Click here to return to OFCN's Main Index Page.
--- Friday --- March 8, 1996 --- Vol. 6 --- No. 24 ---
D #### ##### #### ### #### #### ##### ### #### ####
A ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ##
I #### #### #### ## ## #### ## ## ##### #### ## ##
L ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ##
Y ## ## ##### ## ### ## ## ## ##### ## ## ## ## ####
THE NATIONAL UPDATE ON AMERICA'S EDUCATION REFORM EFFORTS
A service of the National Education Goals Panel
__________ __________
WORLD'S LARGEST CONCERT | SPOTLIGHT |
... was held yesterday when | |
more than 8 million students | PARENTS' PATRIOTIC DUTY |
participated in a televised | |
sing-along "designed to create | Slow down and spend time |
a sense of national and world | with your children, |
community through music," | entreats Ed Sec Richard |
writes a Music Educators | Riley. He argues that if |
National Conference press | parents devoted more time |
release (2/26). | to their child's academic |
The concert was produced by | life and gave them more |
the Music Educators National | opportunities to read in |
Conference, representing more | particular, children would |
than 65,000 teachers | achieve at higher levels. |
nationwide. Public | |
Broadcasting Systems (PBS) | Riley points to the |
broadcast the concert, which | dismal 1994 NAEP reading |
was hosted by Grammy winner | results. According to NAEP |
Mervyn Warren. The event was | data, the scores of those |
the kick-off for Music In Our | 12th-grade students who |
Schools Month. | already are at the bottom |
| end of the reading scale |
WOMEN'S WORK | fell even further. One- |
The Congressional Caucus for | fourth of 12-graders in |
Women's Issues yesterday hosted | private and public schools |
a Congressional Forum on Gender | scored below the most basic |
Equity in Education | level. (#1) |
(Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey (D- | |
Calif.) press release, 3/5). | USC Professor Stephen |
Topics discussed included: | Krashen points out that |
ways to encourage more girls | many children don't have |
and women to study math and | reading materials at home. |
science, single-sex schools and | Krashen's solution: more |
the lack of funds for programs | support for libraries.(#2) |
for at-risk girls. |_____________________________|
============== QUOTE OF THE DAY ==============
"If all parents in America made it their patriotic duty to find
an extra thirty minutes to help their children learn more ... it
would revolutionize American education." --
U.S. Ed Sec Richard Riley. (#9)
_______________________________________________________________
| 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 THREE: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND CITIZENSHIP
NAEP RESULTS IN: Reading scores disconcerting. (#1)
LEARNING TO READ: Debate flourishes in Calif. (#2)
KEYS TO SUCCESS: How to improve test scores. (#3)
GOAL FIVE: MATH AND SCIENCE
REAL GEMS: Virginia girls excel in math/science. (#4)
STATESIDE
BILL OF RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES: A union crusade. (#5)
STANDARD BEARERS
VA.'S STANDARDS DEBATE: An education summit. (#6)
PARTNERS IN EDUCATION
VOLUNTEERS: Community tutoring in Loraine, Ohio. (#7)
A WORLD VIEW
SUPPORT FOR NICARAGUA: Pilot child-care program. (#8)
===== GOAL THREE: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND CITIZENSHIP =====
*1 NAEP RESULTS IN: READING SCORES DISCONCERTING
U.S. Ed Sec Richard Riley expressed disappointment in
findings from "The 1994 National Assessment of Educational
Progress (NAEP) Reading Report Card" and urged parents and
educators to provide more opportunity for children to read (DoEd
press release, 3/7).
"Our first challenge is to get America reading again," said
Riley. He mentioned the recent formation of a new national
reading and writing partnership that includes the American
Library Association, AMC Theaters and the Girl Scouts of America.
"This new partnership is going to put the spotlight on literacy,"
he said. "We are going to take our case to the American people
and tell them that reading is where it all begins."
The report issued this week reveals that children at all
grade levels tested perform better if they have additional
reading material at home. For example, children who frequently
read for pleasure on their own time demonstrate higher average
reading proficiency, notes the release. However, students who
watched the most television per day had lower average reading
proficiency, according to the NAEP report card.
The NAEP exam measures three areas: reading for literary
experience -- what is the plot? describe the main character;
reading to gain information -- what does this article tell you?;
and at the 8th- and 12th-grades only, reading to perform a task -
- what is this supposed to help you do? what should you do next?
Students in grades 4, 8 and 12 are given the NAEP reading test.
Riley especially was dismayed that 12th-grade students'
reading proficiency declined significantly in public and private
schools: one-fourth of all high school seniors scored below the
most basic level, according to the report. The release explains
that the decline in 12th-grade reading scores only was apparent
at the bottom end of the scale; students at the 75th and 90th
percentiles did not show a statistically significant decline.
Other findings: students whose parents had more education
scored higher; students across all grades who had more frequent
home discussions about their studies had higher reading
proficiency; across all grades, students who read five or fewer
pages daily for school and homework had the lowest scores; and
8th- and 12th-graders whose teachers asked them daily or weekly
to explain or support their understanding of what they read had
higher scores than students who were asked to do less.
