Community Update

No. 53, January 1998
U.S. Department of Education

• Taking Algebra and Geometry Early Puts Students on Road to College and Good Careers
• January Town Meeting Will Focus on Serving the Needs of Students with Disabilities
• Quality Teaching Is the Cornerstone to School Improvements, Town Meeting Audience Learns
• Vice President Gore Highlights Importance of Teacher Preparation for Family Involvement in Education
• Announcements
• Calendar
• President Clinton's Millennium Initiative Encourages Americans to Honor the Past and Imagine the Future
• 1998 Education Budget Provides an Historic Investment in Educational Opportunity
• Religious Communities Can Play an Important Role in Improving Education

Taking Algebra and Geometry Early Puts Students on Road to College and Good Careers
January 7, 1998

Mathematics Equals Opportunity summarizes data showing that in the Information Age, demands for mathematical skills are continually increasing. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that some of the fastest growing job categories will require substantial mathematics preparation, including those for computer scientists, systems analysts, and medical assistants. A recent U.S. Department of Commerce report on the shortage of information technology workers also confirms that we will need more workers skilled in math as computer and data processing become more important in our economy. Even for high school graduates who do not attend college right out of high school, having strong math skills will make a significant difference in earnings.

Students who have the opportunity to master the foundations of algebra by the end of eighth-grade are ready to take geometry, chemistry, calculus and other courses in high school that prepare them for college and careers. Currently, only 25 percent of our students have completed algebra by the end of eighth-grade, but they have a clear advantage in preparation for advanced mathematics. Approximately 60 percent of students enrolled in calculus took algebra when they were in eighth-grade.

In most other industrialized nations, almost all students study algebra and some geometry by the eighth-grade. Recognizing the importance of basic and advanced mathematics skills to prepare students for a lifetime of success, President Clinton proposed a voluntary national test in mathematics at the eighth-grade. The test, which was approved by Congress, will be developed by the independent, bipartisan National Assessment Governing Board for interested school districts and states.

Mathematics Equals Opportunity found that mathematics achievement is linked to the courses students take, not whether students attend a public or private school. Only 63 percent of all students take algebra and geometry, and for low-income students, the percentage drops to 46 percent. Parent involvement was found to increase the likelihood that students will take challenging courses like algebra and geometry.

Included in Mathematics Equals Opportunity are action steps for parents, educators, and policy makers. Suggestions for parents include discussing with their child's math teacher how to support classroom learning, ensuring that children in grades K-7 are being prepared for the transition to algebra, and talking with children about how math is used in their own work or the careers of adults they know. Ideas for policy makers include giving all students the opportunity to take algebra I or a similar course covering the fundamentals of algebra by the end of eighth-grade, strengthening preparation and professional development for math teachers, and supporting parent involvement in math learning. The full report is available at http://www.ed.gov/pubs/math/ or by calling 1-800-USA-LEARN.

January Town Meeting Will Focus on Serving the Needs of Students with Disabilities

U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley will discuss how schools can work effectively with families of students with disabilities, as well as the best ways to ensure that students with disabilities are included in regular preschools and classrooms, school-to-work programs, and all activities of school life to prepare them for the working world. Entitled "Serving Students with Disabilities: What Families, Schools and Communities Need to Know," the hour-long Satellite Town Meeting will air on Tuesday, January 20, 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 U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 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 January Satellite Town Meeting will also be broadcast live on Kaleidoscope Television. The program will be closed-captioned and simulcast in Spanish.

The satellite coordinates are as follows:

C-Band: Galaxy 9, Orbital Location 123 degrees West; Transponder 1; Vertical Polarity; Channel 1; Downlink Frequency 3720 MHZ; Audio Subcarriers 6.2 MHZ (Spanish) and 6.8 MHZ (English).

Ku-Band: Satellite SBS-6, Orbital Location 74 degrees West; Transponder 11; Horizontal Polarity; Channel 11; Downlink Frequency 11970 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 additional information or to register your participation or visit http://www.ed.gov/inits/stm/.

Quality Teaching Is the Cornerstone to School Improvements, Town Meeting Audience Learns

The Satellite Town Meeting featured a discussion of the report issued by the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future, which describes the critical challenge of recruiting and preparing two million new teachers to replace an aging teaching force and accommodate growing student enrollments in the next ten years. The town meeting also focused on ways that schools and communities -- including those in rural and urban areas -- can attract, prepare and retain good teachers.

The program featured Carl Cohn, superintendent of the Long Beach Unified School District in California; Evelyn Dandy, program director of the Pathways to Teaching program at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Georgia; Virginia Ward, a teacher at James Island High School in Charleston, South Carolina; and Arturo Pacheco, dean at the University of Texas at El Paso. Panelists encouraged schools and communities to consider the following questions as they face the challenge of recruiting and preparing teachers:

• What are we doing to ensure that high-quality teachers are recruited into the profession?

