Click here to return to OFCN's Main Index Page.
--- Monday --- September 22, 1997 --- Vol. 7 --- No. 57 ---
D #### ##### #### ### #### #### ##### ### #### ####
A ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ##
I #### #### #### ## ## #### ## ## ##### #### ## ##
L ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ##
Y ## ## ##### ## ### ## ## ## ##### ## ## ## ## ####
THE NATIONAL UPDATE ON AMERICA'S EDUCATION REFORM EFFORTS
__________ __________
OVER THERE | SPOTLIGHT |
Former Fairfax County school | |
Superintendent Robert Spillane | MEASURING WHAT'S OUT THERE |
is now in charge of American | |
schools in Europe and Russia | "The test is not biased. |
for the U.S. State Department. | The test is measuring what |
According to the FAIRFAX | is out there," says one |
JOURNAL (Barnes, 9/4), | College Board official, |
Spillane will serves as adviser | defending the SAT. |
to the schools, which have | |
their own school boards. He | What's out there is a |
also will administer State | disproportionate number of |
Department grants. Spillane | minorities who are denied |
intends to continue teaching | admission to the U of |
week-long seminars at Harvard. | Calif. system due to low |
| SAT scores and the recent |
MORE FROM FAIRFAX | ban on racial preference. |
Uniforms are making gains in | (#3) Nor are many minor- |
some Fairfax County, Va., | ities able to swing open |
schools (Barnes, 9/4). About | the gates to AP programs at |
half the students in Reston's | many public HSs. (#4) |
Aldrin Elementary School have | |
opted for uniforms. Aldrin | Some blame the alleged |
joins three other schools that | cultural bias of |
have adopted the School Board's | standardized tests. Others |
voluntary uniform policy. | charge that racism is the |
Principal Gina Ross: "When I | culprit, despite decades of |
found out the School Board was | school desegregation. |
setting up a voluntary uniform | |
policy, I though I had died and | Still other educators say |
gone to heaven. The uniforms | the problem is what's out |
give kids such a sense of | there -- low academic |
belonging and pride, like they | standards, particularly for |
represent a team -- something | minority kids. |
much bigger than themselves." |_____________________________|
============== QUOTE OF THE DAY ==============
"Forty years after integration have we achieved anything? Or are
we still in '57?"
Kent Moore, a black teacher at Little Rock's Central High. (#4)
_______________________________________________________________
| (c) by the Education Policy Network, Inc. |
| 1255 22nd Street NW; Washington, D.C. 20010; 202/724-0124 |
| EPN, Inc. hereby authorizes further reproduction and |
| distribution with proper acknowledgement. |
| Publisher: Barbara A. Pape |
|_______________________________________________________________|
============== TABLE OF CONTENTS ==============
MONEY MATTERS
HOLDING BACK?: N.J. and Pa. miserly about ed funding. (#1)
IN FAIRNESS
FREE TO BE: New private school is oasis for gay students. (#2)
TESTS AND TESTING
TEETERING ON EXTINCTION?: SATs in California. (#3)
DESEGREGATION
HOW TIMES HAVE CHANGED: Or have they? (#4)
ENDING DESEGREGATION: St. Louis hears new plan. (#5)
ADVERTISING SPACE AVAILABLE IN DAILY REPORT CARD
The DAILY REPORT CARD is now accepting "advertorials" and
advertising for its Friday document. An "advertorial" can be a
page reporting the news or views from your organization
concerning efforts to improve education. Or, the space can be
used to promote your education products, services or
publications.
Please call Barbara Pape at the DAILY REPORT CARD (202/724-
0124) for "advertorial" rates. This is a great opportunity to
get your news and views out to education decisionmakers,
policymakers and the media engaged in the great debates of
education.
===== MONEY MATTERS =====
*1 HOLDING BACK?: N.J. AND PA. MISERLY ABOUT ED FUNDING
A Census Bureau report found that N.J. and Pa., while
spending far more than other states on per-pupil spending, spend
proportionately less given their revenue sources (O'Neill,
Philadelphia INQUIRER, 9/19).
"Basically, people in states like Kentucky may be spending
less overall on education, but they're digging deeper into their
pockets proportionally than New Jersey is," said Lynn Maher,
spokeswoman with the New Jersey Education Association, the
state's largest teacher union.
