Goals 2000 recognizes that education is a state and local responsibility, making clear distinctions between state and local decision making and the federal supportive role. The design of Goals 2000 allows states to apply for federal grants to create innovative approaches to raise student achievement or build on efforts already in place.
The broad consensus among parents, employers, educators, and state and local leaders that inspired Goals 2000 focuses state and local school reform on challenging students with high academic standards developed by states and local communities. Academic standards describe what every student should know and be able to do by certain grade levels in content areas such as English, math, science, and geography.
Forty-eight states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico received funds in the first year of Goals 2000. The grants stipulated that states design state-wide education improvement strategies and that at least 60 percent of funds would be distributed to local school districts.
States have worked within the framework of raising academic standards to establish their own priorities in their education improvement plans. Texas is awarding Goals 2000 grants to schools that focus on improving reading in the early grades. Schools in Illinois and many other states have been using Goals 2000 funds to train teachers in the use of technology in the classroom and for a wide range of other technology-related purposes. Several states, including Massachusetts, Minnesota, Michigan, and Arizona have used Goals 2000 funds to support public charter schools as a key part of their overall reform efforts.
In Kentucky, Goals 2000 is helping to strengthen parental involvement in education by training teachers to recruit parents as volunteer instructional aides and by reaching out to parents through homework hotlines. Delaware, Nevada, and Vermont have incorporated Goals 2000 funds into their comprehensive plans to implement high academic standards, challenging curricula based on those standards, and new ways to measure student performance. Colorado developed a set of model content standards with input from 14,000 citizens that is serving as a guide to change in local districts, many of which are using Goals 2000 funds to improve schools.
Forty states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have received second-year Goals 2000 funds. Most of the other states are expected to apply for second-year funds before the June 30 deadline. The law requires that at least 90 percent of second-year Goals 2000 grants will go directly to local school districts and schools.
A recent amendment to Goals 2000 allows districts in states not participating in the program as of October 20, 1995 (Ala., Mont., N.H., Okla., Va.) to apply directly to the Education Secretary for Goals 2000 grants, as long as the state education agency approves. As this edition went to press, local districts in Montana and Oklahoma will be able to take advantage of this provision.
No new federal regulations were issued for Goals 2000. In fact, the Act provided the U.S. Secretary of Education with the authority to waive many federal rules and regulations if they interfered with local or state education reform strategies.
For more information on Goals 2000 or a complete copy of the biennial progress report, call 1-800-USA-LEARN.
Entitled "School Discipline Strategies: Learning in an Orderly Environment" the hour-long Town Meeting will air on Tuesday, June 18 at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The program will be closed- captioned and will be simulcast in Spanish.
U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley and Deputy Secretary Madeleine Kunin will welcome educators and local leaders from around the country who have developed effective strategies to manage classrooms and schools so that teaching and learning can flourish. Discussion topics will include what role parents have in reinforcing appropriate student behavior, what results schools are achieving with discipline strategies such as school uniforms and zero tolerance of undesirable behavior, and what roles businesses and community groups have in contributing to safe and orderly school environments.
The Department of Education produces the Satellite Town Meeting series in partnership with the National Alliance of Business and the Center for Workforce Preparation with support from the Bayer Foundation, The Procter and Gamble Fund, Microsoft, Inc., and SC Johnson Wax.
Satellite coordinates are as follows ....To participate in the Satellite Town Meeting, contact your local Public Broadcasting System (PBS) member station, 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.C-Band: Telstar 401, Orbital Location 97 degrees West; Transponder 7; Vertical Polarity; Channel 7; Downlink Frequency 3840 MHz; Audio Subcarriers 6.2 MHz (Spanish) and 6.8 MHz (English).
Ku-Band: SBS-6, Orbital Location 74 degrees West; Transponder 17; Horizontal Polarity; Channel 17; Downlink Frequency 12120 MHz; Audio Subcarriers 6.2 MHz (Spanish) and 6.8 MHz (English).
These resources, called ERIC Digests, are highly readable and include practical tips for the classroom and home. They can also serve as effective handouts for parent-teacher meetings and teacher professional development sessions. Another free resource available from the Clearinghouse is the newsletter, The ERIC Reader. Both the winter and spring 1996 issues were devoted to the issue of underachievement in reading, including strategies and materials for addressing the problem.
In addition to the free publications, the ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading, English, and Communication produces low-cost books, including Teach a Child to Read, Remedial Reading for Elementary School Children, and Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing. The Clearinghouse can also assist parents and teachers through a series of seminars and workshops offered through its Family Literacy Center at sites throughout the country. These include "Parents Sharing Books" seminars and workshops such as "Make Parents Your Partners in Literacy." Contact the Clearinghouse to learn more about these offerings.
To order Digests or to receive The ERIC Reader, call 1-800-759- 4723 or write to: ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading, English, and Communication, Indiana University, Smith Research Center, 2805 E. 10th Street, Suite 150, Bloomington, Ind., 47408-2698. You may also download selected Digests, The ERIC Reader, and bibliographies on popular literacy topics from the Clearinghouse's Web site at http://www.indiana.edu/~eric_rec. More specific literacy questions may be addressed to the AskERIC question and answer service at askeric@ericir.syr.edu.
The ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading, English, and Communication is one of 16 subject-area clearinghouses within the Educational Resources Information Center system, sponsored by the Education Department's National Library of Education.
In addition to the collaboration with READ*WRITE*NOW, the Girl Scouts adopted literacy as the theme for the second annual "Be Your Best Day" on March 12, which coincides with the Girl Scout's national birthday. Here are some of the activities for "Be Your Best Day" that Girl Scout councils reported to Community Update.
Kentucky -- Girl Scouts in the Kentuckiana Girl Scout Council, which encompasses 50 counties in Kentucky, 6 in Indiana, and 1 in Tennessee, focused their energy on supporting local libraries. The Girl Scouts in Area 9, which covers 4 sections of Louisville, researched the history of African American Girl Scouting in their own community from 1940 to 1996. They sifted through newspaper articles, photographs, and historical records, compiling a volume of archival quality. Upon completion of the project, members of Girl Scout troops 3067, 888, 546, and 832 presented the volume to the Western Branch Library in Louisville, a repository of African American literature and history in Kentucky.
Louisiana - Girl Scouts across southeast Louisiana focused on literacy and the right to read with a Girl Scouts' "Be Your Best" book drive. In the council-wide event, Girl Scouts collected new and used books and donated them to local social welfare agencies. Some troops read to younger children or each other, made bookmarks or posters about reading, visited libraries, or developed reading games. The council set a goal of collecting 10,000 books. As of April 1, over 7,500 books had been acquired.
New York -- The Girl Scout Council of Nassau County is committed to encouraging literacy for its membership. As part of this effort, "A Literary Tea" was organized. This special event, geared toward younger Daisy and Brownie Girl Scouts, consisted of hands-on reading activities, the chance to meet a published author, and a take-home bag of reading-related items. Approximately 137 girls with 101 adult escorts attended the event.
| The national Family Involvement Partnership for Learning has changed its name to the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education. |
Amburgey Carrish Construction Highland Elementary School (Fla.)
Annie Fisher School (Conn.) Hop Brook Elementary School (Conn.)
Arnold J. Tyler School (Ill.) Jefferson Elementary School (N.D.)
Bank of Boston Leicester Central School (Vt.)
BE&K, Inc. Lesley College
Becker School (Mich.) Lincoln School (Ill.)
Beechwoods Elementary School (Ohio) Literacy Investment for Tomorrow
Bentley College Lowell Elementary School (Minn.)
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michie Elementary School (Tenn.)
Mass., Inc. Monroe Avenue School (Ill.)
Boston Edison Company Mount Horeb School (N.J.)
Boston College Nutter Fort Intermediate
Cablevision of Boston Center (W. Va.)
Central Park Elementary School (Ill.) Orange Center Elementary
Chicago Public Schools' 21st Century School (Calif.)
Community Centers Program (Ill.) Pioneer Elementary School (Colo.)
Christian Ott Elementary School (Mo.) Pitcairn Elementary School (Pa.)
Clarence Randall Elementary Ridgeview, Inc.
School (Mich.) Robert W. Coleman Elementary
Colleton Middle Campus A (S.C.) School (Md.)
Community School #53 (N.Y.) Robert Fulton School (N.J.)
Cornelia F. Bradford P.S. #16 (N.J.) Robert Frost Elementary School (Utah)
Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce Settlement College Readiness Program
Dickman School (Ill.) (N.Y.)
Dresden Elementary School (Ga.) Socrum Elementary School (Fla.)
East Elementary School (Ohio) Tashua School (Conn.)
Ellen Feickert School (Calif.) Texas Instruments, Materials
Emerson College and Controls Group
The English High School (Mass.) Valerio Street Elementary (Calif.)
Everett School (Ill.) Warner Unified School (Calif.)
Fairplain Elementary School (W.Va.) West Solomon Valley Schools (Kan.)
Falling Spring Elementary School (Va.) Wilmer Elementary School (Texas)
Grove Hill Elementary School (Ala.) Worthington Elementary School (Md.)
Wright Elementary School (Fla.)
AMERICA GOES BACK TO SCHOOL: GET INVOLVED! is a nationwide effort that encourages Americans to participate actively in making education better in their communities. In its second year, AMERICA GOES BACK TO SCHOOL gives people the opportunity to make a year-round commitment to improving learning for students of all ages.
Every elementary, middle and high school nationwide will receive planning materials for AMERICA GOES BACK TO SCHOOL by July 1. Colleges are also invited to participate.
Parents, employers, religious organization members, and community leaders are encouraged to contact local schools to discover ways that they can contribute to improved learning. Schools are encouraged to reach out to parents and community members to invite their support.
Secretary Riley urges people from all walks of life to start planning now to GET INVOLVED! this fall and show support for America's schools and colleges. For more information about AMERICA GOES BACK TO SCHOOL: GET INVOLVED!, call 1- 800-USA-LEARN. Materials will also be available on the Education Department's home page after July 1.
