Community Update

No. 67
May 1999
U.S. Department of Education

• Use It or Lose It! Help Keep Students Reading This Summer
• May Town Meeting Will Focus on Math, Arts, and Space Science
• Honor the Past—Imagine the Future
• East Harlem Tutorial—40 Years of Volunteering and Mentoring Success
• Regional Office Helps to Improve Bay Area and After-School and Nutrition Programs
• Announcements
• Calendar
• New Publication Highlights Successful Districtwide Arts Education Programs
• National Commission Will Focus on Recruiting and Retaining Math and Science Teachers
• America Goes Back to School: Start Planning Now for the 1999-2000 School Year
• Credits

Use It or Lose It! Help Keep Students Reading This Summer
May 5, 1999

This summer and throughout the year, the U.S. Department of Education's America Reads Challenge asks youth and community organizations, retired citizens, and other caring adults to join with teachers and parents to keep all children reading. It's a win-win situation: reading for fun sharpens students' skills as it reinforces the pleasures of the pastime.

The America Reads Challenge has developed several tools and materials for adults to help children extend the enchantment of reading and writing beyond the classroom. These tools for summer and year-round use are available free of charge for teachers, librarians, parents, youth and community groups:

• The new Read*Write*Now! Activity Poster, available in English and Spanish, includes a colorful illustration on the front and a set of fun activities for children grades K-6 on the back. One of the activities, "Be a Star Reporter," encourages children to e-mail reviews of their favorite books to the U.S. Department of Education for publication on the America Reads Challenge Web site.

• The Read*Write*Now! Basic Kit, developed by reading experts to build language and literacy skills from birth through grade six, includes fun reading and writing activities, a vocabulary log, and a certificate of accomplishment.

• The new Read*Write*Now! Tip Sheet for Developing a Community Reading Program, for librarians, teachers, camp counselors and community leaders, offers straightforward suggestions for developing summer or after-school reading programs.

May Town Meeting Will Focus on Math, Arts and Space Science

The May Satellite Town Meeting will focus on approaches that schools and communities can take to engage students in mathematics, arts and science early in the middle grades, preparing them for college and careers in the 21st century. U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley and his panel of guests will highlight the Mars Millennium Project, an exciting youth initiative that challenges students across the nation to imagine and plan a community on the planet Mars for the year 2030. Entitled "Counting the Stars: Math, Arts and Space Science," the hour-long town meeting will air on Tuesday, May 18 at 8:00 p.m. (ET).

The U.S. Department of Education produces the Satellite Town Meeting series in partnership with the National Alliance of Business, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the Committee for Economic Development, with support from The Bayer Foundation and The Procter & Gamble Fund. Broadcast and cable partners include Discovery Communications, the Public Broadcasting Service and Channel One. The program will be closed captioned.

The coordinates are as follows:

C-Band: Telstar 5, Orbital Location 97 degrees West; Transponder 24; Horizontal Polarity; Channel 24; Downlink Frequency 4180 MHZ; Audio Subcarriers 6.2 MHZ (Spanish) and 6.8 MHZ (English).

Ku-Band: SBS-6, Orbital Location 74 Degrees West; Transponder 4; Vertical Polarity; Channel 4; Downlink Frequency 11798 MHZ; Audio Subcarriers 6.2 MHZ (Spanish) and 6.8 (English).

Honor the Past—Imagine the Future

The White House Millennium Council, in collaboration with major intergovernmental organizations and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, is sponsoring the Millennium Communities Program to award the national designation of "Millennium Community" to each town, city, county, and tribe that takes a leadership role in marking this historic milestone. This national, noncompetitive initiative will recognize communities that pay tribute to the ideals and creativity that have shaped their past and that prepare citizens—especially children—for the 21st century. Criteria for designation as a "Millennium Community" include:

• Formation of a committee to plan and organize millennium celebration events and programs;

• Inclusion in the planning process of people and organizations that are broadly representative of the community;

• Consistency of programs and events with the national millennium theme, "Honor the Past-Imagine the Future"; and

• Application submission and approval through one of the program's organizational partners.

