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--- Monday --- April 28, 1997 --- Vol. 7 --- No. 37 ---
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THE NATIONAL UPDATE ON AMERICA'S EDUCATION REFORM EFFORTS
A service of the National Education Goals Panel
HOME PAGES __________ __________
Two web sites have been | SPOTLIGHT |
announced: one for charter | |
schools, the other for private | WORKFORCE 2020 |
schools. The U.S. DoEd has | |
unveiled its U.S. Charter | Two paths to the future |
Schools website at | are being carved out of |
www.uscharterschools.org. The | today's work-world jungle: |
site provides info and support | one will lead to "glitter- |
to those interested in creating | ing destinations," the |
charter schools by offering | other to joblessness anger |
relevant research, policies and | and anxiety, according to |
practices and links to other | an update of the Hudson |
web-based resources. | Institute's influential |
The National Association of | "Workforce 2000." |
Independent Schools also is | |
debuting its web site located | The report, "Workforce |
at www.nais-schools.org. The | 2020," describes what many |
site is designed to serve | others agree are driving |
parents interested in learning | dramatic changes in today's |
about independent schools and | workplace: technological |
their admission process, with | change, globalization and |
hyperlinks to school home | "boomer demographics." |
pages; reporters and the | |
general public who want | Besides economic, social |
information on NAIS | and tax policy changes, the |
publications, conferences and | report recommends upgrading |
workshops; and member schools | K-12 education in order to |
who want to access NAIS | steer more people to the |
resources and services. | prosperous path. Once at |
| work, on-the-job training |
DON'T FORGET | remains essential to keep |
The ABC special, "I Am Your | workers from stumbling off |
Child" airs tonight. Check | the path, according to the |
local listings for time. | report. (#2) |
|_____________________________|
============== QUOTE OF THE DAY ==============
"It's good to have an army again."
Retired General Colin Powell, addressing a corps of volunteers at
the Summit for America's Future. (#5)
_______________________________________________________________
| (c) by the Education Policy Network, Inc. |
| 1255 22nd Street NW; Washington, D.C. 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
REDSHIRTING: Held back from kindergarten. (#1)
RESEARCH NOTES
IN THE YEAR 2020: Economics, education and the workforce. (#2)
WHITE HOUSE WATCH
CLINTON'S RADIO ADDRESS: Promotes America Reads program. (#3)
PROMISING PRACTICES
MICH.INSTITUTE FOR REFORM: Helping schools help themselves.(#4)
SERVING THE COMMUNITY
SUMMIT FOR AMERICA'S FUTURE: Counting on volunteers. (#5)
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===== GOAL ONE: SCHOOL READINESS =====
*1 REDSHIRTING: HELD BACK FROM KINDERGARTEN
A trend noticed in schools nationwide is redshirting
children by delaying their entry into kindergarten (Warren, L.A.
TIMES, 4/23). According to the paper, experts are divided over
the issue of whether it matters to start a child in school at a
later age.
"Children with autumn birthdays often are not prepared
developmentally to cope with the demands of kindergarten," said
Calif. Assemblyman George Runner Jr. (R), who is sponsoring a
bill that would raise the age for students to enroll in the
state's kindergartens. "By starting them before they're ready,
we increase the chances that they'll fail," he added. His bill
would move the current 2 December cutoff date for a child to turn
five to 1 September, reports the paper.
However, some educators argue that any advantage to being
older vanishes by third grade. Others agree with Runner that the
extra year allows children to "mature, develop motor skills and
learn to pay attention in class," writes the paper.
Raising the kindergarten age also could help increase
statewide test scores. "I would contend that one of the factors
for the decline [in Calif. students' test scores] is that a
portion of the student body has not had the physiological
development to do what the educational system has been demanding
of them," said James Uphoff, a professor education at Wright
State U in Ohio. "It's not that they're less bright, it's that
their eye muscles, their fine motor skills, their coordination
aren't developed sufficiency for the tasks they face," he added.
The National Association for the Education of Young Children
holds that the age-limit debate does not address the heart of the
problem. Schools and teachers must become more flexible in
dealing with children of all readiness backgrounds, claims NAEYC.
