The NEGP Weekly for January 4, 2001
From: Negpweek (NEGPWEEK@WESTAT.com)
Date: Fri Jan 05 2001 - 07:57:31 PST
Upon the retirement of Executive Director Ken Nelson, Emily Wurtz has been
appointed Acting Executive Director of the National Education Goals Panel.
*****************THE NEGP WEEKLY*****************
A weekly news update on America's Education Goals
and school improvement efforts across America from the
NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS PANEL
Thursday - January 4, 2001 -- Vol. 2 -- No. 86
*************************************************
CONTENTS
**STATE POLICY
1.) OHIO COMMISSION ON STUDENT SUCCESS: CALLS FOR OVERHAUL OF STATE TESTS
(Goal 3)
2.) NORTH CAROLINA SCHOOL REPORT CARD: AN AVERAGE GRADE (All Goals)
**COMMUNITY AND LOCAL NEWS
3.) EMPLOYABILITY GRADES: ON THE BOOKS IN WASHINGTON SCHOOLS (Goals 3 and 6)
4.) TIGER PAWS: NEW BRIGHTON, MINNESOTA, AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM (Goal 3)
**FEDERAL POLICY NEWS
5.) PATHWAYS TO COLLEGE NETWORK: A SHOT AT COLLEGE (Goal 6)
6.) ED FLEX: NORTH CAROLINA GETS THE NOD (All Goals)
**RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PRACTICE
7.) TEACHERS AS SCIENTISTS: BRINGING INQUIRY INTO THE CLASSROOM (Goals 4 and
5)
8.) SCHOOLWIDE REFORM: A GUIDE FROM NEW AMERICAN SCHOOLS (All Goals)
**FEATURE STORY
9.) PRESIDENT-ELECT GEORGE BUSH: ON EDUCATION (All Goals)
***FACT OF THE WEEK***
Between 1191 and 1194, no state (out of 51) significantly reduced the
percentage of public school teachers reporting that lack of parental
involvement in their schools is a serious problem.
--The National Education Goals Report: Building a nation of learners, 1999
http://www.negp.gov/reports/99rpt.pdf
********************
STATE POLICY NEWS
********************
1.) ******** OHIO COMMISSION ON STUDENT SUCCESS: CALLS FOR OVERHAUL OF STATE
TESTS
(Goal Three: Student Achievement)
A 33-member panel recommended an overhaul of Ohio's state tests, claiming
that the tests were put in place before standards were set. Republican
Governor Bob Taft told the CINCINNATI ENQUIRER that the situation had "put
the cart before the horse." "Now were doing this the right way," he added.
The Governor's Commission on Student Success called for the development of
"clear, rigorous and reasonable academic standards," with an assessment
system aligned with the standards. They also recommended providing extra
help for struggling students, such as summer school and other remedial
programs, reports EDUCATION DAILY (Gladfelter, 12/18).
For more information on the recommendations, visit
http://www.osn.state.oh.us/gcss.
2.) ******** NORTH CAROLINA SCHOOL REPORT CARD: AN AVERAGE GRADE
(All Goals)
North Carolina's first report card on its schools found that the state's
public education system earned average grades on five indicators (Manzo,
EDUCATION WEEK, 12/13). The North Carolina Education Research Council, an
independent research organization, was asked to develop the report card. A
panel of education leaders, including the state schools chief and the
chairman of the board of education, are members of the panel.
State schools received a B-minus grade on three indicators: children's
readiness to learn; teacher and principal quality; and strong family,
business and community support. Student performance, determined by a review
of state and national tests and other indicators, earned a C. School
climate earned a C+.
For more information on North Carolina public schools, visit the state of
North Carolina at http://www.ncgov.com, click citizen, then click K-12
education.
*************************
COMMUNITY AND LOCAL NEWS
*************************
3.) ******** EMPLOYABILITY GRADES: ON THE BOOKS IN WASHINGTON SCHOOLS
(Goal Three: Student Achievement And Goal Six: Adult Literacy And Lifelong
Learning)
The Kent school district in the state of Washington grade high school
students on "employability," which includes attitudes and behaviors
determined to be essential for success at work (Learner, EDUCATION DAILY,
12/7). Kent students are graded on indicators for work success such as
punctuality, cooperation and commitment to quality.
A 1996 study produced by the district in collaboration with the Kent Chamber
of Commerce sparked the new grading system. The report examined how well
district high schools had prepared students for the workplace; and the
answer was not so well.
All students receive grades using the "Employability and Life Skills
Assessment," not only students expecting to attend vocational programs after
graduation.
For more information, visit the Kent public schools at
http://www.kent.wednet.edu
4.) ******** TIGER PAWS: NEW BRIGHTON, MINNESOTA, AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM
(Goal Three: Student Achievement)
Tiger Paws is an after-school program situated in an apartment complex that
includes low-income housing in New Brighton, Minnesota. Licensed teachers
work with the Belair Elementary School students who live in the complex to
give them more academic support.
