Community Update

No. 49, July/August 1997
U.S. Department of Education

• Help Lead the America Goes Back to School Effort
• Parents Are Their Children's First Teachers, June Town Meeting Audience Learns
• 1997-98 Satellite Town Meeting Series Will Focus on Improving American Education
• The Big Help-a-thon
• Announcements
• Partnership Co-sponsors National Family Involvement Survey
• Calendar
• U.S. Mayors Support President Clinton's Call to Action for American Education
• Education Excellence Partnership Launches Advertising Campaign to Support High Academic Standards
• Americans Beat International Averages in Science and Math

Help Lead the America Goes Back to School Effort

"The America Goes Back to School initiative is one of our important annual efforts to highlight the great need for family, business and community involvement in education," Secretary Riley said.

This year's back-to-school initiative challenges families, educators, business and community leaders and all caring Americans to share their talents and make a commitment to year-round involvement in children's learning. Secretary Riley will be joined in this effort by parents, educators and members of the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education.

The America Goes Back to School initiative challenges all Americans to get involved in concrete ways such as:

• Spending time reading to and with a child so he or she can read well by the end of third- grade.

• Educating students to prevent substance abuse and expanding after-school programs for elementary and middle-school students.

• Recruiting and organizing tutors for help after-school, weekends and during the summer.

• Coaching a child in math so he or she is motivated and prepared to take algebra by the eighth-grade.

• Sponsoring a career day and offering work-study, school-to-work, and internship opportunities for middle and high school students.

• Planning a series of events that connect middle and high school students and their parents with colleges, and learning about options for paying for college.

• Volunteering time to assist teachers and supporting good teaching.

• Helping to bring technology into classrooms and preparing teachers and students to use this technology well.

• Learning more about how your school, school district and state can sign-up to take the 1999 national tests in fourth-grade reading and eighth-grade math to make sure students are mastering the basics.

Last year, thousands of families, schools, employers and community groups participated in the back-to-school initiative across the nation. In Macomb, Michigan, fifth-grade teacher Frank Miracola and his principal, Kathy Markel, organized a back-to-school barbeque for teachers, parents, and other community members to set a positive tone for the new school year. And in Bennington, Vermont, Hemmings Motor News allowed all of its employees to take two paid "Education Participation Days" to volunteer with an academic program of any local school.

For a free copy of the America Goes Back to School kit or for more information regarding the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education, call 1-800-USA-LEARN, or visit the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education Web site at http://pfie.ed.gov/.

Parents Are Their Children's First Teachers, June Town Meeting Audience Learns

The program focused on early childhood development, its link to later reading skills and the importance of parental and community involvement in young children's education. The program also highlighted the latest research on brain development and stressed the important role of the parent as a child's first and most important teacher.

"We know now--more than ever--that the first few years of life are absolutely critical to a child's development," Secretary Riley said.

The program featured Joanna Bogin, co-director of the Sunrise Children's Center; Marisa Chapa, a research assistant from AVANCE; Cheryl Clark, a teacher at Bowling Park Elementary School; Chris Kjeldsen, vice president of community and workplace programs for Johnson & Johnson; and Dr. Wayne Yankus, a pediatrician and president of the New Jersey chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The program also showcased the Ready*Set*Read tool kit, which is designed for parents and care givers of children from birth through age five.

Panelists encouraged parents and families to:

• Read with their children, starting at the earliest years.

• Take advantage of the many learning opportunities in their community, and visit libraries, museums and zoos.

• Check out parent education classes in their local school, church or community groups.

• Make sure children visit a pediatrician regularly.

Schools, early child care providers, employers, educators and communities were encouraged to:

• Provide opportunities for parent education and reach out to parents of young children.

• Support quality child care programs and preschools.

• Make health and nutrition services accessible to families who need them.

For more information on the Ready*Set*Read tool kit, call 1-800-USA-LEARN. The tool kit is also available online at http://www.ed.gov/inits/americareads/RSRkit.html.

1997-98 Satellite Town Meeting Series Will Focus on Improving American Education

Here's a brief look at the 1997-98 Satellite Town Meeting series:

• "Back to School: Families and Communities Together for Learning" September 16, 1997, 8:00-9:00 p.m. Eastern time.

