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--- Wednesday --- July 3, 1996 --- Vol. 63 --- No. 59 ---
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THE NATIONAL UPDATE ON AMERICA'S EDUCATION REFORM EFFORTS
A service of the National Education Goals Panel
__________ __________
SUMMER LEARNING TIPS | SPOTLIGHT |
The U.S. DoEd's Office of | |
Educational Research and | RISING FROM THE ASHES |
Improvement has prepared a | |
"Summertime Funtime Activities" | The standards movement |
poster to help parents "keep | has been pronounced dead; |
the learning going" over the | the victim of a no-holds- |
summer (DoEd press release, | barred political battle |
6/21). | over the control of |
The poster includes a | American education. The |
calendar of activities and | victors are those who curse |
eight "every day" suggestions | anything that smells of an |
of activities parents can do | overbearing federal |
with their children during the | government. |
summer. Every day tips include | |
counting with your child, | Out of the ashes of the |
reading and writing together, | fallen standards will |
praising your child, sharing | emerge an improved national |
news and making a dictionary of | voluntary standards effort, |
new words and adding to it | predicts Brookings Institu- |
every day. | tion's Diane Ravitch. |
Suggested activities include: | Standards will not go away |
hiding a treasure with your | because they "are essential |
child and drawing a map to find | both for excellence and for |
it, telling a story and looking | equal opportunity," she |
up events on the day your child | says. (#7) |
was born. | |
A display copy is being sent | Apparently, the Council |
to public libraries nationwide. | for Basic Education and The |
Single posters are available | Business Roundtable have |
free, on a first-come, first- | faith in this rising |
served bases from the | Phoenix. Their efforts to |
department's National Library | promote academic standards |
of Education at 800/424-1616. | are well underway. (#5, #4) |
|_____________________________|
============== QUOTE OF THE DAY ==============
"The first step to solving our nation's education problems is to
substantially raise academic standards and verify achievement
through rigorous testing." -- Norman Augustine, president and
chief executive officer of Lockheed Martin Corporation and
chairman of The Business Roundtable's Education Task Force. (#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 |
|
|_______________________________________________________________|
============== TABLE OF CONTENTS ==============
GOAL ONE: SCHOOL READINESS
REVERSAL: More funds for Boston four-year-olds. (#1)
GOAL FOUR: TEACHER EDUCATION/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMEN
SCIENTISTS: How they can help train science teachers. (#2)
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR MATH/SCIENCE: A common vision.(#3)
STANDARD BEARERS
BUSINESS LEADERS: A guide for setting academic standards. (#4)
DEFINING WORLD CLASS STANDARDS: Consortium emerges.(#5)
TAKING STOCK
A STUDENT PERSPECTIVE: MetLife's new survey. (#6)
THE BIG PICTURE
STANDARDS, CHOICE, CHARTERS: Brookings on education. (#7)
FROM COURTHOUSE TO SCHOOLHOUSE
ALL MALE VMI?: No way, says Supreme Court. (#8)
STATE WANTS "EXTRAORDINARY RELIEF:" And out of court case.(#9)
CHOOSING SCHOOLS
NOT ENOUGH TIME: Some Mich. schools turn down choice law.(#10)
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===== GOAL ONE: SCHOOL READINESS =====
*1 REVERSAL: MORE FUNDS FOR BOSTON FOUR-YEAR-OLDS
Boston school Superintendent Thomas Payzant and Mayor Thomas
Menino (D) earlier this year agreed to stop half-day kindergarten
classes for four-year-olds in order to fund full-day programs for
five-year-olds (Chacon, BOSTON GLOBE, 6/20). However, Menino
last week announced that he would allocate $200,000 to pay for
early-kindergarten programs for four-year-olds.
"This is a step in the right direction," said Councilor-at-
Large Peggy Davis-Mullen. "But this is by no means a sufficient
response." The decision to end programs for four-year-olds met
with "heavy criticism" from parents and city council members,
reports the paper.
Mayoral aids said the new funds would cover the costs of
placing 90 children in classes at community centers across the
city. But others maintain that about 1,000 four-year-olds will
be displaced from public schools this fall, notes the paper.
According to the GLOBE, a committee has been created to
examine the educational needs of Boston four-year-olds.
