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--- Friday --- November 1, 1996 --- Vol. 6 --- No. 81 ---
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THE NATIONAL UPDATE ON AMERICA'S EDUCATION REFORM EFFORTS
A service of the National Education Goals Panel
__________ __________
BUILDING TO A FUTURE | SPOTLIGHT |
"Architects in the Schools" | |
is a classroom program | CENTER STAGE |
sponsored by the American | |
Institute of Architects (URBAN | Move over economy and |
EDUCATOR, Oct. 1996). The | crime. Education is edging |
eight-week course is offered in | out other issues as voters' |
several cities. Architects | key concern for next week's |
visit classrooms once-a-week to | national election. |
provide various learning | |
experiences and help students | ITEM: Some N.H. Republi- |
apply the fundamentals of | cans are worried that the |
architecture to more typical | GOP-led Congress has led |
academic work such as science, | them down the wrong path. |
geometry and algebra. For | Last year, many of them |
example, students in Philadel- | supported Rep. Newt |
phia created dried pasta build- | Gingrich's "Contract with |
ings that supported the weight | America," which called for |
of 11 bricks as they studied | sizable cuts in federal |
the properties of load-bearing | education spending. Some |
structures, writes URBAN | Republicans now want to |
EDUCATORS. | break that contract, and |
| are playing catch-up with |
DROP IN TEEN BIRTH RATES | Democrats who are perceived |
A new National Center for | as stronger supporters of |
Health Statistics survey found | education. (#3) |
that teen birth rates in most | |
states have declined for the | ITEM: President Clinton |
fourth straight year. Kristin | has added another ed propo- |
Moore, with Child Trends, a | sal to his campaign plat- |
group that helped with the | form: He has urged states |
report, surmises that cultural | and school districts to |
changes may have contributed to | post report cards on every |
the decline (Vobejda, WASH | school on the Internet.(#6) |
POST, 10/29). |_____________________________|
============== QUOTE OF THE DAY ==============
"There seems to be -- I'm going to call it a moat -- between
teachers and Republicans. A few of us have bridged the gap." --
N.H. Senate Minority Leader Dean Johnson (R). (#3)
_______________________________________________________________
| 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 FOUR: TEACHER EDUCATION/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
TEACHER SALARIES: Shrinking, not tied to performance. (#1)
PARTNERS IN EDUCATION
A CITYWIDE CHEER: Annenberg funds go to Detroit. (#2)
ELECTION '96
TOP BILLING: Education dominates political landscape. (#3)
TEACHER UNION MONEY: Minnesota's DFLers are big winners. (#4)
SUMMER SCHOOL: A political issue in Virginia. (#5)
CLINTON: School report cards and other topics. (#6)
===== GOAL FOUR: TEACHER EDUCATION/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT =====
*1 TEACHER SALARIES: SHRINKING, NOT TIED TO PERFORMANCE
Salary increases for teachers nationwide is on a downward
trend (Naylor, THE DETROIT NEWS, 10/27). While many teachers
have grown accustomed to annual increases of up to 20%, some
surveys of national salaries detect that raises now are falling
below inflation, writes the paper.
Two Mich. state laws have strongly influenced the direction
of teacher wages. Proposal A, a 1994 ballot measure, eliminated
local control over raising money to cover operating expenses,
including teacher salaries, reports the paper. The measure also
sets limits for spending increases. "What Proposal A did ... was
permit the management of a school district to say to a union,
'You'll be hard pressed to push us [for raises] because this is
all we have," said Justin King, executive director of the
Michigan Association of School Boards.
Sue Dumala, director of labor relations for the Michigan
Association of School Boards predicts that "over the course of 10
years, if Proposal A stays in effect, something of a leveling of
salaries" will occur.
Another state law eliminates a teacher unions' right to
strike by "imposing severe financial penalties on the union
locals if they do," writes the paper.
Some districts have adopted a corporate approach to dealing
with top-heavy staffing: buyouts. But buyouts mean losing
experienced teachers. "It can be a good thing financially, but
... you trade a known for an unknown," said Robert Schram,
assistant superintendent for the Novi, Mich., school district.
The paper points out the irony in K-12 teachers receiving
higher salaries than some university professors. Eastern
Michigan U associate professors of education with doctorate
degrees and 10 years of experience earn in the low-to mid-$40,000
range for nine months of work, reports the paper. In 77 of the
83 school districts in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties
(Mich.), teachers with 10 years of service and a master's degree
are guaranteed at least $50,000, according to a DETROIT NEWS
computer analysis of teacher salaries.
Another DETROIT NEWS article reports the lack of connection
between teacher salary levels and performance (Naylor, 10/27).
