Community Update

No. 18
November 1994
U.S. Department of Education

THE IMPROVING AMERICA'S SCHOOLS ACT PASSES, REAUTHORIZES ESEA

Last month, the Improving America's Schools Act passed Congress and was signed into law by President Clinton, reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and allocating nearly $11 billion in federal funding to school districts this fiscal year, primarily for disadvantaged students. The Act includes approximately $6.9 billion for Title I (previously Chapter 1), the largest federally funded elementary and secondary education program.

The new Title I has one overriding goal: to improve the teaching and learning of children in high-poverty schools to enable them to meet challenging academic content and performance standards. To accomplish this goal, Title I supports new roles for schools, districts, states, and the federal government. Schools will be able to decide how to spend their Title I resources and, in far greater numbers, combine these federal funds with state and local resources in a comprehensive effort to raise the quality of an entire school. States will develop challenging academic standards, through GOALS 2000 or other mechanisms, and link Title I with their overall school reform efforts. The federal government will work to support states, districts, and schools in this process.

In addition, the new Title I encourages parents, schools, and communities to work together. Parents will have the opportunity to participate more and share responsibility for improved student achievement through parent-school compacts.

Other important provisions of the Improving America's Schools Act are as follows:

SAFE AND DRUG-FREE SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY ACT

The Act directs $481 million to school districts and schools in support of a comprehensive effort to combat problems of violence and drug use in schools.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The new Eisenhower Professional Development Program provides support for school districts and schools to develop plans for improving instruction and gives teachers and principals important roles in determining the kind of training they need. The effort moves away from one-time professional development activities toward a more long-term approach that is tied to high standards for student learning. All core academic subjects will be covered, replacing a current program for math and science.

TECHNOLOGY

The Act helps schools gain access to the Information Superhighway and other technological advances that can transform classroom learning, and promotes the use of educational technology to support school reform.

INNOVATION AND FLEXIBILITY

States and local school districts can request waivers from the Education Department if they encounter requirements that interfere with education improvement efforts. The amount of paperwork required to administer programs is reduced. States and school districts will also be able to obtain grants to support the planning and initial implementation of public charter schools.

We'll report on more details of the Improving America's Schools Act in future editions.

TOWN MEETING WRAP-UPS SEPTEMBER: MOBILIZING THE COMMUNITY FOR SCHOOL REFORM

Demonstrating how successful school reform efforts must engage the entire community, the September Town Meeting featured two districts that have effectively mobilized their citizens. In live satellite uplinks from Edmonds, Washington and Worcester, Massachusetts, local leaders discussed how their communities implemented comprehensive school reform, inspired by the National Education Goals.

Edmonds Superintendent Brian Benzel reported on the document entitled "A Tapestry for Learning," which defines standards for both academic knowledge and skills. A series of public conversations shaped the Tapestry and provided a sense of community ownership, he said. Civic activist Candy Johns discussed how community volunteers participate in Edmonds' nationally recognized anti-violence program, "The Neutral Zone."

Worcester Superintendent Jim Garvey, along with colleagues Paul Revelle and Stacey DeBoise, described their district's five-year strategic plan to transform their public schools. Business and higher education were important partners in the process, he explained.

The Town Meeting also highlighted findings from the National Education Goals Panel's 1994 report. Some data was positive, such as improved math scores in grades 4 and 8. Other data pointed to areas where progress is needed, such as high school completion rates and lagging black and Hispanic college enrollment.

Two of the National Education Goals Panel's newest members were also guests on the program: state legislators Spencer Coggs (Democrat from Milwaukee, Wisconsin) and Doug Jones (Republican from Twin Falls, Idaho). From the different perspectives of their urban and rural constituencies, they offered insights as to how communities can translate the National Education Goals into their own meaningful school reform. Both guests agreed that goals which may seem ambitious give become a powerful force for progress in communities.

Three new tools to help communities with school reform efforts were introduced on the program. GOALS 2000: AN INVITATION TO YOUR COMMUNITY is a reference tool for parents, teachers, principals, superintendents, and community leaders as they develop comprehensive plans in their schools and communities to move all children toward high standards. (Call 1-800-USA-LEARN to request a copy.) MOVING AMERICA TO THE HEAD OF THE CLASS: 50 SIMPLE THINGS YOU CAN DO defines first action steps for parents, teachers, and others in areas like homework, reading, and school attendance. (Call 1-800-96-PROMISE to request the booklet.) The COMMUNITY ACTION TOOLKIT is full of ideas and strategies to create and/or expand community-wide school reform efforts. (To purchase the TOOLKIT, call the Government Printing office at 202-512-1800. The stock number is 065-000-00-680-4.)

