NEGP Weekly for March 31, 2000
NEGPWEEK (NEGPWEEK@westat.com)
Fri, 31 Mar 2000 09:44:48 -0500
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On April 13, 2000 at 1 PM EDT the National Education Goals Panel will
sponsor a national teleconference on using business principles, Total
Quality Management and the Baldrige criteria to reach high standards in
education. The teleconference will be available via live web cast
(http:///www.negp.gov) or you can visit the NEGP's Web site at
http://www.negp.gov/teleconf/index.htm or call the Goals Panel at (202)
724-0078 to find out how you can establish a downlink site.
*******************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 - March 31, 2000 -- Vol. 2 -- No. 49
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CONTENTS
**STATE POLICY
1.) TEACHER TESTING: NOW MANDATORY IN WASHINGTON STATE (Goal 4)
2.) DISTANCE LEARNING FOR ADULTS: THE ROLE OF THE STATE (Goal 6)
**COMMUNITY AND LOCAL NEWS
3.) PENTAGON SCHOOLS: CLOSING THE MINORITY GAP (Goal 3)
4.) CROSS-CULTURAL CERTIFICATES: A MUST IN SANTA ANA (Goal 3)
**FEDERAL POLICY NEWS
5.) PROMISING PRACTICES: EDUCATION AND HISPANIC AMERICANS (All Goals)
6.) YOUTH OPPORTUNITY GRANTS: TARGETS HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUTS (Goals 2 and 6)
**RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PRACTICE
7.) TEACHING AND LEARNING: SOME THOUGHTS FOR MATH/SCIENCE (Goal 5)
8.) "PARTNERS IN LEARNING": CHANGING MATH/SCIENCE INSTRUCTION (Goal 5)
**FEATURE STORY
9.) "GETTING TO KNOW KINERGARTENERS:" AN NCES REPORT (Goal 1)
***FACT OF THE WEEK***
Between 1993 and 1997, 1 state (out of 24) significantly reduced the
percentage of public high school students reporting that they were in a
physical fight on school property at least once during the past 12 months.
That state was Nevada.
--The National Education Goals Report: Building a nation of learners, 1999
http://www.negp.gov/reports/99rpt.pdf
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STATE POLICY NEWS
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1.) ******** TEACHER TESTING: NOW MANDATORY IN WASHINGTON STATE
(Goal Four: Teacher Education and Professional Development)
Washington Governor Gary Locke last week signed into law mandatory teacher
testing, placing his state among the 42 other states that already require
new-teacher exams (SEATTLE TIMES, 3/22). The new law will require a
basic-skills test to be in place by September 2002, with subject-matter
tests to start the following year. All new teachers will be required to
pass the test, as well as teachers from out of state who want to earn
Washington teacher licenses.
Lawmakers also created a new professional standards board to oversee the
testing. The 20-member board will be dominated by educators, which
supporters say will help raise the stature of teachers as professionals by
putting teacher-quality issues in "the hands of those who know the most
about them," writes the paper. According to the TIMES, about 15 other
states have similar boards.
For more information visit http://www.governor.wa.gov/
2.) ******** DISTANCE LEARNING FOR ADULTS: THE ROLE OF THE STATE
(Goal Six: Adult Literacy and Lifelong Learning)
Distance learning for adult learners is not yet widespread in the U.S., but
a survey of state directors of adult education found that many are beginning
to view distance learning as an effective way to deliver education to adults
unable to attend traditional adult education classes. In a policy brief,
How States are Implementing Distance Education for Adult Learners, the
National Institute for Literacy defines distance learning and its delivery
system and provides case studies of California and Delaware to show what
state and adult literacy leaders can do to tap the technology to help a
wider range of adult learners.
The Institute recommends that literacy leaders "partner" with existing
initiatives, such as virtual high schools, PBS LiteracyLink and other
initiatives, because funding is scarce to help launch a statewide
distance-learning initiative for adult learners. Other recommendations for
literacy leaders:
> Seek the inclusion of adult education in state K-12 and/or higher
education distance learning initiatives;
> collaboratively develop distance learning programs within states or among
states;
> provide distance learning training opportunities to programs and staff
about the potential of distance learning and effective models.
For more information, visit the National Institute of Literacy at
http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/policy_legislation.html or call (202)233-2036.
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Community and Local News
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3.) ******** PENTAGON SCHOOLS: CLOSING THE MINORITY GAP
(Goal Three: Student Achievement)
Minority students in the 154 schools operated by the U.S. Department of
Defense on American military bases outside the U.S. and the 70 schools
operated by the military in the U.S. outperform their civilian American
counterparts on National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) exams
(Viadero, EDUCATION WEEK, 3/29). These students are more successful
despite significant obstacles to learning such as regularly moving from one
school to another and often living in single-parent homes when one parent is
deployed for action somewhere else in the world.