The paper noted several drawbacks with the study. For
example the Census Bureau report's figures are several years old.
"On top of that, some states run on a fiscal year, others on a
calendar year, and it just gets more and more complex," observed
Chris Pipho, with the Education Commission of the States.
"You're automatically dealing with apples and oranges and
peanuts, and there are lots of different funding patterns.
Trying to compare states on education spending is a messy, messy
arena," he added.
Whether more spending will improve student achievement is
fodder for a broader and contentious debate over education
reform. The INQUIRER reports on N.J. Gov Christine Whitman's (R)
claims that more state aid directed to education will not
necessarily improve student achievement in disadvantaged
districts. However, she was "roundly criticized for allowing the
state's proportional share of spending to slip, forcing districts
to make up the difference with rising property-tax rates," writes
the paper. N.J. ranks 7th in the study for states relying on
local property taxes to pay for education; Pa., is 13th. On
reliance on state aid, N.J. ranks 31st and Pa., 36th.
"I'm glad this is getting out," said Maher. "We've been
saying this over and over. We do rely more heavily on property
taxes and it should be more of a 50-50 sharing of the burden
between the state and locals."
According to the paper, Whitman concedes that property taxes
"remain a burden despite her 30 percent income tax cuts." She
plans to announce a property-tax relief program later this year.
==== IN FAIRNESS ====
*2 FREE TO BE: NEW PRIVATE SCHOOL IS OASIS FOR GAY STUDENTS
The Walt Whitman Community School is a new Dallas school
that has opened its doors to gay students and students whose
family members may be gay (Schutze, HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 9/14).
While the New York City public school system has run a high
school for gay, lesbian and bisexual students since 1985, the
Walt Whitman school is thought to be the nation's first private
secondary school "with the same mission," writes the paper.
"There's a population of gay kids out there who may be happy
and thriving, involved in sports, drama, the arts, whatever, and
they don't need us," explained Becky Thompson, one of Whitman's
founders. "And there are some kids out there who are surviving
by passing [as heterosexuals]. But there's another percentage
who are not being tolerated, who are being picked on in a way
that's serious so that they're afraid to walk the halls."
Thompson, a lesbian, joined forces with a former teaching
colleague Pamela Stone, who is heterosexual, to open the Walt
Whitman school.
One student, Shawn Kymn, said that Walt Whitman is different
from his other school because the focus is on academics, not on
sexuality. "All the focus here is on studying and getting ready
for tests," he said. Kymn described the discomfort he felt at
his previous school. "Every time you went to class, you'd stop
outside, take a deep breath and then pull the door open. And
you're thinking, 'What am I doing here?'" he said.
"It's incredibly comfortable," noted Rikki Roby, whose
mother is a lesbian. "You feel like you're safe."
In its first few weeks of existence, the school has
attracted strong criticism from certain groups. Cathie Adams,
president of the conservative Texas Eagle Forum, complained that
the school's leaders have "abdicated their responsibility as
adults who should help steer young people away form homosexuality
and lesbianism," writes the paper. Adams: "At the real heart of
this is that some people believe that homosexuals are born. I
disagree with that, I think it's a behavior, like one chid might
have a behavior where he's prone to tantrums."
According to the paper, Adams may be looking for a way to
shut down the school by using the state's anti-sodomy laws. "Not
being in law enforcement, I don't know exactly how they would
treat it," she said. "But I would certainly think law
enforcement would want to use the sodomy law to protect
children."
However, the paper notes that the state's anti-sodomy law
has been under court challenge and is rarely enforced.
The article includes a sidebar of statistics on gay and
lesbian teenagers, including: 45% of gay high school males and
20% of lesbians experience verbal or physical assault, of these
28% drop out of school; 26% are forced to leave their homes; 41%
of gay youth in New York City reported violence from their
family, peers or strangers; 68% of gay males reported alcohol use
and 44% reported drug use; among lesbian teens, 83% reported
alcohol use and 56% drug use.
