Click here to return to OFCN's Main Index Page.
--- Wednesday --- March 12, 1997 --- Vol. 7 --- No. 24 ---
D #### ##### #### ### #### #### ##### ### #### ####
A ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ##
I #### #### #### ## ## #### ## ## ##### #### ## ##
L ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ##
Y ## ## ##### ## ### ## ## ## ##### ## ## ## ## ####
THE NATIONAL UPDATE ON AMERICA'S EDUCATION REFORM EFFORTS
A service of the National Education Goals Panel
__________ __________
AmeriCorps' STATE CONNECTION | SPOTLIGHT |
The National Community | |
Service Trust Act, which | YOU'RE OUT |
authorized Clinton's AmeriCorps | |
program, allows for state | Intolerance over students |
control of AmeriCorps by | who are violent in school |
"assigning state commissions | has reached a boiling |
significant responsibilities," | point. Some states have |
according to a new U.S. General | imposed "zero-tolerance" |
Accounting Office report. | policies, which give |
The review examined | principals greater |
AmeriCorps activities in seven | discretion to expel unruly |
states: Calif., Md., Mo., | and dangerous students. |
R.I., Texas, Va., and Wash. | |
According to the report, the | In Mass., a debate over |
state commissions are | the merits of the state's |
responsible for developing a | zero-tolerance policy is |
statewide service infrastruc- | underway. Some say the |
ture, selecting/funding Ameri- | law, tough as it is, is |
Corps projects, and monitoring | appropriate. Others charge |
and evaluating projects. State | that expelling a student |
commissions control about two- | from school does a dis- |
thirds of the federal funds | service to the student and |
available for AmeriCorp. | the community, which then |
While all commissions agree | must deal with a young |
on the need for a federal role, | person typically left |
they differ over the extent of | unattended. (#2) |
that role. Calif. wants funds | |
to be distributed based on | N.Y.C. may have the |
population; R.I. prefers the | solution, albeit a costly |
federal government to fund | one; the Board of Education |
projects based on quality. No | voted to create alternative |
surprise here. | schools for violent |
Call 202/512-6000 to order a | students. (#3) |
free copy of the report. |_____________________________|
============== QUOTE OF THE DAY ==============
"When a kid is expelled he doesn't just disappear. The school
might get rid of a problem, but the rest of us get a bigger one."
Mass. State Representative Patricia Jehlen (D), on the state's
zero-tolerance policy. (#2)
_______________________________________________________________
| 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
A NEW ATTITUDE: Jefferson Parish reshapes classrooms. (#1)
GOAL SEVEN: SAFE SCHOOLS
ZERO TOLERANCE: Has it gone to far in Mass. (#2)
SEPARATE SCHOOLS: The cure for disruptive students. (#3)
PROMISING PRACTICES
URBAN SCHOOLS: Five selected as models of reform. (#4)
SEGREGATION
SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE: Segregation in the Miss. Delta. (#5)
HOW TO GET ON THE DRC LIST-SERVE
To subscribe: Send an e-mail message from the account you
wish to subscribe to rptcrd@mail.apn.com with the word
"subscribe" as the "subject." Please do not write anything in
the text section; only type in "subscribe" under "subject" in the
memo heading. You will receive a short message confirming your
subscription. If you encounter difficulties subscribing, send a
message to drc@mail.apn.com, detailing the problem.
===== GOAL THREE: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND CITIZENSHIP =====
*1 A NEW ATTITUDE: JEFFERSON PARISH RESHAPES CLASSROOMS
The Jefferson Parish school system in La. is in the midst of
developing new teaching methods that correspond to statewide
curriculum standards (Vaishnav, THE TIMES -PICAYUNE, 3/4). "We
want children to apply their knowledge in real-life situations
rather than taking a pencil-and-paper test," said Janet McLin,
executive director of instruction for the school system. "You
will see a difference in the classroom because of the integration
of content, methods and assessment."
For example, students will be involved in more group work
and individual projects. They will do more reading and their
classes will integrate various subjects, writes the paper. Math
students can expect more word problems and fewer multiple-choice
tests," noted Yvonne Lehr, a math consultant o the school system.
Lehr: "The job market is totally different. "They have to be
able to work in groups to solve problems. They have to read and
interpret graphs. They have to learn that taking risks by
working in groups is OK."
