--- Friday --- October 4, 1996 --- Vol. 6 --- No. 72 ---
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THE NATIONAL UPDATE ON AMERICA'S EDUCATION REFORM EFFORTS
A service of the National Education Goals Panel
__________ __________
TEACHER EXCHANGE | SPOTLIGHT |
The Michigan DoEd is looking | |
for four teachers who want to | TEACHERS AS CYBER-SCHOLARS |
spend part of the 1997-1998 | |
school year in Shiga, Japan, | No corporation would give |
and four districts that would | workers computers and |
accept a Shiga resource | expect them to figure out |
teacher. The state's 25-year- | on their own how to make |
old Michigan-Shiga Sister State | productive use of the |
Program accentuates a special | technology. Yet that is |
relationship between Mich. and | exactly what is happening |
Japan. In 1969 Gov George | to many of the nation's |
Romney and Gov Kinichiro Nozaki | teachers, according to |
of Shiga Prefecture signed the | "21st Century Teachers," a |
initial agreement that focuses | consortium of national |
on a "mutual interest in the | education groups and |
preservation and protection of | businesses. The group is |
natural resources," writes a | dedicated to turning |
Mich DoEd press release (9/25). | technology-savvy teachers |
Gov William Miliken expanded | into teachers of teachers. |
the program in 1982 and | A "21st Century Teachers" |
assigned its administration to | web site also provides |
the DoEd. In 1984, Gov James | innovative ways to |
Blanchard added the permanent | incorporate technology in |
yearly exchange of teachers. | the classroom. (#3) |
The DoEd pays for air travel, | Teachers were in from the |
replacement teachers' salaries | get-go in rural Carrollton, |
and partial per diem for the | Ga., when the district |
Mich. teachers. Local | forged ahead with building |
districts pay for the Shiga | a technology program for |
teachers salaries, and the | the school system. |
Shiga Board of Ed is | Relevant professional |
responsible for their lodging | development remains a top |
and transportation. Deadline | priority. (#4) |
for applicants is 15 Nov. |_____________________________|
============== QUOTE OF THE DAY ==============
"Student authors beg for more time to do assignments, not because
of procrastination or apathy but to acquire more visuals or to
explore more information." -- Phyllis Mitchell, media coordinator
for Carrollton, Ga., schools. (#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 TWO: SCHOOL COMPLETION
SCHOOL-TO-WORK: Targets dropouts. (#1)
GOAL THREE: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND CITIZENSHIP
TEXTBOOK BATTLES: California ponders phonics. (#2)
GOAL FOUR: TEACHER EDUCATION/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
COMPUTER LITERACY: Teacher-training-teacher program. (#3)
BYTES AND PIECES
HIGH-TECH COMES TO RURAL GEORGIA: Carrollton schools. (#4)
ON THE HILL
WINNER OF THIS YEAR'S APPROPRIATION PROCESS: Education.(#5)
===== GOAL TWO: SCHOOL COMPLETION =====
*1 SCHOOL-TO-WORK: TARGETS DROPOUTS
Seven community partnerships recently were awarded School-
to-Work grants for projects that target drop outs (School-to-Work
Opportunities press release, 9/30).
"These communitites should be applauded for remembering
young people who still have much to learn and much to
contribute," said Labor Sec Robert Reich. "Their efforts will
give more young men and women who have left school an opportunity
to achieve the academic and occupational skills they need to
succeed in today's workforce."
School-to-Work is a joint program of the U.S. Department of
Labor and the DoEd. According to the release, it can be
"especially valuable for out of school youth who find themselves
unable to find work on a 'career track' and who lack preparation
for further education and training." The seven initiatives will
receive $948,601 in School-to-Work grants.
The following groups received the award: Black Hills
Special Services Cooperative, Sturgls, S.D.; Just A Start
Corporation, Cambridge, Mass.; Springdale Job Corps Center,
Troutdale, Okla.; Visions Youth Works, Newport, Pa.; Center for
Employment Training, San Jose, Calif.; Metropolitan Community
College, Omaha, Neb.; and The Fresno Private Industry Council,
Fresno, Calif.
"We need to reach out to out-of-school youth to help them
return to their education," said Ed Sec Richard Riley. "Young
people need to know that they can build a better future for
themselves by pursing the education and training that will enable
them to get rewarding jobs and lead more fulfilling lives."
===== GOAL THREE: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND CITIZENSHIP =====
*2 TEXTBOOK BATTLES: CALIF. PONDERS PHONICS
New reading mandates issued in Calif. call for a shift from
a literature-based reading program to one that stresses phonics.
However, the state Board of Education must decide on K-8 reading
textbooks that were recommended prior to the issuance of the
"reading advisory," and some observers complain that phonics is
not a key component in the texts (Lynch and Lembke, EDUCATION
BEAT, 9/27).
