NEGP Weekly for June 22, 2000
Negpweek (NEGPWEEK@WESTAT.com)
Fri, 23 Jun 2000 14:27:27 -0400
*******************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 22, 2000 -- Vol. 2 -- No. 63
***************************************************
CONTENTS
**STATE POLICY
1.) TEACHER REQUIREMENTS: RAISING THE BAR IN ILLINOIS (Goal 4)
2.) MAKING SCHOOL SAFE: CALIFORNIA COMMISSION (Goal 7)
**COMMUNITY AND LOCAL NEWS
3.) ABBOTTSTON: ON THE BOTTOM IN BALTIMORE (Goal 3 & 4)
4.) SUCCESS FOR ALL: A TALE OF TWO CITIES (Goal3)
**FEDERAL POLICY NEWS
5.) HISPANIC SERVING INSTITUTIONS: NEW GRANTS (Goal 6)
6.) SENIOR YEAR: COMMISSION STUIDES TRANSTION TO WORK/COLLEGE (Goal 6)
**RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PRACTICE
7.) EVERY STUDENT A CITIZEN: AN ECS REPORT (Goal 3)
8.) HIRE EDUCATION:" SURVEY ON THE PRINCIPALS OF CHARTER SCHOOLS (Goal 4)
**FEATURE STORY
9.) ADOLESCENT HEALTH: TEEN RISK-TAKING DECLINES (Goal 7)
***FACT OF THE WEEK***
Goal 2 states that by the year 2000 the high school graduation rate will
increase to at least 90%. In 1997, 18- to 24-year-olds in 17 (out of 51)
states had already achieved a 90% high school completion rate.
--The National Education Goals Report: Building a nation of learners, 1999
********************
STATE POLICY NEWS
********************
1.) ********* TEACHER REQUIREMENTS: RAISING THE BAR IN ILLINOIS
(GOAL FOUR: TEACHER EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT)
A "sweeping package" of reforms before the Illinois State Board of Education
ratchets up requirements for becoming a classroom teacher (Banchero, Chicago
TRIBUNE, 6/16). Instead of passing a high school-level basic skill exam and
an easy test in one field of study, future teachers will be required to pass
a college-level basic test of math, reading and writing before entering a
teacher education program. More rigorous tests would have to be passed
before earning a temporary teaching certificate. In order to obtain a
five-year license, teachers would be required to participate in an
assessment of their classroom teaching skills. The board also is
considering the creation of a mentoring program for all novice teachers.
"If we are going to toughen our standards for students, then we have to
toughen our standards for teachers," said Mike Long, who oversees teacher
preparation for the State board of Education.
For more information, visit the Illinois State Board of Education at
www.isbe.state.il.us.
2.) ********* MAKING SCHOOL SAFE: CALIFORNIA COMMISSION
(GOAL SEVEN: SAFE SCHOOLS)
A 23-member California task force released recommendations for making
schools statewide more safe for students and staff (Podger, San Francisco
CHRONICLE, 6/13). The task force gathered the best practices of schools and
law enforcers around the state, writes the paper.
Recommendations include:
> Improve relationships between students and teachers
> Expand the school safety planning process
> Increase the presence of law enforcers and probation officials on campus
> Increase ties to community businesses and corporations
> Disseminate information on model programs for safe schools
In addition, Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin called for
more funding of after-school programs and an extension of the school year
from 180 to 200 days. "If you consider the costs of summer school with the
cost of repeating a grade, it ought to be a no-brainer for the state," she
said.
For more information, visit the San Francisco CHRONICLE at www.sfgate.com.
*************************
Community and Local News
*************************
3.) ********ABBOTTSTON: ON THE BOTTOM IN BALTIMORE
(GOAL THREE: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND
GOAL FOUR: TEACHER EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT)
The WALL STREET JOURNAL profiles Abbottston Elementary School, a Baltimore
school where only 5 percent of the third-grade students earned satisfactory
scores on the state reading exam (June, 6/16). According to the paper,
Abbottston earned a spot on the state's "failing-schools list" in 1996. Two
years ago, however, Baltimore school officials grouped 19 of its worst
schools together and hired a former superintendent in Grand Rapids,
Michigan, to manage them. Jeffrey Grotsky required all second- and
fourth-grade students who were reading below grade level to participate in a
five-week summer program. He then established "accelerated" classes in the
fall for the students who had been held back a year and still were not at
grade level. Teachers were retrained and principals replaced, under his
leadership. He also hired two reading coaches for every school and mentors
for every new teacher and a curriculum coach for every principal.
