The National Education Goals Panel

  --- Wednesday --- October 28, 1998 --- Vol. 1 --- No. 60 ---
 
 
 
                 NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS PANEL
 
                           NEGP Weekly
 
        THE UPDATE ON AMERICA'S EDUCATION REFORM EFFORTS
           In cooperation with the DAILY REPORT CARD 
                                
 
I AM WORTHY
  Syndicated columnist E.J.
Dionne Jr. describes the
ascension of self-esteem and
its victory over self-respect
in the "conceptual wars." (WASH
POST 10/18)  But is it a sweet
victory, ponders Dionne.      
  Dionne discusses the ancient
"cultures of honor," when
esteem was linked to rank.  A
king deserved esteem regardless
of his record as a leader. 
Dionne extrapolates that "the
implication for self-esteem is
that 'I deserve esteem no
matter what I do.'"  On the
other hand, behaving in a
certain way earns self-respect. 
While acknowledging that
today's self-esteem movement
does some good, Dionne is
"cranky" over the arrogance
attached to self-esteem.  "High
self-esteem ... can mean
ranking yourself above
everybody else," he writes.  He
questions whether teaching
self-esteem "helps kids learn
by making them believe they can
and are personally worthy." 
For Dionne, self-respect
derived from performing well
and treating others decently,
should precede self-esteem. 
 __________         __________
|          SPOTLIGHT          |
|                             |
|        JOB OPENINGS         |
|                             |
|   Job openings for teachers |
| and school police officers  |
| soon will be posted in      |
| local districts nationwide. |
| Two federal initiatives     |
| allocate funds to hire more |
| school personnel. (#1, #3)  |
|                             |
|   Under Clinton's Class     |
| Size Reduction Initiative,  |
| already signed by the       |
| President, a total of $1.2B |
| in total will be available  |
| to school districts to hire |
| more than 30,000 teachers.  |
| The funds are targeted to   |
| low-income areas and will   |
| be used to reduce class     |
| size in grades 1 through 3. |
|                             |
|   At a White House          |
| conference on school        |
| safety, the President also  |
| proposed spending $65M to   |
| help local schools and      |
| communities hire 2,000      |
| police officers to guard    |
| schools with a reputation   |
| for unruly and violent      |
| students.                   |
|_____________________________|
 
        ==============  QUOTE OF THE DAY  ==============
"Girls have narrowed some significant gender gaps, but technology
  is now the new 'boys club' in our nation's public schools." 
Janice Weinman, executive director of the American Association of
University Women, on release of a new gender gap report.  (#2)  
 _______________________________________________________________
|         (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.           |
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|_______________________________________________________________|
 
        ==============  TABLE OF CONTENTS  ==============
 
GOAL FOUR: TEACHER ED/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
  MONEY TO HIRE:  New teachers expected nationwide. (#1)
 
 GOAL FIVE:  MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE 
  GENDER GAP: Closing in math & science, not in computers. (#2)
 
GOAL SEVEN:  SAFE, DISCIPLINED AND DRUG-FREE SCHOOLS 
  SCHOOL SAFETY:  A conference at the White House. (#3)
 
IN THE NEWS
  NEW BRIEFS:  Stock options, vouchers and health clinics. (#4)
 

   =====  GOAL FOUR: TEACHER ED/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT =====
 
*1   MONEY TO HIRE:  NEW TEACHERS EXPECTED NATIONWIDE
     Under a new bill signed into law last week by President
Clinton, school districts nationwide will receive a total of
$1.2B in school year 1999-2000 to hire more than 30,000 new
teachers in the early grades.  The FY99 funds are a "down
payment" on the President's plan to hire 100,000 teachers over
seven years to reduce average class size in grades 1-3 to 18
pupils per teacher.      
     "Any parent or teacher will tell you that class size really
makes a difference," said U.S. Ed Sec Richard Riley.  "Smaller
classes mean more individual attention for students, more orderly
classrooms for teachers, and a better learning environment for
everyone.  I'm pleased that local schools will now get needed
resources to help them begin reducing class size and hire well-
trained teachers, especially in the early grades."
     Each state's funding allocation is based on the greater
share of funds the state received under the FY 1998 allocations
for one of two programs:  Title I, based on the population of
disadvantaged children weighted by the state expenditures for
education, or Eisenhower Professional Development, based on Title
I shares and overall student enrollment.  Calif. will receive the
largest amount, $129M, followed by N.Y. at $104M, Texas $97M,
Ill. and Mich. at $50M.
     States will distribute the funds primarily to high-poverty
school districts.  Local school districts can use these funds to
hire teachers in grades 1-3 based on their needs.  Up to 15% of
the funds can be used to pay for teacher testing and to provide
professional development and training opportunities for teachers. 
Districts that have already reduced class sizes to 18 or fewer
students in grades 1 through 3 can use their allocations to make
further reductions in those grades, to reduce class size in other
grades,or to carry out activities to improve teacher quality.
     A 1998 U.S. DoEd report, "Reducing Class Size:  What Do We
Know?," cites research showing that reducing class size is
directly linked to increases in student achievement.  The report
can be found on the U.S. DoEd's Web site at
www.ed.gov/pubs/ReducingClass.
 