>From the paper: "Whether their graduates are marketable or can
function in a complex workforce isn't factored into pay
decisions." Charlene Haar, president of the Washington, D.C.-
based Education Policy Institute said Mich. is not the only state
to not make the connection between pay and performance. "It
happens to be a tragedy all over the United States," she said.
Justin King, executive director of the Michigan Association
of School Boards, holds that peer pressure and union pressure are
so great "it's probably not going to change." According to the
paper, the public is not upset over good salaries. They are
frustrated that teachers "aren't required to prove they can
produce good students," writes the paper.
The recent release of new high school proficiency test
results in Mich. caused a furor. Two-thirds of students taking
the test flunked. "Michigan teachers are paid an obscene amount
of money for the dismal product they put out," complained Joe
Seeth, a Sterling Heights planning commissioner and part-time
psychiatric ward worker. "Getting paid that much money to watch
kids is absurd." However, some educators pointed out that the
new tests were much harder than past exams, and were meant to
force schools to upgrade their curriculum, rather than measure
basic competence, writes the paper.
The DETROIT NEWS mentions that Colo., S.C. and Ky., now link
student and teacher achievement to pay increases; although merit
raises are given to entire schools, not individual teachers.
Cleveland also is noted as illustrative of a change in union
contract negotiations. A school strike was avoided last month
with an agreement that permits the creation of eight autonomous
"transformation schools" where principals and teachers "set the
rules to improve student performance," reports the paper. "You
have to remove the barriers to reform so that schools can try
different things," said Marty Wymer, chief negotiator for the
district. "That took some courage on the part of the teachers
union."
Peter Maurer, a middle school science teacher in Troy,
Mich., also noted that teacher quality and the availability of
funds are only two factors in a more complex web of indicators of
student success. "So much of education is based on student
effort and parent follow-through," he observed.
===== PARTNERS IN EDUCATION =====
*2 A CITYWIDE CHEER: ANNENBERG FUNDS GO TO DETROIT
Detroit recently won a $20M grant from the Pennsylvania-
based Annenberg Foundation to overhaul city schools (Eversley and
Robles, Detroit FREE PRESS, 10/26). The grant must be matched
with local money.
"I think this grant is truly a challenge for us on three
fronts," said Bill Beckham, president of New Detroit Inc. "To
now gather the political and community leadership, the financial
challenge ... and the moral challenge, where we as a community
come together and make it clear that the education of our kids in
the public school system is one of the most important endeavors
we can undertake." Beckham and others believe Detroit can raise
an additional $20M from public sources and $20M from private
groups.
A local coalition has formed to fundraise for the education
reform cause. Among group members are: New Detroit, Mayor
Dennis Archer's office, the Skillman, Kresge and Kellogg
foundations, Wayne State U, United Way Community Services and the
Warren-Conner Development Coalition.
According to the paper, the reform agenda will focus on
clusters of at least three schools that will submit improvement
plans. The plans will stress three areas: the relationship
between teachers and students; the relationship between school
staff and community members, including parents; and the
relationship between local schools and school district
administration. Coalition members expect about 30 to 45 schools
to initially participate in the program, with hopes that the
program eventually will reach all of Detroit's public schools.
A 30-member council of community leaders, parents, teachers,
school administrators, school board members and businesspeople
will run the program. The Schools of the 21st Century Corp.
board of directors will oversee the money and evaluate the
program. Members of the Leadership Consortium, which includes
academics and professionals, will handle technical assistance.
Other cities to receive Annenberg matching grants, including
New York and Philadelphia, warn of the difficulty to raise
matching funds and "resentment by excluded interest groups,"
writes the paper. But Beckman holds that Detroit will not
confront those problems because matching funds already have been
solicited and a significant portion of the city's leadership has
been involved since the beginning of the process.
==== ELECTION '96 ====
*3 TOP BILLING: EDUCATION DOMINATES POLITICAL LANDSCAPE
A W.S. JOURNAL-NBC News poll conducted earlier this month
revealed that education is a top concern of the voting public,
and by a 2-1 margin, "voters trust Democrats to deal with
education more favorably than Republicans (Rogers, W.S. JOURNAL,
10/29). The survey also found that education dominates as the
"chief priority" among undecided voters, writes the paper.
The JOURNAL gives examples of the importance education is
playing in N.H. political campaigns. Jeanne Shaheen, Democratic
challenger for governor against Ovide Lamontagne (R) is running
on an education agenda that stresses increased funding for
schools, particularly kindergarten. Last year while head of the
state Board of Education, Lamontagne refused to accept federal
Goals 2000 funds for the state. Eventually individual towns were
permitted to apply for the funds, "worth an estimated $9M over
five years," reports the paper. However, the board's position
against accepting the funds left many school district officials
"frustrated," and caused some GOP lawmakers to cross party lines
to endorse Shaheen, notes the JOURNAL.
