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--- Wednesday --- April 9, 1997 --- Vol. 7 --- No. 30 ---
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THE NATIONAL UPDATE ON AMERICA'S EDUCATION REFORM EFFORTS
A service of the National Education Goals Panel
__________ __________
BACKING WHITE | SPOTLIGHT |
Jumping into the should-Mayor | |
Michael White-be-given-control- | "DAY CARE |
of-Cleveland-schools fray is | AT TAXPAYER EXPENSE" |
the Greater Cleveland | |
Roundtable, a group comprised | . . . is how one Texan |
of civic, business, community | parent describes the trend |
and other groups. The group | to full-day kindergarten. |
endorsed the idea of giving | Five-year-olds are too |
White control of the schools in | young to be in school full |
order to "pull the district | day, she claims. Despite |
from its emergency state," | her protests, more Texas |
writes the Cleveland PLAIN | school districts are moving |
DEALER, Ortiz, 4/3). | toward full-day kindergar- |
| ten, hoping to boost |
THE TOO TOUGH TEST | children's achievement |
Some local Va. school | levels and please the |
district leaders are | majority of parents who |
complaining that the state's | favor all-day programs.(#1) |
new statewide assessments are | |
too difficult for grade school | Most early childhood |
students (Mathews, WASH pOST, | experts, citing the latest |
3/25). The paper also points | brain research, applaud the |
out differences in the Md. and | full-day kindergartens. |
Va. statewide exams: Md. | And good news for parents |
stresses "thinking skills and | fearful that day-care |
learning in cooperation with" | hinders a young child's |
others -- there are many essay | intellectual growth: The |
questions; Va. emphasizes | latest National Institute |
memorization of facts and "high | of Child Health and Human |
standards even for lower | Development study reports |
grades." The POST writes that | no negative cognitive or |
Md's philosophy is more in line | linguistic outcome for |
with current education | children in day care. (#2) |
research. |_____________________________|
============== QUOTE OF THE DAY ==============
"Often, the half day just does not allow you the time you need to
spend with those children." -- Janice Heffer, manager of early
childhood programs in the Houston school district, advocating for
full-day kindergarten programs. (#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 ONE: SCHOOL READINESS
FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN: A Texas trend. (#1)
DAY CARE: Its effect on children and learning. (#2)
GOAL FOUR: TEACHER EDUCATION/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, EARLY CHILDHOOD: ASCD agenda. (#3)
PATHWISE TO SUCCESS: ETS's new teacher training program. (#4)
GOAL SIX: ADULT LITERACY AND LIFELONG LEARNING
THE WHOLE NEW WORLD OF LITERACY: NIL launches campaign. (#5)
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===== GOAL ONE: SCHOOL READINESS =====
*1 FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN: A TEXAS TREND
The HOUSTON CHRONICLE reports that more school districts in
Texas are offering a full-day kindergarten program (Markley,
3/16). School officials report the causes underlying the full-
day kindergarten trend, including: opportunities to close
achievement gaps; rising state standards, with schools trying to
keep pace; Gov George Bush's (R) campaign to have every child
read by third grade; and parental demand, given the high number
of working mothers.
Last month, the Aldine Independent School District approved
an $84M bond proposal to add classroom space, partially to meet
the demands of a full-day kindergarten program, reports the
paper. Cypress-Fairbanks and Spring Branch school board members
recently voted to give families an option to enroll their
youngsters in a half-day or full-day kindergarten. Humble School
District opened full-day kindergarten last year, and Houston has
had full-day kindergarten since the 1983-1984 school year, writes
the paper.
"Those of us who are in early childhood education do realize
the benefits of that full day," said Janice Heffer, manager of
early childhood programs in HISD. "Often, the half day just does
not allow you the time you need to spend with those children."
However, Teresa Triplett, a Cy-Fair parent, disputes the
need for a full-day program. "I think a seven-hour day is too
long for a child to be away from the home at that age," she said.
We feel like we are pushing our kids too much." Triplett also
called full-day kindergarten "day care at the taxpayer expense."
Letha McGee, another Cy-Fair parent, offered a different
perspective. "What is wrong with reaching for more?" she said.
"I don't think that advocating pushing further is the same thing
as advocating pushing your child. I think there is a big
difference there."
