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--- Monday --- October 28, 1996 --- Vol. 6 --- No. 79 ---
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THE NATIONAL UPDATE ON AMERICA'S EDUCATION REFORM EFFORTS
A service of the National Education Goals Panel
__________ __________
UNIFORM BANDWAGON | SPOTLIGHT |
Berwyn and Cicero, Ill., high | |
school students may be sporting | CHOICE WITHOUT STANDARDS |
uniforms for the first time if | |
board members approve a dress | ... is no choice at all, |
code. "The board is moving | pens Sara Mosle, in the |
forward on the safety concerns | N.Y. TIMES. President Bill |
of the parents," said James | Clinton and Bob Dole have |
Kurth, human resources director | heard America's call to |
for the Morton High School | place education at the top |
District (Rozek, CHICAGO SUN- | of the national agenda, but |
TIMES, 10/23). The paper | they are too entangled in |
reports that some suburban | the school-choice debate to |
districts recently have adopted | engage in the more |
dress codes. | meaningful discussion of |
| academic standards. |
CAMPAIGNING FOR APPOINTMENT | |
The Boston School Board, | Mosle praises the efforts |
campaigning to keep an | of three standard bearers: |
appointed board, has released a | Diane Ravitch, E.D. Hirsch |
television commercial that is | and Albert Shanker. Content |
"one-half negative ad and one- | matters, claims Mosle. She |
half glitz," reports the BOSTON | lauds Shanker's logic: "If |
GLOBE, 10/23). The 30-second | we had a system of stand- |
spot attacks the elected | ards and assessments in |
committee abolished five years | place, then as far as I'm |
ago by Mayor Thomas Menino (D). | concerned every school |
"It's meant to revive the image | should be a charter |
of the bad old days," explained | school." Mosle compares |
Tom Philbin, of the Boston | Shanker's message of |
Education Reform Committee. | standards before choice to |
The ad is expected to run until | Bertolt Brecht's "grub |
election day, when voters will | first, then ethics" |
decide on an elected or | commentary. (#1) |
appointed school board. |_____________________________|
============== QUOTE OF THE DAY ==============
"If our schools are failing, as some people claim, it probably
argues against, rather than for, more local control." --
Sara Mosle, writer for the N.Y. TIMES MAGAZINE. (#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 ==============
STANDARD BEARERS
EDUCATION: A national curriculum for a national priority?(#1)
MONEY MATTERS
SMALL CLASS SIZE: Big funding gap in California. (#2)
HE SAID, SHE SAID
EDUCATION: Top concern for the public, but not pols. (#3)
HOW TO FIX D.C. SCHOOLS?: A cornucopia of ideas. (#4)
CHARTING A NEW COURSE
PAVING THE WAY FOR CHARTERS: The Reading Edge applies. (#5)
COMMERCIALISM IN CLASSROOMS
THE THREE Rs: Reading, 'riting and retailing. (#6)
==== STANDARD BEARERS ====
*1 EDUCATION: A NATIONAL CURRICULUM FOR A NATIONAL PRIORITY?
Education has edged out the economy, the environment and
even crime as the issue that concerns most Americans, writes Sara
Mosle in the N.Y. TIMES MAGAZINE (10/27). However, the two
candidates for President appear only interested in debating
variations of school choice as a remedy for what ails public
education, according to Mosle.
For Mosle, choice without standards is no choice at all.
She goes on to describe the "vague" expectations of students in
American classrooms, and cites a personal example of what can go
wrong in a classroom without standards. In her classroom of 32,
third-grade students in a disadvantaged New York City community,
a hands-on science experiment disintegrated, partially due to the
size of her class and the content of the district-mandated
curriculum.
Mosle views standards as the savior for public schools.
According to the author, today's emphasis on equal opportunity as
well as achievement is what distinguishes the standards movement
from past crusades to apply rigorous standards to students. She
notes three key players on today's standards stage: Diane
Ravitch, Columbia U professor who also worked in the U.S. DoEd
under President George Bush; E.D. Hirsch Jr., an author and
creator of the Core Curriculum; and Albert Shanker, president of
the American Federation of Teachers.
Mosle elaborates on Shanker's pursuit of higher academic
standards. "We already have a national curriculum," she quotes
Shanker as writing in his weekly N.Y. TIMES column. "But it is
set by textbook publishers, and its standards are very low." She
quotes Chester Finn, a former assistant secretary of education in
the Reagan Administration, who conceded that he agrees with
Shanker "four out of every five" days. "But he is not
representative of his union. He is way ahead of his membership,"
said Finn.
Shanker remarks on the irony of Finn's comment. "But that's
not what Dole and other Republicans say," he told Mosle. "They
say it's the union leaders who are awful and the members who are
wonderful."
