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--- Friday --- October 31, 1997 --- Vol. 7 --- No. 69 ---
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THE NATIONAL UPDATE ON AMERICA'S EDUCATION REFORM EFFORTS
__________ __________
MAYA MOBILE | SPOTLIGHT |
A 48-foot trailer truck | |
decorated to resemble the ruins | LIKE HALLOWEEN |
of a Mayan temple is touring | WITHOUT THE PUMPKIN |
L.A. schools (Smith, L.A. | |
TIMES, 10/30). The $1.2M | Any attempt to overhaul |
"traveling classroom is the | the nation's public schools |
latest high-tech descendant of | without addressing school |
a venerable educational | district governance issues |
institution pioneered in Los | will end up D.O.A., |
Angeles half a century ago -- | according to a new report |
the bookmobile," writes the | issued by the Educational |
paper. Besides four | Research Service. (#4) |
bookmobiles operated by the Los | |
Angeles Public Library, | "Getting There From Here" |
Southern California schools | is a year-long study of 10 |
also are visited by a Breath | school districts in five |
Mobile that conducts asthma | states with an eye on why |
screening; an Earth Mobile, a | some school boards and |
Native American archeological | their superintendents |
site; a Sea Mobile, "which | successfully raise student |
simulates a deep-sea dive; and | achievement, while others |
an Art Mobile. | never make it to the |
Muriel Gluck, wife of the | starting line. |
deceased Thoroughbred breeder | |
Maxwell Gluck, has dedicated | Recommendations are based |
her family's foundation to the | on the need to create |
arts and education in San Diego | school governance teams |
and L.A., writes the paper. | capable of raising achieve- |
The Mayan Mobile is part of | ment, and include myriad |
the L.A. County Museum of Art's | strategies ranging from |
$3.7M Arts Education Initiative | appropriate recruitment for |
to "re-integrate arts | board service to new board |
instruction into the public | member training. |
schools," writes the paper. |_____________________________|
============== QUOTE OF THE DAY ==============
"Money is always a factor. ... But not the only factor."
Pa. state Rep Dwight Evans. (#1)
_______________________________________________________________
| (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
MONEY WOES: Philadelphia crying wolf? (#1)
BYTES AND PIECES
I.B.M.: Making technology work. (#2)
WHITE HOUSE WATCH
BIRTHDAYS AND SCHOOL REFORM: Clinton visits Chicago. (#3)
GOVERNANCE
"GETTING THERE FROM HERE:" Improve school leadership. (#4)
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
===== MONEY MATTERS =====
*1 MONEY WOES: PHILADELPHIA CRYING WOLF?
The Philadelphia school system's are doomed to collapse
unless state funds are quickly injected into the schools, bemoans
city school officials. But state leaders dismiss the city's cry
for help, arguing that they are living up to their fiscal
responsibilities (Jones, Philadelphia INQUIRER, 10/28).
Philadelphia school Superintendent David Hornbeck: So far
people don't understand the sheer magnitude of the financial
problem we're facing. We're beyond the help of one-time fixes
and budget cuts. What it needs is for the state to fulfill its
responsibility to provide for the education of Philadelphia's
children."
Tim Reeves, a spokesman for Pa. Gov Tom Ridge, disagreed.
"Philadelphia is a winner in the state's funding formula," he
said. He claims the state contributes more than half of the
district's $1.4M budget, with 40% coming from the city and the
rest from the federal government, writes the paper.
In February, Hornbeck sued the state for more funds, arguing
that city schools "do not receive an adequate proportion of state
money in relation to their size and the number of poor students
they serve," reports the paper. However, the paper also reports
that the city school leaders have sounded like "Chicken Little
with annual predictions that their fiscal sky is falling."
While State Rep Dwight Evans said its time for a discussion
of education equity, he added that the conversation also must
address the question: "What is the money used for?" Evans:
"Money is always a factor. But it's not the only factor."
===== BYTES AND PIECES =====
*2 I.B.M.: MAKING TECHNOLOGY WORK
Louis Gerstner Jr., chief executive of I.B.M., announced
last week the second round of a grants program the business began
in 1995 (Steinberg, N.Y. TIMES, 10/23). I.B.M. will award $10M
in grants to a dozen school districts and state education
departments to provide "teachers with electronic means to
evaluate students' work, communicate with their parents and even
teach them to read."