===== GOAL FOUR: TEACHER EDUCATION/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT =====
*2 SCIENTISTS: HOW THEY CAN HELP TRAIN SCIENCE TEACHERS
A new report from the National Research Council reviews 180
professional development programs from 27 states and the District
of Columbia for K-12 science teachers. "The Role of Scientists
in the Professional Development of Science Teachers" also
provides "guidance" on how scientists and science educators can
support the professional development of teachers (National
Research Council press release, 6/18).
According to the report, the purpose of the book is to
provide a "how-to" guide for scientists, teachers and
administrators on how to "design, implement and evaluate
professional development programs." The committee of experts who
prepared the report determined several common features of
successful professional development programs, including: the
program was designed to meet important school-based needs;
opportunities were provided for continuing involvement among
participants; evaluation was a continuous process and was used to
improve the program; and participating teachers were treated as
professionals, writes the report.
The report strongly advocates a role for scientists in
teacher professional development. Scientists can "act as
scientific partners; provide connections to the rest of the
scientific community; provide hands-on, inquiry-based workshops
for area teachers;" and provide science teachers with equipment
and journals not available in their schools, notes the report.
The section on programs evaluated include a description of
the program, contact name and phone, fax and Internet address.
Also included is a list of organizations that support activities
in science and mathematics education.
Copies of the report, "The Role of Scientists in the
Professional Development of Science Teachers" is available for
$37.95 (hardbound, 256 pages). Call 800/624-6242 or in the
Washington, D.C. metropolitan area 202/334-3313. You also may
order electronically via Internet at http://www.nap.edu.
*3 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR MATH & SCIENCE: A COMMON VISION
A review of professional development strategies for math and
science education found a common vision shared by various
national organizations, reports the National Institute for
Science Education, based at the U of Wisconsin-Madison (NISE
BRIEF, May 1996). NISE staff examined standards set by groups
such as the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the
National Research Council. (See today's DRC, #2)
Seven principles shared by the groups were determined by
NISE. According to NISE, the most effective professional
development programs for science and mathematics educators "are
driven by a clear, well-defined image of effective classroom
learning and teaching," which includes a commitment that all
children can learn, a sensitivity to diverse learning needs and
an emphasis on inquiry-based learning, problems solving, student
investigation and application of knowledge, among other things.
The remaining six principles include: the programs
guarantee teachers opportunities to develop knowledge and skills
and broaden their teaching approaches; use instructional methods
to promote learning for adults that parallel methods to be used
with students -- "teaching teachers means having a good sense of
where they are starting from ... "; build on the learning
community of science and math teachers; prepare and support
teachers who are interested in leadership roles; consciously
provide links to other parts of the education system by, among
other things, "integrating professional development activities
into other initiatives of the school or district;" and include
continuous assessment.
NISE makes several recommendations for policymakers
interested in supporting the professional development of math and
science teachers. For example, NISE calls for improving pre-
service teacher training for science and math teachers, "to model
the principles of effective teaching and learning. Coursework at
colleges and universities, especially content courses in science
and mathematics, could model the kind of teaching that teachers
are expected to pursue with their students," writes the news
brief.
Another recommendation calls for an overhaul of teacher
recertification. According to the report, "recertification could
depend less on the amount of 'seat-time' teachers log in courses
and in-service programs. Instead, science and mathematics
teachers could be encouraged to pursue more meaningful learning
opportunities, such as periodically taking time away from
teaching to perform scientific research."
Copies of the report "Principles of Effective Professional
Development for Mathematics and Science Education: A Synthesis
of Standards," by Susan Loucks-Horsley, Katherine Stiles and
Peter Hewson, is available for free on request. Contact NISE at
U of Wisconsin-Madison; 1025 W. Johnson Street; Madison, Wisc.
53706; 608/263-9250 or 1028. NISE Briefs also are available
electronically on the World Wide Web at
http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/nise.
==== STANDARD BEARERS ====
*4 BUSINESS LEADERS: A GUIDE FOR SETTING ACADEMIC STANDARDS
The Business Roundtable's latest publication is a report on
standards, "The Business Leader's Guide to Setting Academic
Standards." Norman Augustine, president and chief executive
officer of Lockheed Martin Corporation, writes in the report's
forward that the "first step to solving our nation's education
problems is to substantially raise academic standards and verify
achievement through rigorous testing." Augustine also serves as
chairman of the Education Task Force for The Business Roundtable.