According to Mosle, "choice ... makes no sense without
standards, for how can parents choose without a means to compare
schools?" Yet, both conservatives and liberals attack the
standards movement: conservatives because they fear "any sort of
outside meddling in their neighborhood schools," and liberals
because they claim standards will lead to "unimaginative teaching
and a greater reliance on standardized tests, which they see as
biased against poor and minority-group children," she writes.
Mosle chaffs at these claims. "If our schools are failing,
as some people claim, it probably argues against, rather than
for, more local control," she muses. Mosle also challenges
voucher proponents by observing that a voucher plan instituted by
the Dutch has resulted in "the least consistent school quality in
northern continental Europe." Other nations that have far less
schools operating subpar share in common a national, standardized
curriculum, writes Mosle, quoting data produced by Hirsch.
Diane Ravitch, in her "National Standards in American
Education: A Citizen's Guide," points out that "nations that
establish national standards do so to insure equality of
education as well as higher achievement because they make
explicit what they expect children to learn to insure that all
children have access to the same educational opportunities."
Mosle brings up Catholic schools as a "powerful example" proving
Ravitch's point. Mosle: "While the achievement gap between
disadvantaged and more privileged students widens in high school,
it actually narrows dramatically in most parochial institutions."
The reason: high expectations and standards for all students,
according to Mosle.
Mohegan elementary school in the South Bronx is lauded by
Mosle for using Hirsch's "core knowledge" curriculum through the
sixth grade. She looks favorably on his curriculum, which
"specifies lesson content in the basic subjects," as illustrative
of what a national curriculum might look like. "Before core,
there was no sequence," said Evelyn Hernandez, a fifth-grade
teacher. "Teachers taught whatever they wanted, but nothing was
connected. They weren't building the knowledge for the
background that children needed to be critical thinkers. But
after we implemented core in 1991, the content was much more
exciting than in their textbooks. I knew what I was supposed to
be doing. The curriculum provided the topic, but I could teach
it however I wanted."
In Mosle's words, "content matters." However, she concedes
that standards will be meaningless unless states and cities
allocate sufficient resources to help students meet them.
"Schools and classes need to be smaller, and a new curriculum
will require new supplies."
Mosle concludes by urging the winner of the 1996
Presidential contest to "seize the moment and advocate the
creation of a national curriculum with high-stakes assessments
and the means to help students meet them."
===== MONEY MATTERS =====
*2 SMALL CLASS SIZE: BIG FUNDING GAP IN CALIF.
It came as no surprise to many school district officials
when they became aware of a significant funding gap associated
with a statewide effort to reduce class size to 20 in the primary
grades (Colvin, L.A. TIMES, 10/24). "We knew all along that the
state funding would not cover all of the costs," said Beth
Louargand, who manages the Los Angeles Unified School District's
facilities office.
The TIMES cites new data that reveals how rapidly most
districts are moving ahead with plans to reduce class size.
However, the enthusiasm "raises the specter that a program
promising educational gains could lead to financial setbacks in
some cases," reports the paper.
School districts earlier this month petitioned the state for
funds to create 14,000 classrooms for K-3 students. The state's
facilities set-aside of $200M covers only 7,725 classrooms,
leaving a gap of $151M, notes the paper. Los Angeles is in dire
straits: it plans to spend $57M for the nearly 1,000 portable
classrooms it ordered to reduce class size for first and second
grades. However, the state has targeted only $16.1M for the
district, which puts pressure on district officials to find the
remaining funds from other parts of their budget.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin
strikes a positive note. "I've never seen a bigger program
implemented more quickly, that had more enthusiasm associated
with it than this one, despite all the problems," she said. "If
we can make this thing work, and our kids can read better and we
can reduce our special education costs, people will know it was
worth it."
Eastin's plan to bridge the funding gap is to lobby for
rules to allow money left over from the $771M allocated for
hiring additional teachers to be spent on building classrooms,
reports the paper. Another option for school districts: apply
for $95M in state bond funds being made available for the class-
size reduction. Eastin: "In the long term we must have a state
bond with a major portion committed to class-size reduction if we
are to complete this task fairly ... across California." The
paper notes that in September the Legislature did not agree on a
bond issue for the ballot.
Despite the funding problem, many districts are too far
along in restructuring to reduce class size to turn back,
according to Ann Evans, who directs the facilities office for the
state DoEd. "Most of the districts we hear from are implementing
their program already with these almost Band-Aid approaches," she
said.
==== HE SAID, SHE SAID ====
*3 EDUCATION: TOP CONCERN FOR THE PUBLIC, BUT NOT POLS
More employers and parents have become disgruntled with
their school district's performance and "increasingly insist on
more options," according to a Cleveland PLAIN DEALER editorial
(10/21). The paper warns that the nation's public school systems
must respond to the demands of these education consumers or
prepare for "wholesale reforms from outside."