Principal Angela Faltz is hopeful that Abbottston students are on the road
to improvement, although she worries about the future of her fifth-grade
students who will move on to Hamilton Middle School, also on the state's
failing-schools list.
For more information, visit the WALL STREET JOURNAL at www.wsj.com
4.) ********SUCCESS FOR ALL: A TALE OF TWO CITIES
(GOAL THREE: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT)
The Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE reports on the success and failure of the
Success for All reading program in two cities, Red Lake and Minneapolis,
respectively (Drew, 6/11 and 6/12). The program, developed by Robert Slavin
and other researchers at Johns Hopkins University, is one of the "hottest"
reading programs nationwide, notes the paper. It is a comprehensive plan
that requires teachers to follow a strictly regimented lesson plan,
one-on-one tutoring for children who struggle to read and parent
participation.
On the Red Lake reservation, the program is hailed a success, with almost
half of the students at Ponemah and Red Lake elementary schools reading at
or above grade level. Three years ago, only about 2 percent of the children
read at or above grade level.
However, student gains were not made in Minneapolis schools that also
incorporated Success for All. One reason cited by the paper is high teacher
turnover. While Red Lake has only two elementary schools, Minneapolis has
60. Teachers with seniority tend to transfer out of Minneapolis' toughest
schools to teach in a less challenging environment. Funding shortages also
plague Minneapolis, and in some cases the Success for All program is not
fully funded. The Morris Park School, for example, cannot afford the
tutoring component, which Slavin argues is the "most important part of the
early, intensive intervention," writes the paper. "If you have a boat with
five holes in it and you patch four holes, that boat will sink," said
Slavin.
For more information on Success for All, visit www.successforall.net
*********************
Federal Policy News
*********************
5.) *********HISPANIC SERVING INSTITUTIONS: NEW GRANTS
(GOAL SIX: ADULT LITERACY AND LIFELONG LEARNING)
U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley last week announce the award of
$25.8 million to fund 76 new grants to Hispanic Serving Institutions (HIS)
to improve their facilities, academic programs and student services. An
additional $16.3 million will support continuation awards to 39 additional
HSIs.
"The goal is to increase the college graduation rates of Hispanics," said
Riley. "These grants will enable colleges that serve large numbers of
Hispanic and disadvantaged students to offer an enriched academic experience
that will go a long way toward making that goal a reality."
HSIs are colleges or universities in which Hispanics represent at least 25
percent of the student population and at least half of those students are
low-income. Nearly 200 two- and four-year schools have been designated as
HSIs nationwide. About 40 percent of Hispanics undergraduate students are
enrolled in these schools.
For more information on the grants program, visit www.ed.gov.
6.) *********SENIOR YEAR: COMMISSION STUIDES TRANSTION TO WORK/COLLEGE
(GOAL SIX: ADULT LITERACY AND LIFELONG LEARNING)
A new commission was appointed to study the final year of high school and
the transition to college, work and adulthood. The Department of
Education's Commission on the High School Senior Year will be chaired by
Kentucky Governor Paul Patton. A final report will be issued next year.
"The senior year of high school right now seems to be a lost opportunity
that we need to reclaim to help our young people get serious about their
future," said Education Secretary Richard Riley. "We need to further a
national dialogue to look closely at how to make this critical time more
productive and a solid transition to adulthood."
The commission will have two dozen members, representing a broad range of
Americans.
For more information on the Commission on the High School Senior Year, visit
the Department of Education at www.ed.gov.
*********************************
Research and Education Practices
*********************************
7.) ********EVERY STUDENT A CITIZEN: AN ECS REPORT
(GOAL THREE: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND CITIZENSHIP)
Students engaged in service-learning activities are more likely to vote,
become active in the community, stay in school and improve academic
performance, according to the findings of a new report issued by the
Education Commission of the States (ECS). Every Student a Citizen:
Creating the Democratic Self argues that a curriculum that integrates
service-learning into the curriculum, meaning it combines needed service to
the community with strong academic content and reflection in the classroom,
is a strong education for citizenship that students need to become engaged
in civic missions in their community.
The report cites various studies and report that extol the virtues of
service-learning - from improving academic performance to encouraging
students to practice their right to vote in elections.
For more information, visit ECS at www.ecs.org, or call (303) 299-3692 for a
copy of the report.
