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--- Friday --- March 29, 1996 --- Vol. 6 --- No. 31 ---
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THE NATIONAL UPDATE ON AMERICA'S EDUCATION REFORM EFFORTS
A service of the National Education Goals Panel
__________ __________
SURF'S UP | SPOTLIGHT |
While surfing the Web, turn | |
to the Education Summit's World | "STAYING THE COURSE" |
Wide Web Page: | |
http://www.summit96.ibm.com. | ... a campaign theme from |
You will find the National | the Reagan era, clearly was |
Education Summit policy | not the motif for many |
statement, various speeches and | participants at this week's |
comments, among other things. | Education Summit. Staying |
The page will remain open for | the course would have |
the next several weeks. | entailed building on the |
| call for national action |
THE BUSINESS SECTION | that emanated from the 1989 |
What can business do to help | Education Summit in |
change teacher education? A | Charlottesville. |
report prepared as part of the | |
American Association of | However, this year's |
Colleges for Teacher Education | summit embraced state and |
Forum Series offers some | local control over |
recommendations. "What | education, including the |
Business Leaders Can Do To Help | setting of standards. |
Change Teacher Education" | |
explains the connection between | Participating governors |
school reform and teacher ed | and business leaders also |
and discusses what schools of | agreed to establish an |
ed must do to boast effective | "external, independent, |
teacher prep programs. It also | nongovernmental effort" to |
provides recommendations for | serve as a clearinghouse |
business leaders. | for standards. Some |
Copies are available for $5 | observers say the new group |
and can be ordered from: AACTE | sounds a lot like NESIC, a |
Publications; One Dupont | Goals 2000 national panel, |
Circle, Suite 610; Washington, | that was nixed by conser- |
D.C. 20036; e-mail: | vatives in Congress. |
nnc@aacte.nche.edu. |_____________________________|
============== QUOTE OF THE DAY ==============
"While we remain committed to implement at the state and local
level the education goals adopted by Governors following the
Charlottesville Summit in 1989, it is clear that simply setting
goals is not enough." 1996 National Education Summit
Policy Statement. (#1) __________________________________
| 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 ==============
1996 EDUCATION SUMMIT
1996 NATIONAL EDUCATION SUMMIT: Policy statement. (#1)
ALMOST AN IMPASSE: Policy changes at the 11th hour. (#2)
CLINTON AT THE SUMMIT: "No more free passes" for students. (#3)
EDUCATION SUMMIT ENDS: The questions that remain. (#4)
"COLD OATMEAL:" The summit's appeal?. (#5)
SUMMIT STATEMENTS: A WRAP-UP. (#6)
===== 1996 EDUCATION SUMMIT =====
*1 1996 NATIONAL EDUCATION SUMMIT: POLICY STATEMENT
Setting education goals for student achievement is not
enough, according to governors and business leaders gathered in
Palisades, N.Y., this week at the 1996 National Education Summit.
A policy statement signed by all participants cited a National
Education Goals Panel report that clearly stated the nation will
not meet the national education goals established at the
Charlottesville Summit in 1989. The next step, while not a magic
bullet, is rigorous content standards coupled with appropriate
assessments, according to the Palisades participants. And
business leaders agreed to change hiring practices to require job
applicants to "demonstrate academic achievement through school-
based records," including academic transcripts and diplomas.
From the policy statement: "Governors and business leaders
must assist state or local school districts in developing
assessments to measure student achievement and to use such
assessments as measurements for providing students and parents
with continuous feedback about student performance and specific
areas where students may need some extra help." Governors and
business leaders also called for putting in place the
"technology, professional development opportunities, and
curriculum that will enable both parents and communities as a
whole to hold their schools accountable."
Standards and assessments promoted by summit participants
"should integrate both academic and occupational skills," writes
the policy statement. Governors and business leaders "must
assist state or local school districts in developing assessments
to measure student achievement and to use such assessments as
measurements for providing students and parents with continuous
feedback about student performance and specific areas where
students may need some extra help."
However, the participants do not "call for a set of
mandatory, federally prescribed standards, but welcome the
savings and other benefits offered by cooperation between states
and school districts." They recommend that a "national
clearinghouse of effective practices to improve achievement"
coordinates that assistance.
Technology that is "applied thoughtfully and well-integrated
into a curriculum, can be utilized as a helpful tool to assist
student learning, provide access to valuable information and
insure a competitive edge for our workforce," writes the policy
statement. Not only does interactive learning help students
improve academic skills, it also brings students up to speed on
the tools used "not only in today's high-technology workplaces,
but increasingly in any workplace."