"I didn't find these books sufficient," said Beverly Sheldon
of the Traditional Values Coalition. "I spent two hours looking
at them, and I expected to see more ... phonics," she testified
at a public state board meeting.
The textbook selection process began before the "widely
lauded" reading guidelines were released last June, writes ED
BEAT. Janny Latno-Yamate of the Curriculum Commission described
the 18 recommended texts to the board as "comprehensive in their
approach," meaning they combined phonics and whole language.
Latno-Yamate conceded that the recommended texts did not conform
to "requirements set forth in the reading advisory," writes the
newletter. Board member Jerry Hume expressed his disappointment
in "the disconnect between the advisory and what process you
followed. We have textbooks that don't follow the advisory."
The debate over the recommended texts continued with Bill
Lucia, a consultant to the Assembly Education Committee, warning
that the board must comply with the legislation calling for
"explicit phonics." ED BEAT reports that board member Marion
McDowell "sought to defuse the debate" by arguing that her review
of the recommended texts found them satisfactory. "I looked for
code words and the programs seemed to fit the total criteria,"
she said.
Other educators who testified suggested that the board
review reading programs not recommended by the Curriculum
Commission. Mary Johnston, who promoted a program called "Total
Reading," said that districts are not obliged to buy texts
approved by the state board, although few districts make their
own choices. "Reading Mastery" and "EMC Masterpiece Series" were
two programs advocated by other educators, reports ED BEAT.
Textbooks must be approved by the end of the year in order
for districts to get funds from Assembly Bill 3482, "which
provides $152 million for K-3 books in connection with the effort
to reduce class sizes," writes ED BEAT.
===== GOAL FOUR: TEACHER EDUCATION/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT =====
*3 COMPUTER LITERACY: TEACHER-TRAINING-TEACHER PROGRAM
A coalition of national education associations has joined
forces to launch the "21st Century Teachers" initiative, a
grassroots campaign for computer-savvy teachers to mentor their
colleagues in technology ("21st Century" press release, 10/1).
"With this campaign, teachers are devoting their time and
effort to making the most of computers and emerging technologies
in the classroom," said National Education Association Vice
President Reg Weaver. "By providing teachers with opportunities
to discover what technology can do and how to apply it, "21st
Century Teachers" turns the promise of school technology into a
reality."
The initiative calls for a voluntary corps of 100,000
teachers to train five teachers each in using technology to
improve teaching and learning in schools and classrooms across
the country. Teachers wanting to volunteer can sign up on-line
at the "21st Century Teachers homepage at http://www.21ct.org.
According to the release, 4,000 teachers already have enrolled
and are beginning to teach other teachers to become computer
literate for their classrooms.
"Students need to learn and become proficient with new
technologies as they prepare for the next century," said Albert
Shanker, president of the American Federation of Teachers. "For
that to happen, teachers need to be skilled in those areas.
Teachers want to use technology, but they need mentors and
experts who can show them the numerous possibilities applicable
in the classroom."
The 20 sponsoring organizations also plan to distribute
information on technology skills teachers need, provide
professional development opportunities, develop awards and
incentives for using educational technology and promote the
development of, and access to, classroom resources and curricula
that uses advanced technologies. "21st Century Teachers"
organizations include the AFT, National Education Association,
National School Boards Association, Software Publishers
Association, the National PTA, IBM, the U.S. DoED and American
Online, which is publicizing the initiative this week to its
subscribers.
===== BYTES AND PIECES =====
*4 HIGH-TECH COMES TO RURAL GEORGIA: CARROLLTON SCHOOLS
Carrollton, Ga., a small town located in the western part of
the state, is cruising on the Information Highway. Since 1990,
Carrollton school officials have worked to put in place a top-
notch technology program (Mitchell, TECHNOS, Fall 1996).
The effort was led by Superintendent of Schools Thomas
Upchurch, but quickly included national experts and the local
community. According to Phyllis Mitchell, media coordinator for
Carrollton schools, district officials "wanted to teach as
effectively as possible while seamlessly integrating the
technology. ... We saw that to be successful, our vision and our
goals had to drive the technology; we could not simply "acquire
machines."
Underlying Carrollton's vision for the future lie three
fundamental "facts: we must prepare our children for a
technological world; a union of school and community is
necessary if we wish to "design a suitable curriculum and create
a reality-based laboratory environment for our children; and an
acknowledgment that "we are all lifelong learners, absorbing
information by means of a variety of styles and delivery
methods."
After five years of planning, Carrollton boasts a system-
wide school network of 1,400 computers and 70 CD-ROM drives. The
school network is connected with several other major institutions
citywide, including the State U of West Georgia, the West Georgia
Regional Library, the Tanner Medical Center, the Carroll County
Board of Education and Central High School, the Carroll Technical
Institute, the Southwire Company Education Center and the state
Department of Human Resources. According to the article, the
cable TV network is being reconstructed to connect homes with the
schools.