8.) ********"HIRE EDUCATION:" SURVEY ON THE PRINCIPALS OF CHARTER SCHOOLS
(GOAL FOUR: TEACHER ED/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT)
To achieve excellence is the primary motivation of a majority of principals
of charter schools nationwide, according to a survey conducted by
StandardsWorks. The survey also found that many of these principals desired
to "escape the constraints of traditional schools." Over half of the
principals surveyed helped start the schools they head.
"The picture emerges of a professional educator hungry for the opportunity
to do well in his job and attracted to the possibility of combining
entrepreneurial and education interests in an environment freed from
bureaucracy," said Leslye Arsht, president and co-founder of StandardsWorks.
Other findings:
> Almost 80 percent of the principals who responded came to their current
charter school position from another position in education, either teacher,
principal or administrator
> Only 13 percent had no K-12 teaching or administrative experience
whatsoever.
> Over 85 percent have advanced degrees
> 58 percent are male
> Nearly half (48%) said they were overwhelmingly motivated by an
"opportunity to achieve excellence, followed by "escaping the constraints of
traditional public schools" (22%) and "combining entrepreneurial and
education interests" (20%)
The survey was conducted as part of the launch of "Hire Standards," a
non-profit executive search initiative designed to place charter school
principals and reform-minded school superintendents nationwide. It was
produced in cooperation with the Center for Education Reform.
For more information, visit StandardsWorks at www.goalline.org or the Center
for Education Reform at www.edreform.com.
*****************
Feature Story
*****************
9.) ********ADOLESCENT HEALTH: TEEN RISK-TAKING DECLINES
(GOAL SEVEN: SAFE SCHOOLS)
High school students today take fewer health risks - smoking, drugs,
fighting - than a decade ago, with fewer teens regularly engaging in
multiple risks, according to a new report issued by the Urban Institute.
However, the decline was not noted among Hispanic teens. The percentage of
Hispanic students engaging in five or more risk behaviors increased nearly
50 percent between 1991 and 1997, while the share of multiple risk-takers
remained constant for other groups.
Multiple-risk teens are a critical group because they are responsible for
most adolescent risk-taking, according to the report titled Teen
Risk-Taking: A Statistical Portrait.
Main findings from the report include:
> Overall risk-taking among high school students fell during the 1900s.
Between 1991 and 1997, there was a significant increase in the number of
students who did not participate in any of the ten risk behaviors (from 20
to 25 percent). There also was a decrease in the numbers engaged in more
than one risk (from 57 percent to 53 percent).
> Hispanic teens' risk-taking presents an alarming exception. Compared to
other groups, there was a smaller increase in the share of Hispanic students
who did not participate in any risk activities. The share of 9th and
10th-grade Hispanic students who did not participate in any risk behaviors
nearly doubled, from 11 to 20 percent.
> Multiple-risk teens account for most of the risk-taking among
adolescents. Teens who engage in one risk behavior, such as smoking, do not
tend to limit themselves to that habit, as most health risk behaviors occur
with others.
> Nearly all teens, even multiple risk-takers, participated in positive
behaviors. Ninety-two percent of 7th- through 12th grade students
participate in at least one positive behavior, such as earning good grades
or spending time with parents. However, participation in positive behaviors
declines with increased risk-taking.
The report recommends that parents, educators and policymakers support
positive behaviors of non-risk-taking teens and target efforts to reduce
specific risk behaviors toward multiple-risk students. According to the
report, efforts to reduce the prevalence of key risk behaviors, such as
violence, cannot be adequately addressed in isolation from other risks.
Other recommendations are:
> Encourage positive behaviors of risk-taking teens, such as time spent on
extracurricular or faith-based activities.
> Expand efforts to reach multiple-risk adolescents in nontraditional
settings.
> Take new steps to reduce risk-taking among Hispanic students.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services commissioned the Urban
Institute to examine teenage risk-taking using data gathered in three recent
national surveys: the Youth Risk Behavior Surveys, the National Survey of
Adolescent Males and the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health.
The study examines the 10 most prevalent risky behaviors of teens, including
regular alcohol or tobacco use, marijuana or other illegal drug use,
fighting or carrying weapons, suicide attempts and suicidal thoughts and
sexual activity.
For more information, visit the Urban Institute at www.urban.org.
************************************
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
************************************
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
or address an email message to: NEGPWEEK@westat.com and put subscribe or
unsubscribe in the message portion of the e-mail.
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.
-- 30 --