--- Wednesday --- September 4, 1996 --- Vol. 6 --- No. 65 ---
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THE NATIONAL UPDATE ON AMERICA'S EDUCATION REFORM EFFORTS
A service of the National Education Goals Panel
__________ __________
GETTING THE EDGE | SPOTLIGHT |
How to get into college is | |
becoming a much riskier | WE'RE BACK |
business than portrayed in the | |
old Tom Cruise movie. Now | School choice, the most |
NEWSWEEK has published a | loved or most hated school |
special report, "How to Get | reform idea of contemporary |
Into College," which offers | times, returns as a hot |
sundry strategies on giving | topic during this year's |
high school students an edge in | back-to-school days. |
the admissions game. | |
The special edition includes | CHITTENDEN, Vt.: Town |
four chapters: choosing a | leaders are challenging a |
college; devising a strategy; | state DoEd ruling that |
writing your applications; and | threatens to withhold all |
paying the bills. A practice | state ed funds if the town |
SAT Test and directory of | continues to allow local |
colleges also is included. | H.S. students to attend a |
Copies are available for | religious school at public |
$5.95 on newsstands nationwide. | expense. Vt. has a |
| longstanding high school, |
CHEATING ON THE WEB | school-choice program.(#7) |
A new website allows students | |
to download other students term | CLEVELAND, OHIO: A new |
papers on numerous topics. | voucher program debuts this |
Kenneth Sahr, a student at | fall, allowing students to |
Florida International U, | attend private and |
created the site that offers | religious schools. (#6) |
ready-made term papers. But | |
many protest that Sahr's site | CONGRESS: The Heritage |
is cheating and demeans the | Foundation supports federal |
academic process. Sahr's site | school-voucher legislation |
is located at http://www.school | that includes religious |
sucks.com. (Tasker, Ark. | schools. (#8) |
DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE, 8/29). |_____________________________|
============== QUOTE OF THE DAY ==============
"You can become a monk or a nun or a priest on state money." --
Richard Komer, a lawyer for the Institute for Justice, justifying
public funds for parochial elementary and high schools. (#7)
_______________________________________________________________
| 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
PARENTS AS TEACHERS FIRST: A program for preschoolers. (#1)
P.T.A.: Organizing preschool parents. (#2)
HIGHER EDUCATION
COLLEGE COSTS: Up, up and away. (#3)
COLLEGE COSTS?: Boomers are clueless. (#4)
TAKING STOCK
ENROLLMENT UP AT INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS: Parents seek options.(#5)
CHOOSING SCHOOLS
SECOND CITY: Cleveland's school voucher program. (#6)
A SCHOOL CHOICE HOT SPOT: A Green Mountains village. (#7)
SAVING OUR CHILDREN: A federal school-voucher plan. (#8)
===== GOAL ONE: SCHOOL READINESS =====
*1 PARENTS AS TEACHERS FIRST: CHICAGO PROGRAM FOR PRESCHOOLERS
More than 500 Chicago parents spent this summer training to
become tutor-mentors for the district's preschoolers and their
families (WU, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 8/25). The tutors will work in
the homes of children and their families to help prepare them for
school. Each parent-mentor will be responsible for three
families, writes the paper.
Kimberly Muhammad-Earl, director of special projects for the
city schools, said that 90 of the city's 470 public elementary
schools are participating in the program. Three high schools
that have day-care centers also are active in the Parents as
Teachers First program, according to the paper. She added that
her department has targeted families on the waiting list for
preschools as prime candidates for the Parents as Teachers First
program.
According to the paper, training for the parent-mentors will
continue throughout the school year, and new parents may join the
training session at any time. Parent-mentors are paid $6 an
hour, including job training, reports the SUN-TIMES.
*2 P.T.A.: ORGANIZING PRESCHOOL PARENTS
Ga.'s Parent Teacher Association has targeted preschools,
which have burgeoning enrollments, to organize P.T.A. chapters
(Loupe, ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 8/29). "You can't get parents
involved in children's education too early," said Nancy Van Wyk,
a district director for the Georgia P.T.A..
Ancilla Cruz, director of the Wee Wisdom Day Nursery and
Kindergarten in Decatur, said that three years ago her parent
group joined the state P.T.A.. According to Cruz, state
affiliation has "made a difference" because of the resources made
available to parents including, newsletters, information about
legislation and a speakers' bureau, writes the paper.