Kathy Christie, policy analyst for the Denver-based
Education Commission of the States, said that 1993 data indicates
that about half the kindergarten children in the country were
enrolled in a full-day kindergarten. Christie: "It still is a
big question at the state level because if they are going to
provide it to everyone, those are big dollars you are talking
about."
Schools officials from the Cy-Fair district hold that the
additional state funding they will receive by moving from a half-
day to a full-day kindergarten over time will pay for the extra
teachers and classroom space, reports the paper.
The CHRONICLE also notes that a Cy-Fair poll of parents
found that 72% of all parents and 82% of parents with children in
kindergarten want full-day programs. Next fall's enrollment
plans parallel the survey: 2,274 Cy-Fair parents are seeking
full-day kindergarten, while only 156 have chosen half-day.
*2 DAY CARE: ITS EFFECT ON CHILDREN AND LEARNING
Young children in the care of others demonstrate as strong
cognitive and linguistic skills as children left in the care of
their mothers, according to a new study released by the National
Institute of Child Health and Human Development. However, the
study underscores that the quality of care matters.
"One very important take-home message . . . is that children
in child care are not doing any worse than children not in child
care" on cognitive and language skills, said Sarah Friedman,
coordinator of the study. "For those children in child care, the
better the quality of the care, the better the outcome."
However, the study also found that placing a very young
child -- less than six months -- in day care for long hours each
week has a small negative effect on mother-child relations.
Deborah Lowe Vandell, a professor of educational psychology at
the U of Wisconsin, observed that long hours of day care early in
life may indicate a "real source of stress for mothers, which
gets reflected in their behavior."
The L.A. TIMES writes that various measures fo mother-child
interaction "are considered strong predictors of a child's sense
of security, and, in turn, of the child's overall emotional well-
being." (Healy, 4/4)
Another finding: Day care has far less impact on child
development than does the child's home life, including family
economic status, the mother's frame of mind and the child's own
temperament.
The TIMES also reports that the NICHD study is the "most
comprehensive" examination of the effects of day care on young
children." According to the WASH POST, the NICHD study "began
with a pool of nearly 9,000 families, then narrowed the group to
a diverse selection by economic status, single-parenthood,
education of the mother and numerous other characteristics."
(Vobejda, 4/4). Researchers pointed out that the diversity in
families studied allowed for a broad range of child-care
arrangements, including centers, nannies, fathers and other
relatives and care in the home of another family.
This was the second phase of a "massive ongoing study,"
writes the POST. The first set of findings was released a year
ago, concluding that day care, by itself, is not detrimental to a
child's emotional attachment to his or her mother.
===== GOAL FOUR: TEACHER EDUCATION/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT =====
*3 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, EARLY CHILDHOOD: ASCD AGENDA
The need for quality early childhood experiences and for
appropriate teacher training and development top the list of the
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development's agenda
(ASCD press release, 3/26). At the group's annual board of
directors meeting, members agreed to focus on both goals for the
upcoming year and beyond.
For early childhood, board members agreed to focus energy
on: ensuring quality care and education programs for all young
children; substantially improve pre-service preparation and
continuing education of educators; and support policies and
practices necessary to achieve equity in education.
ASCD noted the "acute" need for quality pre-K and
kindergarten programs, especially for children with disabilities
and disadvantaged children. The group encourages public schools
to offer, "at public expense," quality care and education for all
families who want it, writes the release.
Teacher preparation goals adopted by the group last month
include: admission standards to preparation programs comparable
to those for other professions; pre-service programs that teach
pedagogical skills, knowledge and understanding; initial
certification based on performance; required recertification
based on content mastery and teaching competence, at points
throughout the teaching career; establishment of public schools
that serve as professional development centers, where the
professional development of educators is a major focus; provision
of time and other resources for teachers to engage in
professional reflection, investigation, continuing education, and
interaction with colleagues.
The board also agreed that pre-service programs that are not
up to par should be closed.
ASCD is an Alexandria, Va.-based international, nonprofit,
nonpartisan organization "committed to the mission of forging
covenants in teaching and learning for the success of all
learners," writes the release. Its nearly 200,000 members
include school superintendents , principals, teachers, school
board members, professors, parents and students.