The report defines key terms and presents the history and
debate over standards-setting, provides mini-case studies of ways
in which business leaders have contributed to standard setting
and a list of resource materials and contacts. Examples of
standards set in particular states, including Vt., Colo, and Ky.,
and Md. also are contained in the report.
The Business Roundtable also developed six options for
business involvement in standards setting: "outline the academic
skills and knowledge that students will need to thrive in today's
economy," noting that Texas and Fort Worth included workplace
skills into academic standards; "insist that new standards be
tied to an effective assessment system;" "help write academic
standards in collaboration with educators," noting the process in
Dela. and Va.; read and critique the academic standards being
developed by your state;" "benchmark the standards so they are as
high -- if not higher than those of other nations, and update the
standards regularly to keep pace with competing nations," noting
examples in Dela. and Ga.; and "support efforts to involve the
public in standards-setting and to seek public approval of the
standards."
The report concludes that "the transformation of standards
from rhetoric to reality does not occur by decree from above."
It holds that parents, educators and students must "adopt, adapt
and take ownership of their standards, and they must believe them
to be worth striving for."
Copies of this report are available by sending a fax to The
Business Roundtable at 202/466-3509.
*5 SEEKING TO DEFINE WORLD CLASS STANDARDS: CONSORTIUM EMERGES
Teachers in a consortium of schools located in several
nations plan to tackle the challenge of defining world class
standards (COUNCIL FOR BASIC EDUCATION press release, 6/20). The
group emerged from a consortium hosted by the Washington, D.C.-
based Council for Basic Education at the Rockefeller Center in
Bellagio, Italy.
Delegates from Australia, Chile, Czech Republic, France,
Germany, the International Baccalaureate Organization, Japan the
United Kingdom and the United States attended the meeting.
"Every nation represented at the meeting understands the global
nature of the labor force of the future and the implication that
internationalization has for the education systems in each
nation," said CBE President Christopher Cross. "We all also
understand that communication needs to be vastly improved if we
are to understand exactly what students in other nations are
expected and able to do relative to specific subjects like
science, language and geography."
Cross explained that the consortium intends to attract
between 16 and 24 schools in several countries. The consortium
will use the Internet by developing a Home Page for "dialogue and
to facilitate the sharing of actual student work in specific
subjects at various ages," said Cross. He added: "By doing this
we will clearly know where the best work is being done, what that
work consists of, how students are taught, and how they are
assessed. Most importantly, it will be teachers talking with
teachers, learning from one another and learning what can be done
... The result will be that we can establish precisely what a
world class standards is in specific subjects at specific grade
levels."
CBE will assume the role of international coordinator of the
project and will work with the U.S. schools. CBE also will
publish the common lexicon and a series of papers on world class
standards.
CBE is a non-profit membership organization devoted to
advocacy of a "rigorous liberal arts education for all children
in the nation's elementary and secondary schools," writes the
release.
===== TAKING STOCK =====
*6 A STUDENT PERSPECTIVE: MET LIFE'S NEW SURVEY
Students are more satisfied with the quality of their
teachers than they are with other aspects of their education,
according to a new survey released by MetLife. The "Metropolitan
Life Survey of the American Teacher 1996, Students Voice Their
Opinions on: Their Education, Teachers and Schools" is the
second in a four-part series of surveys conducted by MetLife.
Three-quarters of students surveyed give their teachers a
rating of "excellent" or "pretty good" on overall quality. And
students tend to have more positive feelings about their teachers
(73%) than their overall education (66%). Teachers received
their highest mark for being knowledgeable on the subjects they
teach (77%) and helping students who have difficulty with their
courses (70%). However, teachers are not rated as highly for
making learning interesting (39%) and taking an interest in
students' personal and home lives (27%).
More than half of students surveyed noted that the lack of
basic skills among their peers is a very or somewhat serious
problem in their schools. According to the survey, the
"deficiency is perceived as more problematic in urban schools
(60%) than suburban (45%) or rural schools (52%). African-
American students find the lack of basic skills more of a problem
(61%) than white (50%) or Hispanic students (56%).
Three trends that emerged from the survey are: urban
students, racial and ethnic minority students and students who
perform poorly in school noted the most dissatisfaction with
their teachers, school resources and the overall quality of
education; students are more satisfied with the quality of their
teachers than they are with other aspects of their schooling; and
teachers hold more positive views of the education system than
students.