The paper also reports that language arts teachers plan to
focus literature courses on character motivations, rather than
rote reading comprehension. "It's really more of a way to get
the children to become a personal respondent to the literature,"
said Nell Waldrop, a seventh-grade language arts teacher at T.H
.Harris Middle School in Metairie and one of the people helping
design the new curriculum. "The conversation will not be 'What
color was the boat?' but more of 'WHy was he in the boar, and
what if he had done something else?"
The school system's new standards will drive textbook
selection. Typically, textbook selection has driven the
curriculum, notes the paper. New math texts are scheduled for
delivery this fall.
Math and language arts will launch the new teaching methods
this fall, followed by other subjects during the 1998-1999 school
year, said McLin.
===== GOAL SEVEN: SAFE SCHOOLS =====
*2 ZERO TOLERANCE: SOME COMPLAIN IT HAS GONE TOO FAR IN MASS.
The 1993 Mass. education reform act gave principals the
authority to expel students for assaults on teachers and weapon
or drug possession. Since then, the number of expulsions has
skyrocketed from 983 in 1992-1993 to 1,505 in 1994-1995 (Flint,
Boston GLOBE, 3/8). "It's a tough law, but it's working the way
I think it should work," said Robert Antonucci, the state
commissioner of education, who added that two-thirds of the
state's school districts provide some type of alternative program
for expelled students.
However, some groups complain that the zero-tolerance policy
has "tossed out good kids along with more hardened
troublemakers," writes the paper. "Right now it's an over-broad,
bludgeoning approach," said Susan Cole, head of the Children's
Law Support Project, at the Massachusetts Advocacy Center. She
added that school leaders "aren't looking at the circumstances
surrounding these incidents, and their scenarios can be complex.
And there are ways to get these kids to behave without
expelling."
State Representative Patricia Jehlen (D) concurred. "When a
kid is expelled he doesn't just disappear," she said. "The
school might get rid of a problem, but the rest of us get a
bigger one." Jehlen added: "Most kids deserve a second chance.
They should know what it would take for them to earn their way
back into school." Jehlen is sponsoring a bill that would place
more stringent guidelines on principals seeking to expel students
and "bolster the appeal process," reports the paper.
Other educators are pleased with the toughness of the zero-
tolerance provision. "The public, which has grown increasingly
intolerant of violence and drugs in the schools, gave us these
extraordinary powers," said Peter Sack, principal at Swampscott
High School. "I feel comfortable with that authority and
certainly do not misuse it, and make sure that in every case the
student's rights are protected." Sack has expelled seven
students, all for marijuana possession.
Antonucci conceded that he would entertain changes in the
law that would make it more difficult to expel younger students.
"If I have an 18-year-old senior who arrives at school with a
weapon, I don't have much sympathy for that student. But I would
think more about a 13-year-old expelled from middle school," he
said. According to the paper, over half of expelled students
attend high school, while 36% are from grades 6 through 8.
Other educators want to add a provision to the law that
gives school administrators more room to expel special education
students, reports the paper. The GLOBE writes that the "standard
is higher for special education students since they are often
struggling with behavior problems."
*3 SEPARATE SCHOOLS: THE CURE FOR DISRUPTIVE STUDENTS
A N.Y. TIMES editorial sings high praises for the New York
City Board of Education's recent decision to create separate
schools for violent and disruptive students (3/8). The paper
pens that regular public schools have never had success in
handling highly disruptive students and alternative classes, some
managed b private firms, "should have a better chance to
succeed."
Board member Carol Gresser was the only dissenting voice.
She fears that "public schools are shirking their duties ... by
entrusting [students] to private organizations," which could turn
into warehouses, writes the paper.
But the TIMES counters that private and not-for-profit
companies already are serving New York City students well. For
example, Wildcat Academy, a private group that is scheduled to
operate a new school for violent students, already manages an
alternative high school for the public school system.
The paper explains that the board plans to open three middle
schools and three high schools, called "second-chance schools."
The new schools will enroll about 300 sixth to twelfth graders
and serve students "who have been found to be habitually violent,
or in possession of drugs or weapons."
According to the paper, the board also is considering a
proposal that would allow schools to expel students 17 and over
who "commit infractions such as using drugs, or school,
intimidation, coercion and extortion." From the paper: "The
expulsion rule is necessary if the schools are to have any
leverage over disruptive students."
