The NEGP WEEKLY for November 2, 2001
From: NEGPweek (NEGPWEEK@WESTAT.com)
Date: Tue Nov 06 2001 - 08:35:28 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 - November 2, 2001 -- Vol. 2 -- No. 124
*************************************************
CONTENTS
**STATE POLICY
1.) SEPTEMBER 11th FALLOUT: STATE BUDGETS SHRINK (ALL GOALS)
2.) Massachusetts: Seeking Students Who Did Not Take Mcas (Goals 2 and 3)
**COMMUNITY AND LOCAL NEWS
3.) Edison In Philadelphia: A Possibility (Goal 3)
4.) English Instruction: Overhaul Likely In Newport-Mesa, California (Goal
3)
**FEDERAL POLICY NEWS
5.) Lessons Of Liberty: A DoED Program (Goal 3)
**RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PRACTICE
6.) Tests, Instruction And Accountability: A How-To Guide (Goals 3 & 4)
7.) Standards And Education: Not Driving Instruction (Goal 3)
**FEATURE STORY
8.) Indicators Of School Crime And Safety: Drops In Crime Nationwide (Goal
7)
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STATE POLICY NEWS
********************
1.) ******** SEPTEMBER 11th FALLOUT: STATE BUDGETS SHRINK
(ALL GOALS)
Since the September 11th terrorist attack, state budgets have been cut back,
with consequences for K-12 and higher education (Sandham, EDUCATION WEEK,
10/31). According to the paper, "K-12 education makes up too great a share
of total expenditures in most states to emerge unscathed in such uncertain
economic times."
The paper highlights several states, including Florida and California which
are particularly sensitive as states that depend on tourism for a sizable
portion of their budget. Both the House and Senate in Florida voted to cut
funding for schools. California Governor Gray Davis anticipates a budget
shortfall this fiscal year and next. He has asked all department heads,
including education, to submit budget proposals for next year that include
15 percent cuts.
For more information, visit EDUCATION WEEK at http://www.edweek.com.
2.) ******** Massachusetts: Seeking Students Who Did Not Take Mcas
(Goal Two: School Completion and Goal Three: Student Achievement and
Citizenship)
Heartened by the good news that most Massachusetts students are doing well
on the statewide exam, Education Commissioner David Driscoll is turning his
attention to the 4,200 students who did not take the test.
"We've got to find out who they are," he said. "If we identify them and
offer programs, we may in fact be helping kids who may be potential
dropouts."
Driscoll explained that the state can identify these students through their
student ID numbers. He will ask all school superintendents to find the
students and offer appropriate programs.
For more information, visit http://www.doe.mass.edu.
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COMMUNITY AND LOCAL NEWS
*************************
3.) ******** Edison In Philadelphia: A Possibility
(Goal Three: Student Achievement and Citizenship)
Philadelphia public schools could become the largest privatization site in
the country if the state takes over the system (Snyder, Philadelphia
INQUIRER, 11/2). However, the city's mayor is outraged by the idea.
Governor Schweiker, who took over the state after former Governor Tom Ridge
was appointed head of Homeland Security for the nation, wants to hand the
district's central administration over to a private manager. Edison Schools
Inc. is the likely firm that will take the helm of the city's schools.
Edison CEO Chris Whittle said his firm is primed to do the job. "There's
not another organization in America that can take something like this on.
We've been training for this," he said. Edison runs 136 schools in 22
states.
For more information on Edison schools visit, http://www.edisonschools.com.
4.) ******** English Instruction: Overhaul Likely In Newport-Mesa,
California
(Goal Three: Student Achievement and Citizenship)
A federal civil rights investigation has resulted in an overhaul of English
instruction in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa, California, schools (Garrison,
L.A. TIMES, 11/2). Among the findings of investigators from the U.S.
Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights:
* the school district did a "spotty" job of assessing whether children were
fluent in English, resulting in children not being placed in appropriate
programs
* the district lacked clear standards for placing Spanish-speaking students
in the regular education program, which meant that many non-English-speaking
students were dropped into regular classes without proper support
* the district should provide Spanish translation at school board meetings.
*********************
FEDERAL POLICY NEWS
*********************
5.) ******** Lessons Of Liberty: A DoED Program
(Goal Three: Student Achievement and Citizenship0
Lessons of Liberty is a joint initiative of the U.S. Departments of
Education and Veterans Affairs designed to encourage public and private
elementary and secondary schools to invite veterans into their classrooms in
the days leading up to and following Veterans Day. The purpose is for
veterans to share their experiences with students and help students reflect
on the importance of the ideals of liberty, democracy and freedom that
America's veterans have defended for over two centuries.
