NEGP Weekly for June 15, 2000
NEGPWEEK (NEGPWEEK@WESTAT.com)
Thu, 15 Jun 2000 13:19:40 -0400
Visit http://www.negp.gov to view the webcast of any of the individual
presentations or discussions at the Goals Panel's two recent hearings in Los
Angeles and Burlington, Vermont. Presentations (and related handouts) focus
on school programs and teacher development geared to bring all students to
high standards."
*******************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 - June 15, 2000 -- Vol. 2 -- No. 62
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CONTENTS
**STATE POLICY
1.) VOCATIONAL CURRICULUM: NEW YORK SETS STANDARDS (Goal 3)
2.) TEACHER SALARIES: VITAL TO FULFILLING STATE PRIORITIES (Goal 4)
**COMMUNITY AND LOCAL NEWS
3.) PRINCIPAL MESSAGE: LEADERSHIP COUNTS (Goal 4)
4.) HOUSING: HELP FOR TEACHERS IN SAN FRANCISCO (Goal 4)
**FEDERAL POLICY NEWS
5.) FAMILY MATH: TEACHING PARENTS AND CHILDREN (Goal 5)
6.) DRUG TESTING OF STUDENTS: NOT FOR AFTER-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES (Goal 7)
**RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PRACTICE
7.) CHILDHOOD EMOTIONAL ISSUES: ON THE RISE (Goal 7)
8.) WORLD VIEW: TEACHING SCIENCE AROUND THE WORLD (Goal 5)
**FEATURE STORY
9.) ALIGNMENT: SURVEY OF THE STATE TESTS AND TEACHER INSTRUCTION (Goal 4 &
5)
***FACT OF THE WEEK***
Between 1991 and 1997, no state (out of 27) significantly reduced the
percentage of public high school students who reported using marijuana at
least once during the past 30 days.
--The National Education Goals Report: Building a nation of learners, 1999
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STATE POLICY NEWS
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1.) *********VOCATIONAL CURRICULUM: NEW YORK SETS STANDARDS
(Goal Three: Student Achievement)
New York Education Commissioner Richard Mills recently proposed higher
academic standards for the state's vocational schools, "long been considered
dumping grounds for the school system's academically weaker students,"
writes the N.Y. TIMES (Holloway, 6/8). The proposal calls for vocational
schools to include English, math and science material. James Kadamus, state
deputy education commissioner, said he hopes the new plan teaches students a
trade and gives them a more rounded education.
The New York State Board of Regents four years ago passed a requirement that
all graduating public high school students pass Regents exams in English,
math, science, global studies and American history and government by 2004.
Mills' plan to upgrade vocational schools is geared to helping vocational
students meet the Regents' requirement.
For more information the New York Department of Education at www.nysed.gov.
2.)********TEACHER SALARIES: VITAL TO FULFILLING STATE PRIORITIES
(Goal Four: Teacher Education and Professional Development)
The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) views teacher salaries and pay
structures as "vital" to fulfilling state priorities for education quality.
A new report, Teacher Salaries and State Priorities for Education Quality -
A Vital Link, found that over the last decade SREB states have "expanded
dramatically" teacher positions. Although new hires tend to be paid lower
salaries, SREB states increased teacher salaries at virtually the national
rate, a "remarkable accomplishment," according to SREB.
The report provides the most recent information about:
> Goals SREB states have set for raising teacher salaries
> Lessons learned about linking salary decisions to performance and
accountability
> Implications of supply-and-demand factors for teacher compensation
> State efforts to attract and retain quality teachers
> What states can do to relate improvements in teacher salaries to state
priorities for quality
For more information, visit SREB at www.sreb.org.
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Community and Local News
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3.)******** PRINCIPAL MESSAGE: LEADERSHIP COUNTS
Goal Four: Teacher Education and Professional Development)
Lack of leadership is the major stumbling block for struggling elementary
schools trying to improve, according to a survey of principals from the
state of Washington (Shaw, SEATTLE TIMES, 6/5). The survey, funded by the
Washington Roundtable, was based on the views of 40 highly successful
principals recommended by superintendents from across the state. The
principals were first asked to identify what they viewed as major obstacles
faced by low-achieving schools; then they were asked to rank a list of
factors prepared by researchers. Lack of leadership was identified on both
lists.
Several of the principals noted that the role of the principal has changed
over the years and many school leaders have not been trained in the skills
needed for today's schools.
Other factors noted by the principals include:
> Need for more training and planning time and the resources to fund these
activities
> Enough time - at least two years - to make substantive changes in student
achievement
For more information on education in Washington, visit the Partnership for
Learning, a Washington-based Business Roundtable group, at
www.partnership-wa.org.
2.) ******** HOUSING: HELP FOR TEACHERS IN SAN FRANCISCO
(Goal Four: Teacher Education and Professional Development)
San Francisco is the first city planning to construct federally subsidized
housing for its teachers (Grimes, WALL STREET JOURNAL, 6/7). Under the
plan, the San Francisco Unified School District and the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development will build $15 million, 43-unit rental
apartment house on surplus land next to a school. Teachers will pay $700 a
month for a one-bedroom apartment, compared with a market rate of $1,900,
writes the paper.
The Bay Area is notorious for its high-priced housing market, with the
median price inching toward $500,000 - out of reach for most teachers.
Other projects to reduce the housing burden for teachers are being
considered in San Jose, Santa Clara school district and in Santa Fe, New
Mexico.
For more information, visit www.sfusd.k12.ca.us.
