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--- Friday --- November 8, 1996 --- Vol. 6 --- No. 85 ---
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THE NATIONAL UPDATE ON AMERICA'S EDUCATION REFORM EFFORTS
A service of the National Education Goals Panel
__________ __________
THE PRUDENTIAL SPIRIT | SPOTLIGHT |
U.S. Senators Robert Kerrey | |
(D-Neb.) and Olympia Snowe (R- | SELF-ESTEEM AND SUCCESS |
Me.) will join Prudential | |
Chairman Art Ryan as co-chairs | Which comes first: a |
of the national selection | child's self-esteem, or a |
committee that will name | child's success at |
America's top ten youth | mastering a subject? |
volunteers for 1997, during the | |
second annual presentation of | Clearly the two are |
The Prudential Spirit of | intertwined; but educators |
Community Awards. | are at odds over which one |
The award program is a joint | leads to the other. Nina |
effort between The Prudential | Shokraii, of the Institute |
Insurance Company of America | for Justice, forcefully |
and the National Association of | advocates for putting |
Secondary School Principals. | skills and success ahead of |
It recognizes middle and high | self-esteem. In fact, she |
school students for | contends that public school |
outstanding, self-initiated | efforts to bombard students |
volunteer community service. | with feel-good curricula |
Young people, ages 11-18 or | erodes skill levels and |
in grades 5-12, are eligible | leads to an increase in |
for the awards, which will be | juvenile violence among |
presented in a May ceremony in | students with inflated egos |
Washington, D.C. Applications | and low academic success. |
have been distributed to all of | |
the nation's public and private | Shokraii argues that |
middle and high schools. | black children are |
For more info see: | particularly at risk of |
Prudential's web site at | being held back by self- |
www.prudential.com/community; | esteem theory, which in |
NASSP's site at www.nassp.org: | their case is called |
80/services/awards.htm. | Afrocentrism. (#3) |
|_____________________________|
============== QUOTE OF THE DAY ==============
"I don't think we teach as much as make it possible for students
to learn." -- Olson Middle School Principal Shannon Griffin,
whose Minneapolis school won a Quality Perforamce Award. (#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 |
Staff Writer: Rosemary Polanco |
|_______________________________________________________________|
============== TABLE OF CONTENTS ==============
GOAL SIX: ADULT LITERACY AND LIFELONG LEARNING
EMPLOYMENT FOR DISABLED: Renewed interest in old program. (#1)
DAY SCHOOL FOR ADULT ED: Hartford opens doors to young/old.(#2)
HE SAID, SHE SAID
SELF-ESTEEM THEORY: Why it's failing our students. (#3)
PROMISING PRACTICES
WHAT WORKS: School efforts win praise in Minneapolis. (#4)
GOVERNANCE
WANTED: A superintendent for Dallas. (#5)
CITY HALL
CHICAGO AND D.C.: A tale of two cities. (#6)
===== GOAL SIX: ADULT LITERACY AND LIFELONG LEARNING =====
*1 EMPLOYMENT FOR DISABLED: RENEWED INTEREST IN OLD PROGRAM
The U.S. DoEd announced last week its plan to revitalize the
76-year-old Vocational Rehabilitation Program that helped over
200,000 people with disabilities to acquire jobs in 1995 (U.S.
DoEd press release, 10/24).
The DoEd's Rehabilitation Services Administration has agreed
to work with the Council of State Administrators for Vocational
Rehabilitation to reduce onerous employment procedures through an
overhaul of the federal-state partnership program. Numerous
rules, regulations and reports often detract from the program's
primary goal of securing "quality employment" for people with
disabilities, notes the release. According to RSA Commissioner
Fredric K. Schroeder, " . . . unemployment for persons with
disabilities remains at an alarming rate of more than 60%."
Vocational rehabilitation programs provide services that
ease the transition into the workplace such as, "counseling,
training, technology assistance and job placement," writes the
release. These services greatly reduce the impact of most
disabilities in the workplace by addressing the uniqueness of
each disability with individualized service plans, according to
the DoEd.
The combined efforts of the Council and the RSA will strike
a blow to cumbersome bureaucracies that keep Americans with
disabilities from becoming more self-sufficient citizens,
according to the release.