Democrat Joe Keffe, who is running for Congress from N.H.'s
first congressional district, also is using education as a way to
garner support. His opponent, John Sununu Jr., son of the former
governor and Bush White House chief of staff, is campaigning on a
pledge to abolish the U.S. DoEd. Keffe counters: "Big
government is not Head Start for five-year-olds or school lunches
for 10-year-olds."
The JOURNAL also reports that GOP Rep. Charles Bass,
"mindful of the political climate now," is distributing campaign
literature that "boasts of increased education funding," writes
the paper. However, the JOURNAL points out that in August last
year, Bass voted with the GOP leadership and House Speaker Newt
Gingrich (R-Ga.) to cut billions from school programs. His
opponent, Deborah Arnie Arnesen (D), is airing an ad that asks:
"What changed Charlie into Newt? Is there something in the water
down there?"
The JOURNAL-NBC poll also revealed that the public's
greatest worry about keeping the GOP in power in Congress is the
party's attempt last year to dismantle many education and
college-loan programs. "I think the country was traumatized by
the first year of this Congress," conceded the state's former
Senator Warren Rudman (R). "The Republican Party wounded itself
... and the Democrats are essentially where moderate Republicans
used to be."
*4 TEACHER UNION MONEY: MINNESOTA'S DFLers ARE BIG WINNERS
The Minnesota Education Association and the Minnesota
Federation of Teachers are two "major bankrolllers" of
legislative campaigns (Whereatt and McGrath, Minnesota STAR
TRIBUNE, 10/26). The DFL party, more than their GOP counterpart,
is the big winner of teacher union funds.
Both unions this year through 27 August have contributed
more than $356,000 to individual candidates, to the legislative
caucuses and to the Republican and DFL parties, writes the paper.
MEA contributions rank third statewide, behind the national
Republican and Democratic parties.
"More and more of the decisions affecting education are made
in the halls of the Legislature," explained Sandra Peterson,
president of the 30,000-member MFT. "The reality is that as
decisions [on education] have increased at the Legislature, so
has our visibility increased."
MFT members use a check-off system on their dues that is
targeted to political contributions, writes the paper. Each
member is assessed a maximum of $3 a year, which raises about
$60,000 annually, according to Peterson. MEA also derives funds
for political contributions by assessing their members. Members
can refuse to make the $10 assessment; but more than 90%
participate. The union brings in about $360,000 a year for
political donations, reports the paper.
According to the paper, the DFL party is the primary
beneficiary of teacher union contributions. A STAR TRIBUNE
examination of contributions found that the MFT and MEA
contribute about 92% of their funds to DFL House and Senate
candidates. The MEA was slightly "more equitable" in its
contributions to the GOP. Senate Minority Leader Dean Johnson
(R) conceded that "it does make it difficult when I go back to my
caucus members knowing that the education establishment has so
heavily and strongly supported the DFL." He added: "There seems
to be -- I'm going to call it a moat -- between teachers and
Republicans. A few of us have bridged the gap."
The STAR TRIBUNE observes that the "moat" may have been dug
by Gov Arne Carlson (R), who initially voiced disapproval for
vouchers and secured union support, but lost it when he began to
advocate for vouchers that include private schools.
*5 SUMMER SCHOOL: A POLITICAL ISSUE IN VIRGINIA
Va. Lt. Governor Donald Beyer Jr. has proposed making summer
school mandatory for students who fail the state's competency
tests (Hardy, Richmond TIMES-DISPATCH, 10/27). The paper ties
Beyer's plan to next year's run for governorship, in which Beyer
is "eager to make the honor roll."
Under Beyer's plan, the state would allocate funds for the
first summer of mandatory study. Localities would pick up the
tab in future years for students who again fail to pass the test.
According to the paper, the first year of mandatory summer school
would run about $7.5M. One-third of Va.'s sixth-graders did not
pass the Literacy Passport Test on basic reading, writing and
math skills. Students take the test until they make a passing
grade, notes the paper.
Beyer's plan also extends to Gov. George Allen's (R) new
statewide exam, which begins in the spring of 1996. At that
time, students in grades 3, 5, 8, and 11 will be tested on
"tougher standards" in English, history, science and mathematics,
reports the paper.
The TIMES-DISPATCH interviewed about a dozen lawmakers and
educators on Beyer's plan and found it met with mixed reviews.
