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--- Wednesday --- April 17, 1996 --- Vol. 6 --- No. 35 ---
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THE NATIONAL UPDATE ON AMERICA'S EDUCATION REFORM EFFORTS
A service of the National Education Goals Panel
__________ __________
DIALING FOR DOLLARS | SPOTLIGHT |
Middle school students and | |
staff from the Jefferson County | BARRIERS TO SUCCESS |
school district (Louisville, | |
Ky.) hit the jackpot when they | Bilingual ed does not |
raised $1M for school reform | work, proclaims the Center |
(Council for the Great City | for Equal Opportunity. The |
SChools, URBAN EDUCATOR, March | group compiled data that |
1996). To top it off, the | counters arguments in favor |
district will receive a $1M | of placing students in |
matching grant from the Edna | bilingual programs. (#3) |
McConnell Clark Foundation over | |
two years as part of their | For example, students who |
school reform initiative. | are not proficient in |
Higher student standards, | English and who are held |
professional development, | back in their grade level |
school restructuring and | are less likely to drop out |
community partnerships are key | of school. CEO researchers |
components of the project. | say this contradicts |
| claims made by bilingual |
THUMBS UP FOR PHONICS | education advocates who do |
The Phoenixville, Pa., school | not endorse reatining |
board recently voted to make | students. |
the "comprehensive, systematic | |
use of phonics" key to their | However, a WestEd report |
schools' reading programs | maintains that the real |
(Center for Education Reform, | problem with bilingual ed |
MONTHLY LETTER, Feb/March | is that most schools do not |
1996). | have the resources to |
Board members also agreed to | successfully operate the |
ban calculators from math class | program. Instead, schools |
and to adopt "appropriate | use the ESL model, which is |
homogeneous grouping," writes | easier and cheaper, says |
the letter. Both the teacher | the report. (#4) |
union and PTA are up in arms. |_____________________________|
============== QUOTE OF THE DAY ==============
"Community conditions that nurture families and children will
strengthen the well-being and capacity of our cities and our
nation as a whole." -- Greg Lashutka, mayor of Columbus, Ohio
and president of the National League of Cities. (#5)
_______________________________________________________________
| 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 DEVELOPMEN
TEACHER RECRUITMENT: "Innovative" ways to reach minorities.(#1)
GOAL SEVEN: SAFE SCHOOLS
THREE WAYS TO IMPROVE SCHOOL SAFETY: A Del. experiment. (#2)
RESEARCH NOTES
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY: Don't count on bilingual education. (#3)
IN SUPPORT OF BILINGUAL EDUCATION: A WestEd report. (#4)
TAKING STOCK
CRITICAL NEEDS: A survey of children and families. (#5)
CHARTING A NEW COURSE
SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED: Charter schools in Illinois. (#6)
THE FIRST DISTRICTWIDE CHARTER PROGRAM: Portland's goal. (#7)
HIGHER EDUCATION
EQUITY 2000: Supporting equal education for all. (#8)
===== GOAL FOUR: TEACHER EDUCATION/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT =====
*1 TEACHER RECRUITMENT: "INNOVATIVE" WAYS TO REACH MINORITIES
Recruiting New Teachers Inc. last week issued a report that
details "creative" ways to offset anticipated teacher shortages
and recruit minority teachers, writes a National Education
Association press release (4/2). According to the NEA, the
report titled, "Breaking the Class Ceiling" details "some
creative ideas on how to offset anticipated teacher shortages;"
ideas similar to ones explored by the teacher union.
The report noted that less than one in seven teachers is a
minority. In contrast a recent NEA survey indicated that one in
five NEA education support personnel is a minority.
"From experiences with our own members, we know that
paraprofessionals who come to teach need and seek opportunities
to move into teaching," says Lynn Coffin, director of the NEA's
National Center for Innovation. "The beauty of this talent pool
is that 'parapros' already have a sensitivity to the teaching
profession. They've been in the classroom, they've worked with
today's students, and they ar familiar with what it will take to
be a teacher."
Helping paraprofessionals move into teaching positions is a
goal endorsed by the NEA and reported on in the Recruiting New
Teachers report. For example, the Nevada State Education
Association lobbied state legislators on the need to attract more
minorities to the teaching profession. The Legislature responded
a few years ago by approving grants to support innovative
recruitment efforts, reports the press release.