• "Preparing Classrooms for the Future: Ensuring Access to the Internet" October 21, 1997, 8:00-9:00 p.m. Eastern time.

• "Supporting Quality Teachers: A Talented Teacher in Every Classroom" November 18, 1997, 8:00-9:00 p.m. Eastern time.

• "Serving Students with Disabilities: What Families, Schools and Communities Need to Know" January 20, 1998, 8:00-9:00 p.m. Eastern time.

• "Raising Student Achievement: Schools, Communities and Challenging Standards" February 17, 1998, 8:00-9:00 p.m. Eastern time.

• "Think College Early: Preparing Academically and Financially" March 17, 1998, 8:00-9:00 p.m. Eastern time.

• "Making Math Count: World-Class Achievement Starting with Algebra" April 21, 1998, 8:00-9:00 p.m. Eastern time.

• "Reading Partners: Teaming Up to Help Children Read Well" May 19, 1998, 8:00- 9:00 p.m. Eastern time.

• "Creating a Safe, Disciplined and Drug-Free School: Turning Research into Practice" June 16, 1998, 8:00-9:00 p.m. Eastern time.

The U.S. Department of Education produces the Satellite Town Meeting in partnership with the National Alliance of Business and the Center for Workforce Preparation. Related material is available from the U.S. Department of Education, including a "Just Add Water" kit to help you to use the national broadcast of the Satellite Town Meeting to create a local event in your community. Call 1-800-USA-LEARN for further information or to register your participation.

PARTNERSHIP for
FAMILY INVOLVEMENT
in EDUCATION

The Big Help-a-thon

The focus of the U.S. Department of Education's involvement is the America Reads Challenge: Read*Write*Now! effort. Programming on the day of the Big Help-a-thon and special "Big Helpers in Action" spots throughout the summer and fall will demonstrate how children can use their reading abilities to help others by reading to younger children and to seniors and others who are home bound.

The U.S. Department of Education's activities at the Big Help-a-thon have featured designing book marks to be given out by the Los Angeles Public Library, story time sponsored by Rolling Readers of San Diego, and book donations in cooperation with the National PTA. This year, all children attending the Big Help-a-thon, as well as the vast listening audience, are encouraged to read 30 minutes a day, be a reading partner, learn a new vocabulary word each day, and obtain and use a library card.

In an effort to reach teachers and students across the country, Nickelodeon is distributing Big Help-a-thon classroom kits to middle school classrooms which focus on building volunteerism. Last year, 8.5 million "Big Helpers" called to pledge over 92 million hours of help. To be a part of the Big Help-a-thon, you may call (212) 258-7080, or write to The Big Help, P.O. Box 929, New York, New York 10108.

Announcements

• The Parents' Guide to the Information Superhighway has been prepared by The Children's Partnership, with the National PTA and National Urban League. The publication is available online at no charge at http://www.childrenspartnership.org. Printed copies are $8.00 and can be purchased through The Children's Partnership at 1460 4th Street, Suite 306, Santa Monica, California 90401.

• The 1997 National Association of Partners in Education (NAPE) Symposium entitled "Children at the Center: Connecting Partnerships to Student Success," will take place November 18-22, 1997, at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Virginia.

• Parents Without Partners (PWP), a grassroots, educational organization comprising more than 50,000 single parents and their children, is celebrating its fortieth anniversary this year. Parents Without Partners is active in the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education and is represented in all 50 states, as well as in Canada and Australia.

Partnership Co-sponsors National Family Involvement Survey

• Most parents think school administrators and teachers see them as important partners in helping their children to learn. However, fewer than half of all parents had been formally asked by school officials to become more involved in their children's education.

• Some schools seek to engage parents as partners in their children's learning by signing learning agreements.

• New technologies are not widespread as tools schools use to communicate with parents.

• Parents expressed a strong desire for after-school programs and wanted information on how to prepare their children for college.

U.S. Mayors Support President Clinton's Call to Action for American Education

Mayor Thomas M. Menino of Boston proposed the resolution along with mayors Richard M. Daley of Chicago, Illinois; Sharon Sayles Belton of Minneapolis, Minnesota; Arlene J. Mulder of Arlington Heights, Illinois; and Wellington E. Webb of Denver, Colorado.