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Federal Policy News
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5.) ******** FAMILY MATH: TEACHING PARENTS AND CHILDREN
(Goal Five: Math and Science)
Based on family literacy programs, family math programs teach children and
their parents basic and, in come cases, higher level math skills. According
to the ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education DIGEST, a variety of family
math programs exist, although the most effective share the following:
> Personal contact between teachers and parents
> Periodic group meetings for parents that include an explanation of the
curriculum; cooperative learning; training in use of the texts, workbooks
and manipulatives; a question-and-answer session; and an evaluation of
progress
> A room in the school with appropriate resources, including computers, for
family use
> Family outings with learning opportunities
The DIGEST issue singles out FamilyMath, created by the Lawrence Hall of
Science in Berkeley, California, as the most comprehensive program. Most of
the programs are designed to help disadvantaged students or students of
color improve in math.
For more information, call the ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education at
(800)601-4868. The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational
Research and Improvement funds the DIGEST.
6.) ********DRUG TESTING OF STUDENTS: NOT FOR AFTER-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
(Goal Seven: Safe Schools)
Although the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals allowed the Penn-Harris-Madison
School Corporation to conduct random drug and alcohol testing of students
wanting to drive on campus, the district was denied testing of students
participating in extracurricular activities (Barnes, ED DAILY, 7/6).
Judge Kenneth Ripple: "The school system demonstrated a sufficient
government need to overcome high school students' Fourth Amendment rights
and to administer random drug and alcohol testing to students who wish to
drive on school property. The danger is well-defined and the efficacy of
testing on individualized suspicion is hardly an adequate preventive measure
against the possibility of real injury." However, he referred to the
standard set by the Supreme Court in Vernonia v. Acton to rule that random
testing for students involved in extracurricular activities "is not
justified by the need to protect school safety," explained ED DAILY.
Vernonia also required school officials to show evidence that drug use was a
problem at the school. Ripple cited this standard, writing that the
Penn-Harris district had not proven that it experienced a significant drug
problem.
For more information, ED DAILY at www.eddaily.com.
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Research and Education Practices
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7.) *********CHILDHOOD EMOTIONAL ISSUES: ON THE RISE
(Goal Seven: Safe Schools)
Increases in poverty and single-parent households are partly to blame for
the marked increase in the number of children with emotional and behavioral
problems, reports a study published in the June issue of the journal
Pediatrics. Psychosocial problems were found in 6.8 percent of children
ages 4 to 15 visiting pediatricians or family doctors in 1979, jumping to
18.7 percent of children in 1996.
"We have to ask what's going on with our society that we're seeing so much
more of this," said Dr. Thomas McInerny of the Department of Pediatrics at
the University of Rochester Medical Center. "Families are stressed,
children are stressed now more than they were 20 years ago. How can we help
reduce that stress and support families and children better?" asked
McInerney, one of the study's authors.
For example, attention deficit and hyperactivity problems accounted for 1.4
percent of the visits in 1979, increasing to 9.2 percent in 1996.
Other findings:
> Children enrolled in Medicaid and children in single-parent homes were
more likely to have emotional problems
> 15 percent of patients in the 1979 study lived in single-parent homes,
compared with 22 percent in the 1996 study
> Pediatricians were more likely to identify behavior problems in patients
they knew
For more information visit Pediatrics at www.pediatrics.org.
8.) *********WORLD VIEW: TEACHING SCIENCE AROUND THE WORLD
(Goal Five: Math and Science)
The Council for Basic Education (CBE) issued a policy brief describing
science instruction in Japan, Hong Kong, France and the Czech Republic.
Each article is written by an author who is a coordinator of four of the
nine countries or regions that participate in a multinational professional
development program, Schools Around the World: A Study of Student Academic
Work (SAW). CBE manages the program.
According to CBE, SAW's goal is to "help teachers look at expectations and
student work from their own classrooms, other U.S. districts and
participating SAW countries." Teachers are the principal researchers in
SAW.
For more information, visit CBE at www.c-b-e.org. Teaching Science around
the World is published in the May 2000 issue of BASIC EDUCATION.
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Feature Story
*****************
9.) ********ALIGNMENT: SURVEY OF STATE TESTS AND TEACHER INSTRUCTION
(Goal Four: Teacher Education and Professional Development And Goal Five:
Math And Science)
Little alignment exists between what state assessments test and what
teachers teach, according to new research conducted by the University of
Wisconsin. Eleven states participated in the study, Using Data on Enacted
Curriculum in Mathematics and Science: Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
South Carolina, West Virginia. Researchers at the Wisconsin Center for
Education Research/University of Wisconsin-Madison surveyed math and science
teachers and examined state exams in those subjects for grades 4 and 8. The
teachers were not selected at random.
"It's a very sloppy system right now," said John F. Jennings, director of
the Center on Education Policy, a Washington education policy group, told ED
WEEK (Boser, 6/7). "Teachers are teaching what they think is best, and that
might not be aligned with the state standards and assessment."
Three main outcomes of the study are:
> State-level report on current teaching practices and curriculum content
in math and science organized by state standards, key policy issues and
systemic reform initiatives.
> Cross-state report focusing on patterns of change in curriculum and
classroom practices and alignment of practices with state assessments and
standards
> Tested and refined teacher, school and student survey instruments,
statistical procedures and computer programs for data analysis, methods for
alignment of assessments and curriculum and useful formats for reporting and
using the curriculum survey data
ED WEEK reports that the highest level of overlap between teaching and the
test was 46 percent, in 4th-grade science in one state. The lowest level of
overlap between a state test and instruction was in 8th-grade math in a
single state. The report also found that while one-fourth of science class
time was devoted to hands-on science or lab, performance questions were
rarely asked on state tests.
The next phase of the study centers on developing strategies for using
enacted curriculum surveys and data with local districts and schools. The
Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) assisted in the gathering of
data. For more information, visit CCSSO at www.ccsso.org.
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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
www.negp.gov
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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
www.negp.gov. Requests can be made by mail, fax, e-mail, or Internet.