The Daily Report Card

      --- Monday --- May 20, 1996 --- Vol. 6 --- No. 48 ---

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    THE NATIONAL UPDATE ON AMERICA'S EDUCATION REFORM EFFORTS
         A service of the National Education Goals Panel

                                   __________         __________
HIGH-TECH GENDER GAP              |          SPOTLIGHT          |
  A new video, "Girls &           |                             |
Technology," discusses the        |         DOUBLE DUTY         |
gender gap in technology and      |                             |
offers strategies to help girls   |   Common sense says         |
move into a high-tech world.      | educators and political     |
The 17-minute video was           | leaders must work hard to   |
produced for the National         | keep children in school and |
Coalition of Girls' Schools.      | to ensure they master basic |
  A Coalition press release       | skills before they graduate |
cites National Science            | from high school.  Easier   |
Foundation data that reveals by   | said than done.             |
the year 2000:  women will make   |                             |
up 55% of the workforce in the    |   Two innovative approaches |
U.S.; 88% of non blue-color       | to curtail the drop out     |
jobs will require a "sound        | problem come from rural     |
grounding" in math and science;   | Ore., Wis. and Ohio.   Tiny |
and 62% will require advanced     | Mitchell, Ore., offers a    |
levels of math and science        | "sleepover" school -- a     |
training.  The Coalition notes    | residential program for     |
that the top jobs will go to      | urban and suburban students |
workers who are "confident and    | who got lost at their       |
competent in the field of         | larger home schools.  (#1)  |
technology."                      | Wis. and Ohio tie welfare   |
  The video, prepared for both    | benefits to staying in      |
teachers and parents, offers      | school.  (#4)               |
tips on the ways girls learn,     |                             |
focusing on collaborative and     |   But staying in school is  |
hands-on techniques to "bring     | not enough.  Schools must   |
the classroom to life."           | offer a strong curriculum   |
  The video will be available     | tied to assessments to      |
on 15 June at a cost of $29.95.   | guarantee that a high       |
The Coalition is located at 228   | school diploma means        |
Main Street; Concord, Mass.       | something.  (#5)            |
01742; 508/287-4485.              |_____________________________|

         ==============  QUOTE OF THE DAY  ==============
"Here, you can't even skip a class because teachers will know you
are gone immediately, and there aren't many places around here to
 go."  -- A high school student who attends a residential public
       school program in Mitchell, Ore.  (pop. 185).  (#4)
  _______________________________________________________________
|      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 TWO:  SCHOOL COMPLETION
  DORMERS:  A residential school in rural Oregon. (#1)

GOAL THREE:  STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND CITIZENSHIP
  CAUSE FOR CONCERN:  Vocational education enrollments. (#2)

STATESIDE
  FLEXING ITS MUSCLE:  Maryland qualifies for Edflex. (#3)
  MIXED REVIEWS:  Using welfare to keep students in school. (#4)

STANDARD BEARERS
  COSMETIC CHANGES:  Why a H.S. diploma still is not valued. (#5)

RESEARCH NOTES
  MUSEUM LEARNING:  Researching the options. (#6)



NOTE:  The DAILY REPORT CARD will not publish Friday, 24 May and
Monday, 27 May -- Memorial Day holiday.



           =====  GOAL TWO:  SCHOOL COMPLETION  =====

*1   DORMERS:  A RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL IN RURAL OREGON
     Mitchell, Ore., a tiny town (pop. 185), boasts a "sleepover"
high school (Bushweller, THE AMERICAN SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL, June
1996).  Eight girls and seven boys attend the town's public high
school and live in a dorm operated by the public school system.
     Most of the residential students come from urban or suburban
school systems, where they felt lost in classrooms of thirty and
suffered low grades.  At Mitchell, class size is about 20.
Strict discipline and homework rules have helped the students
significantly raise their grades, according to the magazine.
"Here, you can't even skip a class because teachers will know you
are gone immediately, and there aren't many places around here to
go," said one dorm student, who will attend a community college
next year before enrolling at the U of Oregon.
     "We make very clear what our expectations are," said school
Superintendent Michael Carroll.  "We don't want anyone here who
doesn't want to be here."  For example, there is a strong link
"between school performance [or behavior] and dorm life," notes
the magazine.  All dorm students must engage in 30 minutes of
homework each evening before 10:30, when everyone must go to bed.
However, for every D grade a student earns, an extra half hour of
homework time is assigned.  An additional hour is tacked on for
each F.  And students who are not performing well in any of their
subjects are "dormed," which means they must stay in their rooms
until dinner and return to their rooms after eating, notes the
magazine.  Students also must perform chores every day.
     Carroll explained that the dorm program is not for all
students.  He does not accept students who have been suspended or
expelled for violence or possession of weapons.  The school also
does not serve special needs students because the town does not
have access to counselors and teachers qualified to work with
special students.  Mitchell is best suited for "middle of the
road" students, who are failing at their home schools, said
Carroll.
     According to the JOURNAL, the residential program has
benefited the town's 92-student K-12 school system because the
system is allotted $4,200 from the state for each of the
residential students.  Each student also pays a $75 a month
dormitory fee.
     Some local students and townspeople at first resented the
"outsiders."  Jamie Helms, senior class president:  "I hated it
when they first came here.  It felt like we were being invaded by
outsiders.  But I've really changed how I feel."
     Several neighboring towns have developed programs modeled
after Mitchell's "sleepover" school, notes the magazine.


