Community Update

No. 59, July/August 1998
U.S. Department of Education

Make a Difference: Support America's Students as They Go Back to School
July 1, 1998

"This is an extraordinary time for our nation's schools, and I ask all Americans to pitch in," Secretary Riley said. "Better education is everybody's business."

This year's back-to-school initiative challenges Americans to make a commitment to year-round involvement in children's learning in concrete ways such as:

• leading efforts to modernize schools and reduce class size;
• teaching children how to avoid violence, drugs, alcohol and tobacco;
• helping teachers and students obtain and use technology;
• spending time mentoring a child in mathematics;
• starting or expanding an after-school or summer reading program; and
• helping children prepare for college early.

Last year, in Tampa Bay, Florida, religious leaders and educators met for a day-long conference to discuss issues such as reading, school discipline and family involvement in education. A follow-up summit is planned for September 1998, and will focus on mentoring and developing safe havens for children. The YMCA of Greater New York, in partnership with the New York City Board of Education, expanded their efforts to extend school services to thousands of public school children each day. This year, they have turned 200 of the city's public schools into "Virtual Ys" after school to improve academic performance, especially in reading.

For a free copy of an activity kit to help you plan an America Goes Back to School event, or for more information regarding the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education, call 1-800-USA-LEARN or visit the U.S. Department of Education's Web site at http://www.ed.gov/Family/agbts/.

Schools and Communities Must Work Together to Design Schools for the Future, Town Meeting Audience Learns

The program focused on how schools and communities can successfully work together to design and build schools for the next century, and highlighted the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school district. The discussion included how future learning environments should be designed, how construction and renovation can be financed, and the importance of school-community partnerships in the design process.

The program featured Ann Clark, principal of the new Zebulon B. Vance High School in Charlotte, North Carolina; Eric Smith, superintendent of schools for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System; David Belton, vice president of education for the Charlotte, North Carolina Chamber of Commerce; and Katherine Russ, principal architect with Boney Architects. Panelists offered the following advice to schools and communities as they consider the task of designing and building schools for the future:

• Consider how a school design can enhance teaching and learning.
• Remember that all schools are unique, as well as the communities they serve. Designs should meet those unique needs.
• Consider designing schools to meet multiple school and community needs, including facilities for after-school and adult learning opportunities.
• Incorporate technology and telecommunications into school design.
• Design school facilities to enhance safety and discipline, and consider ways to make the environment more personalized and welcoming.
• Involve the entire community in the design and renovation process as early as possible.

For more information about the U.S. Department of Education's Satellite Town Meeting series, call 1-800-USA-LEARN.

Planning Under Way to Celebrate Education in the New Millennium "Honor the past ~ Imagine the future"

Four major themes focusing on access to education for all Americans have been identified for reflection within communities nationwide. They include discovering the First Public Schools in individual communities and researching their impact on community development; the Land Grant College Act of 1862 which established many of our Nation's premiere colleges and universities; the GI Bill, which paved the way for many more Americans to benefit from higher education through financial aid; and Brown v. the Board of Education, a decision which equalized educational opportunities for American citizens. By providing informational and resource materials that emphasize education milestones and that guide citizens in understanding and appreciating America's rich education history, the U.S. Department of Education hopes to inspire thoughtful community discussions concerning the future of education.

The America Goes Back to School initiative challenges families, educators, business and community leaders to focus attention on improving education across the nation, especially during the back-to-school period of August through October. The initiative challenges all Americans to help prepare their local schools for the 21st century by helping to bring technology to the classroom, recruiting and organizing tutors for help after-school, weekends and during the summer, and helping children prepare academically and financially for college early.

Information about additional Millennium projects of the U.S. Department of Education will be available in the Fall of 1998. . For more information about the America Goes Back to School initiative, call 1-800-USA-LEARN.

Telephone Pioneers Join Partnership for Family Involvement in Education

At the Margaret Amidon Elementary School, the Telephone Pioneers distributed copies of the book I Like Me! to the kindergartners. The I Like Me! books are personalized with each child's name, as well as the names of their teacher, principal and school. This book not only helps children enjoy reading more, but also focuses on the development of a healthy self-concept which is critical for future learning. The Telephone Pioneers distribute these books in cooperation with Kindergartners Count, a nonprofit that works to boost family involvement in education, and have a goal of bringing 250,000 I Like Me! books to kindergartners across the country during the 1998-99 school year.

While the Telephone Pioneers formally joined the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education last month, they have worked closely with the U.S. Department of Education for some time. Prior to the launch of the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education, the Telephone Pioneers had a signed Memorandum of Cooperation with U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley to formalize their commitment to education. As part of their agreement, the Telephone Pioneers reprinted the U.S. Department of Education's Read*Write*Now! kits to help children improve reading scores. Telephone Pioneers also developed the Talking Book Repairs Program in which volunteers work with the Library of Congress to deliver books and other reading materials with the spoken word to the blind.

To find out more about the Telephone Pioneers and their programs, please call their Product Resource Center at 1-800-976-1914 .

America Goes Back to School Planning Tip: As the date of your event approaches, make sure all the volunteers and arrangements for the event are ready to go! Start actively working your media contacts to build public support for your event. Reconfirm the schedules of any local celebrities that you've enlisted to participate. Call 1-877-4ED-PUBS to obtain a free copy of the America Goes Back to School Activity Kit. Use the checklist in the Activity Kit to make sure you haven't forgotten anything. Good Luck!