"Messing with the age a child starts kindergarten is the wrong
approach," cautioned Barbara Willer, a NAEYC spokeswoman. "The
appropriate strategy is making sure the school can meet the needs
of kids, whenever they enter."
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Easton
opposes changing the date because it would "create hardships" for
disadvantaged families who cannot afford the appropriate pre-
school for their children, writes the paper. "We view this bill
as an elimination of educational opportunity," said Santiago
Jackson, an assistant superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified
School District. "If you take away kindergarten for these kids
[with birthdays after 1 September], what's left?"
According to the paper, the debate over what age to begin
kindergarten emerged during the 1980s, "when concerns surfaced
over children's ability to cope with a more academic kindergarten
experience." Schools handled the situation in different ways.
Some created "developmental kindergartens," which enrolled
children determined to be unprepared for the "rigors" of
kindergarten, reports the paper. Other schools developed
transitional first-grade classes for children who had not yet
mastered kindergarten basics. Many parents began voluntarily
holding their children back in order to give them an extra
advantage. "There has been an uprising among parents who resent
this hurrying and pressuring and stressing of kids with too much
academics," said Jim Grant, the executive director of the New
Hampshire-based Society for Developmental Education. "Schools
are set up to treat kids all the same. But developmentally, a 4-
year-old is often not ready for a 5-year-old kindergarten."
===== RESEARCH NOTES ====
*2 IN THE YEAR 2020: ECONOMICS, EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE
Poised on the threshold of the 21st century, American
workers are selecting one of two paths: one that leads to
"glittering destinations," the other "stymied by the pitfalls
along the road," according to a new report issued by the Hudson
Institute. The publication, "Workforce 2020" states that more
workers can achieve the riches of tomorrow if public and private
sectors focus on increasing economic growth and learning
opportunities.
National Association of Manufacturers President Jerry
Jasinowski, who joined Hudson Institute researchers to release
the book: "The 21st century will hold unprecedented employment
opportunities for those who stay in school, study hard and
sharpen their workplace skills. Technology advances will create
far more jobs than are lost, and most will be safer, more
stimulating and better paid than the jobs they replace.
Increased globalization will play to America's strength
innovation and flexibility, and mean more relatively high-paying
and secure exporting jobs. The expected tightening and aging of
the labor supply will encourage more employers to open their
doors to an increasingly diverse workforce and offer more
flexible working conditions so employees can combine work with
family and other pursuits."
However, America's "glaring education deficiencies" could
block many workers from securing jobs of the future, leaving them
on the path that leads to less prosperity. "Workforce 2020"
predicts growing income disparities and posits four forces that
explain both the "satisfactions and dangers" ahead: the pace of
technological change; the notion that "the rest of the world
matters"; the aging of America, and its impact on the nation's
economy and work world; and the slow pace of ethnic
diversification in the U.S. labor force.
From the report: "... 'Workforce 2020' offers a vision of
a bifurcated U.S. labor force in the early twenty-first century.
As we envision the next twenty-plus years, the skills premium
appears even more powerful to us than it did to our predecessors
who wrote 'Workforce 2000.' Millions of Americans with
proficiency in math, science, and the English language will join
a global elite whose services will be in intense demand. ... But
other Americans with inadequate education and no technological
expertise -- how many depends in large part on what we do to
improve their training -- will face declining real wages or
unemployment, particularly in manufacturing."
The report recommends, among other things, an upgrade of
American education and training programs in order to promote
upward mobility. Current federal education and training programs
"were created for a different era and economy," writes the
report. The key for tomorrow's successes lies in providing
appropriate labor market information to workers. According to
the report, some states and cities are piloting innovative
programs that help put people to work, including subcontracting
to private placement firms such as America Works and Manpower,
Inc. On-the-job-training also is critical to directing more
workers down the prosperous path.
However, the most "cost-effective way to decrease the number
of unskilled adults in the future" is to focus on early
education, notes the report. High academic standards and
elimination of the "one-size-fits-all structure" are two
education reforms with high potential, writes the report.
Injecting competition into the schools is necessary since years
of education reform have failed to reinvent K-12 education.