Riley: "If all parents in America made it their patriotic
duty to find an extra thirty minutes to help their children learn
more -- each and every day -- it would revolutionize American
education."
*2 LEARNING TO READ: DEBATE FLOURISHES IN CALIFORNIA
U of Southern California Professor Stephen Krashen has
issued his own set of recommendations for improving the reading
skills of Calif. students (Lynch, EDUCATION BEAT, 2/23). His
booklet, "Every Person a Reader," is a response to the report
"Every Child a Reader," released last Sept. by a task force
convened by state school Superintendent Delaine Eastin.
Krashen objects to many of the task force's proposals,
especially their "overemphasis on direct teaching of phonemic
awareness and phonics" and "grade level fever and obsession with
early intervention." William Lynch, director of the Lynch
Foundation for Children and chair of Eastin's reading task force,
counters that Krashen has misinterpreted the task force's
emphasis on phonics to the detriment of whole language. "He's
saying that we trashed whole language and we didn't," explained
Lynch. "We called for a balanced diet, with both whole language
and phonics." In 1987, Calif. adopted the English-Language Arts
Framework, a whole literature approach to reading.
Lynch also disagrees with Krashen's disregard for early
intervention. "Early intervention is crucial," according to
Lynch. "We need to circle the wagons by first grade. Kids at
the bottom especially need early intervention."
However, Lynch applauds Krashen's call for more support for
libraries. Libraries are the "linchpin" in Krashen's report,
writes ED BEAT. According to Krashen, many students do not have
access to reading materials at home, which makes libraries
critical to ensuring that all children develop adequate reading
skills. Krashken also notes that Calif. "ranks near the bottom
in fourth-grade reading scores, and that the state occupies that
same spot in school library quality," writes the newsletter.
Data in Krashken's report points out that the state spends
half of what other states spend on libraries. And while the
ratio of students to libraries nationwide is 905 to 1, in Calif.
it is 4,595 to 1.
Teachers must make time for children to read in order for
them to be able to read is another goal suggested by Krashken.
He claims that time spent on testing could be better spent on
"free and voluntary reading in the classroom," reports the
newsletter.
*3 KEYS TO SUCCESS: HOW TO IMPROVE TEST SCORES
Ky.'s Silver Grove Elementary School outperformed all other
public schools in surrounding counties on the 1994-95 statewide
school tests (Dias, Kentucky POST, 2/28). Fourth-graders
exceeded their scoring goal set by the state by 19 points. If
students do as well on the test this year, the school will be
eligible for cash rewards, notes the paper.
Several facotrs contributed to the students' success,
according to the paper. For example, Cathy Caudill, a fourth-
grade teacher, reviewed past test scores and determined that
students had problems with the writing portion of the test. She
then researched new techniques for teaching writing, attended
seminars and collaborated with other teachers to develop creative
ways to teach writing. Teachers at the primary grade level
regularly met with Caudill to ensure that their young students
are prepared for the writing expected of them in fourth grade.
Parents and teachers claim that small school size --Silver
Grove enrolls nearly 150 students in kindergarten through sixth
grade -- and site-based management also contributed to the
school's success. Ungraded primary classes, where kindergartners
and first-graders are in one class and second- and third-graders
are in another, also helped students to improve test scores,
according to some observers.
=== GOAL FIVE: MATH AND SCIENCE ===
*4 REAL GEMS: VIRGINIA GIRLS EXCEL IN MATH AND SCIENCE
A group of fifth- and sixth-grade Herndon, Va., girls get an
academic boost as members of GEMS -- Girls Excelling in Math and
Science (Lacharite, WASH TIMES, 3/5). The 23 girls spend an hour
after school each Thursday in teacher Marian Childress' class to
get extra coaching in math and science.
"It's not a gifted program, it's not a remedial program,
it's an interest-only program," explained parent volunteer Laura
Jones, whose daughter attends the weekly sessions. According to
the paper, the students begin each session with a snack before
tackling math and science problems, experiments and "challenging
mind games." The students recently participated in a science and
math Olympics.
Childress' goal for the girls is to develop a "new
confidence in their academic abilities," writes the paper. "We
have a lot of fun in here," she said. "It's very informal."
===== STATESIDE =====
*5 BILL OF RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES: A UNION CRUSADE
Teacher union presidents from seven Louisiana parishes are
calling for statewide support for their "Bill of Rights and
Responsibilities for Learning," 10 principles that union leaders
claim are "lessons for life." (Bacon-Blood, New Orleans TIMES-
PICAYUNE, 3/2). "This campaign is an introduction for the 3 R's
for the 90's -- 'Responsibility, Respect, Results,'" said Fred
Skelton, Louisiana Federation of Teachers president.
According to the paper, the bill of rights is part of a
national campaign by the American Federation of Teachers to get
parents, teachers, politicians and community leaders to support
high standards for student conduct and achievement, explained
Skelton. He added that his goal is for the Legislature to
endorse the standards at a special legislation session beginning
17 March.
The St. Tammany Parish School Board already has passed a
resolution of support, reports the paper. Union representatives
plan to introduce a resolution to the Jefferson and Orleans
Parish in the near future. Skelton said the principles are
"subjective" and each school board must adopt them to their local
situation. For example, Jefferson Parish is reviewing its policy
not to flunk primary students, according to Joe Potts, president
of the Jefferson Federation of Teachers. "We've got to take a
hard look at this," he said. "if we're just passing them along
and they are not grasping the skills ... [they] are not going to
be effective."