The policy statement includes sections on "why we believe in
the use of standards to improve student achievement" and a
similar list for technology. Summit participants also stipulated
what they are willing to commit to do. For example, participants
agreed to "demonstrate ... our strong and nonpartisan support of
efforts to: set clear academic standards for what students need
to know or be able to do in core subject areas; assist schools in
accurately measuring student progress toward reaching these
standards; and assist schools in overcoming the barriers to using
new technology," among other things.
Governors and business leaders committed to the following
actions: governors went on record in support of creating
"internationally competitive academic standards, assessments ...
and accountability systems in our states, according to each
state's governing structure, within the next two years."
Business leaders agreed to revamp hiring practices within one
year to include a review of the applicants academic transcripts,
certificates, diplomas or other proof of their achievement. They
also committed to consider the "quality of a state's academic
standards and student achievement levels as a high priority
factor in determining business location decisions."
Public reporting also topped the agenda. Governors and
business leaders promised to establish an "external, independent,
nongovernmental effort to measure and report each state's annual
progress in setting standards, improving the quality of teaching,
incorporating technology supporting innovation, and improving
student achievement." They also promise to "explore the use of a
reliable benchmarked assessment" that would review academic
progress. Next, they agreed to produce and distribute in each
state an annual report noting progress made by both state
government and businesses in "meeting our state commitments and
educating the public on the importance of these issues.
Other action plans include: information sharing and
technical assistance; and engage in a "wide variety of activities
to achieve the commitments" noted in the policy statement.
Activities could include holding town meetings to build public
support and organizing a state-level Education Summit to create a
state plan for "developing and implementing standards and
assessments."
The Education Summit was co-chaired by Louis Gerstner, Jr.,
Chairman and CEO, IBM Corporation, Wis. Gov Tommy Thompson and
Nev Gov Bob Miller. Members of the summit's planning committee
are the following governors: Roy Romer (Colo.), Terry Branstad
(Iowa), John Engler (Mich.) and James Hunt (N.C). Business
leaders on the planning committee include: Robert Allen (AT&T),
John Clendenin (Bell South Corporation), George Fisher (Eastman
Kodak Company), John Pepper (The Procter & Gamble Company) and
Frank Shrontz (The Boeing Company). Sponsors of the summit are:
IBM Corporation, the National Governor's Association and the
Education Commission of the States.
*2 ALMOST AN IMPASSE: POLICY CHANGES AT THE 11TH HOUR
Reaching a consensus over a policy statement issued at this
week's Education Summit was a tough task for governors and
business leaders, with changes made at a meeting that lasted
until 1:30 a.m. (Innerst, WASH TIMES, 3/28). Va. GOv George
Allen (R) led the dissenters who rewrote the statement to reflect
more conservative views and to "reaffirm that the states and not
the federal government play the major role in education," writes
the paper.
"There were a few raised voices," acknowledged Wis. Gov
Tommy Thompson (R), co-chair of the summit. Thompson in the wee
morning hours approved the changes, which were accepted by the
all governors. According to the paper, nine governors from the
following states did not attend the conference: Ala., Ark.,
Arz., Calif., Hawaii, La., Maine, Mont., and Minn.
One key change resulted in the removal of a reference to the
governors supporting the National Education Goals. "I'm not for
national education goals," said Allen. Instead, the revised
statement said the governors will "implement at the state and
local levels the education goals adopted by governors following
the Charlottesville SUmmit in 1989," explains the paper.
Although the 1989 Summit establsihed national education
goals to be reached by the year 2000, many in attendance at this
year's Summit "voiced displeasure with setting up national
standards," writes the TIMES (Innerst, 3/27). "Education is a
local issue and must remain a local issue," said Thompson. Allen
agreed: "We didn't wait around for the federal government to
come up with standards. We talked to 5,000 people to set our
standards." The paper reports that Va. rejected federal Goals
2000 funds to develop standards because state leaders are
concerned about federal intrusion.
*3 CLINTON AT THE SUMMIT: "NO MORE FREE PASSES" FOR STUDENTS
President Bill Clinton, who as governor of Ark. was one of
the key players at the 1989 Charlottesville Education Summit,
applauded the governors' and business leaders' call for rigorous
student standards at this week's Education Summit in Palisades,
N.Y. According to Clinton, there should be "no more social
promotions, no more free passes" for students. Instead, the
President advocated state competency tests.
He urged summit participants to require that students pass
standardized tests at three educational benchmarks: moving from
elementary school to middle school, the transition from middle
school to high school; and for high school graduation, reports
USA TODAY (Page, 3/27). However, the governors and business
leaders "stopped short" of including Clinton's call for mandating
exams students must pass to be promoted (Cannon, MIAMI HERALD,
3/28)
The HERALD reports that only five states -- Ark., La., N.C.,
S.C. and Va. -- have tests students must pass to be promoted.
Seventeen states have in place mandatory minimum competency tests
for high school graduation, writes the paper.
