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--- Wednesday --- July 22, 1998 --- Vol. 1 --- No. 51 ---
NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS PANEL
NEGP Weekly
THE UPDATE ON AMERICA'S EDUCATION REFORM EFFORTS
in cooperation with the DAILY REPORT CARD
www.negp.gov
TAKING THE LEAD
Hispanic children now
outnumber black children,
according to a U.S. Census
Bureau report, "signaling the
leading edge of a demographic
wave that will transform the
national profile in the coming
decades." (Vobejda, WASH POST
service/MIAMI HERALD, 7/15).
"Children are experiencing
the diversity earlier than
[adults]," said Ken Bryson,
senior analyst at the Census
Bureau. "People who have
children in school may be aware
that the school they went to is
not the school their children
are going to."
According to "America's
Children: Key National
Indicators of Well-Being," the
number of school-age children
who speak a language other than
English at home and have
trouble speaking English has
doubled since 1979. Harry
Pachon, president of the Tomas
Rivera Policy Institute: "[The
news] is a good indicator that,
as the turn of the century
approaches, we're going to have
to seriously grapple with the
issue of moving from a biracial
to a multiethnic society."
__________ __________
| SPOTLIGHT |
| |
| IN THE COMFORT |
| OF THEIR HOMES |
| |
| ... Baltimore County |
| parents will learn how to |
| fend off any attempts by |
| their child to use drugs. |
| County health officials |
| decided to take their anti- |
| drug message to the living |
| room, instead of the typi- |
| cal large-scale educational |
| forums held at schools or |
| community centers, to |
| ensure a more cozy environ- |
| ment for frank talk. |
| Parents organize the event |
| and a parent education |
| worker from the county's |
| Office of Substance Abuse |
| leads discussions. (#6) |
| |
| At the American |
| Federation of Teacher's |
| annual convention, |
| President Clinton |
| proclaimed 15 October 1998 |
| as National School Safety |
| Day. He also plans to |
| chair a White House |
| Conference on School |
| Safety. (#4) |
|_____________________________|
============== QUOTE OF THE DAY ==============
"We are busy teaching the teachers, when they should be teaching
the students."
Barbara Hill, a school administrator in Ga., applauding a new
plan to require education majors to minor in reading and math.
(#2)
_______________________________________________________________
| (c) by the Education Policy Network, Inc. |
| 1255 22nd Street NW; Washington, D.C. 202/724-0124 |
| The DRC hereby authorizes further reproduction and |
| distribution with proper acknowledgement. |
| Publisher: Barbara A. Pape |
|______________________________________________________________ |
============== TABLE OF CONTENTS ==============
GOAL THREE: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND CITIZENSHIP
THE STATE OF LATINO EDUCATION: Students lag behind. (#1)
GOAL FOUR: TEACHER ED/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
TEACHING TEACHERS: Should be college requirement. (#2)
TEACHER TALK: It's not all that bad. (#3)
GOAL SEVEN: SAFE, DISCIPLINED AND DRUG-FREE SCHOOLS
NATIONAL SCHOOL SAFETY DAY: A Presidential proclamation. (#4)
SAFETY HOTLINE: Ready for school. (#5)
GOAL EIGHT: PARENTAL PARTICIPATION
COMFY COUCH: A place to talk straight about drugs. (#6)
IN THE NEWS
NEWS BRIEFS: Tax breaks, AFT-NEA Unity. (#7)
===== GOAL THREE: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND CITIZENSHIP =====
*1 THE STATE OF LATINO EDUCATION: STUDENTS LAG BEHIND
From preschool to college, Latino students lag far behind
other ethnic and racial groups in education achievement,
according to a new study released by the National Council of La
Razza (NCLR). The report, "State of Hispanic America, Latino
Education: Status and Prospects," was issued on the heels of a
Census Bureau study that found the number of Latino youth age 18
and younger living in the U.S. has surpassed that of African
Americans in the same age group. In the next 10 years, Latinos
are projected to overtake blacks as the nation's largest minority
group.
"As a nation, we have a choice to make; whether to continue
to fritter away the future of a vulnerable yet significant
student population, or to invest in and develop an underutilized
natural resource," said Raul Yzaguirre, NCLR's president.
Findings from the report:
between 1993 and 1996, the proportion of Latino children
living in poverty increased from 24.6% to 29%, but Head
Start participation by Latino children increased only from
15% to 17.8%;
Latino students account for less than 5% of students
enrolled in gifted-and-talented programs in 1994, despite
making up 9.1% of the nation's school population;
three in ten Latino youth, compared to 1 in 14 white youth
and one in eight black youth, are not in school and do not
have a diploma;
in 1988, 34.8% of white high school graduates age 18-24 were
enrolled in college compared to 30.8% of Latinos; by 1995,
the enrollment rate gap between Latinos and whites was
almost nine percentage points.