==== TESTS AND TESTING ====
*3 TEETERING ON EXTINCTION?: SATs IN CALIFORNIA
A U of California task force is weighing the pros and cons
of eliminating the SAT as a requirement for admission to the
state university system (Fletcher, WASH POST, 9/20). The SAT
matter comes on the heels of a board of regents vote that two
years ago banned racial preferences in student admissions. Last
year's student body, the first admitted under the no-racial-
preference guidelines, reflected a much less diverse group than
previous years.
Task force members initially recommended dropping the SAT
after a study found that continued use of the test would cause
Hispanic enrollment "to plummet as much as 70% ... even as the
state's Hispanic population continued to grow," writes the paper.
Projected enrollment declines also are noted for African-American
students.
"How can we be effectively training the leaders of tomorrow
when so many in this state are being denied access to a high-
quality education?" said Eugene Garcia, dean of the U of
California Berkeley School of Education and chairman of the
Latino Eligibility Task Force.
The POST reports that blacks and Latinos score "far below
the national average on the SAT. According to the College Board,
the group that administers the SAT, the national average is 1016.
Mexican Americans score 107 points lower, African Americans, 159
points lower, while Asian students average 1056 and white
students, 1052.
Some SAT critics claim the test does not measure how well
students will perform in college. "We did a study of Latino
students in the UC system and we found that there was very little
correlation between academic success and SAT scores," said
Raymund Paredes, task force member and a UCLA vice chancellor.
"The test is not biased. The test measures what is out
there," countered Gretchen Rigol, an executive director at the
College Board. "Unfortunately, all students don't get an equal
education. Not all students are taking the same rigorous
academic regimen." She added that the SAT helps college
admission officers "hedg[e] against grade inflation," reports the
paper.
According to the POST, a new law in Texas requires that
students who graduate in the top 10% of their class be admitted
to the state university of their choice, without providing
standardized test scores. Similar to Calif., the use of race as
a factor in university admissions was outlawed in Texas beginning
this year.
A decision on whether to drop the SAT as an admission
requirement for the U of California system should be made
sometime in the spring. Calif. Gov Pete Wilson (R) has "strongly
denounced" dropping the SAT, "calling it a step in the wrong
direction," notes the paper.
=== DESEGREGATION ====
*4 HOW TIMES HAVE CHANGED: OR HAVE THEY?
As President Clinton embarks for Little Rock, Ark., this
week to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the integration of
Central High, some question how far the school has come over the
four decades of desegregation. One reason for the skepticism:
"While Central High as a whole is integrated, the individual
classes are not," writes U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT (Barnes, 9/22).
Specifically, honors classes offered at Central are
dominated by white students, while a higher number of black
students attend regular classes. Only 13% of students enrolled
in Central's Advanced Placement classes last year were black,
write the magazine.
"Forty years after integration have we achieved anything?
Or are we still in '57?" questioned Kent Moore, a black teacher
in the school's non-honors geometry class.
The magazine explores several reasons for the
disproportionate number of white students in honors classes at
Central High. Different attitudes of parents towards their
child's education and peer pressure from other black students not
to attend predominately white, honors classes taught mainly by
white teachers are two explanations mentioned in USN&WR.
Some black leaders charge that white parents purposefully
steer their children to honors classes to avoid desegregated
classrooms. "If you tell children they are smart, and give them
support that becomes prophecy," said John Walker, an attorney
representing black children in Little Rock since 1965. "But this
discourages blacks who are put predominately in dummy classes."
However, USN&WR reports that some black parents try to avoid
honor placements because they view the courses as racist.
Some teachers and students place the blame at the district's
doorstep. Gifted children are identified as early as
kindergarten. By third grade, these children are pulled out of
their regular classes to attend advanced courses. "If you want
to be in Advanced Placement classes in the 12th grade, then you
need to start in the fourth grade," explained Phyllis Caruth, an
AP statistics teacher.
From the magazine: "What's mysterious, though, is that
there are more minorities in the gifted programs in the earlier
grades. ... Yet by the time they get to Central High School, the
blacks have moved into regular classes. Central High counselors
claim that junior high school officials "steer black children to
less rigorous courses, reports the magazine. One school
administrator, who wished to remain anonymous, charges that
Central High officials stress test scores for black children,
while allowing white students to enroll in honors classes on
teacher recommendations alone. "We are dealing with
institutional racism," said the administrator.