Other findings from the report: overcrowded classrooms and
shortages of textbooks are "serious problems" for at least one in
three students surveyed; more than half said lack of equipment in
labs and athletic and exercise facilities are a problem; 72% said
their school does not provide enough interesting experiences
outside the classrooms; and school counselors receive their
highest ratings on being knowledgeable about course requirements
for high schools graduation (84%) and college admission (77%),
and somewhat lower grades on being knowledgeable about non-
academic programs (67%) and their level of interest in students'
futures (68%).
A total of 2,524 questionnaires were completed for the
survey by public school students enrolled in grades seven through
twelve throughout the continental United States.
Copies of the report are available free-of-charge by writing
to: MetLife Teachers Survey 1996; P.O. Box 807; Madison Square
Station; New York, N.Y. 10159-0807.
===== THE BIG PICTURE =====
*7 STANDARDS, CHOICE, CHARTERS: BROOKINGS ON EDUCATION
The summer issue of The Brookings Review features four
education articles that represent "bulletins from a chaotic
battlefront," pens Henry Aaron, senior fellow, Brookings
Institution Economic Studies program (Summer 1996).
The series, called "Snapshots of American Education," covers
the starts and stops of the national standards movement, the pros
and cons of school vouchers, moving from the theory of rewarding
schools and teachers for student successes to practice, and an
update on charter schools.
Diane Ravtich, senior fellow at Brookings and senior
research fellow at New York U, writes on the "continuing need for
national voluntary standards in education." She chronicles the
journey of national standards, beginning with President George
Bush's program of rewarding grants to national groups to develop
national voluntary standards, to the near demise of the movement
this year during the battles over Goals 2000.
Despite the lack of a pulse, Ravitch has faith that national
voluntary standards will be healed. "The idea of nationals
standards has remarkable validity, no matter what the politicians
may say," she writes. She emphatically states that "the issue
will not go away ... because the world of work, education and
communications requires them."
Ravitch concedes that developing national voluntary
standards is a time-consuming project. She offers six
recommendations about how the process and product can be
improved: "every group formulating standards should include not
less than 30% who are neither teachers nor scholars, but members
of the public -- legislators, journalists, doctors, publishers,
engineers lawyers, civic leaders;" standards documents should be
"restricted in length;" standards should be limited to "what
students should know and be able to do so as to be well prepared
for subsequent grades, higher education or technical careers;"
proposed national standards should be distributed widely for
review and comment (Ravitch provides detail on her concept of a
public review stage); the standards should be field-tested in
several areas for at least three years before they are
recommended as national standards; "any standards that deserve to
be called national in scope should describe content but not
dictate pedagogy."
Ravitch claims that national standards are still alive
because they are "essential both for excellence and for equal
opportunity." She concludes: "When we decide that this purpose
demands our attention, we will turn to it again. Perhaps it will
take 10 or 20 years to accomplish. The process may already have
begun."
In a separate article on charter schools, Chester Finn,
Louann Bierlein and Bruno Manno, present an overview of the
nation's charter schools -- what works, what needs improvement.
The research staff of the Hudson Institute's "Charter Schools in
Action" project also include a list of recommendations for
charter school supporters.
The authors claim that the good news is found in the
"individualized schooling" offered by charter schools. They
found that charters boast excellent teachers, and have small
class size and longer school days and years. Many children
enrolled in charter schools are "square pegs:" charters
disproportionately serve minority and disabled children,
according to the authors.
The authors also found that parents of charter school
children are deeply committed to their child's education.
Charter schools typically enjoy "unusually intensive partnerships
with business and community groups," and they stress a strong
core curriculum for all students.
However, charter school administrators earn a failing grade
in small business. "Charter schools are as much small business
as they are educational institutions, yet rare is the school
whose staff is adept at both," write the authors.
The authors also note that many charters start too quickly
and many charter school founders have difficulty "turning over
the reins to the educators they hire to staff the school."
Capital funding is the highest hurdle for charter school
sponsors to jump, according to the authors. And "no state has
solved this problem," they add. Few states are developing
"thoughtful and well-formed plans for evaluating their charter
school programs," report the authors.
Recommendation include: stipulating that charter schools
have full control over its staff selection and states should
provide a loan fund or "revolving" fund to "advance start-up
resources to charter school developers at low or zero interest,"
according to the authors.
Brookings is online at: http//www.brook.edu.