President Clinton's Call to Action for American Education in the 21st Century comprises ten goals:

• Set rigorous national standards, with national tests in fourth-grade reading and eighth- grade math to make sure our children master the basics;

• Make sure there is a talented and dedicated teacher in every classroom;

• Help every student read independently and well by the end of third grade;

• Expand Head Start and challenge parents to get involved early on in their children's learning;

• Expand choice and accountability in public education;

• Make sure our schools are safe, disciplined and drug free, and instill basic American values;

• Modernize school buildings and help support school construction;

• Open the doors of college to all who work hard and make the grade, and make the 13th and 14th years of education as universal as high school;

• Help adults improve their education and skills by transforming the tangle of federal training programs into a simple skill grant; and

• Connect every classroom and library to the Internet by the year 2000 and help all students become technologically literate.

Additional information pertaining to the president's Call to Action is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.ed.gov/updates/PresEDPlan/. Focusing on the Call to Action is an excellent way to help the America Goes Back to School effort during August through October. Call 1-800-USA-LEARN to obtain a tool kit for the America Goes Back to School effort and the president's Call to Action.

Education Excellence Partnership Launches Advertising Campaign to Support High Academic Standards

"Excellence in baseball requires teamwork, hard work and setting high standards of excellence. So does excellence in education," President Clinton said. "The Education Excellence Partnership, including all-star athletes, businesses, governors and teachers, are pitching in to help our young children aim high."

The new public service ads will feature three Major League Baseball players--Tony Gwynn of the San Diego Padres, Brett Butler of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tom Glavine of the Atlanta Braves. The ads urge mothers and fathers to "be a big league parent" by becoming more involved in their child's school, and offer a free booklet entitled Strengthening Your Child's Academic Futurewith tips on raising academic standards. The ads were created by the Leo Burnett Company and will be distributed nationally before the school year by the Advertising Council, the nation's largest producer of public service advertising.

"The kind of partnerships we see on display here today--between business, policy leaders and teachers--are a winning combination and the best possible way to pursue and achieve challenging standards in schools," U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley said. "This advertising effort will result in champions in the classroom."

The Education Excellence Partnership is a joint endeavor of The Business Roundtable, U.S. Department of Education, American Federation of Teachers, National Alliance of Business, National Education Association, National Governors' Association, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. To obtain a copy of Strengthening Your Child's Academic Future, call 1-800-38-BE SMART.

Americans Beat International Averages in Science and Math

"The latest TIMSS results show that America's kids can compete with students anywhere in the world," U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley said.

TIMSS is the most thorough international study of math and science education ever conducted, comparing the performance of a half million students, including 33,000 Americans, at levels corresponding to U.S. grades 4, 8, and 12. The fourth-grade findings were in contrast to the TIMSS results released last November showing that our nation's eighth-graders scored above average in science but below the international average in mathematics.

"The results today give us a road map to higher performance," President Clinton said in his announcement of the fourth-grade TIMSS findings. "We're doing a very good job in the early grades, but we've got a lot more work to do in the later ones."

TIMSS data suggests that grades 4 through 8 are years that warrant special attention for U.S. students so that by the eighth-grade, all children can master challenging mathematics, including the foundations of algebra and geometry. Students need to reach this level by the eighth-grade so they will be ready for the more advanced courses in high school that will prepare them for college, productive employment, and lifelong learning.

A number of successful programs across the country help students strengthen mathematics skills between grades 4 and 8. For example, the Jasper Woodbury Series, developed by Vanderbilt University and the National Science Foundation, focuses on grades 5 through 9. The series is designed to align with the standards of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and is being used in schools across the country. For more information, contact Tom Noser at (615) 322-8070, or consult the Web site http://peabody.vanderbilt.edu/ltc/general/ltcproj.html.

Another successful program, Project SEED, focuses on grades 4 through 6, engaging students actively in problem solving. Involving students at all ability levels, including students with limited English skills, the program has been implemented in four districts in California--Alameda, Berkeley, Oakland, and West Contra Costa--as well as in Indianapolis, Indiana; Dallas, Texas; Detroit, Michigan; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Camden, New Jersey. For more information on Project SEED, call (510) 644-3422.

The U.S. Department of Education's Eisenhower National Clearinghouse has an extensive catalogue of materials to support math achievement. For more information, call 1-800-621-5785 or access the Web site at http://www.enc.org.

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