Announcements

• The latest issue (Vol 1.2) of Partners in Learning, a newsletter of the Indiana Center for Family, School and Community Partnerships, in collaboration with Family Connections, Inc., focuses on fathers' involvement in children's learning. To request a copy of the newsletter while supplies last, contact the Indiana Center for Family, School and Community Partnerships at 4755 Kingsway Drive, Suite 105, Indianapolis, Indiana 46205, or call (317) 205-2595.

• The following publications were recently published by the U.S. Department of Education: Museums and Learning: A Guide for Family Visits, a 36-page booklet, can be obtained from the Consumer Information Center. To order, write to CIC, Department 376E, Pueblo, Colorado 81009. Please include payment of 50 cents. Parent Involvement in Children's Education: Efforts by Public Elementary Schools provides recent findings on family involvement in local schools. The publication can be obtained free of charge while supplies last by calling 1-877-4ED-PUBS.

• A new member of the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education, the John J. Pershing Intermediate School 220 in Brooklyn, New York, has been designated as a "Beacon School" and provides family and community access to the school and its technology resources after-school and on Saturdays. Pershing received the 1998 Smithsonian Computer World Award for its effort to integrate technology into its health, wellness and career awareness initiatives. Pershing's technology program was also showcased at the 1998 School Tech Expo. For more information, contact Principal Jo N. Rossicone at jrossicone@pershing-is220.org.

House Subcommittee Eliminates Key Education Investments

The subcommittee did not provide funds for any of the new programs in President Clinton's FY 1999 education budget request, including initiatives to help young people learn to read, to improve teaching, to raise standards and achievement in high-poverty urban and rural schools, and to provide mentors to help put one million disadvantaged students on the road to college. In addition, the subcommittee did not provide funds for quality after-school programs for an additional 425,000 students or to help make students computer literate.

Listed below are items in President Clinton's FY 1999 education budget request versus the corresponding figures from the House Appropriations Subcommittee. For more information on the U.S. Department of Education's 1999 budget request, call 1-800-USA-LEARN.

Program	President's Request	House Subcommittee	Amount Denied
America Reads Challenge	$260 million	0	$260 million
After-school 21st Century Community Learning Centers	$200 million	$60 million	$140 million
Extra Help in the Basics (Title I local Grants)	$7.767 billion	$7.375 billion	$392 million
Technology Teacher Training	$75 million	0	$75 million
Technology Literacy Challenge	$475 million	$425 million	$50 million
Safe and Drug-free Schools Coordinators	$50 million	0	$50 million
Educational Opportunity Zones	$200 million	0	$200 million
Raising Standards in Goals 2000 Reform	$501 million	$246million	$255 million
Upgrade Teacher Skills -- Eisenhower Professional Development	$335 million	$285 million	$50 million
School to Work	$125 million	$75 million	$50 million
Math and Science Research Initiative to Improve Achievement	$50 million	0	$50 million
High Hopes for College	$140 million	0	$140 million
Work-Study	$900 million	$850 million	$50 million
Teacher Recruitment and Training	$67 million	$2.2 million	$64.8 million
Learning Anytime Anywhere Partnerships	$30 million	$0	$30 million
Cuts in other priority discretionary education programs			$150 million
Total cuts in the President's priority discretionary programs: $2 billion

Bridging the Technology Gap in Schools

Two recent studies demonstrate the important role of access to technology for minorities and at-risk students. Vanderbilt University reported in February 1998 that there is a significant difference between the use of the Internet by blacks and whites, and found that 73 percent of white high school and college students have a home computer compared to 32 percent of black students. The report also highlighted a disparity in Web usage: 59 percent of white students had used the Web in the last six months compared to 31 percent of black students. A City University of New York, Technology for Learning study (TELL) concluded that use of computers can improve learning and educational opportunities for at-risk students. Significant academic improvements were found, especially in reading, when computers were provided in the homes of at-risk middle school students.

"There is a growing concern as we enter the new century that the technology gap will worsen," U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley said. "The E-rate is the best way to make sure that all students in all schools have access to technology."

The E-Rate provides discounts (20 percent-90 percent) on telecommunications services, Internet access and internal connections based on the percent of students eligible for the free and reduced price lunch program. Connecting all classrooms to the information superhighway by the year 2000 is a primary goal of President Clinton's Technology Literacy Challenge. Connecting classrooms with the help of E-Rate discounts will provide a major contribution to end the growing digital divide.

On June 12, 1998 the FCC voted to maintain the 1998 collection levels for E-Rate discounts at $325 million per quarter resulting in $1.925 billion over 18 months ending June 30, 1999. The FCC decision ensures that all eligible schools and libraries will receive full support for telecommunications services and Internet access, and the neediest applicants will receive support for internal connections. In spite of this decision, some members of Congress are threatening to reduce or eliminate the E-Rate altogether. Secretary Riley opposes any effort to reduce or eliminate this important telecommunications discount.

For more information about the E-rate, call the Schools and Libraries Corporation at (888) 203-8100 or visit http://www.sl.universalservice.org/. For general education technology information, call 1-800-USA-LEARN, or visit http://www.ed.gov/Technology/. The publications Investing in School Technology: Strategies to Meet the Funding Challenge and the Parents Guide to the Internet are available by calling 1-887-4ED-PUBS.

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