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--- Wednesday --- October 29, 1997 --- Vol. 1 --- No. 21 ---
NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS PANEL
NEGP Weekly
The Update on America's National Education Goals
(www.negp.gov)
__________ __________
REACH OUT AND TOUCH | SPOTLIGHT |
Maternal separation or | |
neglect can profoundly affect | MIND GAMES |
the brain's biochemistry, "with | |
lifelong consequences for | "Math trains the mind," |
growth and mental ability," | pens math teacher Diane |
according to a new study, | Hunsaker in NEWSWEEK. Stu- |
writes the L.A. TIMES (Hotz, | dents who rely on calcula- |
10/28). The research was | tors to compute never will |
presented this week in New | grasp the rules of the |
Orleans at a meeting of the | game, she claims. "Math is |
Society for Neuroscience. "It | as much about knowing why |
has been known for a long time | the rules work as knowing |
that early experience is able | what the rules are." |
to shape the brain and | |
behavior," said Ron De Kloet, | Hunsaker's anti- |
an expert on stress and the | calculator views run smack |
endocrine system at the U of | against leading theories of |
Leiden in the Netherlands. | math instruction espoused |
"Only recently have we been | by numerous educators and |
able to go into the brain and | the National Council of |
measure what is actually | Teachers of Mathematics. |
happening in early experience." | |
Researchers found that neglect | But Hunsaker remains |
can "warp the brain's | steadfast against using |
developing neural circuits so | calculators -- especially |
that they produce too much or | in the early grades. It |
too little of the hormones that | doesn't matter if as adults |
control responses to stress. | her students never resort |
They also found that | to long division. Going |
youngsters kept in poor-quality | through the process now |
day-care centers also had ab- | helps them to enhance |
normal levels of stress hor- | thinking skills and build |
mones on weekdays but not on | discipline, she says. (#5) |
weekends when they were home. |_____________________________|
============== QUOTE OF THE DAY ==============
"In the hierarchy of American occupations, it falls somewhere
between hamburger flipper and truck driver."
The L.A. TIMES, describing the job of child-care worker. (#2)
_______________________________________________________________
| (c) by the Education Policy Network, Inc. |
| 1255 22nd Street NW; Washington, D.C. 20010; 202/724-0124 |
| EPN, Inc. hereby authorizes further reproduction and |
| distribution with proper acknowledgement. |
| Publisher: Barbara A. Pape |
|_______________________________________________________________|
============== TABLE OF CONTENTS ==============
GOAL ONE: READY TO LEARN
WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE: Child care takes center stage. (#1)
IN THE NEWS: States and child care. (#2)
THE NATION'S MOST IMPORTANT INVESTMENT: Young children. (#3)
GOAL FOUR: TEACHER ED/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
EXCELLENCE & ACCOUNTABILITY: The making of a good teacher.(#4)
GOAL FIVE: MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE
CALCULATORS: A mathematical crutch? (#5)
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===== GOAL ONE: READY TO LEARN =====
*1 WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE: CHILD CARE TAKES CENTER STAGE
On 23 October, the White House hosted a conference on child-
care for 130 legislators, care providers and child-development
experts. At the meeting, President Bill Clinton and First Lady
Hillary Rodham Clinton unveiled a plan to provide $300M for a
scholarship fund for child-care providers.
"Nothing is more important than finding child care that is
affordable, accessible and safe," said Clinton. "It is America's
next great frontier in strengthening our families and our
future."
Under the president's plan, child-care workers would receive
grants up to $1,500 for additional training if they stay in the
child-care field for at least a year, explains the Baltimore SUN
(10/24). They also would receive raises afterward, writes the
paper.
Clinton also called on Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin to
assemble a group of business, labor and community leaders to
devise a plan to provide more on-site child-care and make other
types of care more affordable. The president said he will
address child-care challenges and solutions in his State of the
Union address in January.
A BUSINESS WEEK commentary expresses skepticism over
Clinton's plan to improve the nation's child-care situation
(Hammonds, 11/3). "Ah, good, another conference," pens Hammonds.
According to Hammonds, there are two "straightforward ways to fix
the child-care mess" -- both requiring significant funding. The
first approach -- to cut demand -- is promoted by the
conservative Heritage Foundation. The group supports extending
subsidies and tax credits to families who decide to keep one
partner home to raise the children. "It's bad policy to tilt
things toward child care only for working mothers," said Patrick
Fagan, a Heritage Foundation analyst.
The other solution is to tackle the supply side, through
expanding and improving child-care options -- an expensive
proposition.
Although BUSINESS WEEK concedes that the White House has
"some ideas about increasing federal subsidies to parents and
business as well as creating scholarships for child-care
researchers, the magazine maintains that "it will take a lot to
improve the quality of the nation's child care and access to it."
The Philadelphia INQUIRER reports on research from the
Progressive Policy Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit
group, that surveyed 10 states to uncover child-care challenges
faced by the working poor. The states represent 65% of the
nation's welfare caseload. Five of the sates -- Ohio, Ga.,
Penn., Calif., and Texas -- direct federal and state child-care
funds to welfare recipients and those who recently left welfare
to work. However, the paper reports that families not on welfare
but who qualify for aid, receive assistance only if funds permit.
