.
Although some teachers are resistent to the program's new
approach to math, it has won rave reviews from other educators,
including the National Science Foundation. An NSF evaluation of
the Alebra Project found that the program in Miss. "has had an
extremely beneficial effect on students -- particularly on their
attitudes, motivation, problem solving, and ability to articulate
and share mathematical ideas."
The Smithsonian reports that the Algebra Project currently
reaches about 45,000 sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders in 105
schools in inner cities and the rural South.
*3 MATH IN CONTEXT: NEW CURRICULUM EMERGES
Collaboration between the Wisconsin Center for Education
Research at the U of Wisconsin-Madison and the Freudenthal
Institute in The Netherlands has produced a new hands-on
curriculum for middle school math (WCER Highlights, Winter 1995-
1996). The new four-year curriculum, "Mathematics in Context: A
Connected Curriculum," is based on the philosophy that math "is
not a fixed, complete set of rules and properties that students
are supposed to learn as isolated pieces," writes the newsletter.
Instead, the curriculum stresses math as dynamic, best learned by
doing.
The 40 curriculum units tap real-world situations to help
children learn mathematic principles. According to the
newsletter, the units are "tightly woven together, reinforcing
each other and building on each other over four years." Students
are taught arithmetic, number, algebra, geometry and statistics.
Some math units stress different principles within a math domain,
but others "involve ideas from several domains and emphasize the
interconnectedness of mathematical ideas," reports the
newsletter.
For example, in the grade 5 unit "Side Seeing," students
"explore their world in terms of what they see and how they see
it," notes the newsletter. They learn about two- and three-
dimensional representations of various situations. Another unit,
"Figuring All the Angles," uses air navigation to teach students
concepts involving angles.
Currently, the program is being field-tested in classrooms
in Miami, Memphis, Culver City, Parkway/St.Louis, Ames (Iowa),
Madison, Milwaukee, Stoughton, Wis., and Puerto Rico. According
to the newsletter, field testing shows increased student
achievement.
However, teachers find the MiC program a challenge to use in
the classroom. From the newsletter: "Teachers must change their
expectations for what their students should know at a given
time." Gail Burrill, coleader of the development team and
current president of the National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics, used decimals as an example of the difficulty some
teachers experience. "A teacher might think 'it's my job to
teach decimals exclusively and exhaustively.' But the new
curriculum brings up decimals in different situations over four
years, at the end of which students will have understood them
thoroughly. So the teachers have to learn to trust the
curriculum," she explained.
The Wisconsin Center for Education Research concludes that
"the curriculum promises to provide generations of students
experiences in mathematics that will provide a rich conceptual
basis for further study of mathematics and that students will
remember as relevant, enjoyable and challenging."
For more information, contact Margaret Meyer at 608/263-
1798, or mrmeyer@macc.wisc.edu.
===== HIGHER EDUCATION =====
*4 HARBINGER FOR DOCTORAL MATH?: U OF ROCHESTER CUTS PROGRAM
Budget constraints have forced U of Rochester officials to
cut the university's doctoral program in mathematics (Arenson,
N.Y. TIMES, 2/4). Many scientists and educators nationwide fear
that the decision could "signal erosion at America's research
universities," writes the paper.
"This is not good for Rochester, for American science or for
the country," said Arthur Jaffe, a Harvard U mathematician and
president of the American Mathematical Society, which denounced
Rochester's move. Professors around the world have urged
Rochester to reconsider their decision. In a letter to U of
Rochester President Thomas Jackson, Dr. Steven Weinberg, a
Nobelist in physics, wrote: "It seems to me extremely unwise to
eliminate your program in an area like mathematics, that stands
at the intellectual center of a large part of modern science."
Jackson countered such criticism by saying that he does not
disagree that math is a core discipline, "but does that mean you
have to run a Ph.D. program?" He added that "the linkage is much
more tenuous than people in the mathematics community believe it
to be."