• Are new teachers prepared with the knowledge and skills they need to teach all students to high standards and are they certified to teach in their subject areas?

• Does our state have rigorous standards for teacher licensing?

• What are we doing to support beginning teachers and encourage and reward good teaching?

• What are we doing about teachers who are performing poorly?

Published by the U.S. Department of Education, Excellence & Accountability in Teaching: A Guide to U.S. Department of Education Programs and Resources and other documents related to excellence in teaching are available by calling 1-800-USA-LEARN. Excellence & Accountability in Teaching: A Guide to U.S. Department of Education Programs and Resources is also available online at http://www.ed.gov/pubs/ExcellAcctTeach/.

PARTNERSHIP for
FAMILY INVOLVEMENT
in EDUCATION

Vice President Gore Highlights Importance of Teacher Preparation for Family Involvement in Education

Editor's Note: On November 5, Vice President Al Gore and U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley hosted the teleconference "Partners for Learning: Preparing Teachers to Involve Families," which addressed the importance of preparing teachers to involve families in their children's education. The teleconference was preceded by a ceremony to mark USA TODAY's sign-on to the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education. Following the broadcast, the Partnership's Apple PIE Awards were presented by Partner members Working Mother magazine, Teachers College of Columbia University, and the National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education (NCPIE). To order a free copy of the tape, "Partners for Learning: Preparing Teachers to Involve Families," call 1-800-USA-LEARN. The following are excerpts from Vice President Gore's remarks at the teleconference.

... The most promising approach to improving our schools may be the oldest and most obvious: getting families more involved in their children's education. I agree with Secretary Riley that the American family must be the rock on which a good education is built.

. . . Tipper and I hosted our sixth national conference on family policy this summer in Nashville on the topic of "Families and Learning." We learned that one-third of all students say their parents don't know how they're doing in school. We learned that 80 percent of families say teachers and parents need to do a better job of working together. We also announced several initiatives to promote better partnerships between families and schools -- including today's teleconference. . . .

Today we've heard from parents, employers, administrators, teachers, and those who TEACH teachers. We know that for families to be real partners in their children's education, a lot of people will have to make a major commitment to change. We also know that family involvement doesn't end with parent-teacher conferences or PTA meetings -- although those things are important. We need to do more.

That's why I want to issue challenges to everyone participating in this teleconference today: I challenge schools of education to make it a cornerstone of your curriculum and activities to prepare future teachers to involve families in their children's education. I challenge teachers to reach out to parents and families and make them welcome partners in your classrooms and schools. I challenge school principals and administrators to make it known to teachers and parents alike -- that your school places the highest possible priority on family involvement. I also challenge principals to invest in technology that can improve communication between teachers and parents -- from phones, to voice mail, to e-mail, to the latest Web-based technologies. I challenge employers to establish family-friendly policies that encourage employees to become involved in their children's schools. I challenge families to tell your children and their teachers that you want to be actively involved, show up at your children's activities, and talk with your children about their work and activities each evening. Finally, I challenge students to expect the best from themselves and reach out to your parents, teachers, family members, and friends for support. Your future depends on it, and so does ours.

Announcements

• The Center for Law and Education has released a new publication entitled Urgent Message: Families Crucial to School Reform, which emphasizes the need to include family involvement in school reform efforts. The cost for this publication is $14.95 plus $3.00 shipping and handling. Fax orders to (202) 986-6648, or write to the Center for Law and Education, 1875 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20009.

• The Center for Work and Family at Boston College has issued a work-family policy paper series that includes A Catalyst for Educational Change: Promoting the Involvement of Working Parents in Their Children's Education. This paper examines the role of family involvement as a critical business strategy with the potential for improving student academic achievement. The price per report is $50.00 plus shipping and handling. Copies can be ordered at the Web site at http://www.bc.edu/cwf, or by fax request at (617) 552-2859.

• Hemmings Motor News supports a Web site that describes how communities in Vermont have developed activities for a first day of school celebration devoted to family involvement in education. For more information, visit http://www.firstday.org.

• The Office of Vocational and Adult Education at the U.S. Department of Education is producing a video highlighting ten New American High Schools across the country that have initiated reforms to improve student academic performance and behavior. The video is expected to be completed in the spring of 1998. For more information, contact Peter Woolfolk at (202) 205-5451.

• The U.S. Department of Education has issued new materials on family involvement in education. These products are available free of charge by calling 1-800-USA-LEARN. Materials include:
  • New Skills for New Schools: Preparing Teachers in Family Involvement,which looks at effective examples of preservice and professional development for teachers in the area of family involvement in education. This study, developed by the Harvard Family Research Project, was released at the November teleconference, "Partners for Learning: Preparing Teachers to Involve Families," hosted by Vice President Al Gore and U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley.

  • Achieving the Goals: Goal 8 Parental Involvement and Participation provides resource information on the U.S. Department of Education's efforts to support family involvement in education.

