The NEGP Weekly for January 13, 2000

[HAMILTJ1@westat.com (HAMILTJ1)]

*******************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 - January 13, 2000 -- Vol. 2 -- No. 37
***************************************************

CONTENTS
**STATE POLICY 
1.) COMMUNITY COLLEGES: RESOURCES FOR STATE & EDUCATION LEADERS 
2.) TEXAS TEST: UPHELD IN COURT 

**COMMUNITY AND LOCAL NEWS 
3.) BEHAVIOR AND SPECIAL NEEDS: PITTSBURGH DECISION 
4.) STARTING OVER: OVERHAUL FOR SIX CINCINNATI SCHOOLS

**FEDERAL POLICY NEWS 
5.) TEACHER QUALITY: CHANGING THE "FACE OF EDUCATION"
6.) STaR CHART: TEACHER GUIDE FOR DIGITAL AGE 

**RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PRACTICE 
7.) HIGH-STAKES TESTS: A MINORITY PERSPECTIVE
8.) BRING IN THE GOOD NEWS: THE PROGRESS WE MADE 

**FEATURE STORY
9.) SCHOOL SAFETY: SUSPENSIONS AND SERVICES 


***FACT OF THE WEEK***
In 1996 , the states with the highest percentages of degrees earned by all
students that were awarded in mathematics or science were the District of
Columbia (54%), Maine (53%), Colorado (51%), Massachusetts (51%), and
Virginia (50%).

--The National Education Goals report: Building a nation of learners, 1999


********************
STATE POLICY NEWS
********************


1.) ********COMMUNITY COLLEGES: RESOURCES FOR STATE & EDUCATION LEADERS
(Goal Six: Adult Literacy and Lifelong Learning)

The Center for Community College Policy, housed with the Education
Commission of the States (ECS), was created to be a resource for state
policymakers who are faced with increasing demands for the education
services provided by community colleges.  According to ECS, community
colleges are being called on to retrain displaced workers, educate former
welfare recipients, offer preservice and inservice training for K-12
teachers and provide leadership in state and community economic development
efforts.  Yet there are "few sources of timely, objective information to
which policymakers can turn," writes ECS.  Thus, the creation of the center.

The center's activities include:
>  conduct research and analysis
>  establish a web-based electronic database on community college issues
>  serve as a clearinghouse for state officials, college leaders and the
media 
>  publish and distribute policy papers
>  organize national, regional and state-level workshops
>  provide technical assistance to states

For more information on the Center for Community College Policy, visit
www.ecs.org. 


2.) ********TEXAS TEST: UPHELD IN COURT
(Goal Two: High School Completion and Goal Three: Student Achievement and
Citizenship) 

Last week, U.S. District Judge Edward Prado ruled in favor of the Texas
Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS), which was challenged by several
Latino-rights groups and minority students who claim the test is unfair to
black and Latino students.  In his opinion Prado concedes that the test does
have an adverse effect on many minority students, but he holds that the
Texas Education Agency adequately showed the educational necessity of the
test (Gladfelter, ED DAILY, 1/10).  

The 33-page opinion is available at www.txwd.uscourts.gov.


*************************
Community and Local News
*************************


3.) ********BEHAVIOR AND SPECIAL NEEDS: PITTSBURGH DECISION 
(Goal Seven: Safe, Disciplined Alcohol- and Drug-Free Schools)

The Pittsburgh School Board late last year settled a federal class-action
lawsuit by adopting a policy that requires principals to conduct an
assessment for special education needs of students who face disciplinary
action (Cardman, ED DAILY, 12/31).  Last summer, the Pennsylvania branch of
the Education Law Center (ELC), a non-profit legal advocacy group, filed
suit against the school board and the state education department on behalf
of a 16-year-old student who was suspended from school for disruptive
behavior.  The school district was blamed for suspending her without
identifying her special education needs and providing an alternative
program.

The school board's new policy, "Behavior Performance Review Process," was
approved unanimously and goes into effect on 1 February 2000.  

The Pittsburgh School Board can be reached at www.pps.pgh.pa.us.


