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--- Wednesday --- February 28, 1996 --- Vol. 6 --- No. 20 ---
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THE NATIONAL UPDATE ON AMERICA'S EDUCATION REFORM EFFORTS
A service of the National Education Goals Panel
__________ __________
NEW ADDRESS | SPOTLIGHT |
Please note the DRC's new | |
address: 1255 22nd Street NW; | DREAM A LITTLE DREAM |
Suite 502; Wash. D.C. 20037; | |
202/632-0952; 202/632-0957(F) | The Heritage Foundation |
| questioned several |
SERVING DISABLED CHILDREN | visionaries about their |
A new publication by the | dreams for a private sector |
Washington, D.C.-based Urban | rescue of public education. |
Institute provides the "first | Those visions, published in |
comprehensive accounting of | the organization's "Policy |
public expenditures on children | Review: The Journal of |
with disabilities," writes The | American Citizenship," |
Urban Institute press release, | predict a "second age of |
2/21). "Serving Children with | 'social entrepreneurship,'" |
Disabilities: A Systematic | writes The Heritage |
Look at the Programs" presents | Foundation. |
an inventory of all major | |
programs serving the needs of | Pillow talk among |
these children. Researchers | contributors: A Great |
compare the programs by level | Books Junior College for |
of jurisdiction, benefit type | Harvard's Harvey Mansfield. |
and generosity, eligibility | The college would relish in |
conditions and disability | the "disdain for political |
definitions. The authors also | correctness." |
present a set of principles to | |
guide thinking about the "hard | Private school choice, a |
choices" of linking resources | re-occurring dream for |
to program goals. | economist Milton Friedman; |
Copies of the report can be | |
ordered from University Press | A report card for schools |
of America; 800/462-4420. The | is what N.Y. Lt. Governor |
cost is $52.50 for cloth (ISBN | Betsy McCaughey Ross dreams |
0-87766-650-4); or $22.95 for | about. (#6) |
paper (ISBN 0-87766-651-2). |_____________________________|
============== QUOTE OF THE DAY ==============
"Buyers can get [faulty products] fixed or replaced if they do
not work properly. We understand the difference between
inanimate objects and human beings, but that does not excuse high
schools from the obligation to guarantee the quality of the young
people they educate." -- From "Breaking the Ranks." (#7) _________________
| 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 |
Staff Writer: Elizabeth Gage |
|_______________________________________________________________|
============== TABLE OF CONTENTS ==============
GOAL FOUR: TEACHER EDUCATION/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
CLASSROOM PRACTICE: Getting a hand by DeWitt Wallace. (#1)
CITY HALL
BUDGET WOES: Will reform survive cuts in Philly?. (#2)
FROM COURTHOUSE TO SCHOOLHOUSE
"COMMUNITY SCHOOLS:" Under attack in Minneapolis. (#3)
TIME AND LEARNING
YEAR-ROUND SCHOOLS: It's no Disneyland . (#4)
TIME CHANGE IN CANADA: The green light for schools. (#5)
HE SAID, SHE SAID
"SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP:" The wave of the future? (#6)
PROMISING PRACTICES
RECALL: Sending "faulty products" back to school. (#7)
CHOOSING SCHOOLS
D.C. NEWS: Senate gives thumbs down to vouchers. (#8)
==== GOAL FOUR: TEACHER EDUCATION/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ====
*1 CLASSROOM PRACTICE: GETTING A HAND BY DeWITT WALLACE
DeWitt Wallace Reader's Digest Fund announced a $9.7M award
to help public school teachers in Chicago, New York and
Philadelphia prepare students for "tomorrow's high-skills
workplace," writes a DeWitt Wallace Reader's Digest Fund press
release (2/26). Four-year grants of over $3M will be given to
professional development groups in each city. The groups will
use the money to help teachers master new "student-centered"
instructional methods and classroom practices aimed at improving
students' problem solving, critical analysis and higher-order
thinking skills.
The grants are part of the Fund's Student at the Center
Initiative, which works to find more effective ways to train
teachers and inform them of new instructional methods and to
discover and document the resulting benefits to students.
The initiative is part of the Fund's continuous effort to improve
services to school-age children, especially those living in low-
income communities, by investing in the adults who teach the
children, writes the release.
The Education Development Center (EDC)in Newton, Mass., will
receive a $554,781 grant over four years to link the three
participating cities through an electronic-mail network and
newsletters and through national conferences.