*2 DAY SCHOOL FOR ADULT ED: HARTFORD OPENS DOORS TO YOUNG & OLD
Conn.'s state welfare reform initiatives have prompted
cities like Hartford to invest more heavily in their adult
education programs (Green, HARTFORD COURANT, 10/16). According
to the paper, approximately 40% of Hartford adults do not possess
a high school diploma. In an attempt to slash that figure,
programs like the one at Frederick D. Wish Elementary School are
holding adult classes during the day.
Board of Education President Stephanie Lightfoot claims that
the daytime programs "make schools more like community centers."
At Wish Elementary, parents drop off their children and then
enter a separate classroom at the school where they prepare for
the General Educational Development exam.
Many program participants claim the day classes are a better
alternative to unproductive days at home. Others, like Roberta
Pawloski, chief of the state DoEd's bureau of adult education and
training, say that the effects of day classes are more far-
reaching. According to Pawloski, "parents who attend school
themselves and those with more education are more likely to read
to their children and take greater interest in what happens at
school."
Welfare reform initiatives in Conn. limit benefits to 21
months, reports the paper. Adult education classes during the
school day will not only improve employment opportunities for
former welfare recipients, but also will give parents the
opportunity to become more involved in their child's schooling.
==== HE SAID, SHE SAID ====
*3 SELF-ESTEEM THEORY: WHY IT'S FAILING OUR STUDENTS
Black children are particularly at risk from self-esteem
theory and curricula that dominates many public schools, writes
Nina Shokraii, director of outreach programs at the Institute for
Justice. "Black children are common targets of self-esteem
theory, which in their case often goes by the name of
Afrocentrism," she notes. Yet, all children suffer from a self-
esteem theory that denies them the "tools they will need in order
to experience true success in school and as adults."
Shokraii lambastes self-esteem theory in a policy brief
issued by the Center For Equal Opportunity, headed by Linda
Chavez. She explains the two self-esteem types described by
psychologists: earned self-esteem, which people earn through
their own accomplishments; and global self-esteem, which refers
to a general sense of pride in oneself that is "not grounded in a
particular skill or achievement."
Shokraii: "The fundamental difference between earned self-
esteem and global self-esteem rests on their relationships to
academic achievement." Under earned self-esteem theory, academic
achievement comes first, self-esteem follows. However, those who
purport the importance of global self-esteem contend that
achievement come first, followed by self-esteem. The later
theory is dominant in schools nationwide, according to Shokraii,
and is a primary reason why student achievement is low.
Shokraii points to research conducted by Harold Stevenson
adn James Stigler. The psychologists examined academic skill
levels of elementary school students in Japan, Taiwan, China, and
the U.S. According to their study, Asian students outperformed
their American counterparts; however, U.S. students "exhibited a
significantly higher self-evaluation of their academic prowess
than their foreign peers," writes Shokraii. She added: "In
other words, they combined a lousy performance with a high sense
of self-esteem." (See DRC 12/4/92 for a report on the
Stevenson/Stigler cross-national studies).
Stevenson and Stigler also found that American teachers
focus more on sensitivity to student egos, "whereas Asians
concentrate on their ability to explain things clearly," writes
Shokraii. Another difference: American teachers rarely exposed
a student's poor performance, while Asian teachers view mistakes
"as an index of what remains to be learned through persistence
and increased effort," she writes.
Shokraii asserts that the emphasis on global self-esteem
theory in American classroom particularly harms minority
children. "From lower standards to a reduced emphasis on tests,
minorities are constantly told that their egos are somehow more
fragile and thus are somehow different from the rest of American,
even though they have the most to gain from traditional ways of
teaching." She lauds several traditional schools that serve
disadvantaged, black children, including: Booker T. Washington
(Atlanta), Xavier Prep (New Orleans), P.S. 91 (Brooklyn), and
Dunbar (Washington). "African-Americans excel at these schools
because they are expected to strive high and achieve," she
writes. Shokraii also links inflated self-esteem with juvenile
crime and violence. She points to a recent study by
psychologists Roy Baumeister, Joseph Boden adn Laura Smart, which
found that "first [the notion that low-self-esteem leads to high
crime rates among blacks] does not fit the transient shifts in
the crime rate among African Americans, which is now reading its
highest levels as slavery recedes farther and farther into the
background. Second, self-esteem levels among African Americans
are now equal to, or higher than, the self-esteem levels of
whites. Third, it is far from certain that slaves had a low
self-esteem."