The PLAIN DEALER points to the "legions" of parents in
Milwaukee and Cleveland who swiftly jumped to private schools
under each city's choice plan as illustrative of the eagerness
for school alternatives. Long waiting lists for untested charter
schools in Mass. is another indicator of families' discontentment
with public schools, according to the paper. The editorial also
points out that students enrolled in these schools are not the
"cream of public school," as predicted by many voucher opponents.
Instead, they tend to be disadvantaged children.
The editorial describes the results of a survey conducted by
the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Education Reform that
"further indicates citizens' growing frustration" with public
schools. Forty-three percent of those surveyed by the center
agreed that the quality of their public school could be improved
a great deal, while 50% said it could be improved somewhat. The
third option was "not at all." Seventy-nine percent of
respondents said that all children, particularly those living in
inner cities, are not receiving the education they need. The
survey also found that 59% favored charter schools, while 70%
supported giving low-income parents tax dollars to be used at
public, private or parochial schools.
The paper ponders what would happen if private-school choice
opponents would shift their attacks to the real "enemy" of public
education -- "onerous regulations and a neglect of basic
instruction." From the paper: "The approach makes too much
sense for union leaders accustomed to pouring hundreds of
thousands of dollars into state legislative races, but maybe,
just maybe, teaches and parents will give this wise option a
try."
Schools are under "greater scrutiny than ever," concludes
the paper. The editorial recommends that public educators now
must "show the nation they share citizens' commitment to the most
effective instruction possible."
*4 HOW TO FIX D.C. SCHOOLS?: A CORNUCOPIA OF IDEAS
The WASH. POST editorial page asked five Washington, D.C.,
education leaders what it would take to "fix" the D.C. schools.
The editorials are timely given that District residents will vote
next week on school board members and the city's financial
control board, instituted by Congress, continues to grapple with
how best to restructure the city's public education system.
Dennis Goodman, founder of a volunteer tutoring programs for
high school students, suggests eight proposals to "start the
District on the right track:" declare that educating students
comes before the interests of school boards, administrators and
teachers; phase in higher academic standards, especially in
mathematics and English; assign homework every day to every
students and create mandatory after-school study halls and
Saturday tutoring for those falling behind; drop current teacher
certification requirements; undertake an independent audit of the
school budget and cut or shift personnel as appropriate; get rid
of the school system's current reform plans because they are
"full of empty promises and impenetrable jargon;" replace the
current school board with an appointed board or "czar;" hire a
new superintendent and give that person the backing needed to
carry out a program.
Delabian Rice-Thruston, executive director of Parents United
for the D.C. Public Schools, calls on the control board to focus
on four items: develop a high-quality academic program for every
student; cut administrative costs; continue school-based
management by giving "maximum authority" to a school's principal,
teachers, parents, staff and community representatives and hold
them accountable; determine how many schools are needed -- repair
some, build some and dispose of the rest.
Jay Silberman, a D.C. school board member, writes that a
sound plan already is in place; the problem is the city does not
have the wherewithal or commitment to implement the plan.
According to Silberman, the board developed the "Accelerating
Education Reform" program as the District's Goals 2000 plan.
However, lack of funding, legislation and community support has
stymied the board's action. "Congress has mandated 'world-class'
schools for the nation's capital," pens Silberman. "Attaining
that goal requires -- along with strong curriculum, high
standards and sound management -- sufficient financial resources.
The bottom line is ... the bottom line," he adds. Silberman also
testifies to D.C.'s unique school-budget process: "school board
to mayor to [city] council to control board to Congress to the
president. No school budget anywhere else endures that," he
exclaims.
Senator James Jeffords (R-Vt.) differs with Silberman on
several points. In particular, Jeffords praises the oversight
Congress established in the form of the control board, the office
of the chief financial officer and the Commission on Consensus
Reform in the District of Columbia Public Schools -- all charged
with providing "accountability for spending and help[ing] ensure
that educational goals are achieved," writes Jeffords. The
Senator explains that the consensus commission, members of whom
will be appointed by Congress and the president, will focus on
long-term reform -- curriculum, assessment,
community/parent/business involvement, and workforce preparation.
"The commission will be able to make recommendations for
implementation by the city council, the superintendent, the
financial control board, school board of the new Public Charter
School Board," he writes.
Jeffords also extols the expansion of charter schools, from
10 to 20, that was passed in September's Congressional
appropriations process. According to Jeffords, charter schools
"hold great promise for serving as a catalyst for innovation and
choice within the public education system."
Gerald Sigal, chairman of Sigal Construction Co., provides a
private sector perspective on reforming the D.C. schools. Sigal
is the founder of "Operation Spiffy John," a group composed of
volunteers who went into schools to primarily repair bathrooms.
