A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

I. Key Facts

• More students are taking college preparatory courses. By 1994, the proportion of high school graduates taking the core courses recommended in the 1983 report, A Nation at Risk--four years of English, three years of social studies, three years of science, and three years of math--had tripled.

• Math and science student achievement is generally up. Student performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has increased significantly in science and math, reflecting higher math standards and attention paid to these subjects. The gap in performance between minority students and others has been narrowing.

• Dropout rates have declined. Overall, the dropout rate for students aged 16 to 24 has declined from 14 percent in 1982 to 11 percent in 1993. Dropout rates declined between 1982 and 1993 by four percentage points for whites and five percentage points for African-Americans. However, dropout rates for Hispanics remain relatively high and are not declining.

Areas that Need Attention. American education is beginning to turn the corner, but there is still a great need for improvement.

• Reading achievement is stagnating. While American students read better than students in most other countries, reading achievement has not improved for a number of years; just one-quarter to one-third of our students are reading at proficient levels.

• College or tech-prep is not the norm. Too many students are still in the general track, not preparing for either college or careers after high school.

• America ranks poorly in math and science. While math and science achievement have improved, student performance is generally low compared to other industrialized countries.

• College remediation is too common. Too many high school graduates must enroll in remedial classes in the basics in college.

II. Ten Activities That Can Help Students Learn the Basics

1. Families: Read to your children or grandchildren in a way that actively involves the child. Ask and answer questions about pictures and people in the story and point to pictures, letters, and words. Ask older students questions that get them to think and solve problems. Be sure your children or grandchildren watch you read. Dads and granddads can be especially important role models for their sons.

2. Families: Limit the amount of television your child views to no more than two hours on school nights and help children select the right programs for their age. Watch television together and discuss the programs. Studies show that academic achievement drops sharply for children who watch TV more than two hours a day, and the quality of programming is also a concern.

3. Families: Set high standards for your students' course work, encourage your students to work hard to achieve those standards, and make sure they complete their homework every night.

4. Families and schools: Start a school-wide family reading program using the U.S. Department of Education's READ*WRITE*NOW! materials. (Free materials can be obtained for children in your family or school by calling 1-800-USA-LEARN.) Recruit and organize reading tutors. Offer a reading challenge in which students read a certain number of minutes each day or a specific number of books within one month. Sponsor a sign-up day for public library cards at the school. Reward the children when they meet the challenge with a special activity.

5. Schools: Rigorously teach the basics and core academic subjects and encourage family involvement in teaching and learning the basics. Let families know what they can do at home to help.

6. Schools: Use interesting, real-life settings in your community to stimulate learning. Organize students and their families to conduct an oral history project, a history or case study of their school or neighborhood, an environmental monitoring project, or a folklife project that involves collecting local stories, recipes for a community cookbook, or learning local songs, art, or folk dances.

7. Community groups, religious organizations, businesses, and armed forces organizations: Arrange reading partners (it can be anyone in seventh grade on up to senior citizens) with whom children can read for 20 minutes a day. Ask families to encourage their children to read every day. The most important way parents can improve their young children's reading skills is to read aloud to them. Work with your school or community librarian to select high-quality books for students of all ages. Sponsor a "write to grandparents" activity once a month.

8. Community members: Sponsor a "Family Math" (or Family Science, Family Geography, etc.) program where parents and other family members work with children. Sponsor events where community members talk about math in their careers and lead hands-on activities. For example, local merchants can talk about how math is used in their stores. Students can be asked to calculate the price of food in a grocery cart; weigh produce and calculate its cost; figure the reduced cost of items on sale; and figure sales taxes, commissions, or tips.

9. Community groups, religious organizations, businesses, law enforcement officials, and members of the armed services: Provide tutors for students during the school day and after school. Start or expand adult literacy training in core subjects.

10. Community groups, religious organizations, and businesses: Donate telephones, voice-mail, and personnel to begin a community homework hotline to keep parents informed and help children with homework. Donate telephones and voice-mail equipment, if necessary, and ask members of your organization to participate.

III. Where To Go for More Help

ORGANIZATIONS

The National PTA
135 South La Salle
Department 1860
Chicago, IL 60674-1860
312-549-3253

Family Math
Lawrence Hall of Science
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720-5200
510-642-6550

Family Geography Challenge
National Geographic Society
1145 17th Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20036
202-828-6686

The National Association of Elementary School Principals
1615 Duke St.
Alexandria, VA 22314
1-800-386-2377

National Engineers Week Headquarters
1420 King Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
703-684-2852
eweek@nspe.org

Even Start Family Literacy Programs
Contact your State Department of Education or Donna Conforti Campbell at the U.S. Department of Education at 202-260-0996.

National Institute on Student Achievement, Curriculum and Assessment
Office of Educational Research and Improvement
U.S. Department of Education
555 New Jersey Ave., N.W.
Washington, DC 20208-5573
202-219-2079.

Turn Off the Violence Citizens Council
822 S. 3rd St., Suite 100
Minneapolis, MN 55415
612-593-8041

PUBLICATIONS

The following publications can be ordered free of charge from the U.S. Department of Education by calling 1-800-USA-LEARN.

• READ*WRITE*NOW! (See related press release)
  
• Strong Families, Strong Schools: Building Community Partnerships for Learning
  
• Team up for Kids! How Schools Can Support Family Involvement in Education
  
• Be Family-Friendly: It's Good Business!
  
• Employers, Families and Education: Promoting Family Involvement in Learning
  
• Get Involved! How Parents and Families Can Help Their Children Do Better in School
  
• Join Together for Kids! How Communities Can Support Family Involvement in Education
  
• Summer Home Learning Recipes
  
• Preparing Your Child for College
  
• A Teacher's Guide to the U.S. Department of Education

Videos available for two-week loans by calling 1-800-USA-Learn:

Satellite Town Meeting #23
June 20, 1995
"Learning to Read: Creating More Literate Students and Adults"

Satellite Town Meeting #21
April 20, 1995
"Ready to Learn: Preparing Children for Success in School"

Satellite Town Meeting #20
March 21, 1995
"Math and Science: Education for the 21st Century"

Satellite Town Meeting #12
April 19, 1994
"Helping U.S. Students To Be First in the World in Math and Science"

Satellite Town Meeting #4
June 22, 1993
"All Children Ready to Learn'"

Other publications available from the U.S. Department of Education:

• Transforming Ideas for Teaching and Learning Mathematics
  
• High Standards for All Students
  
• Helping Your Child Learn Math
  
• Helping Your Child Learn Science
  
• Helping Your Child Learn History
  
• Helping Your Child Become a Reader

The National Education Goals Panel Report 1994: Building a Nation of Learners. Call the U. S. Government Printing Office, 202-783-3238.

Schools can receive funding to help students learn the basics and the core academic subjects. Your school may qualify. For information, see Need Financial Assistance? Your Schools May Qualify For Funding.
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