4.) ********STARTING OVER: OVERHAUL FOR SIX CINCINNATI SCHOOLS
(Goal Three: Student Achievement and Citizenship and Goal Eight: Parental
Participation)

High drop-out rates and low test scores are the catalysts for an overhaul of
six Cincinnati public high schools.  School Superintendent Steven Adamowski
proposed dramatic restructuring of the schools.  He calls for turning ninth-
and tenth-grade schools into college preparatory academies and 11th- and
12th -grade schools into senior institutes.  Adamowski would create a museum
school where students would study at area museum, a year-round 9th- through
12th-grade high school, a military academy and a virtual high school that
would offer on-line courses.

Each school would have a student population of only 600, compared to the
student enrollment of about 1,000 to 2,000 at Cincinnati high schools today.
If approved, Adamowski's plans would go into effect during the 2001-2002
school year.  Parents have through March to comment on the proposal.

The Cincinnati public schools can be found at www.cpsboe.k12.oh.us.


*********************
Federal Policy News
*********************


5.) ********TEACHER QUALITY: CHANGING THE "FACE OF EDUCATION"
(Goal Four: Teacher Education and Professional Development)

The U.S. Department of Education held its first-ever National Conference on
Teacher Quality this week. Education Secretary Richard Riley called on
education leaders nationwide to build partnerships for recruiting, preparing
and supporting new teachers.  "If we expect students to learn to high
standards, then we must ask teachers to teach to high standards," said
Riley.  "In order to accomplish this goal, we must provide teachers with the
right preparation, induction, mentoring, support and professional
development they will need to succeed."

Conference sessions focused on analysis of current practices and included
interactive presentations on relevant exemplary practice areas.  Highlighted
practices included: new curriculum partnerships to foster quality teaching,
increasing and supporting minority teachers, infusing technology into
teacher education programs, restructuring and assessment for quality teacher
preparation and mentoring new teachers.

The more than 800 participants were convened into 166 teams to develop
action plans for improving teacher education in their communities.  This
summer, the Department of Education plans to host four regional teacher
quality institutes where the teams will develop implementation strategies
for their action plans to improve teacher education.

For more information, visit the Department of Education's web site at
www.ed.gov.


6.) ********STaR CHART: TEACHER GUIDE FOR DIGITAL AGE
(Goal Three: Student Achievement and Citizenship and Goal Four: Teacher
Education and Professional Development)

Education Secretary Richard Riley and members of the CEO Forum on Education
and Technology yesterday released the Teacher Preparation School Technology
and Readiness (STaR) Chart at this week's U.S. Department of Education's
conference on teacher quality.  The chart is designed to help teacher
preparation programs better prepare teachers for the digital age.  It is
intended to help educational institutions evaluate their technological
readiness and help them plan for meeting technology goals.  Schools,
colleges and departments of education can use the chart to identify their
current technology profile and set goals for the future.  

Riley pointed out that a recent study by the Department of Education's
national Center for Education Statistics found that only about 20 percent of
America's teachers "feel very well prepared to integrate education
technology into classroom instruction."  Riley:  "Technology can be the
blackboard of the future for America's teachers.  But if we do not give our
teachers proper training it is like denying them the chalk that they use on
those blackboards."

The STaR Chart is on-line at www.ceoforum.org.


*********************************
Research and Education Practices
*********************************


7.) ********HIGH-STAKES TESTS: A MINORITY PERSPECTIVE
(Goal Three: Student Achievement and Citizenship)

The use of high stakes tests tied to rigorous standards is an education
reform sweeping the nation.  Under the aegis of The Civil Rights Project,
Harvard University, testing researchers examined the impact of high stakes
testing on minority and disadvantaged students and, as a result, "raise
difficult questions and challenge many of the underlying assumptions of high
stakes test proponents," according to a report issued by The Civil Rights
Project.

For example, key findings include:
>  Contrary to public opinion, social promotion has not been the norm for
minority youth.
>  Research shows that grade retention has no lasting benefits, retained
students rarely receive effective remediation and retention substantially
increases the risks of dropping out before completion of high school.
>  There is a strong correlation between high stakes tests and high dropout
rates.
>  High stakes tests exert an especially strong and negative motivating
force on teachers in predominantly poor and minority communities.