Charter schools and vouchers are mentioned as possible vehicles
for stirring competitive forces in the public school system.
"Government's pivotal role is to radically improve the
education system to produce the workers for tomorrow's high-skill
jobs," said Jasinowski. "And, simply put, we won't be able to
meet the challenges laid out in this report unless policy makers
reduce barriers to economic growth, with an emphasis on reforming
Social Security and Medicare, reducing taxes to allow workers to
keep more of what they earn, expanding exports and encouraging
the development and use of new technologies. We also need more
enlightened policy to increase the number of highly skilled and
educated immigrants who are essential to the success of America's
job-creating high-tech industries."
"Workforce 2020" also claims that while education beyond
high school is essential for next century's workforce, a four-
year college degree is not always the best choice. In many
cases, students are not prepared to handle college-level work.
In other instances, students graduate from a college only to find
that the their particular skill is not needed by local employers
who are desperate to find highly skilled workers to meet their
needs. A mismatch occurs: workers have no jobs, and businesses
have no workers.
In conclusion, the report offers three principles that offer
the most hope for the future, while recognizing that the
principles are not definitive or exhaustive: "governments, firms
and individuals must base decisions and reform on the best
information;" "America must adapt the institutions shaping its
labor force to new circumstances;" "society-wide solutions will
not address America's workforce challenges adequately. Instead,
the challenges ahead call for solutions tailored to individual
circumstances."
The report was prepared by Richard Judy, a senior research
fellow at Hudson Institute and Carol D'Amico, a senior research
fellow and director of the Workforce 2020 project. In 1987,
Hudson produced the "best-selling" "Workforce 2000" reports,
which found that the workforce of the future would not consist
primarily of white males in manufacturing jobs. The book also
predicted a skills gap between "what a well-educated labor force
needed in a global economy and what a failing primary- and
secondary-education system in the United States would equip
workers to do," writes the preface to "Workforce 2020."
For more information on both publications, contact the
Hudson Institute; Herman Kahn Center; P.O. Box 26-919;
Indianapolis, Indiana 46226; 317/545-1000; 1-800/HUDSON-0
==== WHITE HOUSE WATCH ====
*3 CLINTON'S RADIO ADDRESS: PROMOTES AMERICA READS PROGRAM
In his weekly radio address, President Clinton stressed the
importance of early reading skills for America's children and he
called on the nation to embrace his America Reads program
(Sanchez, WASH POST, 4/27).
Clinton: "We need America Reads and we need it now.
Studies show that students who fail to read by the fourth grade
are more likely to drop out of school, and less likely to succeed
in life. But 40 percent of our fourth-graders still can't read
at a basic level. We can and we must do better than this."
America Reads rests on getting 25,000 reading specialists to
train a "national army of volunteers to work with more than 3
million children in that subject after school, on weekends and
during the summer," writes the paper. Clinton wants Congress to
approve his $2.7M budget for America Reads Challenge.
While some Republicans endorse the program's goals, they are
concerned about its costs and wonder if it duplicates other
federal literacy programs.
During his radio talk, Clinton also said he wants to expand
AmeriCorps, his national service program, to enlist about 100,000
college students to serve as volunteer tutors, reports the paper.
On the Sunday CBS news show "Face the Nation," Clinton addressed
his plans to exempt student volunteers from interest payments on
their student loans during the time they are engaged in full-time
community service work. "If they are willing to give to their
country, it seems to me just the least we can do is to relieve
them of a burden of the interest accumulating during the period,"
said Clinton.
The paper notes that Clinton's plans to expand AmeriCorps
and exempt student volunteers from interest payments have met
with skepticism from some Congressional Republicans. AmeriCorps
volunteers earn government-paid tuition stipends in return for
two years of community service, which is a cause of concern for
some Republicans. Others question whether part-time reading
tutors would be effective in combating illiteracy.
A transcript of Clinton's radio address is available at the
WASH POST's web site: www.washingtonpost.com. Click on the
square icon on the front page.
