Community Update

No. 52, November/December 1997
U.S. Department of Education

• What Really Matters in American Education
• November Town Meeting Will Focus on Supporting Quality Teachers
• The E-rate Can Help Prepare Our Classrooms for the Future, Town Meeting Audience Learns
• New Report Links Fathers' Involvement with Children's Academic Success
• Announcements
• Calendar
• White House Conference Highlights Importance of Safe, Affordable and Quality Child Care
• Celebrate the Century Encourages Students to Put Their Stamp on History
• Smithsonian Offers Print and Video Study Tools for Classrooms and After-School Programs

What Really Matters in American Education

Editor's Note: On September 23, 1997, U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley addressed the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Below are excerpts from the speech, What Really Matters in American Education. The entire speech and related documents are available on the World Wide Web at http://www.ed.gov/Speeches/09-1997/970923.html.

In the last few weeks, I have visited with parents, teachers, students and community leaders in more than a dozen states from Alaska to Florida including Wyoming, Colorado, and Ohio....One of the strongest impressions I have is that we have some very crowded schools. Right now we have 52.2 million young people in our schools, a new national record....A second impression is that a new American consensus has now developed about how to improve education....There is a growing emphasis, for example, on early childhood and the importance of pre-k and kindergarten for all children.

The American people recognize that progress is only going to happen if we make sure that every child has mastered the basics....This is why 79 percent of all Americans support voluntary national tests according to the latest Wall Street Journal poll, and why the American people have made education the number one issue that should concern even the federal government.

I believe that the two national voluntary tests in reading and math, coupled with our strong investment in education improvements, can help drive American education forward.... These include a stronger focus on safe, disciplined and drug-free schools; a greater investment in technology; and a growing recognition--even among young people--that taking the tough core courses pays off.

Public education is beginning to improve. This is why we need to stay focused on what really matters and not get sidetracked by divisive issues like vouchers, which take money away from public schools at a time of record enrollments and needed changes....Almost 90 percent of all of our young people go to public schools and the great majority of our public schools are successful. Vouchers are bad for both public and private schools.

If we focus in on what we agree on and what really matters rather than on what divides us--we can make the next ten years the "golden era" of American education....We know how to fix our schools. Now is the time to roll up our sleeves and get it done.

November Town Meeting Will Focus on Supporting Quality Teachers

U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley and his guests will discuss how we can improve teacher recruitment and ensure qualified teachers in every classroom, as well as the kinds of preparation and professional development that teachers need to enable them to help students succeed in school. The program will also highlight the various ways we can encourage and reward knowledgeable and skilled teachers, as well as the role that parents, communities and businesses play in supporting high standards for both students and teachers. Entitled "Supporting Quality Teachers: A Talented Teacher in Every Classroom," the hour-long Satellite Town Meeting will air on Tuesday, November 18, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time.

The U.S. 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 & Gamble Fund, and The SC Johnson Wax Fund. Broadcast and cable partners include Discovery Communications, the Public Broadcasting Service, and Channel One. The program will be closed-captioned and simulcast in Spanish.

The satellite coordinates are as follows:

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

Ku-Band: Satellite SBS-6, Orbital Location 74 degrees West; Transponder 4; Vertical Polarity; Channel 4; Downlink Frequency 11798.5 MHZ; Audio Subcarriers 6.2 MHZ (Spanish) and 6.8 MHZ (English).

To participate in the Satellite Town Meeting, ask your local Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member station or Chamber of Commerce if your group can use the facility as a downlink site, or call your local public, education, or government access channel. Call 1-800-USA-LEARN for further information or to register your participation or visit http://www.ed.gov/inits/stm/.

The E-rate Can Help Prepare Our Classrooms for the Future, Town Meeting Audience Learns

The Satellite Town Meeting explored the Federal Communications Commission's May 1997 decision to implement universal service or the "E-rate," which makes available, as of January 1, 1998, up to $2.25 billion dollars in discounts in telecommunications services to schools and libraries across the country. The program also highlighted ways that schools and libraries can develop long-term technology plans and use the discounts of the E-rate to improve technology and learning.

The program featured Julia L. Johnson, chair of the Florida Public Service Commission and the Federal/State Joint Board on Universal Service; Robin Freeman, principal of Blackstock Junior High School in Oxnard, California; Steve Fultz, a parent and a member of the Anderson School Community Corporation in Anderson, Indiana; Stephen Kohn, director of education initiatives at Bell Atlantic in New York City; and Kathleen "K.G." Ouye, a city librarian at San Mateo Public Library in San Mateo, California.