Clinton's address promoted a six-point agenda, including the
three educational benchmarks: higher standards for teachers;
holding schools accountable for poor results; charter schools;
drug-free and safe schools; and guaranteeing that every class has
Internet access.
Educators and policy makers should not be intimidated by
those who charge high standards are "cruel" or "unfair," said
Clinton. "The worst thing you can do is send people all the way
through school with a diploma they can't read," he added. The
N.Y. TIMES reminds readers of the major role Clinton played at
the Charlottesville, Va., Education Summit when he served as
governor of Ark. However, times have changed since the first
summit, according to the paper. Clinton's comments this week are
"an indication of how, the political climate has changed, as he
made only passing reference to a Federal role in education,"
writes the TIMES. He also conceded that efforts to create
national standards have been "less than successful."
The WASH TIMES reports that Clinton "broke no new ground" in
his speech (Bedard, 3/28). "The ideas were not new," said Mich
Gov John Engler (R). He added that Clinton did not "offer to
close the "Department of Education." The paper also noted that
at this summit, the federal government "was viewed as an
outsider."
According to the N.Y. TIMES, several governors were "less
than delighted with the President's scene-stealing appearance at
a conference at which many of them emphasized the local -- not
Federal -- nature of education policy." Pa. Gov Tom Ridge (R):
"President Clinton is a supporter of the status quo in public
education. He thinks things are fine, and all you need to do is
test a few folks. He's coming to tell this group something
we've been talking about not just for the past two days but for a
couple of years."
USA TODAY notes that the two governors who pioneered in the
early 1980s the concept that students pass a test to be promoted
are then-Ark. Gov Bill Clinton and then-S.C. Gov Richard Riley,
currently the U.S. Ed Sec.
*4 EDUCATION SUMMIT ENDS: THE QUESTIONS THAT REMAIN
Several questions remain unanswered at the close of this
week's Education Summit (Woo, L.A. TIMES, 3/28). The TIMES
writes that the questions encompass issues of funding and
fairness.
For example, several observers expressed skepticism over the
"wisdom" of leaving the setting of standards in the hands of the
states. Local standards do not necessarily mean good ones, said
Chester Finn, a fellow at the Hudson Institute and former
education advisor in the Reagan Administration. "A lot of states
have done dumb standards."
Others worry over the call for businesses to require high
school graduates to present academic transcripts when they apply
for jobs. American Federation of Teachers President Albert
Shanker said the transcript requirement could result in
disadvantaged minority students from low-performing schools would
not get hired. "here is where good education policy ... is going
to run counter to civil rights policy," he stated. "Suppose it
results in disparate impacts?" Shanker explained that
transcripts are based on grading systems that "vary tremendously
from school to school," writes the paper. He hopes the summit
encourages debate among business and education leaders over how
to turn transcripts into a "common currency" employers can review
regardless of where in the country the applicant attended school.
Another question noted by the TIMES concerns the independent
organization called for to assess state progress toward setting
rigorous standards. While Summit participants touted the new
body as essential to their strategy, it remains to be seen who
would "constitute it and how it would be funded," reports the
paper. Summit observers said where to find funding was a "point
of discomfort" for summit participants, notes the TIMES.
Others complained that the agenda was so tightly scripted
that it precluded discussion of issues central to education
reform. Paul O'Neill, chairman of Alcoa ALuminum Co., said he
was disappointed other issues were kept out of the summit.
"Let's pledge ourselves to establish clear standards for 9-year-
olds around reading, writing, computing and basic science," he
said. "And put in assessments so we know by age 9 if a youngster
has the ability to become a self-learner. Then don't let that
kid turn 10 without remediation if it's needed." However, Wis
Gov Tommy Thompson, co-chair of the summit, said "we're not going
to set standards here. And we don't want to get off on Goals
2000, vouchers, merit pay and money from Washington. That will
be argued out in the presidential campaign."
*5 "COLD OATMEAL:" THE SUMMIT'S APPEAL?
In a news analysis, N.Y. TIMES reporter Peter Applebome
writes that this week's Education Summit's agenda of technology
and standards "had all the sex appeal of cold oatmeal." (3/28)
However, despite the limited coverage of the Palisades meeting,
it may prove to be more significant than the 1989 meeting in
Charlottesville, he adds.
Applebome comes to his conclusion based on the draw to the
Summit by "powerful" corporate leaders and an agenda that
underscores state and local rather than national standards for
public schools.
He goes on to discuss two major questions left unanswered:
will high standards alone increase student achievement, and will
states and local communitites remain committed enough not only to
rigorous standard, but to the policies that make standards
meaningful such as holding students back and denying diplomas or
college admission to students who do not make the grade.