His advice: "Despite the discouragement many feel with D.C.
schools -- and despite the reluctance of many to work through
layers of administrative bureaucracy -- there is an approach that
works. Go directly to the source. It's what I did."
Sigal recognizes that it is impossible for schools and
educators to solve every problem faced by inner-city children.
He writes: "We can't put broken homes back together, keep every
teenager from getting pregnant, prevent every crime. But we can
provide the resources necessary to make certain that all our
children are educated in buildings that work." He concludes: "
... fixing the schools starts with the realization that failure
is not an option," and he urges other business executives to do
their share at fixing public schools.
==== CHARTING A NEW COURSE ====
*5 PAVING THE WAY FOR CHARTERS: THE READING EDGE APPLIES
Volusia County (Fla.) school board members have some
concerns about the first charter school application that has
crossed their desk (Anderson, THE ORLANDO SENTINEL, 10/23). It
was submitted by The Reading Edge, a group located in Lake Helen.
If approved, The Reading Edge would be the first charter
school in Central Florida, reports the paper. Children who have
difficulty learning to read would be the focus of the new school.
However, Volusia County board members are skeptical about
allowing an "outside group" to educate the county's children.
The Reading Edge officials attempted to assuage those fears. "We
are totally committed to these children," said Carol Keller, a
Lake County reading teacher. "We don't want to make money. We
certainly don't want to make fools of ourselves by having it not
work," she added.
Board members expressed two other concerns: whether the
district will "run up a large bill trying to monitor the
independent schools," which is required by the state's charter
school law; and whether the board will be liable if difficulties
arise in the charter school, reports the paper.
The Reading Edge leaders decided to follow an "informal"
application process in order not to apply pressure on the school
board, notes the paper. Consequently, there is no deadline for a
decision on the request. However, THE ORLANDO SENTINEL writes
that two other charter school proposals are "in the works" in
Volusia County.
==== COMMERCIALISM IN CLASSROOMS ====
*6 THE THREE Rs: READING, 'RITING AND RETAILING:
Commercialism has made its way into preschools and day-care
centers nationwide, reports the W.S. JOURNAL (Thomas, 10/28).
Cover Concepts Marketing Services Inc. has "strung together a
network" of day-care centers that give parents product samples,
coupons and other promotions in exchange for "valuable"
demographic information about the school's families that help
companies better target their message," writes the paper.
Cover Concepts was created by two Boston colleagues, Michael
Yanoff and Steve Shulman. It started by offering free textbook
covers that display advertising, such as "Calvin Klein models
embracing over a scratch-and-sniff cologne sample." Schools
facing tightening budgets welcome the free book covers because
they help to protect expensive textbooks. The covers now are
available in 31,000 schools to about 21 million students in
grades one to 12, reports the paper.
A Cover Concepts brochure makes a pitch to the business
community: "Cover Concepts offers a medium which penetrates an
almost advertising-free environment -- the public school." The
brochure describes students as "a captive audience." The JOURNAL
notes that despite the pitch, Cover Concepts has avoided the
controversy that plagued Channel One. Yanoff thinks its because
Cover Concepts is not broadcasting.
However, some educators are not so sanguine about
commercialism invading classrooms. "We see the problem as
getting worse," said Melinda Anderson, spokeswoman for the
National Education Association. "The three Rs don't include
retailing," she added. She disapproves of educators using class
time to answer Cover Concepts' marketing questionnaires.
Yanoff and Shulman realized that day-care centers do not use
textbooks, so they devised a different strategy to capture the
younger crowd: a 16-page quarterly magazine, "SafeSteps," that
preschools distribute free. The magazine includes safety tips
for parents and coloring pages for children, "alongside ads for
products like Mott's applesauce, Golden Books and Plymouth Grand
Voyagers," writes the JOURNAL.
"Parents don't see it as advertising," said Madelyn Duffy,
director of the Childtime preschool. "It's something useful that
doesn't cost them anything." Duffy also notes that the
demographic data she provides Cover Concepts "isn't intrusive."
She does not notify parents that she is providing the information
because it is so "innocuous," reports the paper.
According to the paper, the marketing data provided by Cover
Concepts is quite persuasive with corporate advertisers.
"Gatorade, for example, uses information on a school's ethnicity
to distribute book covers showing Hispanic, African-American and
what it calls 'mainstream' themes," writes the paper.
Cover Concepts currently is testing a new can for Pringles
potato chips, a Procter & Gamble product, at 24 schools in S.C.
According to the paper, the firm distributes the can and
interviews students about them at lunch time. And the Gatorade
division of Quaker Oats is testing a promotional T-shirt that it
advertised on some Cover Concepts book covers with an 800 number
to place an order, reports the paper. "Yes, it's a mix of
education and commerce," said Patti Jo Sinopoli, a Gatorade
spokeswoman. "But a lot of what we do is pure commerce."
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