New Orleans Federation of Teachers President Nat LaCour said
increasing the number of alternative schools for disruptive
students tops the agenda in his school district. He wants the
Legislature to earmark funds specifically for alternative
programs. "Right now, the money is all folded into the general
account," said La Cour. "We want it segregated out, so they can
be held accountable. It's easy to say there's no money, but if
it's mandated they would have to do it."
Union leaders laud Louisiana school officials for putting
into place measures such as the high school exit exam; but they
add there is room for improvement. Among the principles included
in the bill of rights are the right "to learn in well-equipped
schools" and the right to learn in schools "where high grades
stand for achievement and promotion is earned."
==== STANDARD BEARERS ====
*6 BRINGING THE STANDARDS DEBATE TO VA.: AN EDUCATION SUMMIT
Va.'s George Mason U plans to host an Education Standards
Summit on Saturday, 16 March (George Mason U press release).
Business, education and community leaders in nine school
divisions of Northern Va. will be in attendance.
"We hope the summit will incubate community partnerships and
discussion," said summit organizer Larry Bowen, from George Mason
U.
Bowen further explained that the purpose of the summit is to
"promote high content and performance standards and expectations
for all children, increased parent and family involvement in
achieving those standards, and a professional development system
for teachers that meets the challenges of the 21st century."
According to Bowen, each community that devises academic
standards must consider the state's newly revised Standards of
Learning, national guidelines and local requirements for
achievement. The promotion of partnerships among families,
schools and other community members is a key mission of the
summit, according to the release. Summit organizers launched an
Education Standards Task Force to help stimulate partnership
arrangements. Task force members include summit co-chairs Bowen
and Mary Gormley, president of the Virginia PTA; Jorge Osterling,
director of community services for the Arlington County Public
Schools, James Dyke, attorney and former Va Ed Sec, Alice
Rasmussen, president Business Organization and Network
Development in Arlington, and others.
The summit also will focus on "the intellectual mission of
the schools (standards and expectations;) parent/family
(involvement and participation;) and teachers (professional
development,) writes the release.
===== PARTNERS IN EDUCATION =====
*7 VOLUNTEERS: COMMUNITY TUTORING IN LORAIN, OHIO
Students at the Harrison Cultural Community Center in
Lorain, Ohio, now can participate in a tutoring program designed
to improve academic skills (Clark, PLAIN DEALER, 2/28). The
program, which began in Jan., is one of several programs
sponsored by a local group of volunteers. The group raised
$17,000 to purchase the abandoned Harrison School from the school
district in 1994. Volunteers renovated, painted and decorated
the old school building, converting into a community center,
notes the paper.
Tutoring classes meet for academic lessons on Tuesdays and
Thursdays. The Cleveland Public Theatre uses the center on
Wednesdays, and on Fridays adolescent boys and their mentors use
the facility.
Students begin a typical tutoring session by signing in and
eating a dinner donated by local restaurants, including Subway
and Pizza Hut. Next, Deloris Warfield, a local elementary school
teacher, and other volunteers divide up the elementary school-
aged children and work on math skills. According to Warfield,
one of the reasons the program was started was to prepare
children for the math proficiency test because Lorain students
usually score low on the exam, writes the paper. Warfield added
that although the tutoring sessions are not long enough, they are
"very focused."
Some students claim their grades have improved since the
tutoring sessions began. "It makes me feel good, because my mom
was yelling at me because she was not good in math," said fifth-
grader Ashley McCray, who raised her math grades from "an F to a
D and C" since joining the tutoring lessons. "She used to yell
at me, but now she's not anymore."
===== A WORLD VIEW =====
*8 SUPPORT FOR NICARAGUA: PILOT CHILD-CARE PROGRAM
The Inter-American Development Bank this week announced a
$3.5M loan to Nicaragua to support a pilot program designed to
"strengthen child care services for low-income groups in both
urban and rural areas." (Inter-American Development Bank press
release, 3/6). Norway also is supporting the program with a $3M
grant.
The funds are targeted to community childhood development
centers to benefit over 60,000 children under the age of six.
Early education activities, day-care services, nutrition and
health services will be provided to the children and their
families. Several non-governmental community groups and civic
organizations, as well as government agencies will implement the
program, writes the release.
Benefits of the program include: an expanded "capacity of
families and of the community to meet children's development
needs;" an elevation of the status of women; a strengthening of
the government's "capacity to design and sustain early child-
development programs," writes the release.
The IDB loan is for a 40-year term, with a 10-year grace
period. The interest rate is at 1% during the grace period, and
2% thereafter, notes the release.
The Inter-American Development Bank is located at 1300 New
York Avenue NW; Washington, D.C. 20577.
Click here to return to OFCN's
Academy Program
Click here to return to OFCN's Main Index Page.
John Kurilecjmk@ofcn.org