The NEGP WEEKLY for October 26, 2001
From: Negpweek (NEGPWEEK@WESTAT.com)
Date: Tue Oct 30 2001 - 05:22:30 PST
*****************THE NEGP WEEKLY*****************
A weekly news update on America's Education Goals
and school improvement efforts across America from the
NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS PANEL
Friday - October 26, 2001 -- Vol. 2 -- No. 123
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CONTENTS
**STATE POLICY
1.) Career Education: Getting A New Look In South Carolina (Goal 6)
**COMMUNITY AND LOCAL NEWS
2.) Virginia School Districts: More Meeting State Standards (Goal 3)
3.) Early Childhood Teachers: Professional Development Grants (Goal 1)
**FEDERAL POLICY NEWS
4.) Safe Schools/Healthy Students: Joint Effort From Education, Justice and
HHS (Goal 7)
**RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PRACTICE
5.) Urban Partnership For Literacy: Reaching Children (Goal 3)
6.) Poetry 180: America's Poet Laureate's Poem-A-Day Program (Goal 3)
**FEATURE STORY
7.)Six Nation Study: How Schools Work (All Goals)
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STATE POLICY NEWS
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1.) ******** Career Education: Getting A New Look In South Carolina
(Goal Six: Adult Education and Lifelong Literacy)
South Carolina's efforts to upgrade its skilled workforce has not "kept pace
with the demands of the American economy," according to a report released by
Governor Jim Hodges workforce education task force (Richard, EDUCATION WEEK,
10/24). According to the report, while two-thirds of jobs in South Carolina
require technical skills, only one-third of students seek degrees in the
state's two-year technical colleges. More students seek white-collar jobs.
The report recommends South Carolina officials to enforce a 1994 state law
that requires schools to link academic courses with skills needed in the
workplace.
For more information, visit South Carolina's Department of Education at
http://www.sde.state.sc.us/news/more.cfm?articleID=111.
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COMMUNITY AND LOCAL NEWS
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2.) ******** Virginia School Districts: More Meeting State Standards
(Goal Three: Student Achievement and Citizenship)
Virginia reports a dramatic increase in the number of schools meeting state
standards (Richard, EDUCATION WEEK, 10/24). In 1999, only 2 percent of
public schools met state accreditation standards. This year, 40 percent of
the state's public schools met the standard, while another 30 percent have
attained the state's year-by-year benchmarks for adequate progress. Schools
are required to meet the standards by 2007.
For more information on the Virginia Standards of Learning, visit the
Virginia Department of Education at
http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Instruction/sol.html.
*********************
FEDERAL POLICY NEWS
*********************
3.) ******** Early Childhood Teachers: Professional Development Grants
(Goal One: Ready To Learn)
U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige recently announced the release of new
grants totaling $9.6 million to help states and districts improve training
and professional development for early childhood educators and caregivers in
eight states. The states are Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Minnesota,
Nebraska, New York, Oklahoma and Texas.
Educators who work in early childhood programs located in high-poverty urban
or rural communities and serve children from low-income families are those
slated for targeted training to improve children's early reading and
language skills - with a goal of preventing reading difficulties when they
enter and progress through school.
For more information, visit the Department of Education at
http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/10-2001/10052001a.html.
4.) ******** Safe Schools/Healthy Students: Joint Effort From Education,
Justice and HHS
(Goal Seven: Safe Schools)
The U.S. Departments of Education, Justice and Health and Human Services
(HHS) announced more than $38 million in grants to 20 communities to make
schools safer, foster children's development and prevent aggressive and
violent behavior and drug and alcohol use among the nation's youth.
The Safe Schools/Healthy Students program supports urban, rural, suburban
and tribal school district efforts to link prevention activities and
community-based services, with the goal of strengthening local approaches to
violence prevention and child development.
The joint effort of the three departments is intended to help communities
design and put in place comprehensive educational, mental health, social
service, law enforcement and juvenile justice services for youth. The
grants will fund 20 new three-year projects.
For more information, visit the Department of Education at
http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/10-2001/10042001e.html.
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RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PRACTICES
*********************************
5.) ******** Urban Partnership For Literacy: Reaching Children
(Goal Three: Student Achievement and Citizenship)
The International Reading Association and the National Urban Alliance
recently formed the Urban Partnership for Literacy to help raise awareness
of urban issues and to raise the achievement levels of poor children and
youth.
Partners will work together through a voluntary affiliation of teachers,
scholars and other practitioners in the field of literacy for the
improvement of instruction through professional development, dissemination
of exemplary classroom practices and advocacy of reforms to eliminate the
national achievement gap among students.
For more information, visit the International Reading Association at
http://www.reading.org/media/press/press010926.html.
6.) ******** Poetry 180: America's Poet Laureate's Poem-A-Day Program
(Goal Three: Student Achievement and Citizenship)
Billy Collins, recently appointed to the post of poet laureate, is trying to
spread a love of poetry to the nation's schoolchildren. Poetry 180 is
Collins' attempt to have every child read or hear one poem for every day
spent in school.
The Library of Congress will post poems selected by Collins on its website.
"The library hopes to inspire kids to develop a love of language," said Jill
Brett, spokeswoman for the Library of Congress, where Collins is in
residence during his eight-month appointment. The program is expected to be
launched by January.
For more information, visit the Library of Congress at
http://www.governmentguide.com/govsite.adp?bread=*Main*search/dirsearch.adp?
query=library%20of%20congress*Search%20on%20library%20of%20congress&url=http
%3A//www.lcweb.loc.gov/global/executive/fed.html&CID=default and search for
Billy Collins.
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FEATURE STORY
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7.) ******** Six Nation Study: How Schools Work
(All Goals)
Researchers from China, Germany, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland and the
United States met at the University of Pennsylvania earlier this month to
discuss their seven-year project that examines links between education and
the economy.
The Six-Nation Education Research Project began in 1993 to "address the
challenges facing educational systems around the world," according to the
University of Pennsylvania's School of education. The initiative conducts
comparative research in education, focusing on topics of mutual interest to
the countries involved.
Each country was asked to lead one study, the topics of which were jointly
decided among researchers and policymakers who participated in the project.
For example, the Swiss delegation decided to study vocational education, the
Singapore representatives studied English-language instruction and the U.S.
team focused on "isolating factors that seemed to be linked to achievement
differences between countries" in math and science (Viadero, EDUCATION WEEK,
10/24).
For more information, visit the Penn Graduate School of Education at
http://www.gse.upenn.edu/intl/2001conf.html.
************************************
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: John Barth
Publisher: Barbara A. Pape
http://www.negp.gov
************************************
The NEGP/ Daily Report Card (DRC) hereby authorizes further reproduction and
distribution with proper acknowledgment.
To subscribe to (or unsubscribe from) the NEGP Weekly, respond to this email
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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 Frank O'Bannon, IN (Chair,
2001); Jim Geringer, WY (Chair-elect); John Engler, MI; Jim Hodges, SC;
Frank Keating, OK; Paul E. Patton, KY; Jeanne Shaheen, NH; Tom Vilsack,
IA;
U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman, NM; U.S. Senator Jim Jeffords, VT; U.S.
Representative George Miller, 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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