The Fund also will organize an evaluation of the Students at
the Center Initiative and eventually will share its findings with
other educators. "We're eager to learn what works and in what
context," said Carla Asher, a Fund program officer who heads the
initiative. "Too often, teacher development programs are judged
on the basis of whether those who took part felt they were
worthwhile. We want to know the extent to which classroom
practice has changed and whether students are learning more as a
result."
==== CITY HALL ====
*2 BUDGET WOES: WILL REFORM SURVIVE CUTS IN PHILLY?
Chances for education reform in the Philadelphia schools
seem grim in light of massive budget cuts for fiscal year 1997
(Mezzacappa, THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 2/25). The district is
proposing cuts in instructional programs, administrative
positions, preschool, bus services, and building maintenance.
For the current school year the district received $1.35B of
its $1.4B budget from the city and state. It probably will
receive only $20-25M more next year from those sources, and also
may lose $17M of its Title I federal funds next year, writes the
paper.
The budget shortfall of $148M includes $90M intended for
Superintendent David Hornbeck's reform plan known as "Children
Achieving." Cuts in this area include extending the use of
school buildings for three hours daily, expanding full-day
kindergarten to all elementary schools, hiring additional nurses,
providing intense professional development for teachers, and
continuing the reorganization of the system into kindergarten-
through 12th-grade clusters, each with its own Teaching and
Learning Network and Family Resource Network.
According to the paper, the proposed budget threatens any
attempt to expand the clusters, and "the effectiveness of
'Children Achieving' will have to be judged on whatever progress
is made in the six clusters created this year." These schools
have been receiving additional help from the district, including
materials, supplies and extra help for the teachers. Hornbeck
promised not to "withdraw that additional attention from the
clusters already in operation," which means he must look for cuts
elsewhere, reports the paper.
The district currently spends $27M on preschool. Terry
Dellmuth, Hornbeck's chief of staff: "Is it time to say that we
can't do preschool anymore?" On the budget-cut list are:
transportation, by consolidating or eliminating routes; and
kindergarten expansion, which is not a state-mandated program.
However, the main target of cuts will be administration. Last
week, School Board President Andrew Farnese promised to cut 30%
from administrative costs over the next 18 months. Current
administrative costs for the district total $90M. Even if
administrative costs are reduced by 30%, the savings incurred
will still not cover the cuts the district needs to make.
"There's no way we can't cut in the schools," Dellmuth said.
The district will defend its budget before the City Council
on 6 March. Council President John F. Street said the district
has never answered one question: "Is the district truly
underfunded or is the money being swallowed by a bloated
bureaucracy?"
===== FROM COURTHOUSE TO SCHOOLHOUSE =====
*3 "COMMUNITY SCHOOLS:" UNDER ATTACK IN MINNEAPOLIS
The Minneapolis NAACP criticized the Minneapolis School
district's "community schools" plan (Washington, STAR TRIBUNE,
2/21). "Our goal is to break down this plan for what it is,"
said Matt Little, former president of the Minneapolis NAACP and
co-chairman of its education committee.
The plan was adopted at the end of last year to take effect
in the fall of 1997. It designates some Minneapolis elementary
schools as "community schools," writes the paper. Students
living near such schools will be guaranteed placement at the
school. Students not living in "community school" zones can try
to secure spots in neighboring community schools or choose from
several other schools, notes the paper.
Proponents of the plan, including district officials and
Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton, argue that the current system in
which many students are bused outside of their neighborhoods to
meet racial quotas hinders parental involvement in their
children's academic lives. Allowing students to attend school
closer to home would increase parental involvement and foster a
sense of community that in turn would improve student academic
achievement, they claim.
Littel criticizes the district on three points, according to
the paper. First, the district has not proved that having
students attend school closer to home will improve student
performance. Second, Little claims racial segregation would
increase if white and minority students attend schools near their
homes. Third, the plan is discriminatory in design because
students living in poor and minority areas are the ones who have
not been guaranteed spots in community schools. In contrast, most
of the student's who live in affluent areas, located on the
fringe of the city, are predominantly white and have been
guaranteed spots in community schools.
Ginny Craig, a district spokeswoman, said the district was
able to guarantee more spots in schools on the city's fringe
because the student population in that area is relatively small
compared to the densely populated inner city. "We tried to
compensate for that by giving (inner city students) a lot of
choices of which schools they can attend," Craig said. "With
class (size) limits, we have to be careful of what we promise."
James Hiedelberg, president of the parent-teacher
organization at north Minneapolis' West Central Academy, said
that he and other parents must learn more about the district's
plan. However, Craig explained that the district already held
informational meetings about the plan in January and that
information has been available in school and community
newsletters, reports the paper.