"It'll probably be useful and helpful if the state is prepared to
fully fund it," said Cheri James, the new president of the
Virginia Education Association. Other educators and lawmakers
expressed concern that the plan would "saddle localities" with
another expensive mandate from Richmond.
Sen Edward Houck (D) called the plan an "excellent idea."
"It would force the schools to work with those youngsters who are
not achieving at an adequate level," he said.
However, Attorney General James Gilmore III, who probably
will run against Beyer in November 1997, has been "cool to the
proposal," writes the paper. Gilmore said the state already is
funding many remedial programs for failing students. Delegate M.
Kirkland Cox (R) also thought that the plan is a bad idea.
"It doesn't address the problem that we don't require more of
kids in school," he said. He added that the plan offers no
consequences for schools whose students regularly fail statewide
exams.
Another issue to emerge during the gubernatorial race:
Goals 2000 funding. Va. is the only state to turn down Goals
2000 funds, and its allocation has been divided up among the rest
of the states. Allen rejected the funding, claiming that the
money comes with too many federal strings. The paper writes that
the rejection of funds is costly: Va. gave up more than $23M.
According to the paper, two-thirds of the state's school
districts had petitioned Allen to accept the funds. "We need an
advocate for our fair share," Beyer said.
*6 CLINTON: SCHOOL REPORT CARDS AND OTHER TOPICS
President Bill Clinton's campaign speech before a crowd
gathered at Ohio State U on 20 October stressed several education
themes. In particular, Clinton issued a challenge to states and
school districts to publish report cards on every school and put
them on the Internet.
Following our excerpts from his speech:
"So here's what I think should be done in the future and
what I will work for. Number one, as we have been trying to do
for years, the states of this country must set high national
standards based on international standards of excellence -- for
students, for teachers and for schools.
... But these standardized tests shouldn't be just measuring
your test-taking ability, everybody should know in the front end
what it is you need to know to meet world-class standards, and
that is what should be tested.
... Number two, we should continue to support grass-roots
reforms, as Secretary Riley has, to give parents and teachers and
principals and students the capacity to achieve their highest
level at every school in America. Every parent should have the
freedom to choose their child's public school. Our balanced
budget plan contains funds to create 3,000 new schools, charter
schools, schools that are free to innovate, to demand high
standards, schools that survive only if they produce results.
... But before parents can exercise the right sort of
choice, they have to have enough information. So today, again
let me say I challenge the states and the school districts of
America to publish report cards on every school and to put them
on the Internet. Parents should be able to compare class size,
reading scores, safety records, with all the schools in their
district, all the schools in their state, and with schools across
the country. We need to know how our schools are doing, and the
schools should have a report card accessible to every parent in
the United States, in every state and every community.
... Number three, ... in our balanced budget plan we have a
plan that will lower the interest rates on borrowing for school
districts that are desperate to build cafeterias, new facilities,
remodel facilities.
... Number four, we ought to work hard to make our schools,
all our schools, places of values and learning, not violence. We
have supported zero tolerance for guns in schools. We have
encouraged schools to adopt school uniform policies. We have
helped communities to enforce truancy laws and curfews. We have
fought hard to protect the Safe and Drug-Free Schools program
from slashing cuts, because all of our children, early in life,
need to see one of those DARE officers or other role models up in
their classrooms saying, 'These drugs can kill you; they're not
just illegal, they're wrong.'
... I have also challenged all of our schools to a broad
national goal: Every child in America should be able to read
independently by the third grade. ... I want to send 30,000
reading specialists and national service corps, AmeriCorps
volunteers around the country to form an army of 1 million people
to make sure that by the year 2000 all of our third-graders can
read independently.
... The next thing we have to do is to hook up every
classroom and library in America to the Internet by the year
2000. ... We must connect all of our classrooms and libraries to
that Information Superhighway by the year 2000.
In higher education, Clinton pointed out his
administration's increase by one-third of the number of work-
study jobs for college students. He called for an improvement in
the student loan program.
Clinton proposed making two years of education after high
school "as universal as a high school diploma is today. ... We
can do it by simply saying you can deduct the cost of your
tuition, dollar for dollar, from you tax bill -- a HOPE
scholarship in the form of a $1,500 tax credit."
He also called for giving every family a deduction of up to
$10,000 a year for the cost of college tuition at "any place of
higher education, undergraduate or graduate, in the United State
of America." And he wants to expand IRAs "so that families can
save in these Individual Retirement Accounts, and then withdraw
from them without any tax penalty if the money is used to pay for
college or buy a first-time home or deal with a family medical
cost."
Monday's DAILY REPORT CARD will carry excerpts from several
of Senator Bob Dole's speeches on education.
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