==== PROMISING PRACTICES ====
*4 MICH.INSTITUTE FOR REFORM: HELPING SCHOOLS HELP THEMSELVES
Critics of Mich. Gov John Engler's (R) proposal to allow the
state to take over troubled districts complained that the state
should help not punish poorly performing schools. Earlier this
month, Engler unveiled a new institute that will provide failing
school districts with the assistance they need to improve their
schools (Van Moorlehem, DETROIT FREE PRESS, 4/9). The privately
funded, nonprofit Institute for School Reform is housed at
Eastern Michigan U.
"The governor said all along, it's ... his goal to improve
districts," explained Engler spokesman John Truscott. "But if
all else fails, we can't just ignore the students in those
districts that aren't improving."
The institute will use a 16-point improvement plan developed
by former Mich. school superintendent John Porter. Underlying
Porter's plan is measurement, writes the paper. From the paper:
"... unless school districts took regular, precise measurements
of student performance, they could never discern what was and
wasn't working," according to Porter.
Porter's plan is underway in four districts: Oak Park,
Albion, Saginaw and Muskegon Heights. The paper details Oak
Park's foray into education reform. In 1992, five of every six
students failed a state exam in fourth- and seventh-grade math
and reading. The new superintendent's goal was to improve MAEP
(Michigan Educational Assessment Program) scores. Porter was
hired, and the district "gathered nearly 100 residents to set
down a vision," writes the paper. The group produced 33 goals,
"including raising attendance from 88% to 94% and helping 75% of
students earn satisfactory MEAP scores," notes the paper. Data
was collected and results analyzed.
Educators discovered that students were failing the hands-on
portion of the MAEP science test. Consequently, the district
created a science resource room, built a science lab in each
elementary school, and trained teachers to conduct science
experiments and activities rather than rely on textbooks.
According to the paper, the district achieved 25 of its 33
goals by the end of last school year. And Oak Park's MEAP scores
were among the five most-improved in the metro area since 1991 in
fourth- and seventh-grade math and reading. Oak Park
Superintendent Alexander Bailey said his district's success comes
from "a hundred adjustments, not one magic textbook or teaching
method," writes the paper. "You can't buy a package that makes
it work," he said. "You can't buy success. Inevitably, it boils
down to the classroom teacher."
Consumers Energy, a utility, was impressed with Porter's
success and decided to help other districts employ Porter's
model: hence, an institute was born, notes the paper.
The Institute for School Reform intends to work with up to
10 school districts, charter schools and trade academies in 1997.
Porter hopes the institute will put an end to the "combativeness"
between state government and the schools, writes the paper.
Porter: "It ... gets the state and school districts out of this
loggerhead, where we constantly hear people talk about a state
takeover."
==== SERVING THE COMMUNITY ====
*5 SUMMIT FOR AMERICA'S FUTURE: COUNTING ON VOLUNTEERS
Past and present American presidents are appearing at the
Summit for America's Future this week in Philadelphia.
Yesterday, Clinton along with former Presidents Jimmy Carter and
George Bush kicked-off the event by addressing a crowd of 5,000
and then proceeding to help clean up a neighborhood. Retired
General Colin Powel, general chairman of the summit, also
participated in the event. "It's good to have an army again," he
quipped.
The WASH POST observed that although the politicians kept
their remarks short and apolitical, "it was plain they had
sharply divergent notions about whether the United States is
socially a just society, and what volunteerism can do about it."
(Harris and Harden, 4/28). "I don't think there is much doubt
that in this country we do not yet have equality," said Carter,
who described a two-tiered society of the rich and the poor.
Bush, on the other hand, "painted a sunnier picture of a united
country where volunteerism was not intended to redress social
grievances but to 'give something back,'" writes the paper.
The POST reports that Clinton took a position between Carter
and Bush. The President also announced the formation of a new
partnership with the Transportation Department and businesses to
tutor and provide educational materials to a million youths over
the next four years. The program's goal is to encourage students
in math, science and transportation careers. Clinton also said
the Navy and Marines will add another 100,000 young people to
their mentoring programs, which already handles 600,000 youths.
Former President Gerald Ford and Nancy Reagan, standing in
for her husband, former president Ronald Reagan, will speak
today.
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