"The business community, in the past, has tended to give
money to schools to support the status quo: adopt a school, pay
for a school lab, send along some computers," said Gerstner.
"What we are doing with these grants is working with whole
districts to create systemic change."
According to the paper, the initial grants issued in 1995
provided 10 school districts with the "technical assistance to
help solve what they identified as their biggest challenges."
For example, Philadelphia and I.B.M. created a voice-recognition
computer that corrects children as they read. Charlotte-
Mecklenburg schools in N.C. created Internet links connecting
schools and housing projects, reports the paper.
The grant program's second round is designed to fine tune
projects to meet the needs of local school districts. For
example, Houston will use its $850,000 grant to create the
Philadelphia reading program. However, Houston will modify the
project so it becomes a diagnostic tool to evaluate student
skills in reading and adapt it for Spanish-speaking students,
writes the paper.
New York City intends to use the funds to create digital
portfolios of student work. Other districts that will receive
funds are: Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Durham, Memphis, Rochester,
Minn., S.C., Texas and Md.
==== WHITE HOUSE WATCH ====
*3 BIRTHDAYS AND SCHOOL REFORM: CLINTON VISITS CHICAGO
While attending festivities in Chicago to honor First Lady
Hillary Rodham Clinton's 50th birthday, President Bill Clinton
took the time to praise Chicago as the "Comeback Kid" of
education reform (Baker, WASH POST, 10/29). Clinton particularly
applauded the city's efforts to end social promotion.
"Ending social promotion does not put children down," said
Clinton, before a crowd at Oscar Mayer Elementary School. "It
gives us a chance to lift all children up. We are not punishing
children by making sure they know what they need to now and that
when they move from grade to grade it means something." High
standards and accountability are what turned the city's schools
around, according to Clinton.
The President also issued a directive that would help
districts improve failing schools or shut them down, writes the
paper. Under the order signed by Clinton, the U.S. DoEd is
required to develop within 3 months new guidelines on "effective
strategies for fixing low-performing schools and inform cities
and states how to tap federal resources for help," reports the
paper.
"The Education Department can provide a valuable service to
districts in showing what models are working," explained Bruce
Reed, the president's chief domestic policy adviser. However, he
added that the directive is not a new federal regulation. "These
are suggested reforms," he said.
Some conservatives may disagree, notes the paper. Instead,
they could interpret the directive as the intrusive hand of the
federal government.
==== GOVERNANCE ====
*4 "GETTING THERE FROM HERE:" IMPROVE SCHOOL LEADERSHIP
School leadership has been the missing piece as educators
and policymakers search for excellence in the schools, according
to a new study funded by the Kellogg Foundation. "Getting There
From Here -- School Board-Superintendent Collaboration: Creating
a School Governance Team Capable of Raising Student Achievement"
was published by the Educational Research Council and
administered by the New England School Development Council.
Ten school districts in five states were examined to
discover why some school boards and their superintendents are
able to raise student achievement, while others "get bogged down
in conflict over personal issues and political interests," writes
an ERS press release (10/31). Results of interviews with more
than 130 educators, parents and community leaders in Ky., Mass.,
Mich., Ore. and Texas and a "search of the 'best thinking'
currently available on how to improve school district governance"
guide the development of the report's 41 recommendations.
The recommendations fall into six general categories for
"creating school governance teams capable of raising student
achievement." The categories are:
Build a foundation for teamwork;
Get the best and most capable players;
Ensure that the team players know their roles and respo
nsibi
litie
s;
Get into team training;
Adopt good team strategies;
Convince others to support the team.
Many of the recommendations "will require real change in the
way we think about school leadership and the power and authority
boards and superintendents should or shouldn't have," write
"Getting There From Here" authors Richard Goodman, Luann
Fulbright, and William Zimmerman. "Some .. can be implemented by
every local school board and superintendent -- if they have the
will to do so. Others, however, will require changes in state
law."
Sample policy statements and excerpts from recently adopted
state legislation also are included in the report. A partial
bibliography of resources on school district governance and job
descriptions for school board members and the superintendent are
addendums to the report.
"Getting There from Here" is available for $18.00. Add the
greater of $3.50 or 10% of total sale to cover postage and
handling. Quantity and subscriber discounts are available. To
order,, contact: ERS; 2000 Clarendon Boulevard; Arlington, Va.
22201; 800/791-9308
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