NCLR supports strong federal involvement for increasing
educational opportunities for Latino students. It has endorsed
President Clinton's Hispanic Education Initiative, which would
provide $600 million to early childhood education, drop-out
prevention, college-prep programs and teacher training.
The group also calls on Latino parents to encourage their
children to take advantage of education opportunities and for
Latino families to place a higher value on education.
Several school districts that are successfully working with
their Latino population are featured in the report. Yzaguirre:
"Latino parents, educators, researchers and advocates together
have proven that all Latino children can excel. From New York to
California, there is good news in public schools and alternative
community-based programs that show that these downward trends can
be turned around."
For more information, contact the National Council of La
Raza; 1111 19th Street NW; Suite 1000; Washington, D.C. 20036;
202/785-1670
===== GOAL FOUR: TEACHER ED/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT =====
*2 TEACHING TEACHERS: SHOULD BE COLLEGE REQUIREMENT
Future elementary school teachers who attend college in Ga.
will be expected to minor in reading and math, which means they
must take 18 hours in each subject (Suggs, ATLANTA JOURNAL-
CONSTITUTION, 7/8). Many school administrators are pleased with
the new policy because school districts currently bear the burden
of teaching teachers how to give reading and math instruction.
"It slows you down," said Barbara Hill, Fulton County school
personnel director. "This process says our children are being
penalized. We are busy teaching the teachers when they should be
teaching the students."
Cindy Cupp, director of curriculum and reading for the
Georgia DoEd, also is pleased with the new policy approved by the
state's Board of Regents. "The real key is we have to have
teachers trained to address the needs of individual children,"
she said. "In reading, one size doesn't fit all."
Cupp also supports a reading curriculum that balances
phonics with whole language. About 350 of the state's 1,000
elementary schools provide balanced instruction, notes the paper.
However, the Regents requirement does not guarantee that balance
will be taught to teacher candidates. Curriculum decisions will
remain a local issue.
Some higher education officials caution that the minor
requirement could add another year spent in college for
prospective teachers. "The average four-year program is too
short [to accommodate the 36 extra hours]," said Linda Akanbi,
chairwoman of elementary and early childhood education at
Kennesaw State U. "If we go the minor route, we need to add
another year. I don't see how they can minor in reading and
math, take all the other courses they need, and still be
proficient in everything."
Another concern expressed by Robert Tucker, executive
director of employment services for DeKalb County schools, is
that the proposal could cause teacher shortages. While pleased
with the Regent's decision, Tucker conceded that he is "trembling
in my boots about the possible fallout and teacher shortages."
*3 TEACHER TALK: ITS NOT ALL THAT BAD
The CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR reports on the silver lining
behind the cloud of reports on poor-performing teachers
(Chaddock, 7/14). While the latest headlines blare the bad news
of Mass.'s low scores on a teacher performance test, behind the
scenes states are hard at work to boost the level of teacher
quality.
For example, nearly all states have or are developing
student standards, with assessments that measure whether schools
are helping children meet the goals. According to the MONITOR,
the "next wave of lawmaking" includes bills that ensure teachers
are up to speed to teach to the higher standards.
The MONITOR also reports on the following state activities:
18 states have enacted laws to reward high-performance
teachers, with more "targeting incentives for hard-to-staff
districts and subject areas;"
N.C.'s Senate is debating a $98M incentive plan for teachers
who work in schools that meet or exceed student achievement
goals;
A new Fla. law requires school districts to link teacher pay
to performance evaluations;
New York is considering a comprehensive plan that would
require teachers to attain at least 175 hours of continuing
education every five years. It also would decertify any
education program where less than 80% of their graduates
pass the state certification exam.
Both teacher unions, the American Federation of Teachers and
the National Education Association, featured teacher-quality
resolutions at their national meetings this month. The NEA
also announced a campaign to promote advanced certification
through the National Board for Professional Teaching
Standards.
N.C.'s effort to upgrade low-performing schools is deemed a
success by the MONITOR. The state legislature last year
announced that it wanted to test all teachers in the state's 123
low-performing schools. State "assistance teams" also were
dispatched to the 15 lowest-performing schools, where student
achievement was on a downward trend.
"It was a total shock that a state team would come in, but
once they did, we built a bond with them," explained Bonnie
Gathman, a fourth-grade teacher.
The initiative met with stunning success: fourteen of the
15 targeted schools had met or exceeded the goal of a 10%
increase in the percentage of students at or above grade level,
notes the paper. Due to the high performance, lawmakers
scratched mandatory testing for the teachers and extended the
requirement for evaluations of staff in all low-performing
schools.
Critics caution that reliance on National Board
Certification and teacher testing should not preempt local
decisions about who is a good teacher. "You can't just rely on a
test or a certificate as a magic bullet to identify good
teachers," said Michael Podgursky, an economist at the U of
Missouri-Columbia. "That's a managerial function, and it's
inherently local.
Podgursky also claims that no evidence exits that proves
board-certified teachers are better in the classroom. The
MONITOR notes that the Princeton, N.J.-based Education Testing
Service is preparing a study on this topic.