The benefits of military schools are, according to the paper, a longer
history than most school districts in educating a diverse population of
students, community and parent involvement that is based on a strong
military culture and infrastructure for support and a standardized curricula
that helps students who move from one base to another. The Department of
Defense schools also boast high graduation requirements, special programs
for struggling students and more educated and experienced teaching force.
Defense Department schools spend an average of $8,579 per pupil, which is 24
percent more than the national average. However, military schools "are not
allowed to accept grants or federal Title 1 funds, ... so it's hard to tell
whether that number is as generous as it sounds," reports ED WEEK.
ED WEEK'S article on military schools is part of an urban education series
funded in part by a grant from the George Gund Foundation. For a look at
the series, visit http://www.edweek.com.
4.) ******** CROSS-CULTURAL CERTIFICATES: A MUST IN SANTA ANA
(Goal Three: Student Achievement)
Teachers of limited-English-speaking students in Santa Ana, California, must
enroll in a professional development course to become certified to teach
students who are still learning English (Gladfelter, EDUCATION DAILY, 3/21).
If they do not register for a training course, they will be reassigned or
fired. EDUCATION DAILY reports that more than 60 percent of the district's
students speak Spanish as their first language.
The newsletter also notes that the state approved Proposition 227 in 1998,
which ended most bilingual education programs statewide. All teachers of
limited-English-speaking students are required to obtain one of two
cross-cultural credentials offered by the state, writes EDUCATION DAILY.
The ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER posts a series of articles related to
limited-English-speaking students. Visit the paper at
http://www.ocregister.com.
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Federal Policy News
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5.) ******** PROMISING PRACTICES: EDUCATION AND HISPANIC AMERICANS
(All Goals)
On 15 March, U.S. Education Secretary Richard Riley delivered a speech on
the state of Hispanic education. He also released a brief report outlining
examples of effective efforts to educate Hispanic Americans. The following
models are cited in Eight Examples of Successful Efforts to Educate Hispanic
Americans:
> El Valor: Focus on Early Childhood and Strengthening Families, a Chicago
program that offers Adult Services and Tocar El Futuro/Touch the Future,
which focuses on children from birth to age 5.
> The Latin American Youth Center, a Washington, D.C., community-based,
non-profit multicultural agency that assists youth in job placement and job
retention, college search, application and preparation, and after-school and
weekend recreational and tutoring activities. Computer training, English as
a Second Language and General Education Diploma (GED) instruction is
available.
> East Harlem Tutorial Program, a New York City program that provides
after-school program with one-on-one tutoring, an arts workshop, summer camp
and social work services.
> ASPIRA of Florida, a Miami community-based organization that identifies
and recruits students from school computer profiles of potential dropouts,
from school counselors, teachers, parents, juvenile courts and peers.
ASPIRA offers gang avoidance and drug prevention programs, alternative
middle school education, community service and mentoring opportunities.
> Chicano Latino Youth Leadership Project, a Sacramento, California, group
that offers Latino students in grades 11-12 a weeklong summer leadership
training program at California State University, Sacramento.
> PUENTE Learning Center, a Los Angeles, California, program that offers
courses tuition-free, including English as a Second Language, reading and
computer classes.
> S.T.A.R.S/HOPE, another Miami program is designed to increase high school
completion rates of at-risk Hispanic students.
> Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program, a statewide program that
encourages partnerships among colleges and schools to help Hispanic students
achieve at higher levels.
For more information, visit the Department of Education at
http://www.ed.gov.
6.) ******** YOUTH OPPORTUNITY GRANTS: TARGETS HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUTS
(Goal Two: School Completion and Goal Six: Adult Literacy and Lifelong
Learning)
Youth Opportunity (YO) grants, a program of the U.S. Department of Labor,
will be distributed for the first time to 24 urban areas and a dozen rural
and Native American sites. According to EDUCATION DAILY, the five-year
grants will fund education and job training programs for high school
dropouts "who are most at-risk of permanent joblessness."
Communities were selected to receive YO grants - ranging from around
$800,000 to $11 million - based on plans submitted to the Department of
Labor. Criteria for winning called for providing a wide variety of
long-term support services that depended on community partnerships. The
grants are part of the Department's Youth Opportunity Movement, an
initiative based on pooling community resources in disadvantaged areas.
"The Youth Opportunity grants program will develop new workers who are badly
needed in today's job market," said Labor Secretary Alexis Herman. "We
don't have a worker shortage in this country, we have a skills shortage.
And we have young people who want a chance to develop skills and have the
chance to succeed."
For more information, visit the Department of Labor at http://www.dol.gov.