U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley spoke of the importance of helping students practice reading during the summer, when a dropoff in skills typically occurs that can impede long-term academic progress. He encouraged support for the READ*WRITE*NOW program, sponsored by the Education Department, businesses and national organizations, as a way of strengthening students' skills.
"I would like to urge parents, grandparents, librarians, teachers, and all concerned citizens to volunteer to help with READ*WRITE*NOW so that we can reach one million children this summer," Riley said. Adults and older teens can participate in the program by reading together with children, tutoring them, and sharing in suggested learning activities. READ*WRITE*NOW provides incentives to reward children for their efforts, including a certificate for free food at Pizza Hut.
Panelists represented the groups who must work together to make students strong readers. Principal John Monfredo from Belmont Street Community School in Worcester, Mass., related how educators can make reading a central part of children's lives. At Belmont, which serves predominantly disadvantaged students, the innovative Books and Beyond program has helped the school achieve dramatic results in reading. Students, parents and teachers have been urged to take part in the "reading culture" the program has created, and an average of 50,000 books are read each year.
Monfredo also inspires children to read with his "principal's challenge" in which he promises to ride an elephant or sit in a dunk tank if students reach school-wide reading goals. "I decided that the best thing to do was to build a desire in children to read," Monfredo said. "We did everything possible to advertise the books. I visited homes. I spoke to parents about a need for reading. On the intercom each morning I would say to the children, 'Who can tell me the author of a certain book? We have a prize for you downstairs.'"
Panelist Steve Herb, head of the Education Library at Penn State University in University Park, Pa., shared how libraries can help instill a love of reading in children before they start school. "Perhaps the most important thing for a public library is teaching a fondness for books," he said. "A lot of children will learn to read and write very naturally if they just see the value in it. It's so easy to show the value by reading to children and telling stories. And those kids who may not learn to read so easily will know that it's worth the trouble."
The contribution that businesses can make to reading was exemplified by panelist Eunice Ellis, Director of the BOOK IT! National Reading Incentive Program for Pizza Hut. The BOOK IT! program motivates 22 million elementary school children to read through a unique combination of incentives, including praise, recognition, and pizza. The program is flexible to meet teachers' needs, allowing them to set reading goals for students. "Our goal is to develop lifelong readers," Ellis said.
Panelist Elaine Thomas illustrated the role of community groups in developing literacy. Thomas is the Area 9 Chair of the Kentuckiana Girl Scout Council, supervising troops within several sections of Louisville. The Girl Scouts in Area 9 created a unique project for their local library that had meaning for themselves and their community.
"We found out that the library did not have a history of Girl Scouting in our community for African-American girls," Thomas said. "We set about to create one. The girls, parents, and adult leaders worked to compile documents and photos to compile a reference book which will be given to the library. Other people will be able to check out and read the history of Girl Scouting in Area 9 of Louisville."
At the Town Meeting's close, Deputy Secretary Kunin reviewed how to help students be strong readers: read with children and tell stories; encourage children to read 30 minutes a day; get library cards for children; keep books and reading materials in the house; encourage children to learn new vocabulary; make reading fun with special activities and rewards; and involve families, schools, businesses, libraries, and the entire community in literacy efforts.
To enroll in READ*WRITE*NOW, call 1-800-USA-LEARN. You can also obtain a kit from the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education at http://pfie.ed.gov.
To sign up for Pizza Hut's BOOK IT! program, call 1-800-4-BOOK- IT. For more information on libraries and reading, contact the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association. Call 1-800-545-2433, extension 2163.
The budget agreement ends months of uncertainty to fund education programs for fiscal year 1996 (which ends September 30). Major programs such as Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Title I will be funded at or slightly above 1995 levels. Goals 2000, which was threatened with elimination by the House, will be funded at 94 percent of the 1995 level. As this edition went to press, Congress has already begun to consider the 1997 budget for education.
The chart below compares the funding levels for major education programs in the 1995 appropriation, the 1996 appropriation, and the President's request for the 1997 budget.
Investing in the Basics of Better Education: (in thousands of dollars)
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Major Education | FY '95 | FY'96 | President's Request
Programs | Appropriation | Appropriation | FY '97
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Raise Standards of | | |
Achievement: | 371,870 | 350,000 | 491,000
Goals 2000 | | |
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Reading and Math | 6,698,416 | 6,730,348 | 7,165,000
Help: Title I | | |
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Safe & Drug-Free | 465,981 | 465,981 | 540,000
Schools | | |
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Bring Computers | 22,500 | 48,000 | 325,000
into Classrooms | | |
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Special ED: | | |
Helping Children | 2,322,915 | 2,323,837 | 2,603,247
with Disabilities | | |
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Help Youth Move | | |
from School to | 122,500 | 180,000 | 200,000
Careers | | |
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Expand Public | | |
School Choice: | 6,000 | 18,000 | 40,000
Charter Schools | | |
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