*4 PATHWISE TO SUCCESS: ETS'S NEW TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAM
The Educational Testing Service last month launched a new
teacher training program based on Charlotte Danielson's book "A
Framework for Teaching: Enhancing Professional Practice,"
published by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development.
Called "The PATHWISE Institute: A Framework for Teaching,"
the one-day workshop promises to improve the skills of classroom
teaching for both novice and experienced teachers and establish a
"systematic professional development plan in states, districts,
schools and colleges," writes ETS. From an ETS press release:
"A central theme of the framework is that improved student
performance depends on improved teacher performance. It defines
what teachers must know and be able to do if students are to
improve their academic achievement."
Danielson, an author and educational researcher, advocates
for the creation of a common language for teaching, which would
give the profession a means of communicating about excellence.
"You need a common language to talk about teaching, to talk about
staff development, to be able to reflect upon your own teaching,"
she said.
According to the release, the one-day Institute defines and
uses a common vocabulary to describe the practice of teaching.
The Institute also examines teaching as the intersection of four
domains: planning and preparation, classroom environment,
instruction and professional responsibilities.
The Institute's lessons are easily transfered to any
classroom at any level, reports the release. Danielson: "What
it boils down to is this: Good teaching is good teaching. The
underlying constructs are the same."
At ETS, Danielson analyzed "the entire practice of teaching,
break[ing] it down into its distinct yet mutually supportive
tasks, and reassembl[ing] these elements into one master
architecture that respects and honors the complexity of the
challenge faced by every teacher in every classroom every day,"
writes ETS.
The introductory institute: teaches a "comprehensive,
highly adaptable approach to structuring a successful mentoring,
peer coaching, or staff development program;" gives a "common
vocabulary for discussing the practice fo teaching;" leads "to a
deeper understanding of why something works or doesn't work in
the classroom;" demonstrates "how to observe and improve the
classroom strategies of preservice teachers, beginning teachers,
even experienced teachers;" and gives "a single integrated model
for improving all aspects of teaching," writes ETS.
Institute costs: $199 per person plus $25 materials fee for
an individual to attend an institute in their area; or $2,750 to
bring an on-site institute to a campus, school or district.
For more information call 800/297-9051, or visit ETS' web
site at http://www.ets.org (click on Teaching and Learning).
===== GOAL SIX: ADULT LITERACY AND LIFELONG LEARNING =====
*5 THE WHOLE NEW WORLD OF LITERACY: NIL LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN
Improving adult literacy rates is the goal of a new campaign
launched by the National Institute for Literacy (NIL press
release, 21 March). The year-long campaign is called "Literacy:
"It's a Whole New World."
"The purpose of the National Institute for Literacy's
campaign is to inspire a new wave of activity for literacy by
raising awareness in every household and community across the
nation," said President Clinton. "This campaign will help
Americans understand that literacy is about more than reading.
It is also about opportunity and giving people the tools they
need to make the most of their God-given potential. It is about
preparing for the 21st century, when a fully literate work fore
will be crucial to our continued strength as a nation."
Clinton was joined by Ed Sec Richard Riley, Tara Holland,
Miss America 1997, and national literacy leaders who support the
campaign's efforts. Holland plans to focus on literacy during
her reign as Miss America.
The three-pronged campaign will highlight: raising
awareness about literacy among the general public; literacy
policy at the national, state and local levels; and a targeting
of business and industry, which will coincide with National
Literacy Month and International Literacy Day on 8 September,
writes the release.
According to the release, the campaign defines literacy
beyond "simply reading and writing . . . and it "aims to provide
a vision of a fully literate America, where all adults have the
skills they need to fulfill their potential." Task forces have
been created in every state to participate in the campaign and to
provide a "focal point for community activities, writes the
release.
Public service announcements and other messages on
television, radio, newspapers, the Internet, mailings and
elsewhere will be used to deliver the literacy message to the
American public. The National Literacy Hotline's toll-free
number also has been distributed widely (800/228-8813).
Goals of the campaign include: inspiring businesses to
create literacy initiatives; motivating local and state
legislators to include prescriptions to improve adult literacy
through legislation and community action; spurring additional
legions of individual citizens to volunteer as tutors or to
enroll in adult literacy programs; and stimulating an outpouring
of support at all levels of the community.
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