       =====   GOAL FIVE:  MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE   =====
 
*2   GENDER GAP: CLOSING IN MATH & SCIENCE, OPENING IN COMPUTERS
     The gap between boys and girls in math and science
achievement is closing, only to be replaced by an ever-widening
gap in computer science, according to a new report issued by the
American Association of University Women.  
     "Gender Gaps:  Where Schools Still Fail Our Children" holds
that girls continue to pursue careers based on stereotypes, and
guidance counselors are burdened by a high number of cases that
prevents them from providing girls with information on how to
obtain jobs in nontraditional fields.
     Yet, more girls are enrolling in a wider range of math and
science courses, while also taking more advanced-placement
courses in English, biology and foreign languages.  For example,
a higher percentage of girls than boys study geometry, biology
and chemistry, according to 1994 data from the U.S. DoEd. 
However, the same data revealed that 27% of boys had taken
physics, compared with 22% of girls and 23% of boys had enrolled
in all three core courses -- biology, chemistry and physics -
compared with 20% of girls.
     Computer science is becoming the great divide between the
sexes.  "Girls have narrowed some significant gender gaps, but
technology is now the new 'boys club' in our nation's public
schools," said Janice Weinman, executive director of the AAUW. 
"While boys program and problem-solve with computers, girls use
computers for word processing, the 1990s version of typing," she
added.
     The report notes that about 25% of girls were taking or had
taken computer science courses, compared with 30% of boys.  Girls
were far more likely to study the clerical applications of
computer science, including data entry and word processing, than
boys, according to the report.
     Copies of the report are available for $13.95 (non-members)
and $12.95 (members) by calling 800/225-9998, ext. 487.  An
executive summary also is available for $7.95 (non-members) and
$6.95 (members.)  Visit the American Association of University
Women's Web site at:  www.aauw.org  
 
=====  GOAL SEVEN:  SAFE, DISCIPLINED AND DRUG-FREE SCHOOLS   =====
 
*3   SCHOOL SAFETY:  A CONFERENCE AT THE WHITE HOUSE
     A series of school-safety initiatives were fired from the
White House last week at a conference on school safety. 
President Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton hosted
the day-long White House Conference on School Safety:  Causes and
Preventions of Youth Violence, which included teachers,
principals, school superintendents, members of law enforcement,
experts from medical and psychological fields, clergy and
religious leaders and other community representatives from around
the country.  
     One Clinton initiative is a $65M program to help local
schools and communities hire 2,000 new police officers to guard
high-risk schools (Perlstein, WASH POST, 10/16).  School
districts that apply will receive $225,000, the cost of hiring a
police officer for three years.  These officers will be hired at
the 10% of public schools that have been hardest hit by violence.
     Another program unveiled by Clinton will provide 10
communities with $25M to coordinate new violence prevention
projects.  Clinton promised to ask Congress for an additional
$12M to provide "immediate and long-term mental health
counseling" to schools ravaged by violence, writes the paper.
     Clinton also said he intends to pursue an overhaul of the
Safe and Drug-Free Schools program, which provides grants for
local prevention efforts, to ensure that only quality programs
receive funding.
     On the eve of the White House Conference, the U.S.
Departments of Education and Justice released their joint "Annual
Report on School Safety."  The report shows declining overall
school crime, a stable victimization rate of serious violent
crime and a reduction in the number of students carrying weapons
to school.
     For example 43% of schools reported no incidents of crime,
while 90% of schools reported no incidents of serious violent
crime, defined as a physical attack or fight with a weapon, rape,
robbery, murder or suicide.  Nearly half reported at least one
less serious or nonviolent crime, with 10% reporting one or more
incidents of serious violent crime.
     However, the report also details crimes in school against
both teachers and students, points to a growing gang presence in
schools, and notes that more students today are fearful in
schools than in the past.
     "This comprehensive report proves that the vast majority of
America's schools are still among the safest places for young
people to be," said U.S. Ed Sec Richard Riley.  "We also can take
some satisfaction that the tough measures to keep guns out of
schools are having a real impact.  Even one incident of crime in
a school is too many, and I especially worry about the increasing
presence of gangs in school.  I encourage parents, educators and
entire communities to use this report as a tool to help them find
solutions to address this important issue in a comprehensive way
that best meets their local needs."
     Findings from the school safety report reveal that:
 