An intriguing outcome of the summit is the call for a panel
to serve as a clearinghouse on school standards that could "help
coordinate standards and prod lagging states or school districts
into coming up with better ones," writes the paper. American
Federation of Teachers President Albert Shanker remarked that the
panel sounds similar to the National Education Standards and
Improvement Council, a national panel, part of Goals 2000
legislation, that was killed by conservatives who complained of
federal intrusion.
Diane Ravitch, assistant secretary at the U.S. DoEd in the
Bush Administration, observed that a system of standards that is
national not federal is evolving, reports the paper. "If this is
a success, what we'll end up with is national standards, even if
we don't want to call them that," she said. "If 50 states came
up with their own standards, it would be chaotic and ridiculous."
According to the paper, many summit participants left
unsatisfied. Some Republican governors wanted the Summit to
cover a broader agenda such as school choice and charter schools,
"with the notion that schools will not improve until they are
changed structurally," reports the paper. The liberal crowd, who
were not on hand, were taken aback by the group of conservative
governors and corporate executives dictating an agenda "whose
main purpose was to prepare students better for the work force,"
writes the paper.
However, Hugh Price, president of the National Urban League
noted that businesses are "the ones that do the hiring, so it
makes sense to know their needs." "this isn't the whole agenda,
but it's a fundamental part of it."
*6 SUMMIT STATEMENTS: A WRAP-UP
Following are notes and quotes from Summit participants,
observers and the press.
"We can teach them what they need to run a machine or
develop a marketing plan. What is killing us is having to teach
them to read, compute ... and to think."
"The political reality of national versus state standards is
that it is a political issue, not a rationale issue."
Louis Gerstner Jr., chairman and CEO of IBM, and co-chair of
the Education Summit.
"What would happen in America if this coming August the
Olympic athletes from the United States came in 12th or 13th or
14th? America would just raise up in arms, couldn't understand
what happened to American athletics."
"We're not here to ask anything from Washington. Education
is a local issue and it must remain a local issue."
Wis Gov Tommy Thompson (R), co-chair of the Education
Summit.
"No more social promotions, no more free passes [for
students]."
President Bill Clinton.
"[Just because standards are developed locally,] doesn't
mean they're good. A lot of states have done dumb standards."
Chester Finn, Hudson Institute.
"If everyone is for the campaign to raise academic
standards, how come so many people are trying to kill it?"
Keith Geiger, president, National Education Association.
"A relentless lowering of education standards -- the so-
called 'dumbing down' of American schoolchildren -- is one of the
main reasons behind next week's summit of business leaders and
lawmakers."
THE BOSTON HERALD (Whitmire, 3/25).
"Many states are already trying to create higher academic
expectations for students, but business leaders say that too
often what they are producing is either too vague or lacks real
consequence."
THE WASH POST (Sanchez, 3/28).
"To me the biggest problem is that we have this big briefing
book full of state standards developed over the last few years,
and it's a lot of empty rhetoric. I hope at this meeting someone
will get up and say, 'Folks, we still don't have standards. We
just have talk.'"
Diane Ravitch, senior research scholar at New York U.
"French, German and Japanese children aren't smarter than
American children. They simply have greater expectations placed
on them."
Nev Gov Bob Miller (R).
"The contentiousness [at the Summit] underscores how hard it
has been to move from the broad sense of national resolve that
came out of the 1989 meeting to a specific agenda that disparate
constituencies can rally around."
THE N.Y. TIMES (Applebome, 3/26).
"I will encourage other states to follow our principled
process as they seek to raise academic achievement in their
schools and bring accountability to their education system. But
let me be clear. We are not attending this summit to help create
any national standards or federal dictates to direct or measure
student achievement in our schools."
Va. Gov George Allen (R)
"It's next to impossible to promulgate a series of standards
without really trying to mobilize people in the trenches and they
[politicians and CEOs] aren't in the trenches."
Dorothy Rich, The Home School Institute
"We already have academic standards in most states. When
business leaders here say they want standards, what they're
really saying is that they want better standards. That's the
challenge facing the governors now."
Frank Newman, president of the Education Commission of the
States.
"Employers say it's the lack of education, stupid."
USA TODAY headline (Jones, 3/27)
"The energy and enthusiasm for setting high standards
exhibited at the summit will certainly be translated into
commitment and action in many, many states. Equally as important
is the commitment made by the business community to be serious
about reviewing high school transcripts. I would hope that the
enthusiasm of the business community also gets translated into
incentives for hiring students who do well on assessments used to
measured high standards. The first business in a community that
says that they are willing to pay high school graduates with high
scores an extra $1 per hour will become a hero to those of us
working for high standards."
Chris Cross, president Council for Basic Education
"Here is where good education policy ... is going to run
counter to civil rights policy. Suppose it results in disparate
impacts?"
Albert Shanker, president of the American Federation of
Teachers, on businesses requiring high school graduates to
present transcripts.
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