Shokraii concludes that "it is time to stop touting the
importance of self-esteem and start providing students with the
elements real self-esteem is made of." She urges schools to
return to high standards and expectations, reclaim back-to-basics
teaching and encourage accountability among students, without
neglecting each child's needs and concerns as individuals.
She suggests a three-part strategy: build the relationship
between a teacher or parent and a child on respect for the
child's inborn strengths; help the child set goals and then link
sustained effort with success; and examine the values you are
promoting, because self-esteem is grounded on what a person
values.
However, the most important "remedy" for Shokraii is to
reintroduce parents in the education of their children. "Parents
supersede teachers at building earned elf-esteem in their
children through the special caring and positive/negative
reinforcement that can only come with individualized interaction
at home."
Copes of the Policy Brief are available free-of-charge by
contacting the Center for Equal Opportunity ; 815 Fifteenth
Street NW; Suite 928; Washington, D.C. 20001; 202/639-0803. A
summary of the policy brief is available at the Center's web
site: http:\\www.ceousa.org.
==== PROMISING PRACTICES ====
*4 WHAT WORKS: SCHOOL EFFORTS WIN PRAISE IN MINNEAPOLIS
The Quality Performance Awards, which included cash awards
ranging from about $2,500 to $25,000, were presented to 33
Minneapolis public schools (Drew, Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE,
10/29). About one third of the district's schools applied for
the awards program, which is a joint effort of the district, the
Minneapolis Federation of Teachers, the Minnesota Academic
Excellence Foundation and the U of Minnesota's Carlson School of
Management.
The awards are based on the prestigious Malcolm Baldridge
Quality Awards given to the nation's top companies, reports the
paper. State funds paid for the awards. Superintendent Peter
Hutchinson said at the awards ceremony that the awards process is
"an opportunity for us as a community to share with one another
our success and the elements that have gone into that success, so
that we can all learn how to get even better."
Zona Sharp-Burk, executive director of the Academic
Excellence Foundation, said that this year's awards are the
"first step" in assisting public schools seeking to improve their
quality of teaching and learning. The paper noted that
Minneapolis is only one of three districts nationwide to
"participate in such a detailed outcome-driven review process.
"Not only are schools accountable for learning, but it engages
the community in sharing that responsibility," said Sharp-Burk.
According to the paper, parents and other community members
helped to evaluate the schools' applications.
Tuttle Community School was one of the district's winners.
Staff at the school were recognized for their efforts to improve
student reading levels. The STAR TRIBUNE writes that teachers
encouraged parents to read to their children, collected used
books for children who did not have books at home, sponsored a
unity dinner where black parents could exchange ideas about
helping their children read, and sponsored several other events
devoted to "reinforce[ing] reading through building stronger
family ties," writes the paper.
Olson Middle School staff, another Quality Performance Award
winner, developed a school-wide curriculum that integrated
several subjects. "Instead of just teaching somebody an idea, a
fact, we connect it to something," said Shannon Griffin, Olson's
principal. "I don't think we teach as much as make it possible
for students to learn," she added.
==== GOVERNANCE ====
*5 WANTED: A SUPERINTENDENT FOR DALLAS
The search for a new superintendent for Dallas public
schools is raising awareness of the difficulties that come with
the job (Holloway, DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 10/22). Dallas has seen
its share of problems, particularly from the perspective of an
urban district. Some of the most publicized difficulties have
been outside the classroom. The paper reminds readers of the
arrests at a school board meeting after threats by the New Black
Panther party that members would carry shotguns to board
meetings. Despite these negative images, many remain optimistic
about Dallas' ability to attract a prominent superintendent.
According to Nolen Estes, a recruiter of superintendents,
Dallas is "one of the three best superintendencies in the
country." Estes, a former Dallas superintendent, pointed to the
city's wealth, business support and people as major assets in the
city's search. The paper notes that two firms have been hired to
conduct a nationwide search.
Charts are presented to represent the basic profile,
concerns and perceptions of superintendents. For example, most
superintendents are between the ages of 46 and 55 and have worked
at various levels of the system, from teacher and principal to
superintendent, according to the paper. Nearly 60% of
superintendents of larger districts believe that some form of the
"old boy" network helps individuals secure superintendent posts.
Among the rumored candidates for the Dallas position are
Joseph Fernandez, former head of the New York City and Dade
County school systems, Dr. Yvonne Gonzalez, former Santa Fe
superintendent and current interim superintendent in Dallas, and
Superintendents Robert Spillane of Fairfax, Va., John Murphy of
Charlotte-Mechlengburg, N.C., and Stan Pzaz of El Paso.