Panelists encouraged schools and libraries to:

• Develop long-term technology plans and prepare to apply for the E-rate.

• Provide teachers and librarians with the training they need to use the technology.

• Involve parents, businesses, and the entire community in expanding and sharing technology resources.

The U.S. Department of Education's publications Getting American Students Ready for the 21st Century and A Status Report and Update on the E-rate: Providing Schools and Libraries with Affordable Access to the Information Superhighway are available by calling 1-800-USA-LEARN. Additional information about the E-rate is available by calling (888) CALL-FCC or by visiting the U.S. Department of Education's Web site at http://www.ed.gov/Technology/.

PARTNERSHIP for
FAMILY INVOLVEMENT
in EDUCATION

New Report Links Fathers' Involvement with Children's Academic Success

"This study provides hard evidence about the powerful and positive influence that parents can have as full and equal partners when they make the commitment to help their children get a good education," Vice President Gore said.

The report describes the extent to which fathers and mothers are involved in their children's learning. A key finding of the report was that fathers and mothers are more likely to be involved in their children's education when schools welcome family involvement. Parental involvement was also higher when the school provided a safe, disciplined learning environment and when teachers and students respected each other. While having one parent actively involved in a child's education is important, the report also found that having both parents involved strengthened a child's chances for academic success. Data for the report was collected from a nationally representative sample of almost 17,000 parents and/or guardians of different racial-ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds with students in kindergarten through twelfth grade.

Key findings of the report show that:

• Children are more likely to get mostly A's, and less likely to repeat a grade, if their fathers are involved in their schools.

• Children do better in school when their fathers are involved, regardless of whether their fathers live with them and whether their mothers are also involved.

• Many fathers in two-parent families, as well as fathers not living with their children, have low involvement.

• Single fathers are far more likely to be involved in their children's schools than fathers in two-parent families.

• The relationships between fathers' involvement and children's success in school are important, regardless of income, race-ethnicity, or the parent's education.

The importance of fathers' involvement in their children's schools was illustrated through the experiences of two fathers -- a psychology professor and a taxi driver -- and their children who participated in the program. While the children acknowledged professional differences between their respective fathers, they also made clear that their success in school was due, in large part, to their fathers', as well as their mothers' active involvement and concern for their education.

To obtain free copies of Fathers' Involvement in Their Children's Schools, call the National Library of Education at 1-800-424-1616 or visit http://nces.ed.gov/pubs98/fathers/index.html.

Announcements

• We welcome the many new members of the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education, including Cable in the Classroom. Through the Cable in the Classroom Comes Home initiative, parents are encouraged to help schools build educational video libraries in an effort to increase awareness about free, educational programming available to schools through local cable companies.

• The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) has joined the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education. As a venerable and extensive professional and cultural organization, SHPE's Advancing Careers in Engineering (ACE) program exposes K-12 students to career opportunities in math, engineering and science through tutoring and mentoring by its professional members.

• A new report developed by the Harvard Family Research Project emphasizes the critical role of teacher preparation for the success of family involvement in education. The study, New Skills for New Schools: Preparing Teachers in Family Involvement, was released in connection with the November 5 teleconference hosted by Vice President Al Gore and U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley. Key findings in this study point to a lag in teacher preparation in family involvement that is far behind school efforts to promote family involvement. The report also identifies examples of effective practices that address the discrepancy between educators' professional development and the critical skills teachers need in the area of family involvement in education. To request a free copy of this publication while supplies last, call 1-800-USA-LEARN.

• The business and education conference "Technology in Education Is Everybody's Business," will be held on May 7-8, 1998, in New York City. The conference, cosponsored by Employers for Learning of the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education and The Conference Board, will focus on ways that technology efforts can promote student learning and achievement, empower teachers and families to help students learn, use emerging business applications to teach new knowledge and skills, link schools to the world of work, and expand learning and schooling throughout the community. For registration information, call The Conference Board at (212) 339-0345, visit http://www.conference-board.org, or write to: The Conference Board, P.O. Box 4026, Church Street Station, New York, New York 10261-4026.