 =====  GOAL THREE:  STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND CITIZENSHIP  =====

*2   CAUSE FOR CONCERN:  VOCATIONAL EDUCATION ENROLLMENTS
     The number of Calif. students enrolled in career preparation
courses has declined over the last seven years by 7%, according
to a recent study (Lynch, EDUCATION BEAT, May 10).  The data is
"cause for concern," said state Superintendent of Schools Delaine
Eastin.  "Clearly, we have not given adequate attention to the
needs of students entering the work force directly from high
school," she said.
     According to the study, 12.5% of all high school courses
taken in Cailf. in 1988 involved career preparation work.
However, the figure dropped to 9.5% in 1995.  ED BEAT comments
that the findings "come at a time when federal funding for work
force training faces a major overhaul and probable cuts."
Congress currently is deliberating legislation that consolidates
numerous job-training bills and sends the money to states in
block grants.
     ED BEAT notes that Calif. community colleges and sundry
community-based job training programs are "battling" with high
schools over the approximate $600M a year in federal funding
channeled to the state.

                     =====  STATESIDE  =====

*3   FLEXING ITS MUSCLE:  MARYLAND QUALIFIES FOR EDFLEX
     U.S. Ed Sec Richard Riley recently granted Md. school
officials the authority to waive federal education regulations if
they interfered with local efforts to improve teaching and
learning (DoEd press release, 5/9).  Md. joins six other states
that qualified for the "Ed-Flex" program, which emanated from the
Goals 2000:  Educate America Act.  The other states are:  Ohio,
Ore., Kan., Mass., Texas. and Vt.
     Riley:  "The Ed-Flex program is a striking example of new
partnerships the Clinton Administration is forming with states
and communities to help raise academic standards and improve
student achievement.  The state of Maryland, through its 'Schools
for Success Program,' has worked to improve schools by
eliminating constraints that can stand in the way of better
teaching and learning and by holding all schools, districts and
the state responsible for student performance."
     According to the release, Md.'s Schools for Success Program
is built on high academic standards and was developed with input
from parents, educators, community leaders and business
officials.  School districts and schools in the state will be
eligible for waivers from the Perkins Act and the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act, including Title 1, Safe and Drug-free
Schools, Eisenhower Professional Development and other programs.
However, civil rights requirements will not be waived and schools
must continue to abide by provisions of the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act.
     Md. officials indicated that they probably will not adhere
to restrictions in the Eisenhower program that calls for teacher
professional development only for math and science.

*4   MIXED REVIEWS:  USING WELFARE TO KEEP STUDENTS IN SCHOOL
     Wis.'s Learnfare program, which eliminates welfare benefits
for families with children who drop out or are frequently truant,
is not working, according to a recent study (Johnson, N.Y. TIMES,
5/19).  The state legislative Audit Bureau, a nonpartisan
research agency of the state Legislature, conducted the study and
concluded that Learnfare "had no detectable effect on school
participation."
     Another finding:  in 1994, Milwaukee's Learnfare program
suffered from "poor bookkeeping by the schools, which made it
difficult to know whether students were attending classes,"
writes the paper.  A 1992 study conducted by the Employment and
Training Institute at the U of Wisconsin in Milwaukee also
concluded that Learnfare was a failure at keeping children in
school.
     However, Wis. Gov Tommy Thompson (R) has been revered in GOP
political circles for his advancement of welfare reform and what
he dubs "tough love" policies, writes the paper.  He also is
being considered as a possible vice presidential candidate.  John
Matthews, the Governor's chief of staff, said the study was
"seriously flawed," reports the TIMES.  Instead, he claimed that
reductions in the welfare rolls and in student dropout rates
proved that Thompson's program is a success.
     A similar program underway in Ohio has met with more
favorable reviews.  The state's program, "Learning, Earning and
Parenting" (LEAP), reduces welfare checks by $62 monthly for teen
parents who drop out of school, and increases the check by $62
monthly for teens who stay in school, explains the paper.  An
Ohio study found that of teens who participated in LEAP, 46% were
awarded a high school diploma or G.E.D., while 39% of those in a
control group earned one of the degrees.
     According to the paper, some educators claim the G.E.D.
option makes the results less "impressive."  Dr. Judy Gueron,
president of the Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation in
Ohio, said the program's success is in keeping students in
school.  However, she added that its record of getting dropouts
to return to school is less striking.