The report, The Impact of High Stakes Testing Policies on Minority and
Disadvantaged Students:  Legal and Policy Implications of New Research,
offers a series of recommendations that recognizes the important role
testing can play "in early identification of struggling students," but
cautions that tests should not be used for promotion and graduation.
Instead of school retention, "schools should offer expert instruction and
extra learning opportunities (in the summer, on weekends, or after school)
early on for students who are struggling."

More information on this report and The Civil Rights Project can be found at
www.law.harvard.edu/civilrights.


8.) ********BRING IN THE GOOD NEWS: THE PROGRESS WE MADE
(All Goals)

Do You Know . . . The Good News About American Education? stands out for its
upbeat view of the progress the nation has made in improving education over
the past two decades.  The report documents progress made in education since
1983, when the "ongoing wave of school reforms began, and selectively
includes only data that show progress since then," writes the WASH POST
(Cooper, 1/8).  According to the paper, the report is intended to show that
reforms adopted by schools during the 1980s and 1990s have led to
"measurable results" even before the force of standards and testing hit the
schools.  

Findings of the report include:
>  About half of high school students had taken four years of English and
three years each of math, science and social studies in 1994, more than
triple the percentage who had completed that core curriculum in 1982.   
>  More students are going on to college and more are receiving their
degrees.  In 1998, 31 percent of adults in their late twenties had a
bachelor's degree, compared with 26 percent in 1983.

For more information, visit the Center on Education Policy at
www.ctredpol.org. and the American Youth Policy Forum at www.aypf.org.


*****************
Feature Story
*****************


9.) ********SCHOOL SAFETY: SUSPENSIONS AND SERVICES
(Goal Seven: Safe, Disciplined and Drug-Free Schools)

While upholding the goal of providing a safe, drug-free environment for
students, a coalition of groups led by the Council for Exceptional Children
(CEC) stands firm for providing services to children who push the limits of
zero-tolerance policies.  Students who exhibit disruptive or illegal
behavior should not be abandoned by the education system, according to the
coalition.  The group of nearly 50 organizations  -- from the American
Academy of Pediatrics to the American School Counselors Association --
recently issued a policy statement that urges school and community leaders
and government officials to provide alternative programs and appropriate
support services for students who are removed from school for carrying a gun
or firearm on campus.

The goals of alternative programs, according to the statement, are to allow
suspended students to return to their regular school, if appropriate; meet
state education standards; graduate with a diploma and become productive,
tax-paying citizens.  State leaders are urged to "designate a lead agency to
coordinate a community-based approach to the provision of and payment for
programs, supports and services," according to the statement. 

According to ED DAILY, the coalition's statement is "philosophically opposed
to provisions in the juvenile justice bills pending in the House and
Senate."  (Cardman, 1/5)  CEC is prepared to address these issues in the
upcoming reauthorization of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools Act, part of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act, reports ED DAILY.  A House amendment
passed last June would allow school staff to discipline any disabled child
who carries or possesses a weapon at school in the same manner as a
nondisabled students.  The bill, HR 1501 also would delete provisions in the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act that requires schools to place
disabled students in alternative education placements for up to 45 days when
a weapons-related offense results due to the child's disability, notes ED
DAILY.

The Senate bill also would allow schools to equally punish all students
caught with firearms or guns, but would require schools to provide
"appropriate interventions and services" to any child removed from school
for a violent act.  A House-Senate conference is planned for early this
year.

The statement is part of CEC's Safe Streets, Safe Schools Initiative, which
promotes prevention, intervention and other support services for children
exhibiting "troubling or illegal behavior."  

Information on the initiative and the policy statement can be found at
www.cec.sped.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
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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 Paul E. Patton, KY, (Chair, 1999);
John Engler, MI; Jim Geringer, WY; James B. Hunt, Jr., NC; Frank Keating,
OK; Frank O'Bannon, IN; Tommy G. Thompson, WI; Cecil H. Underwood, WV;
Secretary of Education Richard Riley; Michael Cohen, Senior Advisor to the
U.S. Secretary of 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 t he Goals Panel or at its web site
www.negp.gov. Requests can be made by mail, fax, e-mail, or Internet. 

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