Special May 1999 Insert on Family Involvement

East Harlem Tutorial—40 Years of Volunteering and Mentoring Success

The EHTP, a member of the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education, adheres to well-developed quality standards. A professional staff of educators designs and directs the programs. Volunteers must apply, undergo reference checks, and participate in ongoing tutor training specializing in art, literature, and technology development. Students must complete an interview with parent and teacher input. A file with report cards and test scores, a portfolio of daily tutoring and previous work done at EHTP, and an "Individual Student Plan" with specific goals and objectives is maintained for each student.

Parents play a key role at the EHTP center. In 1998, 31 workshops were held on parenting, investing, computing, health/dental screening, and social work. The Mt. Sinai Health Care Center and other social service agencies partner with EHTP, and personal counseling is part of the offering to assist children and families.

Leadership is emphasized at every level. Teens receive one-on-one tutoring as well as the opportunity to tutor a younger child themselves. Teens are also selected to work as junior counselors, college interns, and counselors-in-training. Employment opportunities are critical for EHTP participants. Community service, career counseling, and college exposure are stressed, and scholarships, financial incentives, and field trips promote high expectations and opportunities.

Many EHTP graduates return to work, to tutor, and to be involved in their larger community. EHTP alumni include doctors, lawyers, nurses, teachers, artists, social workers, counselors, and one member of Congress. For more information, contact EHTP, 2050 Second Avenue, New York, New York 10029 or call (212) 831-0650.

Visit us online at http://pfie.ed.gov. The Partnership for Family Involvement in Education's new Web site features a database search engine of all the members of the Partnership, examples of successful educational programs, an outline of the U.S. Department of Education's initiatives and publications, and numerous links to other relevant sites. Thirty years of research shows that greater family involvement in children's learning is critical to achieving a high-quality education for every student. Join us in our effort to link employers, educators, families, religious groups, and community organizations together to improve schools and raise student achievement.

Regional Office Helps to Improve Bay Area and After-School and Nutrition Programs

The Bay Area Partnership's education committee, co-chaired by Loni Hancock and David Militzer, coordinator of the Bay Area Partnership, focuses on expanding after-school opportunities and school nutrition for children living in the Bay Area's lowest income communities. With help from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the committee is able to make outreach efforts to school administrators and community leaders, including information about federal reimbursement for breakfast, lunch, and after-school snacks.

The U.S. Department of Education's regional office is also working with the California State Department of Education and private philanthropic groups to build support for after-school programs. As funding for the U.S. Department of Education's 21st Century Community Learning Center initiative increased, the state of California came forward with $50 million for after-school programs, providing an unusual opportunity for the state to dramatically increase after-school opportunities for children. Both agencies conducted joint briefings on their Request for Application (RFA), which was useful not only for potential applicants, but also for agency representatives who learned about each other's programs.

The U.S. Department of Education's Region 9 office is also participating on the state's task force to design a comprehensive technical assistance system for all after-school programs. For more information about the Bay Area Partnership, e-mail David Militzer at david.militzer@ncccsf.org or visit http://www.ncccsf.org. To obtain more information about the U.S. Department of Education's regional offices, call 1-800-USA-LEARN.

Announcements

• The Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts is the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education's newest partner. In addition to its famous performances, the Wolf Trap Foundation provides a variety of year-round education programs for people of all ages. For more information about the Wolf Trap Foundation, visit http://www.wolf-trap.org.

• Children's Creative Writing Campaign, Inc. (CCWC), a new member of the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education, implements innovative writing programs and is collaborating with New York City Board of Education, businesses, and other literacy institutions on a citywide standards-based writing initiative for students and teachers grades 1-5. For more information, contact Meg Hunnewell by fax at (212) 228-6574 or by e-mail at mhunnewell@aol.com.

• The CHOICES program, a new member of the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education, partners with businesses in 34 states to provide an interactive seminar that focuses on personal and academic choices for eighth- or ninth-grade students. For more information, contact Alison Spittle at 1-800-343-8816 or by fax at (206) 343-7896.

• The Telephone Pioneers have joined with the Points of Light Foundation in support of the Family Matters initiative, a new member of the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education. Family Matters strengthens family and community life by encouraging intergenerational volunteering. For more information, visit http://www.pointsoflight.org/familymatters or the Telephone Pioneers at 1-800-976-1914.

• The Girl Scouts of the USA continue to be involved in literacy efforts across the country. Computer skills are taught to senior citizens in Ocean City, New Jersey, and the South Central Alabama Council is sponsoring the "Surf's Up" program to improve computer literacy. The Texas, Chicago, New York and New Jersey Councils are reading true stories about endangered or disabled animals that emphasize compassion and caring. For more information, contact Sheila Lewis at 1-800-223-0624, or visit http://jfg.girlscouts.org/.