     Despite recent occurrences, schools should not be singled
     out as especially dangerous places in a community.  Most
     school crime is theft, not serous violent crime.  In 1996,
     theft accounted for 62% of all crime against students at
     school.  In that same year, about 26 of every 1,000 students
     (ages 12-18) were victims of serious violent crimes away
     from school in contrast to about 10 of every 1,000 students
     at school or going to and from school.
 
     Homicides in school are extremely rare events.  While the
     number of multiple-victim homicides at schools has increased
     from two in 1992-1993 to six in 1997-1998, and the number of
     victims has increased from four in 1992-1993 to 16 in 1997-
     1998, the overall number of violent deaths of students at
     school has remained steady.
 
     Teachers' concern about their own safety are not without
     foundation.  On average from 1992-1996, approximately 30
     violent crimes and 46 thefts occurred for every 1,000
     teachers, according to public and private school teachers.
 
     Fewer students are bringing weapons to school and there are
     consequences for those who do.  Between 1993-1997, there was
     an overall decline from 12% to 9% among students in grades
     9-12 who reported carrying a weapon to school in the
     previous month.  In 1996-1997, states and territories
     expelled 6,093 students for bringing firearms to school.
 
     Some conditions, including the presence of gangs in schools,
     make students and teachers more vulnerable to school crime. 
     Between 1989 and 1995, the percentage of students who
     reported street gangs present at their schools increased
     from 15% to 28%, with increases reported in urban, suburban
     and rural schools.
 
     A majority of schools nationwide are implementing some type
     of security measure on their campuses.  Measures range from
     zero tolerance policies for firearms, alcohol and drugs to
     controlled access to school buildings and grounds to
     requiring visitors to sign in before entering school
     facilities.  In 1996-1997, 96% of public schools reported
     having some type of security measure in place.
     
     The "Annual Report on School Safety" can be found on the
Internet at www.ed.gov/Offices/OESE/Sdfs, or by calling 877-4ED-
PUBS. 
 
                     ====  IN THE NEWS  ====
 
*4   NEW BRIEFS:  STOCKS, VOUCHERS, HEALTH CLINICS     
     EDISON PROJECT:  Stock options are now available to teachers
and staff members of the Henry E.S. Reeves Elementary School in
Miami-Dade public schools.  The Edison Project, which runs the
school, announced the plan jointly with the Miami-Dade County
Public Schools (MDCPS) and the United Teachers of Dade (UTD).  
     "This is the first time in the history of American education
that teachers have become direct economic stakeholders in the
public schools where they work," said Pat Tornillo, executive
vice president of the UTD.  "It's about time."
     Under the plan, all full-time staff at the school will
receive options that enable them to buy shares of Edison stock at
a set price once the company is traded publicly.  Teachers and
staff could then sell them and benefit from any increase in the
shares' value.  Shares with a total exercise price of $10,500
will be set aside for the principal, $5,400 for lead teacher,
$3,000 for teachers and $1,000 for other school staff.  Options
will vest over a five-year period.
     Although company executives declined to predict future
values, Michael Moe, a managing director at Merill Lynch, said
that "this has the potential to be the most significant increase
in educator compensation ever."
     Edison and teacher union officials made clear that the
options will not affect teacher salaries.
     Currently, Edison manages 51 public schools in 26
communities nationwide.  Reeves Elementary opened in 1996 and
operates as a partnership among The Edison Project, MDCPS and UTD
(an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers.
     Tornillo and Chris Whittle, Edison's founder and CEO, agree
that the options plan will help reinforce the school's top
priority of improving student achievement.  Whittle:  "Until now,
education has been one of the few sectors in the U.S. economy
where the people doing the front-line work were not in a position
to reap the rewards from the enterprise's success, which in the
case of schools is improved student performance.  We want to help
change that.  Our curriculum and professional development are
helping teachers succeed professionally.  We hope our option plan
will help them succeed financially."
     USA TODAY reports that while Sandra Feldman, president of
the American Federation of Teachers, is "withholding judgement"
on the stock option, National Education Association President Bob
Chase has expressed concern over the differences in shares
between the principal and teachers (Henry, 10/22).  Chase argues
that the difference in rates could weaken the "real collaboration
and joint ownership" of schools.
     Christopher Cross, president of the Council of Basic
Education, told USA TODAY he supports proposals that result in
better teaching and learning, with the caveat that "evaluation
must be based on student achievement, not on factors that relate
to how much money is saved."  For-profit companies tend to boost
profits by cutting costs, he notes.  "There needs to be a balance
with the quality of the product."
     According to the paper, efforts to use financial incentives
to improve public schools are few and include:  Baltimore -- the
city attempts to attract new teachers by offering low-interest
loans to buy homes;  Georgia Board of Education -- offers
teachers in 155 schools $2,000 merit bonuses for helping their
students meet academic goals; and Columbus, Ohio -- provides a
"gains-sharing program," in which teachers and staff at each
school "work to meet both academic and non-academic goals," with
"all the efforts ... evaluated against prescribed standards, with
successful teacher getting up to a $500 bonus," writes the paper.
 