According to the paper, Rochester's decision to eliminate
its math PhD program has "struck a nerve" among those who wonder
who will conduct and pay for research, "particularly theoretical
research in subjects like mathematics," if federal money for
research and education is cut. So far, federal funding for
scientific research has been constant. For example, the National
Science Foundation notes that federal expenditures for research
in mathematical sciences at colleges and universities increased
from $203M in 1993 to $206M in 1994.
However, universities like Rochester face other budget
difficulties. The U of Rochester had been running operating
deficits for many years, writes the paper. Upon assuming the
presidency of U of Rochester in 1994, Jackson was charged with
putting the university on solid financial ground.
Yet, his decision to close the math doctoral program touched
a "sacrosanct" area, because math is an integral part of other
disciplines, including engineering and the sciences, writes the
paper.
===== FROM COURTHOUSE TO SCHOOLHOUSE =====
*5 VOUCHERS: LEGAL QUESTIONS ABOUND
Frank Kemerer and Kimi Lynn King, professors at the U of
North Texas, claim that the constitutionality of voucher programs
involves many issues other than government establishment of
religion, including parental rights, freedom of religious
exercise and the role of the state in fostering an educated
citizenry (PHI DELTA KAPPAN, 12/95). Kemerer and King present
judicial perspectives under state and federal laws, and discuss
factors that encourage a state to look favorably on voucher
programs.
According to the magazine, voucher initiatives have been
introduced in the District of Columbia, Calif., Colo., Ill.,
Minn., Pa. and Texas, and laws have been passed in Wisc., Puerto
Rico and Ohio. In addition, Congress is considering a bill that
would allocate $30M in federal funds to 10 to 20 voucher
programs.
Kemerer and King outline federal law as it applies to
vouchers. Among the Supreme Court decisions they cite include:
Everson v. Board of Education (1947), which held that N.J. school
districts could reimburse parents who rode public transportation
to religious schools; Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971), which established
a three-part test for determining whether government actions
violated the separation between church and state; and Committee
for Public Instruction v. Nyquist (1973), which invalidated a
N.Y. voucher-like reimbursement program that enabled low-income
children to attend private schools, most of which were Catholic,
but which also said that if state funding were available to a
wide range of schools, the constitutional outcome would be
different.
They explain that the Supreme Court has had difficulty in
balancing the establishment clause's prohibition of government
support with the free exercise clause's affirmation of religious
freedom. "Legislation must walk a thin line between the dual
mandates of the First Amendment, and some scholars and judges
have asserted that, when there is a conflict between the two
clauses, the free exercise clause should be given priority,"
write the authors.
Based on previous federal law, Kemerer and King surmise that
voucher programs are more likely to be upheld if the scholarship
money is allocated directly to parents, rather than to schools;
if parents have a wide variety of educational choices; and if no
preference is given to religious schools.
Decisions cited include: in 1973, the Washington State
Supreme Court ruled that a program giving grants to disadvantaged
students to study at public or private schools was
unconstitutional; in 1992, the New Hampshire Supreme Court issued
an advisory opinion that state funding used for students tuition
at private schools violated the state constitution; a 1994
Vermont Supreme Court decision reached the opposite conclusion,
based on the strength of the federal provision of the First
Amendment clause and the weakness of the state's provision; and
in 1994 the Supreme Court of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
struck down a voucher plan on the basis of a provision in the
Puerto Rican constitution that prohibits the use of public funds
to support schools other than those operated by the commonwealth.
According to Kemerer and King, "the ideological positions of
judges play an important role in the fate of school vouchers."
Given the implications of state law, voucher programs are more
likely to be upheld under the following conditions: the state
constitution does not prohibit spending public money for any form
of private schooling; the establishment of religion in the state
constitution does not foreclose the expenditure of public money
on private sectarian schooling; the voucher program gives parents
a wide range of educational choices; the educational purpose of
the program is clearly outlined; accountability measures are in
place; and the state is not promoting sectarian interests.
Kemerer and King explain that the intersection of federal
and state law complicates constitutional issues. Although much
depends on how judges interpret state constitution provisions, a
federally funded voucher program would take precedence.
Congress' Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 further
complicates the issue. RFRA affects school vouchers because it
requires justification for the government to interfere with the
exercise of religion and could limit a state's ability to impose
restrictions on parents who wish to use a voucher to send their
child to a religious school or on religious schools that wish to
participate in voucher programs, writes Kemerer and King.
