--- Friday --- October 11, 1996 --- Vol. 6 --- No. 73 ---
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THE NATIONAL UPDATE ON AMERICA'S EDUCATION REFORM EFFORTS
A service of the National Education Goals Panel
__________ __________
HAIL TO COLUMBUS | SPOTLIGHT |
The DAILY REPORT CARD will | |
not publish on Monday, 14 | BUSINESS SENSE |
October to celebrate Columbus | |
Day. Enjoy the holiday. | The purpose of the |
| Leadership Education and |
SUPPORT FOR SPENDING | Development Program is to |
Americans have become more | give minority H.S. students |
supportive of spending on | a sense of business oppor- |
education, according to an | tunitites. For four weeks, |
annual survey the U of | selected upperclassmen |
Chicago's National Opinion | attend courses held at |
Research Center has been | university business schools |
conducting for 24 years | nationwide and visit major |
(Worthington, Chicago TRIBUNE, | corporations to "see what |
10/8). Associate Professor | professors can't teach." |
Kenneth Wong explains that the | |
increased support for education | One purpose is to add |
spending stems from the pub- | diversity to the |
lic's comparisons between U.S. | "old-boy network," |
secondary education and that of | according to LEAD. (#3) |
other industrialized countries | |
and the link between higher | It makes common sense for |
education and a better standard | the business community to |
of living. | enlarge their pool of |
| talent. For that reason, |
EFFORT AND EQUITY | three national business |
"Options for Improving | organizations have joined |
Measures of Effort and Equity | forces, for the first time, |
in Title 1" is the title of an | to encourage their members |
Aug. 1996 U.S. General Account- | to improve schools by |
ing Office report. For order- | promoting rigorous |
ing info, send an e-mail mess- | standards, assessments and |
age with "info" in the body to: | accountability. (#4) |
info@www.gao.gov. |_____________________________|
============== QUOTE OF THE DAY ==============
"These celebrations serve to demonstrate how a positive
grassroots effort can do battle with the growing 'hole in our
moral ozone.'" -- Michael Josephson, founder of CHARACTER COUNTS!
project, on this upcoming CHARACTER COUNTS! Week. (#1)
_______________________________________________________________
| 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 THREE: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND CITIZENSHIP
CHARACTER COUNTS: A week of celebrating good character. (#1)
GOAL FIVE: MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE
A LEADER OF CHANGE: Pfizer Inc. wins award. (#2)
GOAL SIX: ADULT LITERACY AND LIFELONG LEARNING
A BUSINESS SENSE: Program recruits minorities. (#3
PARTNERS IN EDUCATION
"A COMMON AGENDA:" Businesses support education. (#4
BYTES AND PIECES
WIRE ALL SCHOOL: Clinton's Internet connection plan. (#5
THE PRIVATE EYE
DOG FIGHT: Professors jab over Milwaukee voucher data. (#6
DRC SURVEY QUESTION: SEXUAL HARASSMENT
Student-on-student sexual harassment has become a tough
issue in the nation's classrooms and courthouses. (See DRCs 10/7
and 10/9 There is no legal consensus on how to handle
allegations made by one student that she or he was harassed by a
classmate. The DRC would like to hear from you on this question:
Should a student who claims to have been sexually harassed by a
classmate be able to sue a school or school district if the
school or school district does not take adequate measures to stop
the harassment?
Please answer: YES ______ or NO ______
Your comments:
Send your comments by 18 October to: e-mail:
DRC_publisher@goalline.org; fax: 202/632-0957; or DAILY REPORT
CARD; 1255 22nd Street NW; Suite 502; Washington, D.C. 20037.
===== GOAL THREE: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND CITIZENSHIP =====
*1 CHARACTER COUNTS: A WEEK OF CELEBRATING GOOD CHARACTER
This Sunday kicks off CHARACTER COUNTS! week, sponsored by
the Calif.-based CHARACTER COUNTS! Coalition. The week will
"salute and promote" the values endorsed by the coalition:
trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and
citizenship -- the "Six Pillars of Character."
"This very special week of celebration has been endorsed by
the U.S. Congress, the President of the United States and over
500 cities and municipalities," explained Michael Josephson,
founder of CHARACTER COUNTS! project. "Through these wonderfully
fun and imaginative presentations, attention can be drawn to
CHARACTER COUNTS!' very daunting mission: to improve the moral
fiber of America's young people."
Events and activities scheduled: Dallas -- "Bowling for
Character" and "Let Your Talent Show" student production starring
both elementary and high school kids: Visalia, Calif. -- 2,500
students will participation in the dedication of Pillar Square
(based on the "Six Pillars of Character"; Roswell, N.M. -- 2,000
students marching to the beat of their schools' marching bands
will form "Ribbons of Character" in the town's football stadium;
Cincinnati -- 800 young people will participate in a potluck
dinner; Palm City, Fla. -- 500 students will attend an original
opera written with good values in mind; and Fairfax, Va. -- 5,000
high school students will meet to relate personal experiences
based on the Six Pillars and enjoy performances of jazz and
choral music.