According to the NEA, the Clark County Education Support
Employees Association became a "rich talent pool that has yielded
some 30 classroom teachers" in recent years. Teacher candidates
receive financial assistance, flexible class schedules at local
universities and were able to student teach without having to
take unpaid leave.
Copies of "Breaking the Class Ceiling" are available for
$31.95 plus $3.00 shipping and handling, or $24.95 plus $3.00
shipping and handling for multiple copies, by sending a check or
money order to Recruiting New Teachers, Inc.; 385 Concord Avenue;
Suite 103; Belmont, Mass. 02178; 617/489-6000.
===== GOAL SEVEN: SAFE SCHOOLS =====
*2 THREE WAYS TO IMPROVE SCHOOL SAFETY: A DELAWARE EXPERIMENT
Legislation aimed at improving the safety of students in
Delaware schools has helped secure "an environment that promotes
learning," (Delaware Department of Public Instruction, NEW
DIRECTIONS FOR EDUCATION IN DELAWARE, Winter 1996). The
legislation, passed by the Delaware General Assembly in 1994,
established three programs to deal with discipline problems in
schools.
The programs include: alternative schools in each county to
provide support and instruction for severely disruptive and
expelled students; school-based intervention programs in all
schools to address the behavioral and academic needs of
disruptive students; and three pilot community-school prevention
programs established "to deliver services that promote parental,
family and community involvement in reducing and resolving school
discipline problems and promoting academic success," the
newsletter writes.
Funding for innovative school-based intervention already has
been distributed to 148 schools. Examples of these interventions
include "tutoring services, Saturday school, parenting skills
programs, peer counseling, extended day programs and study skills
programs," reports NEW DIRECTIONS.
Three community partnerships, formed to address the needs
of at-risk children in their communities, also have received
funding. They will seek to deliver preventative services
promoting a family/community link with schools.
The programs will be monitored and evaluated by an Oversight
Committee composed of appointees from the Department of Public
Instruction, state education and higher education associations
and the Department of Children, Youth & Their Families. The
committee will issue a public report in the near future that
will use indicators such as attendance, academics,
suspensions/expulsions, parental involvement, committee
involvement and social agency involvement to evaluate the
programs.
Additional funds are being requested to expand the program
in FY 1997.
===== RESEARCH NOTES =====
*3 EQUAL OPPORTUNITY: DON'T COUNT ON BILINGUAL ED
In response to the raging debate over immigration, English,
multilingualism and multiculturalism, the Center for Equal
Opportunity (CEO) has released an Index of Bilingual Education
Statistics (CEO press release, 3/25).
The statistics indicate that bilingual education has failed,
according to CEO interpretation. For example: the majority of
children who have difficulty speaking English, 58.5%, were born
in the U.S.; the dropout rate for Spanish speaking children,
49.5%, is far higher than that for children who speak other non-
English languages, 22.8%; students with difficulty speaking
English and who are held back in their grade level are actually
less likely to drop out of school; and Spanish speakers are the
group most likely to be placed in bilingual education programs,"
according to the report.
Statistics also present three-year exit rates for Limited
English Proficiency students in ESL or bilingual classes by
language and by program for New York City students. Other data
includes: 1994 reading and math results of New York City
students who are no longer Limited English Proficiency and
English learner population by state and by program (ESL or
bilingual).
Linda Chavez, CEO's president, explains that the statistics
index is part of a monograph entitled "The Failure of Bilingual
Education." The book is based on a CEO conference held on
Capitol Hill last September, and will be available to the general
public on 1 May.
For more information, contact the Center For Equal
Opportunity; 815 Fifteenth Street NW; Suite 928; Washington, D.C.
20005; 202/639-0803. The center is a project of the Equal
Opportunity Foundation.
*4 IN SUPPORT OF BILINGUAL EDUCATION: A WESTED REPORT
Jorge Cuevas examines theories supporting bilingual
education in a WestEd monograph entitled "Educating Limited-
English Proficient Students: A Review of the Research on School
Programs and Classroom Practices." (WestEd, FOCUS, Winter 1996).
WestEd is a new public agency that unites the Far West Laboratory
with the Southwest Regional Laboratory. The new organization
serves the education communities in Arz., Calif., Nev. and Utah.