  • 7 Good Practices for Families is a colorful poster with useful tips for strengthening family involvement in education at home and in the community.

President Clinton's Millennium Initiative Encourages Americans to Honor the Past and Imagine the Future

The year 2000 marks the 200th anniversary of presidents occupying the White House, the 200th anniversary of the first meeting of Congress in the Capitol, and the 200th anniversary of the creation of the Library of Congress. President Clinton announced that the National Endowment for the Humanities will develop "Millennium Minutes," public service announcements that are similar to the 1976 Bicentennial Minutes, which will highlight our country's cultural heritage. The National Endowment for the Arts currently supports 29 millennium projects for programs which will showcase our nation's artistic creativity and achievements of this century.

The millennium will be celebrated all over the world. The United Kingdom is using the millennium as a time to invest in new museums, parks and infrastructure; Germany will host a world's fair, Expo 2000; religious leaders are emphasizing the renewal of faith; and communities across the United States are already forming 2000 Committees to bring people together to plan for their future. Educators and community leaders are encouraged to draw upon the inspiration and leadership that is alive across the country, as Americans organize local activities to honor their past and explore ways to improve their schools and communities.

The U.S. Department of Education will encourage schools to take advantage of the opportunities for learning associated with such a unique time. The U.S. Department of Education's plans include reflecting on the history of education and the strides made in terms of access and excellence, and using the annual America Goes Back to School effort in August through October to reinvigorate Americans to get involved and support their schools.

1998 Education Budget Provides an Historic Investment in Educational Opportunity

• $16 million for voluntary national tests in fourth-grade reading and eighth-grade math. The National Assessment Governing Board will oversee the policies and development of the test.

• $210 million for the America Reads Challenge to ensure that all children learn to read well and independently by the end of the third-grade. This amount will be available on October 1, 1998, if the program is authorized.

• $425 million for the Technology Literacy Challenge Fund to help schools pay for computers and software connected to the Internet, and provide professional development in the integration of technology into the curriculum.

• $80 million for Charter Schools to accelerate progress toward the president's goal of developing 3,000 new charter schools.

• $7.3 billion for Pell Grants that increases the maximum Pell Grant to $3,000, and helps low income families send their children to college. In 1998, working or moderate income families may be eligible for tax cuts if they, or members of their families, attend college.

• $145 million for comprehensive school reform to provide competitive awards of $50,000 to help almost 3,000 schools implement successful school designs.

• $4.8 billion for Special Education Grants to help states and school districts improve the education of children with disabilities, as called for by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) amendments of 1997.

• $40 million for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program to help start-up and expand after-school programs in rural and urban schools across the country, and provide students with academic enrichment, tutoring and a safe haven during after-school hours.

• $354 million for Bilingual and Immigrant Education to help school districts teach English to more than a million limited English proficient children, and to increase support for school districts enrolling large numbers of recent immigrant students.

For more information about the Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill for fiscal year 1998, call 1-800-USA-LEARN, or visit http://www.ed.gov/offices/OUS/budnews.html.

Religious Communities Can Play an Important Role in Improving Education

One such example of a partnership among faith communities to improve education is operating in Jackson, Tennessee, a city of approximately 60,000 residents. Three years ago, several churches in Jackson began a tutoring program for children residing in nine public housing communities. The program has grown to encompass more than 20 churches that now tutor 350 children each week with 250 volunteers. One of the original organizers of the program, Jimmy England, outlined necessary first steps faith communities can take to implement similar programs:

• Identify the area in need;
• Establish lines of communication with the proper contacts;
• Evaluate the capability of the churches involved to determine what can be provided;
• Make a plan based on the points above and execute it; and
• Evaluate and adjust the program each year.

The Jackson community identified the need for a tutoring program by focusing on a particular population -- those residing in public housing. They determined that the need spanned across grade levels and existed in reading, math and study skills. To validate their assessment of need and to ensure the program was designed to meet those needs, the core group of church volunteers made important contacts with the housing authority, public housing residents, school principals, and church leaders.

Armed with this information, the Jackson community determined the capacity of the churches involved to meet those needs by assessing how many children each facility could accommodate and how many volunteers were needed to commit to the project throughout the school year. Church officials also addressed the need for transportation to and from each facility, as well as the quantity of school supplies needed for tutoring to ensure that the program would be successful.

Finally, it was time to put together a plan of action and carry it out. The plan included a schedule for the tutoring session so that students, parents, and volunteers would know what was expected during the time they shared together. Church organizers also addressed other important aspects of the program schedule, such as grouping students or providing one-on-one tutoring, organizing peer tutoring sessions, or pairing older children with younger children. Recruiting and organizing tutors and volunteers was also crucial to the success of the program.

To pledge volunteers from your religious community to help America read, contact Michelle Doyle at (202) 401-1365. For more information about the America Reads Challenge, call 1-800-USA-LEARN or visit http://www.ed.gov/inits/americareads/.

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