Many celebrations also will include screenings of "Kids for
Character," an hour-long video for two- to ten-year-olds starring
Barney, Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop, Puzzle Place, Magic School
Bus, and others. The characters help teach children right from
wrong.
Josephson: "These celebrations serve to demonstrate how a
positive grassroots effort can do battle with the growing 'hole
in our moral ozone.'"
The press release highlights the work of Tom Scanlon, deputy
chief of the Bridgeport, Conn., police department. From the
release: "Realizing that something beyond a traditional approach
had to be employed to deal with youth violence and crime, deputy
chief Scanlon became an unrelenting advocate for character
education and was able to convince his department and the Police
Activities League to become members of the CHARACTER COUNTS!
Coalition."
For more information, contact the CHARACTER COUNTS!
Coalition at 4640 Admirality Way; Suite 1001; Marina del Rey,
Calif. 90292-6610; 310/306-1868; e-mail: cc@jiethics.org.
===== GOAL FIVE: MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE =====
*2 A LEADER OF CHANGE: PFIZER INC. WINS AWARD
Pfizer Inc., a research-based, global health-care company,
won the Council for Aid to Education's 1996 "Leaders for Change"
Corporate Award for its math and science education initiative
(CAE press release, 10/1. Pfizer's six-year-old Pfizer Education
Initiative links Pfizer facilities to local schools in the U.S.
and England to promote innovative, high-quality science and math
education to 21,000 middle school students and to 500 science and
math teachers.
The award was established to recognize and honor outstanding
corporate commitment to education reform. It is presented to
companies that implement multi-year programs with a minimum
financial commitment of one million dollars, reports the release.
Pfizer's program "Sets a high standard for corporate commitment
and implementation of programs that work," said Carla Mikell,
council vice president for corporate relations. "It also has
been able to clearly monitor and measure the success of its
program."
Hands-on teaching of science is stressed in the PEI, which
includes teacher training, curriculum development and
construction of Pfizer Science Labs. The initiative also
includes the establishment of "break the mold" schools and the
involvement of over 750 Pfizer employee volunteers, including
scientists, engineers, executives and support staff, writes the
release.
"Pfizer has at its core the belief that hands-on engagement
forms the foundation for effective reform in science education,"
said Rick Luftglass, Pfizer's assistant director of corporate
philanthropy. "We are especially well-placed to make major
improvements by working through our extensive and well-trained
science and engineering staff volunteers in whom the belief in
hands-on laboratory work as the basis for science education is
deeply ingrained."
The Council for Aid to Education was founded in 1952 and
became an independent subsidiary of RAND in 1996. Pfizer is
located in New York City.
===== GOAL SIX: ADULT LITERACY AND LIFELONG LEARNING =====
*3 A BUSINESS SENSE: PROGRAM RECRUITS MINORITIES
The purpose of the 16-year-old Leadership Education and
Development program is to encourage minorities to pursue a career
in the "lily-white world of American business," writes the BOSTON
HERALD (10/7. Selected students spend four weeks at U.S.
business schools and tour companies to "see what professors can't
teach," reports the paper.
Applicants must be between their junior and senior years,
have a "B" or better average, demonstrate leadership ability and
score at least 1,000 on the SAT. According to the paper, about
1,200 students apply for the LEAD program.
Ten business schools and 27 corporations participate in the
program. At Northwestern U, 15 girls and 15 boys live in the
dorms, attend class on campus and visit companies such as Arthur
Andersen, Kraft Foods and the Chicago Board of Trade. Corporate
sponsors pay for student fees, notes the paper.
Michael Peel, vice president of personnel for General Mills,
said the company has selfish reasons for participating in the
program the past five years. "Anything we can do to enrich the
talent pool will enrich us in the intermediate to long term."
LEAD President Garvey Clarke lauds the program because, as
he sees it, "students do better when they go to school if they
have a goal in mind -- even if that goal changes. LEAD gives
them focus."
According to the paper, LEAD has had about 4,000
participants, about 2,500 of whom currently work in the private
sector. Raphael Bostic, a 1982 LEAD alumnus, who now works for
the Federal Reserve Board, praises the program for giving him
exposure to the private sector. He acknowledged that the program
will not end the old-boy network prevalent in the business world,
but it can lessen its significance. "LEAD helps to create a
different kind of network," he explained.
===== PARTNERS IN EDUCATION =====
*4 "A COMMON AGENDA:" BUSINESSES SUPPORT EDUCATION
Three national business organizations last month joined
forces to endorse a common agenda for improving America's schools
that promotes academic standards, assessments and accountability.
This marks the first time The Business Roundtable, the U.S.
Chamber of Commerce and the National Alliance of Business have
worked together on a project.
Norman Augustine, vice chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin
and chairman, The Business Roundtable Education Task Force: "IF
we want our public education system to be truly world-class,
there is no substitute for rigorous, measurable, world-class
standards of performance. This is where we can begin to turn
around America's public education system."