The Forsyth County Early Childhood P.T.A. is not connected
to any school, yet is able to attract members due to its P.T.A.
affiliation, reports the paper. "A lot of people move in and
don't know a soul," explained Marie Clewis, president of the
Forsyth County Early Childhood P.T.A. "They call the local
chamber of commerce and the local P.T.A., who send them to us.
That's why we're a P.T.A. So we can find these people that need
us." Clewis' group sponsors baby-sitting co-ops, support groups
for new mothers, weekly play groups, parents' night out, and
field trips, writes the paper.
The paper notes the World Wide Web address of the national
P.T.A.: http://www.pta.org.
===== HIGHER EDUCATION =====
*3 COLLEGE COSTS: UP, UP AND AWAY
College costs continue to rise and outpace increases in
household income, according to a recent report by the U.S.
General Accounting Office (GAO). The report, requested by 23
members of Congress, found that from school year 1980-81 through
1994-1995, tuition at four-year public colleges and universities
rose by 234%. However, median household income rose only 82% and
the cost of consumer goods increased 74% during that same time
period.
The report also revealed that many states, colleges and
universities have introduced innovative financing methods to help
students bear the financial burden of securing a college degree.
Limits placed on tuition charges, tuition prepayment plans, and
arrangements for tuition payments to be made over the school year
are several examples of programs offered by states and schools.
For example, Ohio's Kent State U offers a program that allows
parents to pay undergraduate tuition by making a $1,750 down
payment and 36 additional $475 payments. "It's like buying a
car," said David Young, an assistant controller at Kent State U.
"It smooths out your payments, and no matter how high tuition
goes up, you're locked in."
Other illustrations of programs designed to cut the cost of
college include programs that provide accelerated college credit
and facilitate the transfer of community college students to
four-year institutions. Another innovative method is dual
enrollment. Wash. boasts the "Running Start Program," which
allows junior and senior high school students to enroll in
college courses at the community college or university level.
Tuition is paid for with basic education funds for grades
kindergarten through 12, which allows students to attend free-of-
charge. About 3% of the state's high school juniors and seniors
participate in the program.
According to the report, tuition has skyrocketed due to the
rise in schools' expenditures coupled with the schools' greater
dependency on tuition. GAO also found a "wide variation" in
tuition nationwide: the nationwide average tuition for in-state
students at four-year public schools was $2,685, but state
averages range from $1,524 to $5,521. The difference is
explained by varying levels of state support, writes the report.
The first copy of the report, "Higher Education: Tuition
Increasing Faster Than Household Income and Public Colleges
Costs," is available free-of-charge. Additional copies are $2
each. Send order, accompanied by a check or money order made out
to the Superintendent of Documents to: U.S. General Accounting
Office; P.O. Box 6015; Gaithersburg, Md. 20884-6015; or call
202/512-6000.
For information on how to access GAO reports on the
Internet, send an e-mail message with "info" in the body to:
info@www.gao.gov. Or, visit the GAO's Home Page at:
http://www.gao.gov.
*4 COLLEGE COSTS?: BOOMERS ARE CLUELESS
Eight out of 10 parents either admit they do not know or
underestimate how much it will cost to send their children to
college, according to a survey of parents with children under 13
years of age commissioned by Neuberger&Berman Management Inc., a
no-load mutual fund firm. "To paraphrase Winston Churchill, they
are half-aware and half-read," said Stanley Egener, president of
Neuberger&Berman Management.
One third of those surveyed had not established any kind of
college savings or investment program. On average, parents who
have begun a monthly savings or investment program are only
saving about half, or less, of the minimum amount needed to pay
for a child's college education. "Yet 95% of the parents
surveyed expect their child will attend college, and most expect
personal savings to foot the bill," writes a Neuberger&Berman
Management Inc. press release.
Other findings from the nationwide survey of 1,000 parents
of children ages 13 or younger include: more than one-third were
unable to guess what it would cost to send their children to
college; two-thirds of those who attempted to guess underestimate
the cost; almost 70% have begun saving to send their children to
college; about 46% put aside $100 or more a month; 41% are saving
less than $100 a month and the remaining 13% declined to answer.