Ultimately, whoever gains the reigns of the Dallas job must
face larger national concerns over public school leadership,
writes the paper. These concerns include school financing,
assessment and testing, administrator/board relations, and
curriculum priorities. Dr. Thomas Sobol, of Columbia U's
Teachers College, cautions that "Superintendents try to claim too
much. They try to be all things to all people. They try to
promise too much.
==== CITY HALL ====
*6 CHICAGO AND D.C.: A TALE OF TWO CITIES
The heads of Chicago and D.C. public schools are poles apart
in the way the public, politicians and media regard their reform
efforts. Chicago's Paul Vallas wins broad praise, as typified in
a recent NEWSWEEK article. On the other hand, D.C.'s Franklin
Smith is facing an angry public and Financial Control Board over
what some consider his failed attempt to improve education for
D.C. students.
Jonathan Alter in his NEWSWEEK piece lauds Mayor RIchard
Daley's (D) first move as overseer of the city's public schools:
the appointment of the mayor's budget director, Paul Vallas, to
head the Chicago Public School system (11/11). Alter reminds
readers that Daley last year persuaded the Illinois Legislature
to assign him full authority for the public schools in the city.
He concedes that it is too early to detect significant
improvement in a system that continues to be "plagues with so
many problems that a majority of Chicago public-school teachers
and even Vallas himself continue to send their own kids to
private or parochial schools." However, there are "pockets of
quality," writes Alter. And he predicts that "this may be the
last, best chance not just for Chicago public schools but for
big-city public education in general."
Alter chronicles Vallas' efforts during his first 16 months
at the helm of Chicago schools: new core curriculum; new
"meaningful" assessment standards; 122 schools placed on
probation; required summer school for all eighth-grade students
not ready for high school; new bonding authority; new four-year
teacher contract; and new accountability for principals. "The
first year we put the whole system on notice that we're not going
to tolerate poor performance. The second year we're taking it up
a notch by putting schools on probation."
Alter notes that Vallas regularly meets with student
representatives from all Chicago high schools. "I'm not learning
what I need to know from the system, so I go beneath the chain to
the student level," explained Vallas.
Alter concludes: "If [the Chicago public schools] can just
show some progress, the multiplier effect could be
extraordinary."
D.C. School Superintendent Franklin Smith's star does not
shine as brightly as that of his Chicago colleague. The WASH
POST reports that Smith read in the paper of the city's control
board's plan to fire him (Horwitz, 11/7). "I'm operating on the
basis of what I read," said Smith. . . . I do have a meeting
scheduled [with control board Chairman Andrew F. Brimmer] on the
18th. Whether that's what I'm going to be told at that
particular time or not, I don't know. I guess it will be a
little lunatic for him to call me and tell me what I've already
read."
Smith blames his troubles on crisis beyond his control.
According to the paper, Smith took control of the schools in
1991, after the Board of Education fired his predecessor. Smith
inherited a system filled with "decaying buildings and high
dropout and truancy rates" and a student body that had "some of
the lowest reading and mathematics test scores in the nation,"
writes the paper.
Smith attempted to put in place several "innovative" plans,
including installing a private firm to run the schools,
according to the POST. But he constantly was stymied by one
crisis or another. For example, budget cuts forced him to close
17 schools, furlough teachers and lay off 2,500 teachers and
administrators, notes the paper. Student violence continued to
escalate, and two school years began late due to fire code
violations that had to be fixed.
In September, the National Science Foundation "pulled" a
$14.5M science grant, "citing poor training and the
disintegration of school management," writes the paper. "We've
just been bombarded for the last two years with one crisis after
another," said Smith. "It takes the attention away from what
your business is all about."
Smith did manage to win the support of Parents United and
some city business leaders, but teachers, parents and students
"never fully embraced him," notes the paper. Smith concedes that
many of his decisions did not win him friends. "SOme of the
positions I've had to take, like increasing the length of the
school day, didn't get the teaches on my side from Day One. NOt
being able to give them a raise certainly didn't help me. . . .
The staff was not pleased with me for downsizing and cutting
their pay. The parents were not pleased with me, because I had
to close schools in their neighborhoods. The students were upset
because I closed campuses [at lunch] and raised graduation
requirements."
The POST reports that Julius W. Becton Jr., a retired three-
star Army general is rumored to replace Smith.
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