"A Common Agenda for Improving American Education" is a
statement signed by each group that demonstrates their commitment
to "first, helping educators and policy makers set tough academic
standards, applicable to every student in every school; second,
assessing students and school-system performance against those
standards; and third, using that information to improve schools
and create accountability, including rewards for success and
consequences for failure."
Each organization pledged to mobilize employers to: use
high school transcripts in hiring decisions; consider a state's
commitment to achieving high academic standards when making
business location decisions; and direct their education-related
philanthropy toward raising academic standards and increasing
student achievement, writes a joint press release (9/26.
"Necessary workplace skills are changing rapidly and our
students need to be aware that lifelong learning is the only
answer for a competitive future," said Ed Lupberger, chairman and
president, Entergy Corporation and chairman, U.S. Chamber of
Commerce.
James Orr III, chairman and CEO, UNUM Corporation and
chairman, National Alliance of Business, added that "business
knows the key to staying competitive in today's global economy is
investing in the education and training of our current and future
workers. Clear standards, assessments and accountability will
ensure that a diploma means students have really mastered
demanding course work."
==== BYTES AND PIECES ====
*5 WIRE ALL SCHOOLS: CLINTON'S INTERNET CONNECTION PLAN
Every school and library in the United States would have
free basic Internet access, with the cost paid for by
communication carriers, under a plan unveiled this week by
President Bill Clinton (Mills and Corcoran, WASH POST, 10/11. In
a speech given in Knoxville, Tenn., Clinton urged the Federal
Communications Commission to approve his plan.
According to the paper, a new telecommunications bill
guarantees the nation's elementary schools and libraries
discounted rates for basic Internet service. However, the size
of the discount was left up to the regulators. The White House
plan recommends two tiers of discounts: the first, offering free
"basic connection and Internet access, at adequate transmission
speeds," to grade schools and libraries; the second includes
services such as video conferencing or higher speed Internet
access at a discounted rate that matches what the school could
afford, reports the POST.
While the administration attached no cost estimate to its
plan, the Commerce Department estimated earlier this year that it
would require $1.5M annually to provide America's schools with
the most basic telephone-line Internet connection, writes the
paper.
Clinton's plan would provide funds to telecommunication
companies through the expansion of an existing fund that
"provides below-cost telephone service to poor and rural areas,"
writes the paper.
Other proposals have been submitted to the FCC, including
one from Nynex Corp. Nynex recommends offering schools discounts
for ongoing service charges of up to 50%, depending on the
financial condition of the school. According to the POST,
'"free' programs worry the telephone companies." Frank Gumper,
vice president for federal regulatory planning: "We're overall
opposed to generically giving evrybody a 100% discount. Someone
is going to pay for it. ... This money is going to be raised from
other customers."
Linda Roberts, director of the U.S. DoEd's office of
educational technology noted that "the lowest cost is the actual
connection." Schools also must pay for purchasing and
maintaining equipment and for training teachers.
==== THE PRIVATE EYE ====
*6 DOG FIGHT: PROFESSORS JAB OVER MILWAUKEE VOUCHER DATA
The bar-room brawl has moved to the ivory tower. And the
fight is over interpreting data from the Milwaukee voucher
program. The WALL STREET JOURNAL reports on the bitter dispute
between two researchers: U of Wisconsin's John Witte and Harvard
U's Paul Peterson (Davis, 10/11.
In 1990, Wis. state officials asked Witte to conduct annual
evaluations comparing voucher students with students who remained
in public schools. From 1990 to 1995, Witte surveyed parents and
analyzed reading and math scores of Milwaukee students. He
issued a report each year, which resulted in the same conclusion:
"Parents loved the voucher schools and said they were more
involved with their children's education. But the voucher
children didn't improve any faster, as measured by standardized
reading and math tests, than Milwaukee students, generally,"
writes the paper. Witte recommended that the state not expand
the program to include Catholic schools.
Voucher proponents attacked Witte, who for years refused to
release the voucher data he had collected. Last February, Witte
finally released the data on the Internet. Enter Harvard's Paul
Peterson.
Peterson challenges Witte's research by pointing out that
Witte compares the voucher students with all Milwaukee's students
generally. The JOURNAL writes that the later group is primarily
white, wealthier and from two-parent families, compared to the
voucher group. The groups are too dissimilar to compare for
research on the success of the voucher program, claims Peterson.
Instead, Peterson compared students who applied for vouchers
and were turned down via a lottery at several schools with
students who were admitted to those schools. Peterson ran the
numbers and found a "stunning result:" after three years,
voucher students scored higher on standardized test scores than
the randomly rejected students.
Critics attack Peterson's research on grounds that "each
year, roughly one-fourth of the students at the voucher schools
don't return," reflecting the "rootlessness of life for poor
urban kids," writes the paper. Some critics query whether some
of those students do not return because they are doing poorly at
the voucher school, which means the students who remain are the
voucher program's "elite," whose higher test scores would simply
reflect a more select group of test takers."
The JOURNAL concludes: "After four years of charge and
countercharge, the results of the Milwaukee experiment remain
ambiguous." Even the state legislature is tired of the back-and-
forth arguing between the professors. They have ended further
evaluations of the voucher program until the year 2000.
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