Schools can find information on how to participate in the program by
visiting the Department of Veterans Affairs at http://www.va.gov/vetsday.
*********************************
RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PRACTICES
*********************************
6.) ******** Tests, Instruction And Accountability: A How-To Guide
(Goal Three: Student Achievement and Citizenship and
Goal Four: Teacher Education and Professional Development)
A consortium of education groups released a new report that offers nine
requirements for states to design tests that promote better teaching and
learning. Building Tests to Support Instruction and Accountability - A
Guide for Policymakers, was released by the American Association of School
Administrators, National Association of Elementary School Principals,
National Association of Secondary School Principals, National Education
Association and National Middle School Association.
Several of the recommendations are:
* A state's content standards must be prioritized to support effective
instruction and assessment.
* A state must provide educators with optional classroom assessment
procedures that can measure students' progress in attaining content
standards not assessed by state tests.
* A state must ensure that all students have the opportunity to demonstrate
their achievement of state standards, consequently, it must provide
ell-designed assessments appropriate for a broad range of students, with
accommodations and alternate methods of assessment available for students
who need them.
The full report can be found at any of these web sites:
http://www.aasa.org, http://www.naesp.org, http://www.principals.org,
http://www.nea.org, or http://www.nmsa.org.
7.) ******** Standards And Education: Not Driving Instruction
(Goal Three: Student Achievement and Citizenship)
Researchers involved in an analysis of standards and assessments found that
they are not a driving force of instruction (Hoff, EDUCATION WEEK, 10/31).
The researchers surveyed teachers to discover how much time and effort they
spend on specific topics and skills.
Each team then draws a graph in which the topics - such as geometric
concepts and data analysis - are on one axis, and skills such as
memorization and the use of experiments are on the other," writes the paper.
The amount of time spent in each area is represented by darkening the shade
in the graph. "You can quickly see what isn't there, as well as what is
there," explained Andrew Porter, director of the Wisconsin Center of
Education Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
A copy of the report, New Tools for Analyzing Teaching, Curriculum and
Standards in mathematics and Science, is available from the Council of Chief
State School Officers at 1 Massachusetts Avenue N; Suite 700; Washington,
D.C. 20001
*****************
FEATURE STORY
*****************
8.) ******** Indicators Of School Crime And Safety: Drops In Crime
Nationwide
(Goal Seven: Safe and Drug-Free Schools)
Violent victimization rates at schools declined from 48 crimes per 1,000
students ages 12 through 18 in 1992 to 33 per 1,000 students in 1999,
according to a report issued from the U.S. Departments of Education and
Justice. The report, Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2001, is the
fourth in a series of annual reports from both departments. It is organized
as a series of indicators with each indicator presenting data on a different
aspect of school crime and safety.
This year's report repeats many indicators from the 2000 report, but also
provides updated data on fatal and nonfatal student victimization, nonfatal
teacher victimization, students being threatened or injured with a weapon at
school, fights at school, students carrying weapons to schools, students use
of alcohol and marijuana and student reports of drug availability on school
property.
Other data from the report include:
* Between 1995 and 1999 the percentage of students who said they ere the
victims of any crime of violence or theft at school decreased from 10
percent to 8 percent.
* During 1999, students ere victims of about 2.5 million crimes at school,
1.6 million thefts and 880,000 nonfatal violent crimes, including about
186,000 serious violent crimes. In comparison, students ere victims of 2.1
million crimes away from school, 1 million thefts and 1.1 million nonfatal
violent crimes, including 476,000 serious violent crimes.
* Between 1993 and 1999, the percentage of 9th through 12th-grade students
ho were threatened or injured with a weapon remained constant between 7 and
8 percent.
* The percentage of those students who reported being in a physical fight on
school property declined form 16 percent in 1993 to 14 percent in 1999.
* Between 1993 and 1999 students in grades 9 through 12 who reported
carrying a gun, knife or club on school property during the previous 30 days
dropped from 12 percent to 7 percent, about a 42 percent reduction.
* Over the 1995-1999 period, teachers were the victims of 1,708,000 nonfatal
crimes at school, including 1,073,000 thefts and 635,000 violent crimes. On
a per teacher basis, this translates to 79 crimes per 1,000 teachers
annually.
For more information and a copy of the report, visit the National Center for
education Statistics at http://www.nces.ed.gov.
Additional criminal justice materials can be obtained from the Office of
Justice Programs at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov.
************************************
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
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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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