Cuevas writes that most schools do not have sufficient
resources to operate true bilingual programs, which equally
stress learning about English and the student's native language.
He notes that English-as-a-second-language (ESL) is far more
prevalent in American schools than bilingual education. ESL
programs encourage "acquisition of English language skills but at
a cost to native language development," the newsletter writes.
Cuevas implies that ESL enjoys more popularity because it is
easier and cheaper. Students are pulled out of regular
classrooms for ESL lessons; this method produces minimal
disruption to school schedules, and eliminates the need for
bilingual teachers, he notes.
Cuevas presents four program options: structured immersion,
which uses some native language; early and late transitional
programs, where students are taught in both languages and
prepared for eventual mainstreaming; dual immersion, which is
truly bilingual; and first language maintenance programs, WestEd
reports.
Questions relating to English fluency and academic success,
assessment tools and measuring student progress, preferred ESL
teaching strategies and schoolwide reforms needed to serve LEP
students also are addressed by Cuevas in his review.
Cuevas's report is one in a series of WestEd products
"designed to help educators better serve diverse student
populations," writes FOCUS. To order a copy of "Educating
Limited-English Proficient Students (PD-96-01), contact WestEd at
730 Harrison Street; San Francisco, Calif. 94107-1242; 415/565-
3000. The report costs $10.00.
===== TAKING STOCK =====
*5 CRITICAL NEEDS: A SURVEY OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
City governments have increased their involvement in meeting
the needs of children and their families, according to a new
study released by the National League of Cities. "Critical
Needs, Critical Choices: A Survey of Children and Families in
America's Cities," reveals that more than nine out of 10 of the
780 cities responding to a NCL survey reported some involvement
in affairs affecting children and families. Nearly two out of
three of the cities are involved in each of 34 issues examined by
the study, notes an NCL press release (3/25).
"Just as children live in families, families live in
communities," said NLC President Greg Lashutka, mayor of
Columbus, Ohio. "Community conditions that nurture families and
children will strengthen the well-being and capacity of our
cities and our nation as a whole."
Nearly 60% of the respondents indicated that their municipal
government spent more or much more in 1995 on issues affecting
children and families than five years ago. About 75% indicated
that they participate in collaborative activities with schools,
neighborhood groups, non-profit organizations, businesses, and/or
individual citizens and parents, to focus on the needs of
children and families.
Other findings include: child care "tops" the list of needs
for city children; delinquency and other "risky behaviors" is
noted as the most urgent need for the 14- to 18-year-old crowd;
and "declining municipal revenues and citizen resistance to new
spending are the most frequently cited barriers to municipal
involvement in addressing the needs of chidlren and families,"
writes the report.
Cities are currently most involved in community safety and
recreation issues, revealed the survey. Involvement was defined
as providing direct services, having dedicated city staff, having
a commission or task force, and/or playing a leadership role.
Involvement in these issues often takes the form of neighborhood
revitalization and community outreach programs.
"Critical Need" includes chapters on "The Most Pressing
Needs of Children and Families," "Financing Strategies," and
"Strengthening Communities Through Collaboration." A list of
participating cities by city size and region is included.
Lashutka encourages " policy makers in all levels of
government, and by leaders and concerned individuals in many
other walks of life" to "carefully stud[y] and evaluat[e]" the
report.
The study is based on a fall of 1995 NLC survey sent to the
mayors of 2,062 cities, including all cities above 50,000 in
population, and to the mayors of a representative sample of
cities between 10,000 nd 50,000 in population. Mayors in 780
cities and towns responded to the survey. The study is part of
NLC's Program on Children and Families in Cities, which is
supported by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Ford
Foundation.
Copies of "Critical Needs, Critical Choices: A Survey of
Children and Families in America's Cities" is available from the
National League of Cities Publications Center; P.O. Box 491;
Annapolis Junction, Md. 20701; 301/725-4299. The price is $15
($10 for NLC members) plus $4 postage and handling.
==== CHARTING A NEW COURSE ====
*6 SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED: CHARTER SCHOOLS IN ILLINOIS
Ill. Gov Bob Edgar (R) last week signed legislation that
authorized the creation of charter schools (McKinney, CHICAGO
SUN-TIMES, 4/11). The legislation permits 45 charter schools
statewide. Two Chicago groups already have expressed interest in
opening charters, reports the paper.