Stacy Vanderport, a Belair teacher, conceived of the program and sought the
support of her local teacher union, the Mounds View Education Association.
The union applied for a $5,000 urban grant from the National Education
Association to purchase computers, a television/VCR and Internet service for
the program. Polynesian Village, the apartment complex, donated space and
$150 a month for supplies.
Fifteen licensed teachers take turns tutoring the students, helping with
homework and organizing activities. Tiger Paws is popular among the
children living in Polynesian Village.
For more information, visit the Mounds View School District at
http://www.ci.new-brighton.mn.us/Schoolli.html.
*********************
FEDERAL POLICY NEWS
*********************
5.) ******** PATHWAYS TO COLLEGE NETWORK: A SHOT AT COLLEGE
(Goal Six: Adult Literacy and Lifelong Learning)
A group of national education reform leaders, joined by U.S. Secretary of
Education Richard Riley and National Economics Advisor Gene Sperling, last
month announced the launch of the New Pathways to College Network. The
Network is an historic alliance of major private and corporate foundations,
non-profit organizations, educational institutions and the U.S Department of
Education, all joining forces to improve preparation for and access to
higher education for under-represented students from low-income families.
The Network's goal is to identify the most effective means of preparing
under-represented youth for college success and helping them gain access to
higher education.
For more information, call the Pathways to College Network at (617)426-0681.
6.) ******** ED FLEX: NORTH CAROLINA GETS THE NOD
(All Goals)
U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley late last month granted North
Carolina special program flexibility to help advance its school improvement
efforts under the new Education Flexibility (Ed Flex) Partnership Act. The
law allows states to waive many of the requirements of seven federal
education programs to advance their school improvement efforts. States must
demonstrate they can waive state educational requirements that limit
flexibility to improve schools and districts.
States qualify for Ed Flex by holding children in schools that receive Title
I funds to the same academic standards as other schools in the state. In
order to meet the eligibility requirement under Title I that all students
must be included in assessments, North Carolina will undergo a rulemaking
process to amend its policies for including limited English proficiency
students in the 2000-2001 administration of the state test.
For more information, visit the U.S. Department of Education at
http://www.ed.gov.
**********************************
RESEARCH AND EDUCATIONAL PRACTICES
**********************************
7.) ******** TEACHERS AS SCIENTISTS: BRINGING INQUIRY INTO THE CLASSROOM
(Goal Four: Teacher Education and Professional Development and Goal Five:
Math and Science)
Several programs exist that provide K-12 teachers with real scientific
research experience. EDUCATION WEEK features the National Science
Foundation's (NSF) Teachers Experiencing Antarctica and the Arctic as a
program designed to give science teachers hands-on experience with field
research in the Antarctic and Arctic. The intent is not for teachers to
return to the classroom and lecture students on what the teachers did last
summer, but to bring scientific inquiry into everyday teaching.
A committee of former participants in the NSF Antarctic and Arctic program
helps teachers once they return from their scientific expedition by
reviewing lesson plans that teachers post on the program's web site.
Teachers also are invited to participate in summer study periods where they
develop lesson plans and share ideas with each other.
For more information on the NSF program, visit http://www.tea.rice.edu.
8.) ******** SCHOOLWIDE REFORM: A GUIDE FROM NEW AMERICAN SCHOOLS
(All Goals)
The non-profit New American Schools released a set of guidelines to help
local school officials make a decision about the best provider of
comprehensive school reform for their students and schools. A Blue Ribbon
panel released the Guidelines for Ensuring the Quality of National
Design-based Assistance Providers after spending six months developing,
discussing and refining the guidelines.
Along with the guidelines is a checklist of performance indicators and a
tool kit designed to serve as a user's guide for the guidelines.
For more information and a copy of the guidelines, checklist and tool kit,
visit New American Schools at http://www.newamericanschools.org.
*****************
FEATURE STORY
*****************
9.) ******** PRESIDENT-ELECT GEORGE BUSH: ON EDUCATION
(All Goals)
Regular testing of students and increased education flexibility for states
will be the primary focus of the new Bush Administration, according to the
WASHINGTON POST (Milbank, 1/2) Bush has selected Rod Paige, Houston schools
superintendent, to become the next U.S. Secretary of Education. Paige's
nomination received a warm welcome from teachers unions. "Our union and
local leadership in Houston have enjoyed a good relationship with Mr. Paige
during his tenure as Houston's school superintendent," said Sandra Feldman,
president of the American Federation of Teachers. "We hope to continue this
spirit of cooperation at the national level. His experience in urban
education will be helpful in keeping the nation's schools on the path to
reform," she added.
Specifically, Bush's proposals call for reducing the more than 50 categories
of federal aid to states under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
(ESEA) to five, writes the paper. The Bush plan also calls for spending an
additional $25 billion over five years. A high percentage of the funds
would be targeted to a reading program and college grant program for
low-income students. Under the Bush proposal, states would set their own
standards and then test students in the third through eighth grades each
year in reading and math. States would be required to devise annual tests
for students.
