From: neweekly@list.nea.org
Date: Mon Nov 25 2002 - 06:13:16 PST
November 25, 2002 Vol. 1 No. 7 National Education WEEKLY News from NEW: WHERE IN THE WORLD IS IRAQ? The United States could go to war with Iraq, but just 13 percent of young people here can find the nation on a map. That's the latest from a National Geographic study that finds there has been no improvement in student knowledge of geography since 1988. A survey taken in nine countries asked people ages 18 through 24 a total of 56 geography and current events questions. Americans earned a ''D''. Sweden was on top, followed by Germany and Italy. However, no country boasted an ''A'' score. www.nationalgeographic.com. ... SPECIAL NOTE: NEW will take a break next week for the Thanksgiving holiday. Look for the next issue on December 9. CONTENTS COMMUNITIES 1. PLAYING WITH NUMBERS: Investigative math explored in Boston school 2. TEACHING WITH CARE: Students get extra support at Minnesota middle-school alternative STATES 3. REALITY CHECK: Texas to phase-in passing standards on new exam 4. CONNECTING MATH: New York math standards are changing classroom lessons THE NATION 5. HEAD START HEADACHE: Head Start clashes with White House on literacy training RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PRACTICE 6. ART SMART: Schoolwide reform draws success from rigorous arts lessons 7. WHAT WORKS AFTER SCHOOL: School chiefs profile effective programs WEEKLY FEATURE 8. MAYOR'S MISSION: One leader's steps to improve public education COMMUNITIES PLAYING WITH NUMBERS: Math students at a Boston school are no longer sitting on the sidelines in their classrooms. Investigative math is the linchpin of the Richard J. Murphy School's successful program. The focus is on playing with numbers. Students compose riddles for addition problems or use plastic shapes to build polygons. ``There's more to math than learning by rote,'' said Johnny Lott, president of the National Council of Teachers of Math (NCTM), who toured the school during a group conference in Boston. Mary Russo, principal of the Murphy School, said that new teachers are getting more guidance in math, learning to emphasize student investigation. As a result, Russo said, the school's scores on the fourth-grade math exam have risen to the second best in the Boston public school system. (Christian Science Monitor, 11/29) http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/1119/p12s01-lecs.html TEACHING WITH CARE: What makes the Lakeville Area Learning Center work for students' who couldn't make their way in a traditional middle school? A strong relationship with core teachers, teachers at the Minnesota school say. "We're a safety net for kids who don't qualify for special services," said John Cates, the school's social studies teacher. Students also nurture one another, by making all the rules and holding each other accountable. The most important rule is that there are no putdowns allowed in the classroom. (Pioneer Press, 11/17) http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/living/education/4537697.htm STATES REALITY CHECK: Texas State Board of Education members -- concerned that too many children would be unable to meet rigorous standards on the horizon -- have lowered the passing bar for the state's new standardized exam. The tougher standards will be phased in over the next two years. State law, passed in 1999, requires that next spring third graders must pass the reading section of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) to be promoted to fourth grade. Students will have three chances to pass. TAKS will be administered for the first time in the spring to students in grades 3 through 11. High school students must pass a version of TAKS to graduate, beginning with this year's sophomores who first take the test when they are juniors. Several educators called for a phase-in for the tougher standards. http://www.tea.state.tx.us/sboe/schedule/1102/whole.html CONNECTING MATH: New math standards are altering the curriculum in New York. New exams for high school students will stress story problems over computation. Several New York school districts -- Penfield, Brighton, Greece and Rush-Henrietta schools -- have embraced a new math curricula developed and tested by the National Science Foundation. Jill Jones' sixth-grade class at Bay Trail Middle School is using the NSF's Connected Math program, a hand-on approach to learning math concepts such as factors and squared numbers. While no one expects success overnight, Jeanne Strining, director of curriculum and instruction for the Brighton school district, said that her district's Twelve Corners Middle School students, who have been working with Connected Math for years, have outscored every other school district in the six-county Rochester area in state testing. (Democrat and Chronicle, 11/18) http://www.terc.edu/investigations/index/html/index.html THE NATION HEAD START HEADACHE: Debate is brewing between Head Start officials and the Bush White House over literacy training and local responsibility for program activities. Officials at Head Start programs across the country contend they are being pressured by the Bush administration to learn and use literacy techniques their teachers do not want or need. Head Start leaders charge that the department efforts violate a clause of the Head Start Act that gives local agencies responsibility for program activities -- including how to teach preschoolers to identify letters and other early reading skills. Administration officials counter that the programs are voluntary. (Washington Post,11/16) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61284-2002Nov15.html RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PRACTICE ART SMART: Making the arts a central part of the curriculum and applying rigorous standards not only improved students' learning of art, but other subjects as well, says an evaluation of an experimental program. From 1987 to 2001, the National Arts Education Consortium, with organizations based in California, Florida, Nebraska, Ohio, Tennessee and Texas, has developed, tested and designed professional development and curriculum programs that stress the comprehensive approach to arts education. Westat, Rockville, Md.-based researchers, found that the arts program also supported other schoolwide reform efforts. (Education Week, 11/13) http://www.aep-arts.org/Evaluation%20&%20Research.htm WHAT WORKS AFTER SCHOOL: Six state-sponsored after-school programs were highlighted by the Council of Chief State School Officers. The initiatives from California, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Texas focused on high-performing, high-poverty schools. The after-school programs generally emphasized reading and study skills, providing both instruction and a time to complete homework with teacher guidance. (Council of Chief State School Officers) http://www.ccsso.org/elo/Publications.html WEEKLY FEATURE MAYOR'S MISSION: San Jose, Calif., mayor Ron Gonzales has placed education at the top of his city agenda and now offers his top ten suggestions for how mayors can help improve public education. In a recent paper, Gonzales writes about San Jose programs designed to help the city's school system, starting with those that are educator-friendly. For instance, in San Jose and Silicon Valley, where housing prices have skyrocketed, the Teacher Homebuyer Program provides teachers with a $40,000 no-interest loan to help with a first-time home purchase. Gonzales also suggests that mayors to invest in preschool programs and quality childcare; keep schools safe; and support quality after-school instruction. As examples, Gonzales describes San Jose's Safe School Campus Initiative to reduce violence in and around schools, the city's Homework Centers, where 220 K-12 schools, offer students tutoring and study time in clean, safe and supportive environments. Other musts on his list for mayors include supporting innovation, recognizing and promoting excellence through awards and other means, encouraging parent involvement, improving school facilities and building strong relationships with school leaders. Finally, Gonzales urges his counterparts in other cities to "Talk about education! Talk about education! Talk about education!" He writes that mayors can be catalysts for change and mobilize a wide range of people to keep education at the top of the public agenda. http://www.sjmayor.org/education/smartstarttopten.html -Barbara Pape, Editor ***FACT OF THE WEEK*** Connecticut: Leading the way in Advanced Placement Connecticut public school students lead the nation in scoring high on the Advanced Placement (AP) exam. Connecticut students rank among the top 3 states on their AP exam scores. (College Board, 2001 AP State and National Summary Report) http://www.nea.org/goodnews/ct01.html Subscribe In order to join a listserv mailing list, send an E-mail message to Lyris@list.nea.org. Leave the subject line blank, and in the body of the message put subscribe neweekly OR Send an email message to join- neweekly@list.nea.org To receive a copy of the Acceptable Use Policy for this list send a blank email to list-aup@list.nea.org Comments or Suggestions? Send e-mail message to NEWeekly-feedback@list.nea.org.