According to the SUN-TIMES, Ill. charter schools can operate
free of most state restrictions. However, students still must
take state-mandated student performance tests and the schools
must adhere to laws banning corporal punishment and racial,
religious and gender discrimination, writes the paper. "We'll be
able to learn from these charter schools and take the things that
work and spread them throughout public schools in Illinois," said
Edgar.
DePaul U and the Westside Schools and Communitites
Organizing for Restructuring and Planning, a community group, are
poised to open charter schools, notes the paper. University
officials are in negotiations to convert an existing private
school near one of their campuses into a charter school. The
Westside group plans to create a charter school in the Austin
neighborhood that would be "geared to children and their
parents," writes the paper. Both groups are waiting to hear from
Chicago public school officials about how they want charter
schools to be structured in the city, according to the SUN-TIMES.
*7 THE FIRST DISTRICTWIDE CHARTER PROGRAM: PORTLAND'S GOAL
School Superintendent John Bierwirth has proposed to make
Portland Public School District the first "charter school
district" in the country (Council of Great City Schools, URBAN
EDUCATOR, 3/96). School board members have endorsed the proposal
and are seeking a $5,000 grant from the Oregon DoEd "to explore
charter status for the 92 schools in the 57,000 students
district," writes the newsletter.
"Who sets the rules? The state legislature, the state DoEd,
and we react," Bierwirth said. "This is a chance to promote an
alternative vision that makes sense for us."
"Bierwirth's bold move is worth pursing for the
opportunities it holds out for an urban district faced with
declining dollars," noted an OREGONIAN editorial. "Charter
schools status would ask -- and perhaps answer -- the 'what if'
question: What would we do if we could throw out the rule book
and build the kind of school or schools our teachers, students
and parents want?"
=== HIGHER EDUCATION ===
*8 EQUITY 2000: SUPPORTING EQUAL EDUCATION FOR ALL
College Board President Donald M. Stewart announced receipt
of a $3.1M grant from the DeWitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund
that will be used "to expand a national program to increase the
number of low-income and minority students who successfully make
it to college" (College Board press release).
"For the past six years, the Board has been operating a
pilot project called EQUITY 2000 that eliminates the arbitrary
practice of tracking students -- many of them low-income and
minority youth -- into courses that do not prepare them to do
college work," said Stewart.
"EQUITY 2000 destroys the myth that only certain students
can succeed," said Vinetta Jones, national director of EQUITY
2000. "It does it three ways. First it helps districts
establish high expectations for all students starting with the
requirement that every student complete algebra and geometry by
the tenth grade. Next, it provides training designed to change
the perceptions of teachers and guidance counselors who don't
think that all students can succeed. Finally, students receive
extra support, ranging from counseling to special classes on
Saturdays."
The grant allows the College Board to provide assistance for
up to 52 school districts throughout the nation "on adopting the
EQUITY 2000 education reform model," the press release writes.
The six pilot sites that have been participating in EQUITY
2000 include Milwaukee, Wisc.; Providence R.I.; Fort Worth,
Texas; Nashville, Tenn.; Prince George's County, Md.; and nine
districts in San Jose, Calif.
Preliminary results from the pilot effort include the
following: all pilot sites are approaching the goal of 100%
enrollment in algebra or higher level math by ninth grade; four
of the six sites show geometry enrollment in excess of 50% for
all racial groups; and more than 50% of all students are passing
algebra, and 70% are passing geometry," according to the release.
EQUITY 2000 has been a catalyst for other changes in pilot
districts. For example: Providence has eliminated tracking in
K-12 math courses; Milwaukee schools have ended tracking in
English, science and social studies; and a summer Mathematics
Institute for teachers in Nashville has lead to similar
professional development programs in language arts.
"What impresses us most about EQUITY 2000 is that it starts
with a shared vision of success for all young people, regardless
of economic and racial background, and then moves forward to
remove barriers that stand in the way of achieving that goal,"
explained George V. Grune, chairman, DeWitt Wallace-Reader's
Digest Fund. The Fund is a major sponsor of EQUITY 2000,
providing nearly $6M in earlier grants, notes the release. Most
of the funds have been targeted to training guidance counselors
who help steer students to college-prep classes and then to
supporting the students as they pursue more rigorous courses,
according to the College Board.
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