Democratic Senator and former vice presidential candidate Joe Lieberman (CT)
has offered a similar package of education reform legislation. The
Lieberman plan also would reduce the federal aid to five categories.
Lieberman's plan calls for spending an additional $35 billion over five
years, with more funds targeted to the poorest areas, reports the POST. He
would test students every fourth year.
According to the paper, Bush's proposals on testing and state flexibility
should have smooth sailing in Congress, with a compromise between the Bush
and Lieberman plan easy to forge.
One campaign proposal that Bush apparently has put on the back burner is
school vouchers. From the POST: "The incoming Bush administration has
concluded that it faces insurmountable opposition in Congress to its private
school voucher plan and has decided to focus instead on two other key
education goals: regular testing of students and increased education
flexibility for states." The selection of Paige as education secretary
also speaks to the low-priority placed on voucher legislation. Paige,
reports the POST, showed only "lukewarm support for vouchers in Houston."
While he created a limited voucher program, Paige placed more emphasis on
improving public schools. Yet Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer was quick to
point out that "school choice is, indeed, a component of what
President-elect Bush believes needs to be done to improve our schools. He
stands by it. Whoever he named to be the education secretary understands
that."
Bush's reform plan has six basic objectives:
> Close the achievement gap between disadvantaged students and their peers
by, among other things, empowering low-income parents with the option of
transferring to another public school or using their share of federal
funding to pay for another option of their choice. Bush also calls for
increasing federal funding for Historically Black Colleges and offering
enhanced Pell grants (an additional $1,000) to low-income students who take
rigorous math and science courses in high school.
> Strengthen early learning. One option he gives is to establish the
Reading First program by investing $5 billion over five years to ensure that
every disadvantaged child can read by third grade.
> Raise standards through local control, accountability and choice.
> Give parents more options from kindergarten to college.
> Improve teacher quality and increase resources.
> Restore school safety and promote character development by, among other
things, requiring schools to enact a zero-tolerance policy on classroom
disruption.
For more information on President-elect George Bush's education agenda,
visit http://www.georgewbush.com.
****Correction: In the December 21, 2000 edition of the NEGP Weekly, the
incorrect web address for the Houston Independent School District was
listed. The correct web address is http://www.houston.isd.tenet.edu ****
************************************
The NEGP WEEKLY is a publication of:
The National Education Goals Panel
1255 22nd Street NW, Suite 502
Washington, DC 20037;
202-724-0015
NEGP Acting Executive Director: Emily Wurtz
Publisher: Barbara A. Pape
http://www.negp.gov
************************************
The NEGP/ Daily Report Card (DRC) hereby authorizes further reproduction and
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WHAT IS THE NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS PANEL?
The National Education Goals Panel is a unique bipartisan body of state and
federal officials created in 1990 by President Bush and the nation's
Governors to report state and national progress and urge education
improvement efforts to reach the National Education Goals.
WHAT DOES THE GOALS PANEL DO?
The Goals Panel has been charged to:
* Report state and national progress toward the National Education Goals.
* Work to establish a system of high academic standards and assessments.
* Identify promising and effective reform strategies.
* Recommend actions for state, federal, and local governments to take.
* Build a nationwide, bipartisan consensus to achieve the Goals.
WHAT ARE THE NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS?
There are eight National Education Goals set for the year 2000. They are:
1) All children will start school ready to learn.
2) The high school graduation rate will increase to at least 90%.
3) All students will become competent in challenging subject matter.
4) Teachers will have the knowledge and skills they need.
5) U.S. students will be first in the world in math and science achievement.
6) Every adult American will be literate.
7) Schools will be safe, disciplined, and free of drugs, guns and alcohol.
8) Schools will promote parental involvement and participation.
WHO SERVES ON THE GOALS PANEL AND HOW ARE THEY CHOSEN?
Eight governors, four state legislators, four members of the U.S. Congress,
and two members appointed by the President serve on the Goals Panel. Members
are appointed by the leadership of the National Governors' Association, the
National Conference of State Legislatures, the U.S. Senate and House, and
the President. The number of Republicans and Democrats are made even by
appointing five governors from the party that does not control the White
House.
The current Panel Members are Governors Tommy G. Thompson, WI (Chair, 2000);
John Engler, MI; Jim Geringer, WY; James B. Hunt, Jr., NC; Frank Keating,
OK; Frank O'Bannon, IN; Paul E. Patton, KY; Cecil H. Underwood, WV;
Secretary of Education Richard Riley; Michael Cohen, U.S. Assistant
Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education; U.S. Senator Jeff
Bingaman, NM; U.S. Senator Jim Jeffords, VT; U.S. Representative William F.
Goodling, PA; U.S. Representative Matthew G. Martinez, CA; Representative G.
Spencer Coggs, WI; Representative Mary Lou Cowlishaw, IL; Representative
Douglas R. Jones, ID;
Senator Stephen Stoll, MO.
The annual Goals Report and other publications of the Panel are available
without charge upon request from the Goals Panel or at its web site
http://www.negp.gov. Requests can be made by mail, fax, e-mail, or Internet.
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