==== ON THE HILL ====
*6 SCARE TACTICS?: TITLE I CUTS WILL CAUSE TEACHER LAYOFFS
Scores of teachers nationwide face layoffs if cuts proposed
for the Title I program are passed by Congress, warns U.S. Ed Sec
Richard Riley (Riechmann, AP/WASH POST, 2/2). Congress recently
passes a temporary spending measure to keep the government
operating through 15 March that includes a 17% cut in Title I.
"That course represents a stealth cut, and a retreat from
our responsibility to improve America's education," said Riley.
He elaborated that in Chicago, "these cuts could translate into
the layoff of about 600 teachers. In San Diego, 50 schools would
be eliminated from Title I and more than 11,000 students denied
service."
Hinds County, Miss., Superintendent of Schools Leslie
Johnson also complained of the uncertainty facing the Title I
budget. "We don't know what kind of bill is going to be signed,
but I have to recommend [next year's] staffing by the second
Thursday in march," she said. "The teachers aren't going to
wait."
However, Congressional Republicans like Rep William Goodling
(R-Pa.), claim Riley's charge is a scare tactic to gain support
for its "big government agenda." Goodling, chairman of the House
Economic and Educational Opportunities Committee, protested that
"too many funds flow to wealthy communitites and school systems
that can afford to take care of themselves, draining what is
available for the most needy." He pointed to the DoEd's Final
Report of the National Assessment of the Title I Program released
in Feb. 1993. According to the report, Title I "today does not
appear to be helping to close the learning gap. ..."
Mary Jane LeTendre, director of the Title I program for the
DoEd, explained that a bipartisan group examined Title I and
recommended changes to address problems, "including ways to
target money to the communities that need it the most," writes
the paper. Schools began implementing the recommendations in
July.
==== SERVING THE COMMUNITY ====
*7 LEARN AND SERVE: MICHIGAN FUNDS NATIONAL SERVICE PROGRAMS
The Michigan State Board of Education last month awarded 24
grants to school districts participating in the Learn and SERVE-
Michigan Grant Program (Michigan DoEd press release, 1/25).
Learn and SERVE is part of the Serve-America Program of the
Corporation for National Service. The purpose of the program is
to help local school districts and their communitites increase
student academic achievement and "revitalize the spirit of
citizenship by involving millions of American youth in national
and community service," writes the release.
Grants were awarded in four categories: Statewide Capacity-
Building Program; School-Based Service-Learning Planning
Programs, Service-Learning Operational Programs and Adult
Volunteer Programs. A total of $850,414 was made available in
this competitive grant program.
Following are examples of grant winners: River Valley
Targets Youth is developing a teaching and learning method that
connects community service with academic learning, personal
growth and civic responsibility. K-6 service learning projects
are designed to enhance core curriculum and provide hands-on
experiences for students. Students will develop a community wide
resource guide that identifies agencies, needs, and age/grade
level service opportunities.
Northville Public Schools' "Serving to Learn, Learning to
Serve" promotes developing a school board policy to support
service learning as an instructional methodology to be utilized
in K-12 core curriculum. The grant will provide for
implementation of service-learning projects; student mini-grants
in grades 6-12; conference attendance for training and teaching
methods for teachers, students, parents and others; and an
expansion of the existing Business/Education Partnerships program
to allow program staff to identify projects, conduct service-
learning awareness and training activities within both school and
community groups.
Manistee Area district's Project S.A.V.E. targets secondary
students who are dropouts or targeted as "at-risk" students.
General education students also may participate for credit or
non-credit service-learning activities. Students will
participate in self-directed service-learning activities for a
minimum of six hours per week to obtain 1/2 elective credit or 15
hours minimum for recognition certificates. Activities include a
student-driven paper recycling program, HIV/AIDS education,
cross-age tutoring and water quality education. The service-
learning experiences are geared for students to obtain basic
education skills, improve self-image and develop job-related work
ethics.
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John Kurilecjmk@ofcn.org