Community Update

No. 19
December 1994
U.S. Department of Education

SAFETY, ORDER, AND 'THE BASICS' TOP PUBLIC'S EDUCATION CONCERNS

Recent findings by the Public Agenda Foundation reveal that safety, order, and mastery of 'the basics' are Americans' top issues of concern in education. Although a majority of people are in favor of holding students to high standards of achievement, they believe this approach to school reform will fail without attention to more "bottom-line" issues. The report released in October, entitled "First Things First: What Americans Expect from the Public Schools," contains other valuable insights for education leaders seeking to engage the public in the process of comprehensive school improvement.

A unique feature of the Public Agenda study is that respondents were asked to focus on their local schools, which people tend to rate more favorably than schools in general. Almost three quarters of those surveyed said drugs and violence are serious problems in schools in their area. More than half (52%) of respondents said that their local public schools don't teach good work habits, such as being on time and doing homework. Sixty percent said "not enough emphasis on the basics such as reading, writing, and math" is a serious problem in their local schools.

When asked about corrective measures to help students learn more, 88% of people said that emphasizing habits such as being on time and being dependable and disciplined would make a great deal of difference. High standards were also favored: 82% supported setting up "very clear guidelines on what students should learn and teachers should teach in every major subject." The public's dual concern for the basics and high standards is reflected by the finding that almost nine in ten people (88%) supported not allowing students to graduate from high school unless they are able to demonstrate they can write and speak English well.

On questions of teaching values, the Public Agenda study showed widespread agreement in key areas, despite divisive issues such as sex education that receive the most attention in the media. Ninety-five percent of people said schools should teach "honesty and the importance of telling the truth." Eighty-four percent said schools should teach students "that having friends from different racial backgrounds and living in integrated neighborhoods is good." Eighty percent said schools should teach "that girls can succeed at anything boys can."

The majority of respondents seemed comfortable that the values of educational professionals were similar to their own. Teachers received the highest vote of confidence: 76% said the values of teachers were close to their own values. Almost two-thirds of those surveyed said the values of school board members (64%) and people who write textbooks (65%) were similar to their own.

The degree of public trust in educators was also evident in other findings. More than six in ten people (64%) gave local public school teachers a rating of "four" or "five" on a five-point trustworthiness scale. About half (54%) gave similar ratings to principals and school board members. Even this high level of trust was subject to challenge, however, on an issue the public considered to be a high priority such as discipline. A little over half of respondents (54%) expressed that they question teachers' judgment in matters of discipline.

The Public Agenda Foundation is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping citizens better understand complex policy issues and to articulating the public's point of view to the nation's leaders. "First Things First: What Americans Expect from the Public Schools" is based on a national telephone survey of more than 1,100 Americans, half of whom are parents of children currently in public school. Public Agenda also conducted focus groups in Birmingham, Alabama; Des Moines, Iowa; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

To purchase the full report at $10.00 per copy, contact Public Agenda, 6 East 39th Street, Suite 900, New York, N.Y., 10016. The phone number is (212) 686-6610.

JANUARY SATELLITE TOWN MEETING TO EXPLORE THE TRANSITION FROM SCHOOL TO WORK

Focusing on how schools and communities can work together to prepare students for promising careers, the January Satellite Town Meeting will look at the ingredients of a comprehensive school-to- work program, enabling high school graduates to have real choices of either attending college or moving directly into jobs that challenge their potential. The program is entitled "School-to- Work: Preparing Students for High-Skill, High-Wage Jobs."

The Town Meeting will air on Tuesday, January 17 at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time and will be simultaneously broadcast in Spanish. This service will also allow callers to ask questions and receive answers in Spanish.

U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley and Deputy Secretary Madeleine Kunin will welcome a panel of guests from schools and communities across the country who are innovators in the school-to- work area and have helped develop successful programs. Topics of discussion will include integrating school-to-work reforms into comprehensive school improvement, ensuring that programs have both strong academic and workplace skills components, involving the business community in planning curriculum and offering structured on-the-job learning experiences, and examining how the School-to- Work Opportunities Act of 1994 supports local efforts.

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 January Satellite Town Meeting are as follows ....

C-BAND: Galaxy 6, Transponder/Channel 2; Vertical Polarization; Downlink Frequency 3740; Audio Subcarriers 6.2 (Spanish) and 6.8 (English); Orbital Location: 74 degrees West.

KU-BAND: SBS-6, Transponder/Channel 11; Horizontal Polarization; Downlink Frequency 11963H; 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 System (PBS) 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.

PARENTS AND SCHOOLS NEED TO REACH OUT TO EACH OTHER, TOWN MEETING AUDIENCE LEARNS

Exploring how schools can make parents feel like valued partners and how parents can participate more in children's learning, the November Satellite Town Meeting focused on increasing family involvement in education. For the first time, the program was simultaneously broadcast in Spanish, and translators facilitated call-ins from the Spanish-language audience.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education Madeleine Kunin opened the program by reviewing tips that Education Secretary Richard Riley outlined to families for getting more involved with children's learning. The Secretary's advice included reading out loud together, limiting T.V. viewing to no more than two hours a night, and making sure homework is completed. Deputy Secretary Kunin discussed the tips with a studio audience of parents from the Washington, D.C. area, who shared how they find the time to participate in their children's education.