The survey also revealed that parents who are saving select
"relatively conservative investment options." Almost 60% rely on
savings accounts and 30% on bonds. Only about half are invested
in the stock markets, either through mutual funds (34.3%) or
individual stocks (17.5%,) according to the survey.
Neuberger&Berman also announced the opening of their new
website designed to help parents better plan for their childrens'
education. The website, located at http://www.nbfunds.com, is a
free service. Neuberger&Berman is located at 605 Third Avenue;
2nd Floor; New York, N.Y. 10158-0180; 212/476-8800.
===== TAKING STOCK =====
*5 ENROLLMENT UP AT INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS: PARENTS SEEK OPTIONS
The National Association of Independent Schools found that
in the 1995-1996 school year, enrollment in member schools rose
by 2.1% over the previous year. According to NAIS, independent
school enrollment increased by 11% over the last ten years.
A survey of NAIS members also revealed that: 17% of
American students were students of color, an increase of 0.2
percent over the previous year; the average percentage of
students receiving need-based aid remained stable over the last
year at 16.7%, but the average size of a need-based grant rose,
from $5,847 in 1994-1995 to $6,147 in 1995-1996; one-third of
need-based financial aid dollars last year went to assist
students of color, while 65% of students of color received no
financial aid.
The report found that for the 1995-1996 school year, 45,900
teachers served as faculty at NAIS schools, an increase of over
1,600 from the previous year. The student-teacher ratio was 9.3
to 1, compared to 17.4 to 1 for public schools and 15.1 to 1 for
other types of private schools, according to the National Center
for Education Statistics.
A separate NAIS report describes profiles and experience for
independent school teachers. According to the report, 23% of
teachers employed at NAIS members schools in 1994-1995 had five
or fewer years of teaching experience; 19% have had six to ten
years; 18% have had eleven to fifteen years; 16% have had sixteen
to twenty years; and 24% have had twenty-one or more years of
experience.
Teachers of color have increased their ranks in independent
schools over the years, from 1,597 in 1989-1990 to 2,878 in 1994-
1995. Sixty-five percent of independent school teachers are
women, 35% ore men, notes the report.
Teacher salaries vary according to teacher experience and
the type of school -- day/boarding, coed/single sex,
elementary/secondary. The median annual salary for teachers is
highest in the West at $36,880 and lowest in the Southeast at
$28, 844. In New England and the Southwest, the median annual
salaries are almost the same at $29,625 and $29,315,
respectively. The median in the Midwest is $30,500; $30,955 in
the Middle Atlantic; and $32,275 in the East.
NAIS reports on research conducted at the Klingenstein
Center at Teahers College, Columbia U, that describes four
factors that draw teachers to independent schools: the autonomy
and empowerment associated with independent schools, the unique
atmosphere of an independent school, the quality of students, and
school facilities. From the report: "Teachers value their
curricular freedom, small class and close-knit relationships with
students, faculty, and administrators." There is no independent
school teachers' union, and in only a few cases is a school's
faculty affiliated with a national public school teacher union.
NAIS is a voluntary membership organization representing
over 1,100 independent schools and association of schools. NAIS
is located at 1620 L Street NW; Washington, D.C. 20036-5605;
202/973-9700.
==== CHOOSING SCHOOLS ====
*6 SECOND CITY: CLEVELAND'S SCHOOL VOUCHER PROGRAM
Last week, Cleveland joined Milwaukee to become the nation's
second city to send students to private schools at public expense
(KNIGHT RIDDER/BOSTON GLOBE, 9/1). Low-income families are
awarded up to $2,250 to send their children to private schools;
families pay between 10% and 25% of tuition. However, Cleveland
distinguishes itself from Milwaukee by allowing public funds to
be spent on religious as well as secular private schools, writes
the paper. Last year, the Wis. legislature voted to expand their
choice program to include religious schools, but a lawsuit was
filed and the proposal is being delayed in the courts.
Cleveland's pilot voucher program was initiated by the Ohio
General Assembly, which last year took control of the Cleveland
school system, reports the paper. The Legislature funded the
voucher program for two years. (See DRC 4-26-95)
According to the GLOBE, over 6,000 families applied for a
voucher; only 2,000 students were selected by lottery in grades K
through 3.
