Archived: Idea Books to Help Improve Learning

A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

ATTENTION:  EDUCATION EDITOR   
A review of current programs and projects at the
U.S. Department of Education.  Use upon receipt.
January 18, 1996 
 
CONTACT: Melinda Kitchell Malico
(202) 401-1008

ITEM: Idea Books to Help Improve Learning -- A pair of idea books from the U.S. Department of Education, to help schools and communities improve learning both in and out of school, are on the way to state education agencies and national educational organizations.

The books will help educators and policy makers who are working to carry out fundamental, sustained school improvement with support from the new Title I program, the Goals 2000: Educate America Act and the School-to-Work Opportunities Act.

"It is time to make dramatic improvements in our nation's poorest schools, and the Title I program -- the federal government's largest elementary and secondary school program -- has been totally redesigned so it can contribute to this effort in new ways," said U.S Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley, "We need to share the best ideas from around the country."

The two-volume sets, Extending Learning Time for Disadvantaged Students and Raising the Educational Achievement of Secondary Students, give communities and schools research-based ideas and promising approaches for how to work together to provide more and better opportunities for children to learn beyond the regular school day and to improve the academic and career success of secondary school students.

Disadvantaged students often lack access to activities that add to school learning, and the Title I program supports new and engaging strategies for extending learning time. Extending Learning Time for Disadvantaged Students supplies examples of schools and communities working together to provide children with more time to learn. Volume I is a resource for policy makers and administrators who plan extended learning opportunities; Volume II profiles promising practices and programs that can help children reach high academic and behavioral standards and link children educationally to the world beyond the classroom.

Important components to extended learning time often include:

links between the regular academic classroom and extended time activities such as tutoring and homework sessions;

a well-defined organization and management structure that includes staff development;

active engagement of students during extended time; and,

parent and community involvement in designing and directing learning opportunities.

Raising the Educational Achievement of Secondary Students is designed to help schools and communities make better use of available federal assistance to help strengthen teaching and learning for all secondary school students. Volume I provides research-based practices and principles to improve learning; Volume II gives concrete examples of secondary schools that have effectively put principles of good practice to work. Title I and other federal programs can support efforts such as those used by the profiled schools.

Key principles that schools and communities may adopt to improve academic performance include:

strengthen and enrich secondary school curriculum;
organize the school into smaller units to engage all students in challenging, meaningful schoolwork;

link student learning to the future through youth apprenticeships, career academies, tech prep and college prep;

create student support networks -- advisors, mentors, and community partnerships; and,

help further school improvement through efforts such as staff development, and inclusion of teachers in decision-making and problem-solving.

The publications, in reproducible form, are being sent to state Title I coordinators and national education associations who are being asked to make them available upon request. They will also be available on the Internet under the department's gopher site gopher.ed.gov or on the World Wide Web at http://www.ed.gov/.

The publications were commissioned by the department's Planning and Evaluation Service. Single copies are available by calling (202) 401-3132.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Copies of the publications are available to news media by calling the contact listed above.