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Research and Education Practices
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7.) ******** TEACHING AND LEARNING: SOME THOUGHTS FOR MATH AND SCIENCE
(Goal Five: Math and Science)
The Winter 2000 issue of R&D Alert, a publication of WestEd, features
articles devoted to the teaching and learning of math and science. Glen
Harvey, chief executive officer of WestEd, writes of his concern for
children getting "lost in the fray" of contemporary debates over math and
science instruction. He also expresses dissatisfaction with U.S. student
learning in math and science compared to students in other countries, citing
the 1995 Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) results.
This edition of R&D Alert examines strategies used in other countries to
help children understand and enjoy math and science, with an emphasis on
ways to support beginning math and science teachers. Another article
discusses WestEd's Mathematics Case Methods Project, which offers
professional development opportunities to teachers, principals and teacher
educators on using the case study method for teaching math. WestEd's
National Academy for Science and Mathematics Education Leadership, funded by
the national Science Foundation, is featured in another article. "Measuring
the Science Learned" describes the partnership for the Assessment of
Standards-based Science _PASS), an exam aligned to the national Science
Education Standards and to the Benchmarks for Science Literacy.
More information can be found at WestEd's web site: http://www.WestEd.org.
8.) ******** PARTNERS IN LEARNING": CHANGING MATH AND SCIENCE INSTRUCTION
(Goal Five: Math and Science)
"It is no longer enough for teachers to show students what to do and to
expect them to memorize it by doing dozens of problems," writes Linda
Plattner, a former middle school math teacher and now with the Council for
Basic Education (CBE). Her article promotes a television workshop, The
Missing Link, designed to help middle school teachers better understand math
content and improve their instruction. The program is a collaborative
effort among the Annenberg CPB/mathematics and science project, Lavine Group
Productions, A Plus Communications and CBE. It will air in the fall 2000 on
the Annenberg/CPB Channel and be available on video.
Plattner's article, "How Can Professional Development Make A Real
Difference?" is published in CBE's monthly Basic Education journal. The
March 2000 issue, "New Directions for Math and Science Instruction," also
includes articles that discuss a teacher's perspective on math standards,
the role of research and coherence in science education. For more
information, visit the Council for Basic Education at http://www.c-b-e.org.
*****************
Feature Story
*****************
9.) ******** "GETTING TO KNOW KINERGARTENERS:" AN NCES REPORT
(Goal One: Ready To Learn)
While data collection on elementary and secondary school children
proliferate, little information is available on younger children and whether
they are "ready to learn when they start school," the first of the National
Education Goals. A new study by the U.S. Department of Education's National
Center for Education Statistics (NCES) will provide information on
children's school readiness and progress through the early grades. The
first report was designed to shed light on kindergartners as they start
school - their background, approaches to learning, skill level and overall
well being.
America's Kindergartners presents the first findings from this new national
study of kindergartners. The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study,
Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999 (ECLS-K) began following a nationally
representative sample of some 22,000 kindergartners in the fall of 1998.
The study will continue to follow the same cohort of children from their
entry to kindergarten through the fifth grade.
The descriptive report presents a picture of parent and teacher perceptions
of children's pro-social skills, problem behaviors and approaches to
learning. It also provides information on the children's cognitive skills
and knowledge, physical health and well being, approaches to learning and
the family and child care experiences. Data is available by race and
ethnicity. Future reports will "take a more analytical approach and examine
specific issues in depth," notes America's Kindergartners. Findings
include:
> In the fall of 1998, about 4 million children attended kindergarten.
Eighty-five percent of those attending kindergarten were in public schools,
15 percent in private schools. Fifty-five percent were in full-day programs
and 45 percent in half-day programs.
> In reading, math and general knowledge, older kindergartners (born in
1992) outperform the younger ones (born September through December 1993).
> Children's performance in reading, math and general knowledge increases
with the level of their mothers' education.
> Parent ratings show that 80 percent of children join others, make friends
or comfort others often or very often. Teacher ratings show that about
three-quarters of the children engage in these pro-social behaviors.
> When teachers rate children in their classrooms, black children are more
likely than white and Asian children to be seen as exhibiting higher levels
of problem behavior (arguing, fighting, getting angry easily). When parents
rate their children, fewer differences are recorded between black and white
children. Asian parents report less arguing and fighting among their
children than do parents from other groups.
> Nearly half of parents report reading to their children and singing songs
every day. Children whose mothers have lower levels of education, single
mothers, welfare families and black parents are less likely to read to their
children every day. However, children with single mothers, welfare families
and black parents are more likely to be sung to every day than those with
two parents, families with no welfare services and white, Hispanic and Asian
parents.
For more information, visit the NCES at http://www.nces.ed.gov, the NCES
electronic catalog at http://www.nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/index.asp, or call
toll-free 1-877-4ED-PUBS.
************************************
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 Executive Director: Ken Nelson
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 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.
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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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