===== GOAL SEVEN: SAFE, DISCIPLINED AND DRUG-FREE SCHOOLS =====
*4 NATIONAL SCHOOL SAFETY DAY: A PRESIDENTIAL PROCLAMATION
School safety issues are on the radar screen of the White
House. During remarks made at the American Federation of
Teachers annual convention earlier this week, President Clinton
announced that he will chair a White House Conference on School
Safety on 15 October 1998, which he proclaims as National School
Safety Day (U.S. DoEd press release, 7/20).
Representatives of each of the communities affected by the
recent wave of school shootings will be linked by satellite to
schools nationwide. The nation's First Annual Report on School
Safety will be released at the conference. It will include:
an analysis of all existing national school crime data and
an overview of state and local school crime date;
examples of schools and strategies that are successful at
reducing school violence, drug use, and class disruption;
actions that parents can take locally to combat school
crime, including a local safety checklist; and
resources available to schools and communities to help
create safe, disciplined, and drug-free schools.
Clinton also addressed other school discipline initiatives
he supports, including school uniform policies, community curfews
for youth, getting tough on truancy and a zero-tolerance policy
for guns in schools.
*5 SAFETY HOTLINE: READY FOR SCHOOL
Ga. students will be able to report school violence
anonymously through a new toll-free school safety hotline (Hill,
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 7/17). The hotline will be staffed
beginning 15 August, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a voice-mail
system taking messages after hours.
State school Superintendent Linda Schrenko announced the
hot-line as part of a series of recommendations made by the
Statewide School Safety and Violence Task Force, which she
established last July. WorldCom Inc., a global
telecommunications company, will finance the first year of the
hotline's service.
Schrenko remarked that the anonymity of a hotline will
"reduce the fear of retribution and make reports of potentially
violent situations more likely," writes the paper.
==== GOAL EIGHT: PARENTAL PARTICIPATION ====
*6 COMFY COUCH: A PLACE TO TALK STRAIGHT ABOUT DRUGS
A new program is underway in Baltimore County to bring home
the message of potential drug abuse to parents (Carson, Baltimore
SUN, 7/6). The Parents Reaching Out to Understand Drugs effort
will take place in family homes, led by a parent education worker
from the county's Office of Substance Abuse.
"We've got to do something a littler different, be more
aggressive and make parents more comfortable," said Michael M.
Gimbel, director of the county's Office of Substance Abuse.
A state grant coupled with a $5,000 donation from Heritage
Automotive Group provided Pamela Blank, the parent education
worker, with games and materials to help break the ice for
parents and provide them with pertinent information on drug
abuse, reports the paper.
"I'm not out there to lecture," she said. "People tend to
get bored. I try to think of different new ways for it to be
interactive." Blank has conducted several pilot sessions in
county facilities and will hold the first home-based meeting in
August.
Blank cautions parents not to think it can not happen to
their child. "Drugs don't discriminate," she said. "[Drug
abusers] can be straight-A students," she warned. Blank also
encouraged parents to talk to the parents of their child's
friends. "Unfortunately, it takes a tragedy for parents to come
out" to drug-information events, she noted.
In the past, these sessions were held in school auditoriums,
where more media than participants showed up, notes the paper.
The county's living-room crusade is an attempt to more
effectively reach parents.
==== IN THE NEWS ====
*7 NEWS BRIEFS: TAX BREAKS, AFT-NEA UNITY
I TOLD YOU SO: CLINTON VETOES TUITION TAX BREAKS
As expected, President Clinton vetoed legislation yesterday
that would have provided tax breaks to parents saving money for
education, including tuition for K-12 private schools (Baker,
WASH POST, 7/22).
Clinton: "By sending me this bill, the Congress has ... chosen
to weaken public education and shortchange our children." He
called the bill's provisions "bad education policy and bad tax
policy."
Senator Paul Coverdell (R-Ga.) countered by criticizing
Clinton for "pandering" to teacher unions. However, the paper
reports that the bill's sponsors probably do not have enough
votes to override the veto. Instead, they plan to make the bill
a campaign issue in the fall.
MERGER MANIA: AFT VOTES YES
Despite the National Education Association's rejection of a
merger with the American Federation of Teachers, the AFT voted
overwhelmingly this weekend to support the Principles of Unity.
The AFT vote was 1,982 for a merger and 46 against.
In a written statement, Sandra Feldman, AFT president, said
her group will support merger attempts between some state
affiliates of the NEA and AFT and "continue to pursue unity" on a
national level. Feldman: "We remain convinced that the
interests of America's children will best be served when
educators across the country can bring their expertise and
resources together on behalf of school reforms that work."
Already the national unions have formed three joint
councils: teacher quality, student discipline and school
infrastructure. In September, for example, the teacher quality
group will sponsor a joint conference that will bring together
members from both unions, state lawmakers, university researchers
and others to address issues related to teacher quality.
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