New Publication Highlights Successful Districtwide Arts Education Programs

"This new study tells us—in the words of local school board members, administrators, teachers and parents—exactly how it can be done," U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley said. "Not to act on their advice would be inexcusable."

The two-year study identifies interrelating factors that contribute to the creation of strong, districtwide arts education. The factors include a community consensus that enables a school board and administration to fund arts education; central administrative leadership that considers the arts to be a core school subject; strong arts teachers who continue to practice their art inside and outside school; and community arts and cultural organizations that are active in the district's schools, using them as performing arts venues.

How these and other factors contribute to successful arts education programs is explored in case studies of 8 different schools systems, including Greenville, South Carolina; Las Cruces, New Mexico; Miami-Dade County, Florida; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Redondo Beach, California; Vancouver, Washington; Wyoming, Ohio; and New York City's Community School District #25 in Queens, New York. Each district considered for study was recommended to the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities and the Arts Education Partnership by national and state arts and education leaders based upon the quality of the districts' overall arts education program. To obtain a copy of Gaining the Arts Advantage: Lessons from School Districts that Value Arts Education, call the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities at (202) 682-5409, fax to (202) 682-5668, e-mail to pcah@neh.gov or visit http://www.pcah.gov.

National Commission Will Focus on Recruiting and Retaining Math and Science Teachers

Increasing the number of highly qualified teachers across the nation and providing opportunities for teachers to upgrade their skills are critical to improving student achievement in math and science. Unfortunately, many math and science teachers today lack the appropriate credentials and licensure for the subjects they teach, and a significant number of those who are appropriately certified are under-prepared in their disciplines. A recent study released by Secretary Riley reported that many teachers are not adequately prepared to teach in today's classrooms, and desire better training and support. Future teacher shortages—especially in math and science—and student population growth are likely to exacerbate these problems.

The commission will meet periodically over the next year to review the current state of American K-12 math and science education. In the fall of 2000, it will produce a report focused on specific action steps that federal, state, and local policymakers can take to address math and science teacher supply and quality issues.

Joining Senator Glenn on the commission will be representatives from the following constituencies: federal, state, and local officials; university presidents; business leaders; superintendents; school board members; principals; chief state school officers; distinguished leaders in mathematics and science; classroom teachers; parents; and public representatives. Ex-officio, non-voting members will include representatives from other government agencies.

The commission will create opportunities for public input on the issue of math and science teacher quality. Information about these opportunities will be forthcoming in a future Community Update article. For more information about the America Counts Challenge initiative, call 1-800-USA-LEARN or visit http://www.ed.gov/americacounts/.

America Goes Back to School: Start Planning Now for the 1999-2000 School Year

Started by U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley in 1995, and sponsored by the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education, the America Goes Back to School initiative communicates to students that their families and communities care about, and want to improve, their education. This year we are asking all Americans to "Challenge Our Students and They Will Soar."

Help stage public events that build public awareness and support for school improvements, showing how community members, retired citizens and parents can get involved. In addition to focusing on the coming century or millennium, entire communities can continue to rally around an issue of interest such as: making schools safe and drug-free; recruiting and preparing quality teachers; modernizing schools; expanding after-school and summer programs; getting high standards into every classroom; or developing pathways to college and careers. Whatever the issue, children's learning will set the stage.

Start planning now! Developing a timeline makes organizing an event easier because, as the summer progresses and people come and go on vacation, preparations won't get off track or come to a halt. The following checklist can help you keep your America Goes Back to School event on track:

• Meet with your local school superintendent and/or principal(s), and business, parent and community leaders to get their support and assistance.

• Hold the first 1999-2000 America Goes Back to School meeting to: select a chairperson and a single point of contact; decide on a focus and major activities; set goals and objectives; create a specific timetable with key tasks and assigned responsibilities; designate subcommittees; and establish meeting dates.

• Contact other schools, key community organizations, businesses, local officials, and other related parties to generate interest and recruit volunteers.

• Select and confirm sites, considering accessibility issues for participants with disabilities, and invite dignitaries for special events.

• Create a publicity plan and a community outreach strategy.

-###-

[Table of Contents]