                  ====  STANDARD BEARERS  ====

*5   COSMETIC CHANGES:  WHY A H.S. DIPLOMA STILL IS NOT VALUED
     After 10 years of education reform why do high school
students continue to underachieve, queries the Souther Regional
Eduction Board, in a new report.  The answer lies in low academic
standards permitted by SREB states, according to "High School
Graduation Standards:  What We Expect and What We Get."
     According to the report, state leaders scrambled during the
1980s to develop education reforms designed to increase student
test scores.  For example:  all SREB states boasted new standards
for high school graduation; all SREB states except one had
increased the number of credits required for high school
graduation to 20 or more; and more than half of the SREB states
had eliminated the general curriculum track.  Yet, no significant
increase in college entrance exams had been measured and business
leaders continue to complain that high school graduates are not
prepared to enter the work world.  Colleges and universities
point out that one in three students enrolling in their
institutions requires remedial work in communications or math or
both, writes the report.  From the report:  "Our efforts have
been dramatic, but the results have not.  We have moved a lot but
have not gone very far."
     In order to move further along, states must toughen up the
curriculum and tie exit exams to the curriculum, recommends the
report.  Every SREB state requires students to complete more
units of study now than in 1980.  However, only five states
(Ark., Fla., Ga., La., and Md.) require all graduates to complete
13 or more credits in the core subjects, notes the report.  And
only eight SREB states call on each student to pass Algebra 1 or
its equivalent to graduate.  "Simply requiring students to
complete credits in the core subjects is not enough," writes the
report.
     SREB reports that all of its member states are developing
new curriculum standards that "clearly define what students would
know and be able to do."  An issue to be addressed while states
work on raising standards is whether the "'basic' level is good
enough," according to the report.  The report describes six
English courses -- ranging from Basic English 12 to AP Honors
English 12 -- all of which qualify as a unit in English.  But is
the basic level good enough?  From the report:  "Are high school
graduates who pass only the least challenging courses prepared to
compete successfully for good jobs, and are they ready to
continue education after high school?"
     One way to ensure that courses are not "watered down" is to
link the curriculum standards to assessments that are given at
the end of each course or as part of a "rigorous" graduation
exam, writes the report.  The Advanced Placement Program can
serve as a model.
     According to the report, several SREB states have
established end-of-course exams.  Ga. and La. already connect
their exit exams to curriculum guides for the core subjects that
all high school students must pass to graduate.  Ky. also
connects curriculum guides and assessment to its standards;
however, the data is used only for school and district
accountability, not to "hold individual students accountable for
what they learn."  Ala., Miss., N.C. and Texas use end-of-course
exams to determine whether a student should be promoted.  And Md.
intends to eliminate the current high school graduation test,
replacing it with 10 more challenging tests -- three in English,
three in social studies and two each in math and science, writes
the report.  The exams will be linked to the state's new high
school curriculum standards.
     However, the report observes a major "pitfall" present even
after states develop end-of-course and graduation exams tied to
curriculum frameworks.  From the report:  "If states fail to
define the level of performance on these assessments that is high
enough to be 'good enough,' the purpose of linking the
assessments to the frameworks is defeated."
     The report also discusses public reactions to higher
standards and recommends policy changes state leaders can
implement.
     Copies of the report are available for $6.00 plus $2.50
shipping and handling from SREB; 592 Tenth Street NW; Atlanta,
Ga.  30318-5790; 404/875-9211.

                   ====  RESEARCH NOTES  ====

*6   MUSEUM LEARNING:  RESEARCHING THE OPTIONS
     The Institute of Museum Services in partnership with the
National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the
Humanities and the National Science Foundation, recently
announced a $1M effort to research learning in museums (Institute
of Museum Services press release, 4/21).
     According to the release, the research is expected to
"advance the understanding and knowledge of learning and visitor
experiences in museums."  The institute considers the research
critical because of the larger role museums are playing in
efforts to "produce an artistically, culturally and
scientifically literate national population."  Current research
on the subject of museum learning is limited.
     The Institute has published a request for proposals to
support a collaborative team or teams to design and conduct a
program of theoretical and applied research.  The proposal
deadline is 2 August 1996.
     For more information and to receive application packets
contact Research in Learning in Museums; Request for Proposals;
Institute of Museum Services; 1100 Pennsylvania Ave. NW; Room
609; Washington, D.C.  20506; 202/606-8539; e-mail:
imsinfo@ims.fed.us or from
http://www.ims.fed.us/imsresearch.html.
     The Institute for Museum Services is an independent Federal
agency.  It was created in 1976 to increase and improve museum
services.

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