A second segment of the program made clear how effective family- school partnerships can be, focusing on the successful example of the Linda Vista Elementary School in San Diego, California. Former principal Dr. Adel Nadeau, who is now Principal-in-Residence at the Education Department, and community aide Carolina Lozano described how the school reaches out to each and every family, making home visits if necessary. Language barriers must also be overcome: 77% of students at Linda Vista come from families where Spanish, Laotian, Vietnamese, or Hmong is spoken. "We reach out to parents on their terms," said Dr. Nadeau.

A third segment of the Town Meeting examined how community organizations can support parents in becoming involved. In a live uplink from Olympia, Washington, representatives from the award- winning Together! program discussed how this umbrella organization helps parents to team with other members of their communities to fight youth violence and alcohol and drug abuse. Program coordinator Laurie Raben and parent leader Linda Clark described the practical planning and sense of community ownership that make Together's network of local coalitions successful.

In the Town Meeting's last segment, a panel of studio guests explored the topic of parent-community partnerships further. Sandra Zelno, past president of the Pennsylvania PTA, related how parents through the PTA made a difference in federal education policy by influencing the adoption of a National Education Goal on family involvement. Marta Samano, Los Angeles director of the South Central Leadership Program of MALDEF, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, told how MALDEF emphasizes to parents that education is empowerment. George Ricks, coordinator of the National Urban League's Project PRISM (Partners for Reform in Science and Math) summed up the evening with this advice to parents: "Find out what organizations are already working in your community; piggyback with these organizations. Don't say 'My way is the right way.' All of us have to work together."

To obtain a copy of STRONG FAMILIES, STRONG SCHOOLS, featured in the Town Meeting, write the GOALS 2000 Information Resource Center, U.S. Department of Education, Room 2421, 600 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C., 20202.

STUDENTS MODEL SCIENTISTS IN GLOBE PROGRAM

In his book EARTH IN THE BALANCE, Vice President Gore envisions a future where young people worldwide will take active roles in monitoring ecological problems, and the awareness they gain will lead them to be better managers of the environment. The Vice President's inspiration is the basis for the GLOBE Program (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) in which students will have the opportunity to collect data and collaborate with working scientists on environmental research.

Students will be assigned responsibilities in the broad areas of atmosphere/climate, hydrology/water chemistry, biology, and geology. At their school sites or nearby, they will take daily measurements such as air temperature, barometric pressure, wind speed, and solar radiation.

Classrooms will communicate with scientists via the Internet, transmitting records of measurements. Scientists will then compile the data from different regions and send back the results in the form of computer graphic images. In the process of both collecting data and analyzing the results, students will sharpen their math and science skills.

The GLOBE program is a joint venture between the Department of Education, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Science Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. By April 22, 1995 -- the 25th anniversary of Earth Day -- the program plans to have several hundred schools involved, including international participants.

Limited federal assistance will be available to schools that do not have equipment such as measurement tools or computers that would enable students to perform tasks. The grants will be distributed on the basis of need and commitment to the program. Training seminars for teachers are planned for early 1995.

For more information and GLOBE registration materials, schools should contact their district superintendent's office. Schools can also write directly to the GLOBE program at 744 Jackson Place, Washington, D.C., 20503, or call (202) 395-6500. The Internet address is INFO@GLOBE.GOV.

CONTEST JUDGES OUTSTANDING "COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS FOR EDUCATION"

The second annual "Community Solutions for Education" awards will recognize outstanding grass roots programs that utilize comprehensive community involvement to improve learning opportunities for young people. The competition is sponsored by the Coalition on Educational Initiatives whose partners include Apple Computer, Inc.; The Coca-Cola Company; Laidlaw Transit, Inc.; Optimist International; Procter & Gamble Company's Crest and Tide brands; Sallie Mae; and State Farm Insurance Companies.

Five national winners will be announced by the Coalition in USA TODAY, and at least 50 honorable mentions will also be selected. Information on both winners and honorable mentions will be published in a 1995 Resource Guide of model programs to be distributed to communities nationwide.

The contest is open to community groups or organizations that have come together to improve learning opportunities for newborns through 18-year-olds. Judges will look for programs that do the following:

• unite the community in support of education to meet an identified critical need;
• encourage the ongoing cooperation of educators, parents, businesses, civic and community groups, public officials and agencies, religious groups, the media, the general public, and young people;
• show tangible evidence of success by benefiting a substantial number of young people;
• demonstrate effective use of resources;
• serve as models to other communities; and
• represent truly grass roots initiatives.

The deadline for entry is January 30, 1995. Winners will be announced in April 1995.

To obtain an application, contact Community Solutions for Education, c/o Education and Family Initiatives, USA Today, 1000 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA., 22229. The phone number is (703) 558-5670.

GOALS 2000 STATE PLANNING PROCESS UPDATE

Along with the District of Columbia, Guam, the Marshall Islands, and Puerto Rico, 34 states have now received funding under the Goals 2000 Act: Alabama, 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, Texas, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia.

To date, applications for first-year funding are pending for the Alaska Federation, the Mariana Islands, Micronesia, Montana, New Jersey, Palua, Utah, the Virgin Islands, 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.

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