This policy forces low-wage workers to pay full price for child
care, "which strains their budget and jeopardizes their
availability to stay off welfare," according to Margy Waller, PPI
senior analyst, writes the paper. The White House conference
explored how welfare and other polices affect child care.
"It doesn't take much to improve quality, and we don't need
to invent a new system," said Hillary Rodham Clinton.
*2 IN THE NEWS: STATES AND CHILD CARE
The White House Conference on child care sparked numerous
articles on the state of child-care in America. Following are
examples of state programs cited in the press:
L.A. TIMES: The paper describes child care this way: "In
the hierarchy of American occupations, it falls somewhere between
hamburger flipper and truck driver." Low pay and poor working
conditions plague many child-care centers, according to the
paper. Yet, child care is projected to be one of the nation's
biggest growth industries.
From the paper: "What child-care advocates fear is that
states scrambling to meet daunting new demands for child care
from their welfare populations will relax standards for day-care
centers and family-based child care." The paper notes that Wis.
recently created a new class of "provisional" caregivers who are
not required to meet training requirements and will charge half
as much as accredited caregivers.
Conn. and Mich. also are states of concern for child-care
advocates -- both states cut funds for the inspection of centers
and the enforcement of standards.
"There's a basic national flaw in our thinking," said Marcy
Whitebook, co-director of the National Center for the Early
Childhood Workforce. "On one hand, we just keep piling up
information that the early years are really important that what
happens then determines the rest of children's lives. But we
basically do not value the job of taking care of children.
THEre's a disconnect between what we know children need and the
kind of work environment we know we need for children."
R.I. is hailed by some for beginning to offer health
benefits to child-care workers who meet licensing standards. And
Colo. citizens can check a box on their income tax form that
automatically channels part of their taxes to a program called
the Quality Care Improvement Fund, which provides grants to
child-care providers who want to expand or improve their
operations, writes the paper.
Calif. also is lauded for having "one of the nation's best-
established mentoring programs,"writes the paper. In 1991, the
California Early Childhood Mentor Program opened its doors. The
program increases mentors' earnings via a $1,000 stipend, but it
also has "increased professionalism and driven down job
departures among both mentors and the newcomers they help train,
reports the paper.
N.C.'s Teacher Education and Compensation Helps is one of
the nation's "most promising programs, writes the paper. Begun
in 1990, the program offers child-care workers scholarships to
pursue or continue their training in child development and
education.
PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER: The paper notes that N.J. Gov
Christine Todd Whitman recently announced a new program that
targets disadvantaged children under age 6. One-stop centers
providing child care, parental education and health services
would be created, using state money, federal welfare grants and
private contributions.
BUSINESS WEEK: Several "fix-it" programs are mentioned in
the magazine, including: Fla. -- allocated $4M to a pool that
will match employers' subsidies to workers; Ga. -- used lottery
revenues to increase child-care and early-education funding; and
Ind. -- county-based teams of business leaders, educators,
providers and community groups fund provider training.
*3 THE NATION'S MOST IMPORTANT INVESTMENT: YOUNG CHILDREN
At a conference earlier this month on early childhood, Ohio
Gov George Voinovich declared early childhood development the
"single most important investment in our nation's future." Ten
governors and more than 40 state teams participated in the
National Governors' Association's Center for Best Practices
conference held in Columbus, Ohio, last month.
"Achieving Results for Young Children: What Works?" began
with a town hall meeting, in which governors and an audience of
state teams engaged in a "spirited discussion" of what works in
achieving results for young children (GOVERNORS' BULLETIN, 13
October 1997). Each governor described his state's early
childhood programs and initiatives. (An overview of some of the
states' best practices for early childhood development is
featured in this month's "NEGP Monthly" -- see www.negp.gov.
Other states will be highlighted in upcoming "NEGP Weeklies".)
After the town hall meeting, state teams gathered in smaller
groups to discuss strategies related to financing programs for
young children, improving public education, establishing public-
private partnerships, using technology and motivating communities
to support programs for young children and their families, writes
the newsletter.
"The nation's governors realize that investments made in our
children today will pay huge dividends for children and for
society and will reduce the cost of future social problems," said
Voinovich. "By sharing ideas and challenges and learning from
each other, we will achieve a better future for our children."
===== GOAL FOUR: TEACHER ED/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT =====
*4 EXCELLENCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY: THE MAKING OF A GOOD TEACHER
The explosion of calculators in classrooms is startling to
Diane Hunsaker, a mathematics tutor and adult-education teacher
in Santa Clara, Calif. In a NEWSWEEK editorial, Hunsaker
observes that although "everyone" -- including the National
Council of Teachers of Mathematics -- agrees on the importance of
students using calculators, she remains steadfast in her
opposition to calculator-based math, especially in the early
grades (3 November 1997).