OCTOBER: LINKING TEACHERS AND STUDENTS TO TECHNOLOGY

Highlighting exciting learning projects that are possible when classrooms have access to technology, the October GOALS 2000 Satellite Town Meeting focused on how schools can connect to the Information Superhighway. U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education Madeleine Kunin was joined by a panel of four studio guests who each shared expertise on how technology can open up new avenues of learning for students and how schools can obtain needed resources for connection to the Internet. Technology Advisor Dr. Linda Roberts led a discussion among teachers and students in the studio audience who spoke to the benefits of working on the Internet and also raised concerns about how more schools can gain access.

Doug Wood, a middle school teacher from Columbia, South Carolina, related how he makes technology an integral part of the curriculum and how his students have collaborated with schools in Ireland, Costa Rica, and Japan. Louis Gomez, an Associate Professor at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, described how students and teachers in two Chicago high schools work directly with scientists to solve problems in a shared process of discovery.

Carol Hyatt, a parent in Rockville, Maryland, and Chair of the Montgomery County PTA's Program and Outreach Committee, discussed how schools can reach out to local law firms and businesses for recycled computer equipment that would otherwise be discarded. She also emphasized how interested parents can be a wonderful resource for training teachers and students on how to make the best use of available technology.

The idea of partnerships between K-12 schools, universities, businesses, parents, and community groups was a common theme among guests and callers. A live satellite uplink from southern California focused on a successful partnership involving 11 school districts, a telecommunications corporation, and a local university. Dr. Beverly Rohrer, Superintendent of the Redondo Beach School District; Dr. Robert Detweiler, President of California State University in Dominguez Hills; and C. Michael Crawford, President of GTE California, described how the partnership works to give schools access to the resources of the Internet and also to train teachers in using the technology.

Finally, the issue of developing educational content on the Internet and controlling or censoring students' access to inappropriate material was discussed. Tom Grundner, president of the National Public Telecomputing Network, believes that more academic content must be created. His organization provides a wealth of educational programming to schools free of charge with its Academy One service.

For more information on how other schools have succeeded in using the Internet, request a copy of "Telecomputing Stories: Real People Doing Real Things for Learning" from the GOALS 2000 Information Resource Center, U.S. Department of Education, Room 2421, 600 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C., 20202. For information about how the Department of Education offers support for bringing technology into the classroom, write Dr. Linda Roberts, Special Advisor on Educational Technology, at U.S. Department of Education, Room 6236, 600 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C., 20202.

DISCOVERY NETWORK REBROADCASTS SATELLITE TOWN MEETINGS

Starting last month, the Discovery Network began rebroadcasting the GOALS 2000 Satellite Town Meeting as part of its ASSIGNMENT DISCOVERY series, allowing the forum to reach a much wider audience. Discovery, the fourth largest cable television network, is available in more than 60 million American homes. ASSIGNMENT DISCOVERY is one of the network's most popular programs and is viewed regularly by some 200,000 educators.

Upcoming Satellite Town Meetings will air on ASSIGNMENT DISCOVERY on Fridays from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. Eastern time on the following dates:

     November 11    "Learning On-Line:  Using Technology to Connect
                    Children, Parents, and Schools"

     December 9     "Building Partnerships Between Families and
                    Schools"

ON-LINE DISCUSSION TAKES OFF

EDITOR'S NOTE: "SATL-CON," the on-line conversation on each Satellite Town Meeting's topic, kicked off this fall and already involves more than 200 parents, teachers, administrators, and other community members. Here's a sample of what people have said in response to the October meeting topic of on-line learning:

• "There are multitudes of things that can be done with technology to enhance learning. The single most important thing that we could not do before without great difficulty is accessing vast stores of information, in a multitude of formats (sound, video, animation, text, graphics, photos), from one location, in real time. Imagine how effective an art history class can be if it can "visit" the Vatican Museum electronically and "see" its treasures at any time, from any place in the world. Internet browsing tools such as Mosaic and MacWeb have made this practical...." (Richard Kopec)

• "The most compelling reason for putting students on the Internet is that the Net is not going away. In one form or another, telecomputing will be part of all our futures." (Corrie Rosetti)