The Carrollton technology project is funded by corporate
grants, including funds from IBM, Telecommunications Inc.,
Southwire Company and Georgia Power. A bond issue passed in 1991
to build a new 2,000 student elementary school equipped with the
latest computer technology also contributed to the technology
program. TECHNOS writes that more than 90% of voters supported
the referendum. The Ga. DoEd also provides funding for the
project, which costs about $600,000 per year.
A $18,500 grant from Sun Microsystems allowed the Carrollton
schools to create Web sites and opened up the door to Internet
access. The Carrollton City Schools Web Server can be found at
http://www.co.carrollton.k12.ga.us. Teachers use the home page
to submit work orders, request permission for filed trips or send
messages to the principal or superintendent using forms on the
home page. From TECHNOS: "These Intranet functions reduce
paperwork and help speed information exchange between educators."
National standards, all 50 state curriculum guides, thousands of
lesson plans and ideas also are available for teachers on the
home page. One key to success: teachers were involved in the
planning process and staff development was made available to
them, writes TECHNOS. Teachers were given in-service training on
the different ways in which children learn as well as how the
technology works.
While student test scores have not shown a significant
increase, the dropout rate in Carrollton schools dropped from 19%
in 1990 to 5% last year. TECHNOS also reports that 92% of the
students use databases and interactive programs from the
classroom. And Mitchell notes that "student authors beg for more
time to do assignments, not because of procrastination or apathy
but to acquire more visuals or to explore more information."
==== ON THE HILL ====
*5 THE WINNER OF THIS YEAR'S APPROPRIATION PROCESS: EDUCATION
Republicans eager to hit the campaign trail acquiesced to
many of President Bill Clinton's funding demands, which breathed
new life into programs such as Goals 2000 and AmeriCorps (multi
cites). The 104th Congress ended with an appropriation bill that
boosted discretionary spending for the DoEd by $4.8 billion
(Rogers, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, 9/30).
The JOURNAL writes that the spending agreement "marks a
major retreat for GOP congressional leaders and could force them
to revamp their approach to a balanced budget if they retain
power in November." CONGRESSIONAL QUARTERLY notes that the close
of this Congressional session was a "stark contrast from the
heady days at the beginning of the GOP Congress two winters ago,"
when conservative GOP leaders unveiled their "Contract With
America" legislative agenda.
Besides Goals 2000, other education winners are: Pell
grants, the bill raised the maximum individual Pell gant to
$2,700; Head Start, which ended up slightly above the 1995
appropriation level; and compensatory education programs, "an
early target last year for House budget cutters," received about
$500 million more than approved by the previous Congress, writes
the JOURNAL (Rogers, 9/25). Special-education programs for
disabled children also won an increase in funding.
Adult education and literacy received a boost in funding
that delighted the National Institute for Literacy. "While it is
not the largest increase in the bill, the adult education
increase is one of the most important pieces of it," said Dr.
Andrew Hartman, director of the National Institute for Literacy.
"It will help fill the gap created by the new welfare bill by
providing education services to the nearly two million mothers
who don't have high school diplomas but need to improve their
education skills to get a job and provide for their children."
The bill increased funding for adult education state grants
from $250 million to $345 million. According to the National
Institute for Literacy, the additional funding means that each
state will receive nearly 40% more from the federal government
for adult education activities next year and that "hundreds of
thousands more adults with literacy needs -- including many who
are now on waiting lists -- will be able to participate in basic
education programs," writes the group's press release (10/1)
The POST points out that many Republicans feared another
series of government shut-downs if they did not reach consensus
with Democrats (Pianin, 10/1). Faced with a midnight deadline,
the 104th Congress and the White House tussled during three
marathon days prior to the deadline over spending for programs.
The JOURNAL gives the victory to Clinton and his domestic policy
agenda.
The Department of Labor also secured additional funds. Some
examples are: Job Corps -- President Clinton's request for $1.153
billion was agreed to by the GOP, a $64 million increase from
fiscal year 1995; Adult Training Grants -- the bill restores $45
million to the program, increasing Adult Training Grants to $895
million; and School-to-Work Opportunities, which remained stable
from fiscal year 1996 to fiscal year 1997 at $8 million -- a $2.5
million increase over fiscal year 1995.
Clinton said the bill was "good for America because it
continues to move us toward a balanced budget while protecting,
not violating, our values." Republicans were less laudatory.
"Did we add more spending than we wanted? Yes," said Senate
Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) "The Democrats love
spending. They never saw a spending increase they didn't
worship. ... But I think, all things considered, good work has
been done."
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