The TIMES concludes: "Advocacy groups charge that the new
schools would simply shunt aside troubled teenagers. Rather than
standing by, these groups should pitch in and help the new
schools to succeed."
==== PROMISING PRACTICES ====
*4 URBAN SCHOOLS: FIVE SELECTED AS MODELS OF REFORM
U.S. Ed Sec Richard Riley announced the winners of the
Office of Vocational and Adult Education program called "changing
the Subject: The New Urban High School (DoEd press release,
3/10). "It can be done," said Riley, who identified the model
schools while at Central Park East Secondary School, one of the
winners. "When teachers students, parents, the community and
business join forces, the result is state-of-the-art education,
with young people preparing themselves to continue their
education beyond high school."
Besides New York City's Central Park East, the winners are:
Hoover High School (Sand Diego), William Turner Technical High
School (Miami), Chicago Vocational Essential High School
(Chicago), and St. Louis Academy (St.Louis).
The release provided brief descriptions of each school. FOr
example, the Chicago Vocational Essential High School recently
transformed itself into eight "schools-within-a-school," which ar
organized by broad career clusters. The St. Louis Career Academy
features a mix of computer-assisted instruction and project-based
learning in a redesigned high school setting that includes
individual work stations and small group work, rather than a t
traditional classroom setting. Each career academy student works
on academic skills at a personal computer for up to three hours
each morning, and participates in group projects in the
afternoon. Juniors and seniors engage in workplace internships
in the life sciences, using portfolios and exhibitions to
showcase their work.
According to Riley, the selected schools all stress high
academic standards and career skills, a curriculum that links
high-level academics with career experiences, career exploration
via internships, work-based experiences linked to classroom
teaching, and strong partnerships between high schools and
postsecondary institutions. Adult mentors who assist students
with classroom and on-the-job learning experiences also are key
to the success of the selected schools.
Riley: "These new American high schools have restructured
what and how they tach so that learning is relevant and all
students are prepared for college and career opportunities," said
Patricia McNeill, assistant secretary for vocational and adult
education. "They enable students to have a broader range of
choices, equipping them with the advanced knowledge and skills
they will need to succeed in the 21st century."
The "Changing the Subject: THe New Urban High School"
project is funded by the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of
1994, with The Big Picture Company, a PRovidence, R.I., non-
profit education research and advocacy group. THe Big Picture
Company will assist the high schools to expand and promote their
initiatives in order for them to become models for other schools.
Each school also will be assigned an education mentor,
including Howard Fuller, Norton Grubb, Deborah Meier, Seymour
Sarason, Theodore Sizer and Judith Warren Little.
==== SEGREGATION ====
*5 SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE: SEGREGATION IN THE MISS. DELTA
For the first time in 32 years, the U.S. Commission on Civil
Rights held hearings in Greenville, Miss., to determine the
extent of segregation and racial tension in the Mississippi Delta
region (Copeland, Philadelphia INQUIRER, 3/7).
The first hearings held in February 1965 led to the Voting
Rights Act of 1965 and efforts to desegregate schools. While the
latest hearings are not expected to lead to "such monumental
change," the commission may be able to urge the U.S. DoEd to call
for "improved educational opportunities in the Delta," writes the
paper.
Commissioners found that during the 32 years since their
last visit, black students have moved into the "mainstream," but
they also are in "poor schools that leave them less prepared than
whites," writes the paper. Most white students in the region
have fled the public schools and attend private schools.
According to the paper, about 10% of Miss.'s 500,000 student in K
through 12th grade are enrolled in private schools. However,
some schools in the area are 97% black.
"In a period when racial tension is at an all-item high, we
have lost sight of the fact that our failure to desegregate
education may have contributed to the climate in which we have a
total lack of understanding in this country, said Mary Frances
Berry, chairwoman of the commission.
The commission held hearings in Washington, Chicago, Los
Angeles, New York and Miami. Greenville is the only rural area
the commission visited to determine the extent of racial and
ethnic tensions nationwide. The hearings focused on education,
the economy and the impact of voting rights laws, reports the
paper.
Click here to return to The 1997 Daily Report Card
Click here to return to OFCN's
Academy Program
Click here to return to OFCN's Main Index Page.
John Kurilecjmk@ofcn.org