• "Telecomputing is about bringing resources to where they are needed. The resources can be text, graphic, animation, or people, experts in a field. As a teacher, I can share my skills with people outside my standard classroom, and I can gain the expertise of others where I need it." (Paul Brady)

• "...I fear the end result if we educators are not involved in the continuing formation of the Net. It's unclear what shape it's going to take in the next few years, but it is perfectly obvious that what is forming from the Net is spontaneous and powerful. Many believe the Internet is no less than a revolution in communication." (Terry Caplenor)

• "Many obstacles exist in most of the schools I've visited -- lack of connectivity, training, hardware and software, to name a few. By identifying those in your school (not necessarily your own child's teacher) who are ready to be the explorers and pioneers, and then working individually with them to identify what kinds of things are getting in the way, and doing whatever you can to help overcome the obstacles, you can really make a difference." (Carol Hyatt)

• "We must begin to involve massive numbers of practicing educators with paid sabbatical leaves and reduced teaching loads that can bring to bear the years of practice as well as creative minds to develop, test, refine, and evaluate practical models involving the use of communications technologies in ALL LEVELS of education." (Ken Hartman)

• "A second grade teacher at Duncan Elementary (South Carolina) used the Internet to share a questionnaire with second graders in New York. The purpose was to integrate the study of technology, geography, statistics, and culture. One question asked the student to name a major land form near his or her home. Answers of the variety of 'Duncan fire tower' were not uncommon.

• " Many U.S. students have never traveled out of their home states -- fewer have associated with peers in other cultures/countries. The easy and quick response of Internet communication can have a profound effect, opening worlds to our students." (M.B. Ulmer)

To subscribe to "SATL-CON," a free service, send an e-mail message to:

listserv@suvm.Syr.Edu

In the message area write:

subscribe satl-con

(EXAMPLE: subscribe satl-con richard riley)

You'll receive a welcome message soon after you subscribe. If you have any questions, call 1-800-USA-LEARN or send an e-mail to .

GOALS 2000 STATE PLANNING PROCESS UPDATE

Along with Guam and Puerto Rico, 31 states have now received funding under the Goals 2000 Act: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, and Washington.

To date, applications for first-year funding are pending for the Alaska Federation, the Marshall Islands, Montana, New Jersey, Texas, Utah, the Virgin Islands, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

For more information on your state's planning process, or to find out how you can get involved, contact your chief state school officer.

NOVEMBER SATELLITE TOWN MEETING FOCUSES ON FAMILY-SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS

Exploring an issue that communities nationwide are making a top priority, the November Satellite Town Meeting will look at how families and schools can work together to inspire children to learn and achieve. The program is entitled "Connecting Families and Schools: Building Partnerships That Work." Discussion will emphasize practical steps that parents, teachers and other school staff, and community members can take to strengthen family involvement in learning.

The program will air on Tuesday, November 15 at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time and will be simultaneously broadcast in Spanish for the first time. This new service will also allow callers to ask questions and receive answers in Spanish.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education Madeleine Kunin will welcome a panel of guests from schools and communities across the country who are leaders in promoting family involvement in learning. Due to his recovery from a recent operation, Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley will not be joining the program.

Topics of discussion will include how parents and teachers can communicate more effectively, how teachers and schools can expand opportunities for families to participate in their children's education, and how family-school-community partnerships can help ensure that schools are safe. Findings from an Education Department report entitled STRONG FAMILIES, STRONG SCHOOLS will also be highlighted.

The Department of Education produces the Satellite Town Meeting Series in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Sponsors of the series include Miles Research, Inc., The Procter and Gamble Fund, SC Johnson Wax, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Coordinates for the November Satellite Town Meeting are as follows ....

C-BAND: Galaxy 7, Transponder/Channel 16; Vertical Polarization; Downlink Frequency 4020; Audio Subcarriers 6.2 (Spanish) and 6.8 (English); Orbital Location: 91 degrees West.

KU-BAND: SBS-6, Transponder 7H; Horizontal Polarization; Downlink Frequency 11872; Audio Subcarriers 6.2 (Spanish) and 6.8 (English); Orbital Location: 95 degrees West.

To participate in the Satellite Town Meeting, you can contact your local Public Broadcasting member station, Wal-Mart or Sam's Club, Chamber of Commerce, or Johnson Controls branch office and ask if your group can use the facility as a downlink site. Other possible sites are local schools, public libraries, community colleges, cable television stations, universities and technical schools, government offices, hospitals, businesses, hotels, or even private residences with satellite dishes. Call 1-800-USA-LEARN for further information or to register your participation.

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