     VOUCHER BOOST:  Supporters of tuition vouchers for private
schools welcomed a new study conducted by Harvard U and
Mathematica Policy Research.  The report found that low-income
students who used vouchers to attend private schools in New York
showed slightly greater improvements in math and reading tests
compared to their peers who remained in public schools
(Perlstein, WASH POST, 10/28).  
     Students in both public schools and those using vouchers to
attend private schools took the same standardized math and
reading tests at the beginning and end of the 1997-1998 school
year.  The POST reports that on average, voucher students scored
about two percentage points higher than students in the control
group.  
     Fourth-grade voucher students showed the most improvement,
earning scores nearly seven percentage points greater than the
control group.  In reading, fifth-grade voucher students posted
scores six percentage points more than the control group.
"If you can get these same effects over the next five years, you
can eliminate the differences between blacks and whites," said
Paul Peterson, the Harvard professor who led the study.
     Peterson hypothesizes that the reason older voucher students
perform higher than their younger counterparts is that "private
schools are better able to sustain an educationally productive
climate for older children."
     Sandra Feldman, president of the American Federation of
Teachers, challenged the Peterson study.  In a statement, Feldman
said:  "Although voucher advocate Paul Peterson claims that he's
offering evidence that vouchers work, what he really seems to
have discovered is that small class size works.  The results of
this study were predictable, given the advantages the voucher
students had going for them -- smaller classes, smaller schools,
and parents with higher levels of income and education."
     The study also found that while half of the parents of the
voucher students awarded their child's private school an "A" for
quality, only one-eighth of the parents of the control group
rated their child's public school that high.
 
     SCHOOL-BASED HEALTH CLINICS ON RISE:  The number of school-
based health clinics has nearly doubled in the last four years,
according to a biennial survey released by Making the Grade, a
national program that provides assistance to clinics (AP/WASH
POST, 10/26).  The project is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation of Plainsboro, N.J.
     The number of health clinics has increased from 900 in 1996
to 1,154 this year.  In 1994, three were 607 school-based health
clinics.
     Julia Graham Lear, director of the project, said that many
school districts hesitated to install health clinics in schools
during the 1980s because of political opposition to dispensing
birth control to students.  "In the '90s, there's a much greater
understanding of sexual activity and a desire to have resources
in the schools that are honest and educational," she said.  She
added that "In some states, some communities, school boards have
said, 'You can do this, but we want you not to deal with
contraception.  That's worked."
     A survey released by Advocates for Youth found that three
out of four school-based health centers do not provide
contraceptives to students.  
     According to the Making the Grade survey, 63% of school-
based health clinics are in urban areas, although growth has been
detected in rural areas.  Much of the increase in the last two
years has been outside New England and the mid-Atlantic states,
where most of the clinics are based.
     The survey also found that nearly 60% of the clinics had a
doctor or nurse on site at least 25 hours per week. 
 

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