==== TIME AND LEARNING ====
*4 YEAR-ROUND SCHOOLS: IT'S NO DISNEYLAND
In 1993, the National Association for Year-Round Education
(NAYRE) choose Orlando, Fla., as the site of its 1996 annual
convention, partially because year-round schools appeared to be
increasingly popular in Central Florida (Wertheimer, ORLANDO
SENTINEL, 2/20). Ironically, the number of year-round schools in
the region has declined during the past two years due to parent
and teacher frustration, writes the paper.
Charles E. Ballinger, executive director of the California-
based group, indicated that the trend in Central Florida is an
exception. According to NAYRE statistics, 483 school districts in
39 states are currently operating year-round schools; the
statistics indicate that 47 additional schools have adopted the
year-round schedule since the 1994-95 school year.
Proponents of year-round schooling believe that students are
able to retain more information when they have shorter, more
numerous breaks than the traditional 2-3 month summer vacation.
For example, Ballinger claims that student academic achievement
improves or remains constant in year-round schools. Opponents,
including school district officials in Orange County, Fla.,
counter that year-round schools have a minimal if any effect at
all on student academic achievement.
Some of the 1,200 delegates who attended the convention
planned to visit the area's single-track year-round schools but
NAYRE officials decided it was not advisable since the schools
were abolishing the schedule next school year. Convention
participants would be allowed to visit multi-track schools where
students are on five overlapping schedules, notes the paper.
Convention delegates who plan to implement year-round
schedules next school year questioned why Central Florida schools
have rejected the idea. George E. Pawlas, an assistant professor
at the U of Central Florida, explained that the problem was
centered on conflicts with family vacation schedules, according
to the paper.
Pawlas also described his poll of 97 Florida principals.
Principals liked that students retained more information and had
more breaks, but they did not approve of the multi-track calendar
because they said it increased burnout among teachers and
administrators. In addition, principals survyed complained that
they had more paperwork, struggled to get supplies on time
because of early school openings and had less vacation time.
*5 TIME CHANGE IN CANADA: THE GREEN LIGHT FOR SCHOOLS
Ontario's public schools have been granted permission to
change school hours, lengthen the school year or arrange the
school year around the tobacco-growing season (THE GLOBE AND
MAIL/Canadian Press, 2/22). Education Minister John Snobelen
said, "There have been different school weeks tried in different
jurisdictions. I believe local communities should have the option
of picking the time lines that work best for their community."
School board members in St. Thomas, Ontario, a small
agricultural community, want to begin a four-day school week
starting in September, writes the paper. Under the new school
schedule, the board estimates it can achieve $1.1M in savings
because of reduced cost of bus drivers, cleaners and teachers'
assistants. The board's actions are a result of government budget
cuts that have left school boards short of cash, according to the
paper.
Experiments with shorter school weeks have occurred in
Alberta, Manitoba and Nova Scotia, with ambiguous results. In
Airdrie, Alberta, the four-day week was abolished because test
results indicated that students' grades suffered under the
program. In contrast, another school in Alberta had better
grades under the shorter week schedule. Despite uncertain
results, year-round school pilot projects are being planned in
British Columbia, Calgary, and London, Ont.
Snobelen would have to amend Ontario's Education Act to
allow for the new hours, notes the paper. He explained that
legislative changes are on the agenda, and that the government
will consider the long-term impact of such changes before
proceeding with the plan. "The board obviously is going to
listen to teachers and other people who are worried about the
quality of education...But I believe if it suits the board's
needs ...and its something the parents are behind, then it's
something we should consider very strongly."
==== HE SAID, SHE SAID ====
*6 "SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP:" THE WAVE OF THE FUTURE
Several of the nation's "most visionary thinkers" predict a
second age of "social entrepreneurship," similar to the one that
produced the Red Cross, Scouting organizations and the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People, according to
The Heritage Foundation. Articles written by educators and
commentators including Harvard professor Harvey Mansfeld, Nobel
Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman and New York Post film
critic Michael Medved offer private sector remedies to the
problems of American education and other issues. The articles
are published in The Heritage Foundation's March/April issue of
"Policy Review: The Journal of American Citizenship."
Each author was asked to describe an institution he or she
hopes will be created or expanded over the next 20 years, writes
the Policy Review. Harvey Mansfield, professor of government at
Harvard U, imagines a Great-Books Junior College. "My idea is to
create a new one- or two-year junior college for bright students
(or even not-so-bright students) to earn the education they did
not receive in high school and won't get in college," he pens.