*7 SCHOOL CHOICE'S LATEST HOT SPOT: A GREEN MOUNTAINS VILLAGE
The tiny town of Chittenden, Vt., nestled in the Green
Mountains, is making waves as the latest school choice hot spot
(multi cites). Town leaders filed suit last week to "preserve
the nation's oldest school-choice program." (Innerst, WASH
TIMES, 8/31).
According to the paper, many of Vt.'s towns are too small to
maintain their own high schools. For the past century, the state
has paid for high school students to attend public or private
schools of their choice. However, the state in 1961 discontinued
the inclusion of religious schools in the program. But a 1994
Vermont Supreme Court ruling allowed a Manchester, Vt., parent to
send his son to a religiously affiliated school.
Chittenden's school board recently agreed to pay for 17
local students to attend a Catholic high school. The state DoEd
immediately nixed those plan, threatening to withhold all state
aid for education, writes the GLOBE (Burge, 9/1). The DoEd's
action caused Chittenden to file suit, arguing that the state has
no right to withhold funds. "The statute itself is not sending
students to Mount St. Joseph," explained Richard Komer, a lawyer
for the Institute for Justice, a conservative organization that
is handling Chittenden's legal case for no charge. "The parents
are. The state is not advancing religion. The state is not
encouraging them to choose religious schools over public
schools."
Supporters of the school board's policy also argue that the
plan saves the town money. Vt. school districts pay as much as
$6,200 per year to send students to private schools, but only
about $2,500 for Catholic schools, writes the GLOBE.
The Vt. DoEd claims that the 1961 rule, which outlawed the
inclusion of religious schools in the choice program, still
holds. Defenders of the board's ruling to include religious
schools point to the state's Student Assistance Corp., which
provides financial aid for needy college students, notes the
GLOBE. Komer added that the funds can be used to send students
to private and religious colleges, including the seminary.
Komer: "You can become a monk or a nun or a priest on state
money."
*8 SAVING OUR CHILDREN: A FEDERAL SCHOOL-VOUCHER PLAN
The conservative, Washington, D.C.-based Heritage Foundation
has released a short paper extolling the benefits of school
choice that includes private and religious schools, particularly
for low-income students. "The Social Consequences of Choice:
Why it Matters Where Poor Children Go To School" urges Congress
to pass legislation introduced by Representatives J.C. Watts (R-
Okla.) and James Talent (R-Mo.) that includes a voucher program
for private and religious schools.
Denis Doyle, senior fellow in education at the Heritage
Foundation and author of the paper, writes that the U.S. "stands
virtually alone among the world's democracies," in regard to
providing public funds for children to attend private schools.
He traces the "changing intellectual climate" regarding success
in school. "Just as geography was destiny in the 19th century,
SES [socio-economic status] became destiny in the 20th," he pens.
Doyle continues: "The ironies in this development were many. In
liberal hands, it became an argument designed to bolster the
theory that the only good school is a rich school (and a rich
public one at that). At the same time, it became an argument
that absolves the existing school of its obligations to its
students. It 'blames the victim.' The school is not at fault if
students do not learn."
Doyle goes on to explain why schools do matter, heavily
citing the work of James Coleman. In 1981, Coleman, a U of
Chicago professor, published seminal research that "demonstrated
the strong effect of Catholic schools, particularly on poor black
children," writes Doyle. A summary of Coleman's work appeared in
"The Public Interest." Doyle also references John Convey's
"Catholic Schools Make a Difference," a book published by the
National Catholic Education Association in 1992, which reviews
the research on Catholic education.
Doyle holds that private schools are high quality schools
due to organization, incentives and rewards. Doyle: "Most
simply, voluntary association makes a difference. In the public
sector, the organizational climate conspires against dedicated
teachers and hard-working students; in the private sector, it
encourages and rewards high levels of performance." Doyle
concludes that monopolies, in either the private or public
sector, serve the interests of the owners, "never the interests
of workers or clients."
For these reasons, Doyle advocates on behalf of the Watts-
Talent legislation that would "permit parents of poor children to
'own' their own schools instead of having to submit to the
bureaucracy that runs government schools."
Heritage Foundation studies are available electronically at
several on-line locations: www.heritage.org. On Compuserve,
type GO TOWNHALL, or call 800/441-4142. Town Hall is a joint
project of The Heritage Foundation and National Review. It is a
meeting place for conservatives to exchange information on a wide
variety of topics.
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John Kurilecjmk@ofcn.org