"Educators have many oft-repeated arguments in defense of
calculators, but each one ignores the reason that we teach math
in the first place. Math trains the mind," she writes. For
Hunsaker, math and science teaches students to think logically
and rationally, "to proceed from known information to desired
information and to become proficient with both numbers and
ideas." These skills are critical not only to develop math
ability but to become "thinking, intelligent members of society,"
she writes.
She challenges claims made by many teachers that calculators
allow students to "concentrate on how to solve problems instead
of getting bogged down with tedious computations." Instead,
Hunsaker has found that calculators encourage students to "try
every combination of addition, subtraction, multiplication or
division without any thought about which would be most
appropriate." Students more often will "minimize" their work if
they think about the problem first, without a calculator in hand,
writes Hunsaker.
Hunsaker bemoans the low priority currently assigned to
memorization and repetitious problem-solving in American schools.
"Math is as much about knowing why the rules work as knowing what
the rules are," she declares. Students who do not do long
division, who quickly pull out their calculator to compute the
answer, clearly do not understand the underlying principles of
division, she states. From the article: "My students who view
the multiplication tables as a list of unrelated numbers have
much more difficulty in math than those who know that
multiplication is simply repeated addition. Calculators prevent
students from seeing this kind of inherent structure and beauty
in math."
Advanced mathematics such as algebra is even more difficult
for students who cannot compute basic problems in their head,
rather than on a calculator. Hunsaker queries: "Permitting
extensive use of calculators invites a child's mind to stagnate.
If we don't require students to do the simple problems that
calculators can do, how can we expect them to solve the more
complex problems that calculators cannot do?"
Hunsaker's theories are not derailed by teachers and
students who hold that calculators are a part of life, and that
they will never have to perform long division in the real world.
Hunsaker concedes that long division, and much of mathematics, is
not relevant to many students in later years. However, she adds
that practical experience is not the "sole reason" for teaching.
"We teach it for thinking and discipline, both of which expand
the mind and increase the student's ability to function as a
contributing individual in society: the ultimate goals of
education."
===== GOAL FIVE: MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE =====
*5 CALCULATORS: A MATHEMATICAL CRUTCH?
The U of Maryland is the recipient of a U.S. DoEd five-year
$23M contract to create a national Partnership for Excellence and
Accountability in Teaching. "Among the most memorable
experiences students have from school is 'that special teacher
that made a difference,'" said Ed Sec Richard Riley. "We need
to find new and better ways to recruit and prepare teachers 'that
make that special difference.'"
Riley explained that the partnership will highlight "what
works in effective teacher training, how to keep teacher skills
current and how to energize professional development." The
partnership is unique because it will focus on reforming all
aspects of preparing classroom teachers, including: teaching
standards and assessment; teacher education and professional
development; teacher recruitment and retention in the profession;
and restructuring of schools as learning organizations, writes a
DoEd press release (10/23).
Specifically, the partnership will combine applied research
and development with technical assistance and dissemination to
ensure that teachers have the skills, knowledge and support to
help all students learn the basics and achieve to high standards.
The partnership will unites a wide array of elementary, secondary
and postsecondary education institutions; state and local
education agencies; and national professional associations.
Groups that already are a part of the partnership include:
American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education; The
Holmes Partnership; Middle Grade School State Policy Initiative
(Carnegie Corporation); National Alliance of Business; National
Board for Professional Teaching Standards; National Education
Association; and Vanderbilt U.
THE NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS
* GOAL 1: READY TO LEARN
All children in America will start school ready to learn.
* GOAL 2: SCHOOL COMPLETION
The high school graduation rate will increase to at least
90 percent.
* GOAL 3: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND CITIZENSHIP
All students will leave grades 4, 8, and 12 having
demonstrated competency over challenging subject matter including
English, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics and
government, economics, arts, history, and geography, and every
school in America will ensure that all students earn to use their
minds well, so they may be prepared for responsible citizenship,
further learning, and productive employment in our Nation' modern
economy.
* GOAL 4: TEACHER EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The Nation's teaching force will have access to programs for
the continued improvement of their professional skills and the
opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to
instruct and prepare all American students for the next century.
* GOAL 5: MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE
United States students will be first in the world in
mathematics and science achievement.
* GOAL 6: ADULT LITERACY AND LIFELONG LEARNING
Every adult American will be literate and will possess the
knowledge and skills necessary to compete in a global economy and
exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
* GOAL 7: SAFE, DISCIPLINED, & ALCOHOL- AND DRUG-FREE SCHOOLS
Every school in the United States will be free of drugs,
violence, and the unauthorized presence of firearms and alcohol
and will offer a disciplined environment conducive to learning.
* GOAL 8: PARENTAL PARTICIPATION
Every school will promote partnerships that will increase
parental involvement and participation in promoting the social,
emotional, and academic growth of children.
_______________________________________________________________
| National Education Goals Panel |
| 1255 22nd Street NW; Suite 502; Washington, D.C. 20037 |
| 202/632-0957 (Fax); e-mail: negp@goalline.org |
| Web site: www.negp.gov |
|_______________________________________________________________|
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