Mansfield adds that his junior college would 'draw inspiration
partly from disdain for political correctness and dislike of the
educationists' notion of "self-esteem."
Milton Friedman, senior research fellow at the Hoover
Institute, dreams an old dream. "It is a dream of institutional
change that will enable parents to choose the schools their
children go to." According to Friedman, "a widespread
scholarship system ... would open the door to an influx of
innovative enterprises offering different kinds of schooling to
attract customers."
New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton wants to
develop police training for youth. He points to a New York
Police Department pilot youth academy in Brooklyn that last
summer met with rave reviews. Bratton's plan is to expand that
program to develop a Law Enforcement Explorers division of the
Boy Scouts, open to young men and women age 14 to 21, in which
they would attend a specialty high school geared to public-safety
careers.
Betsy McCaughey Ross, N.Y. lieutenant governor, calls for
school report cards that would "help parents and taxpayers hold
school boards accountable for how our scarce education dollars
are spent and how well students perform."
Other contributors include William Galston, professor at the
School of Public Affairs, U of Maryland, who discusses charter
schools and Pete DuPont, policy chairman of the National Center
for Policy Analysis and a former governor of Del., who envisions
a public-private job training program.
For single copies of "The Policy Review" call The Heritage
Foundation at 202/608-6161; for subscription information call
800/304-0056; or obtain copies at The Heritage Foundation's Web
site: http:\\www.heritage.org.
==== PROMISING PRACTICES ====
*7 RECALL: SENDING "FAULTY PRODUCTS" BACK TO SCHOOL
The National Association of Secondary School Principals and
the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching propose a
plan that would allow an employer, who was not satisfied with a
recent high school graduate's performance, to send the employee
back to high school for additional education (Hopkinson, ATLANTIC
CONSTITUTION, 2/22). High schools would provide the additional
instruction for graduates or arrange for them to attend special
remedial programs, according to the paper.
"Buyers can get (faulty products) fixed or replaced if they
do not work properly," writes the report released by the group.
"We understand the difference between inanimate objects and human
beings, but that does not excuse high schools from the obligation
to guarantee the quality of the young people they educate."
The proposal is a response to personnel managers who
frequently complain that many 18- and 19- year-olds do not
possess the skills necessary to solve basic arithmetic problems
or complete simple writing tasks. Requiring schools to guarantee
their diploma would help to raise graduation standards and add
accountability to high schools, according to the principal's
association.
The 41,000-member association made several suggestions in
their proposal entitled, "Breaking the Ranks: Changing an
American Institution." Recommendations included adopting year-
round school schedules, requiring students to do volunteer work,
establishing longer block scheduling, ending "tracking" or the
placement of students in high- or low-level classes based on
performance tests, writes the paper. The proposed changes are
not mandatory, though association leaders hope that the nations'
school boards use them to reform education, writes the paper.
=== CHOOSING SCHOOLS ===
*8 D.C. NEWS: SENATE GIVES THUMBS DOWN TO VOUCHERS
The U.S. Senate yesterday voted down a private-school-choice
proposal for Washington, D.C., families (Vise, WASH POST, 2/28).
The proposal was for a $5M pilot program that would have given
disadvantaged families up to a $3,000 voucher. According to the
paper, the bill also called for the D.C. City Council to give
approval of the voucher program, which D.C. Mayor Marion Barry
(D) said would not happen. President Clinton threatened to veto
the bill if it had passed, notes the paper.
The no-vote for vouchers also precluded the District
government from getting about $220M of its annual federal payment
because the voucher vote was attached to the city's fiscal 1996
budget, reports the paper. "It is much bigger than D.C.," said
Dale Lestina, senior lobbyist for the National Education
Association. "The proponents of [vouchers] have said if they get
this done in D.C., they will move with a bill just like this for
all of the urban centers in the United Stats. We feel it runs
afoul of separation of church and state."
The POST credits the NEA, the National PTA and others with
defeating the voucher bill. "We mobilized on the issue,"
acknowledged Arnold Fege, chief lobbyist for the PTA. "That $5
million [voucher program] is not going to energize or reform the
D.C. public schools."
However, Rep James Walsh (R-N.Y.) countered that yesterday's
vote was a victory for teachers unions, not for children. Senate
Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kan.) said he will bring the voucher
bill back before the Senate today; but Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton
(D-D.C.) said the outcome will remain the same.
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