USN&WR points out that the U.S. DoEd is engaged in
discussions with civil-rights advocates about "expanding its
examination of the racial divide in honors classes. Central High
is not the only school showing a low percentage of black students
in honors classes. While Louisville, Ky., schools are 30% black,
only 10% of the honors classes population is black. One district
outside of Cleveland has a black enrollment of 50%, with only 10%
of blacks in the honors program.
Ability grouping is another topic that swirls in
controversy. Some educators claim students at different levels
easily can be taught together, while others say anything short of
ability grouping is "criminal." Boston College psychology
Professor Ellen Winner: "When you have a wide disparity in
abilities, it is criminal not to allow bright students to go into
a deeper level than the average students."
For more information, see U.S. NEWS Online at
www.usnews.com.
NEWSWEEK also covers the 40-year anniversary of the
desegregation of Central High (Leland and Smith, 9/29). The
article delves into the reactions of the nine students who
integrated Central High School upon their return for this week's
celebrations.
Questions surrounding "How far have we come" also are
discussed in the article. White flight, recent U.S. Supreme
Court decisions that have overturned desegregation orders across
the country and segregation via tracking are cited as "difficult
ironies" during this week of commemoration of the end of
segregated schools.
President Bill Clinton, who was 11-years-old attending
school 50 miles away at the time of Central High's integration,
reflects on lessons learned from that even in an editorial in
NEWSWEEK.
From the President: "As we look back over 40 years, what
are the lessons of Little Rock? First, when our fundamental
values are at stake, we must act as one nation, if necessary
through a national government strong enough to take effective
action. Second, and more important, the work of building one
America will always be at bottom an affair of the heart. ... As
Thurgood Marshall once said, 'Unless our children begin to learn
together, there is little hope our people will ever learn to live
together.'"
*5 ENDING DESEGREGATION: ST. LOUIS HEARS NEW PLAN
Mo. Attorney General Jay Nixon announced his plan to end
voluntary busing, saying a debate on the issue was long overdue
(Carroll, St. Louis POST-DISPATCH, 9/14). And a debate he got,
reports the paper.
Nixon's plan includes the following: $100M to build 14 St.
Louis public schools and renovate 72 others; $102M to help magnet
schools; and $102M to run the voluntary transfer program that
would end in six years. His plan to use $30M of state funds
would phase-out busing in six years.
"It's ridiculous," said Lorraine Sloan, a St. Louis mother
with two children in the transfer program. "There's no way I
would send my children to a city school."
Ken Brostron, attorney for the St. Louis School Board, said
Nixon's plans would be "devastating." He added that the board
needed $200M to $225M to build additional city schools and more
than $200M to renovate existing schools, reports the paper.
"That $100M that Mr. Nixon has put in there doesn't do it. It
falls substantially short," he added.
Brostron also noted that the money allocated for magnet
schools and the transfer program does not cover educational
reform, the needs of non-integrated city schools nor the cost of
hiring teachers for the returning students. "They can't pay us,
let alone the new people that are going to be required," bemoaned
Sheryl Davenport, president of the St. Louis Teachers Union Local
420.
Nixon rebutted critics. "It is easy to sit in the cheap
seats and snipe at this plan," he said. "But I think that we
should require everyone who criticizes it to come up with their
own plan."
According to the POST-DISPATCH, St. Louis School Board
President Hattie Jackson wants voluntary busing to continue
indefinitely, which he claims provides St. Louis students with
educational choices. "It's two different visions," he remarked.
"One is short-term, more project-focused. The other is long-
term, equity-based. Should a public figure really be allowed to
send kids back to a segregated school system?"
The school board also expects the state to provide funds to
allow the board to experiment with year-round schools, more
technology and site-based school management.
State Sen Steve Ehlmann (R) is not impressed with the
board's call for more money. "If we're not paying our teachers,
and we're spending all that money, then where is it going?" he
queried. He lauded Nixon's plan to "jump-start the desegregation
debate," writes the paper. Ehlmann: "At some point, you've got
to admit maybe we're doing something wrong here. ... The only
consensus is that the present system in the urban system isn't
working."
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