===== FROM COURTHOUSE TO SCHOOLHOUSE =====
*8 ALL MALE VMI?: NO WAY, SAYS SUPREME COURT
The U.S. Supreme Court last week ruled in a 7-1 decision
that it is unconstitutional for the Virginia Military Academy to
continue operating as an all-male school. The decision ends the
school's 157 all-male tradition. It also has an impact on S.C.'s
The Citadel, another public, all-male military academy.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote for the court: "We
conclude that Virginia has shown no 'exceedingly persuasive
justification' for excluding all women from the citizen-soldier
training afforded by [Virginia Military Institute]. ... However
liberally this plan serves the state's sons, it makes no
provision whatever for her daughters. That is not equal
protection." The legal criteria noted by Ginsburg is less
stringent than the test required when governments handle racial
matters, reports the WASH TIMES (Murray, 6/27).
VMI's board of visitors will decide by 11 July how it wants
to proceed. Options include becoming a private school in order
to maintain an all-male enrollment. However, major hurdles could
mar VMI's attempt at privatization, according to the TIMES. The
school would need to raise a $150M endowment to make up for the
$10.3M it receives each year from the state. School officials
also would have to "find a way to obtain the state-owned, 134-
acre campus in Lexington and dozens of campus buildings worth
millions of dollars," writes the paper.
"VMI ran into the modern day Goliath on the principle of
equality," observed David Marion, a political science professor
at all-male Hampden-Sydney college.
Justice Antonin Scalia was the lone dissenter in the case.
"I do not think any of us, women included, will be better off for
[VMI's] destruction," wrote Scalia.
Justice Clarence Thomas abstained from the case. His son is
a VMI cadet, reports the paper.
*9 STATE WANTS "EXTRAORDINARY RELIEF:" WANTS OUT OF COURT CASE
Pa. Gov Ridge (R) has filed an "emergency application for
extraordinary relief" with the state's high court, requesting
that Commonwealth Court Judge Doris Smith be removed from
Philadelphia's desegregation case (Baer, Philadelphia DAILY NEWS,
6/25). Ridge and the state are "court-ordered parties" to the
case; but the state wants no part of the legal action in the 25-
year-old desegregation case.
Specifically, Ridge's petition "slams" Smith on these
issues, reports the paper: Smith should have recused herself
because she worked from the Human Relations COmmission from 1974
to 1980, from which the desegregation case came; Smith forced the
state to join the case without any legal basis; and Smith made
errors that "could create conflicts with another upcoming schools
trial.
The paper reports that "insiders" claim the SUpreme COurt
will act quickly on the state's petition.
==== CHOOSING SCHOOLS ====
*10 NOT ENOUGH TIME: SOME MICH. SCHOOLS TURN DOWN CHOICE LAW
Many school superintendents in southeastern Mich. are
turning down an option to participate in a school choice plan
that was signed last week by Gov. John Engler (R) (DETROIT FREE
PRESS, 6/21). Time restraints and unanswered questions are the
main reasons given for not giving choice a chance in their
districts this year, reports the paper.
"We are asked to make decisions on a bill we have not seen
in final format," explained Paul Stamatakis, superintendent of
Warren Consolidated Schools. "It carries some stiff penalties,
so in order to avoid penalties ... I recommended we opt out."
According to the paper, the law allows students in an
intermediate school district to attend any school in that
district. State grants that total $5,300 follow the student.
The accepting school is not responsible for transportation costs.
Accepting schools "may not pick and choose among students,"
reports the paper. If they do not have enough space, enrollment
is based on a lottery.
However, schools are operating under tight deadlines this
summer. They must accept or reject the choice plan by 1 July.
If they agree to allow choice, they have until 15 July to say how
many students they will take in which classes. Applicants must
be notified of their acceptance status by 15 Aug. Districts that
fail to meet deadlines could lose 10% of state funds. Stamatakis
reports that his district could lose $7M.
THe FREE PRESS includes a list of schools that have agreed
to accept or reject choice. "We're going to give it a shot and
see what happens," said Wyandotte Superintendent Patricia Cole."
According to the paper, some "highly regarded" schools in Oakland
County decided against choice. "Our elementary schools are
growing faster than we expected, our middle schools are
increasing, our high schools are overcrowded," said Rochester
Superintendent John Schultz. "Next year, we will be in a better
position to determine whether to be involved."
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