White House Conference Highlights Importance of Safe, Affordable and Quality Child Care

During those times when children can't be with their parents, they must get care that keeps them safe and help them learn and grow," President Clinton said. "Too often, child care is unaffordable, inaccessible and, sometimes, even unsafe." President Clinton announced a five-year, $300 million scholarship program to help child care providers get additional training, and proposed legislation to improve background checks. The president also emphasized the importance of using community service to strengthen and expand after-school programs. Conference panelist U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley also challenged Americans to form school-community partnerships to expand the availability of quality after-school and summer programs that extend learning opportunities for students.

Conference speakers included: U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala; U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Robert Rubin; Governor James Hunt of North Carolina; Ellen Galinsky, president and co-founder of the Families and Work Institute; Major General John G. Meyer, Jr. of the U.S. Army; Jane Maroney, state legislator of the state of Delaware; Dr. Susan Aronson, a national board member of the American Academy of Pediatrics; John J. Sweeney, president of the AFL-CIO; and Doug Price, president of FirstBank of Colorado.

Celebrate the Century Encourages Students to Put Their Stamp on History

In partnership with the U.S. Department of Education and over a dozen education associations, the U.S. Postal Service has developed a cross-curricular two-year program primarily for grades 3-6. Teachers will receive free materials that integrate history with subjects such as art, geography, language, arts, math, science and computer technology, as well as starter kits and materials for each decade beginning with the 1950s and concluding with an overview of the 1900s through the 1940s.

Subjects for these stamps will be determined two ways: First, by the Postal Service, which has selected stamp subjects for the years 1900-1949. Second, the American public will be invited to vote on subjects for Celebrate the Century stamps for the 1950s-1990s decades by selecting stamp subjects from five categories: people and events, arts and entertainment, lifestyle, sports, and science and technology.

Ballots for each decade will be available at all post offices, at special promotional events, in selected publications, and in schools. Students will learn about the subject matter from the classroom materials provided by the U.S. Postal Service, allowing them to make informed voting decisions. The U.S. Postal Service will issue a sheet of 15 commemorative stamps for each decade of the 20th century.

While Celebrate the Century will honor the nation's past with these commemorative stamps, the U.S. Postal Service will also encourage students to illustrate their vision of the future by participating in an international student stamp design contest. In the United States, the contest will run from September 9 through October 31, 1998. Two finalists will be selected from each state and U.S. territories. Four winning stamp designs will be announced in the first quarter of 1999 and unveiled in the third quarter. The stamps will be issued in 2000. Teachers interested in receiving free Celebrate the Century materials may write to Celebrate the Century, U.S. Postal Service, P.O. Box 44342, Washington, D.C. 20078-0026.

Smithsonian Offers Print and Video Study Tools for Classrooms and After-School Programs

Land and Landscape: Views of America's History and Culture examines the history of American landscape painting and photography from the early 19th century to the present. Its goal is to develop a heightened awareness of the significance of America's wilderness, geologic wonders, agricultural abundance, and ecological diversity in shaping the nation's social, cultural, and political history. Topics in the video include the wilderness, transportation, land management and agriculture, and the industrial landscape. The study guide provides background information on historical stages of interaction with the land, from exploration of uncharted territories to historical and modern debates on land ownership and management issues.

African-American Artists: Affirmation Today investigates the historical influence and continuing significance of African-American art and culture and the ways in which five contemporary artists have tapped the spiritual and social underpinnings of black American life. The video features artists Lois Mailou Jones, Fred Brown, Keith Morrison, Sam Gilliam, and Leroy Almon. A 208-page reference book, in addition to the study guide, highlight 31 artists and their work.

Public Sculpture: America's Legacy encourages awareness of local, regional, and national history. The materials facilitate discussion about how commemorative sculptures such as the Iwo Jima Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial reflect the nation's values and changing attitudes. The video focuses on national monuments expressing heroic ideals or commemorating great leaders, followed by visits to public sculpture sites in communities across the country. The study guide provides background information from the Civil War to the present.

Latino Art & Culture in the United States traces artistic and cultural contributions to history and contemporary life in this country by people of Latin American heritage. From craft traditions in the Southwest to contemporary Cuban-American and Puerto Rican art, the collections of the National Museum of American Art provide the basis for instructional materials focusing on selected aspects of the Latino experiences in the United States. The Smithsonian study kits may be purchased through Crystal Productions by calling 1-800-255-8629.

-###-

[Table of Contents] [ED HomePage]