Last week Secretary Riley issued a report on "Qualified Zone Academy Bonds" (QZABs) -- tax credit bonds that school districts may use to support school renovation and repair. "Fixing Our Schools Now!" tells how QZABs work and gives examples of how districts plan to use them. To qualify for a QZAB, a school must be located in an Empowerment Zone or Enterprise Community, or at least 35% of its students must be eligible for free and reduced price lunches. Schools must also partner with business and community organizations.

Schools in at least 22 states are using QZABs and saving up to 50% of the cost of school improvement projects. School City in East Chicago, one of 29 districts featured in the report, will use a QZAB to replace its roof, improve electrical wiring, and increase the electrical power at one of its schools. Two foundations will each provide $100,000 for computers, printers, and teacher training. The report is available at http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/SST/qzab.html

President Clinton is visiting 4 cities today and tomorrow to highlight higher standards, targeted investment, and accountability for results.

• Daviess County School District in Owensboro, Kentucky -- Kentucky has been a leader on standards-based reform and has intervened to improve many of its low-performing schools.
• Davenport School District in the Quad Cities area of Iowa -- Davenport is modernizing several of its schools.
• St. Paul, Minnesota -- Minnesota passed the first charter school law in the country. Today, 36 states and D.C. have passed such laws, and nationwide, more than 1,700 charter schools are operating.
• Columbus Public Schools in Columbus, Ohio -- The district's Peer Assistance Review program offers mentors for new teachers and helps struggling teachers improve or leave the profession.

For details on the tour, please see http://www.whitehouse.gov

During his school reform tour today, the President released a guide that features 10 innovative school designs and describes how parents, citizens, and community groups can get involved in designing new schools. The guide, "Schools as Centers of Community: A Citizens' Guide for Planning and Design," presents 6 principles that grew out of the National Symposium on School Design held in October 1998. (EdNote: Pages no longer on line)

Yesterday the Secretary cited 99 elementary and secondary schools as having outstanding Title I programs to help disadvantaged students. Title I is providing about $8 billion this year to improve education for some 13 million children who attend 46,500 schools in high-poverty areas. The goal is to improve student achievement by helping schools upgrade curricula, extend learning time, provide professional development for teachers, support teacher salaries, and purchase computers.

One of the schools, Henry W. Grady High School in Atlanta, has improved student attendance, decreased grade retention, and reduced its dropout rate. Last year Grady scored the highest of all the high schools in the Atlanta Public School System on the Georgia High School Graduation test. The school initiated the Grady 9th-Grade Student Success Program, giving freshmen special attention in smaller homeroom sections. In addition to receiving their own personal academic planners, 9th-grade students learn how to organize and plan their assignments and activities. All students are offered weekly hour-long tutorials on study skills and test-taking strategies to prepare them for college entrance exams. Students for whom college is not an immediate choice can participate in a health technology career academy, exploring careers in health-related fields and learning computer technologies.

Selection criteria and a list of the 99 schools are at http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/05-2000/0502.html

Educators, federal and state policymakers, parents, students, and community and business leaders will come to Washington, D.C., June 14-16, for a national discussion about the American high school. The Reinventing High School Conference is an opportunity to explore ideas, experiences, and strategies for transforming high schools. Conference sessions will focus on innovations in designing schools, using technology, creating smaller and safer learning environments, supporting teacher and principal leadership, strengthening academic rigor and high expectations, improving the culture of teaching, forming partnerships with parents and business, and improving students' transition to college, work, and adulthood.

The Department's Office of Educational Technology (OET) is reviewing and revising the national educational technology plan. The revision will be completed by fall 2000 and will include new national goals for the effective use of technology in education. You are invited to participate by using the OET website to share your thoughts and experiences. Topics and dates are...

• Through May 5: access to technology, teachers and technology, and students and technology
• May 8-19: research and development and e-learning and education.

Comments on other topics related to educational technology are invited any time through May 19. The website also offers white papers on the future of technology in K-12 education and other information. http://www.ed.gov/Technology

Virtually all full- time regular public school teachers say they now have access to computers or the Internet in their schools, and about two- thirds say they are using the new technology for classroom instruction, according a report released last week by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Two-thirds of the respondents, however, said they are not well-prepared to use these technologies. Among the other findings: Teachers with more than 32 hours of professional development are twice as likely to use computers as are teachers with no training, and teachers working in high-poverty schools have less access to these technologies. "Teacher Use of Computers and the Internet in Public Schools" is at http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2000090

Last month the President announced 3-year grants (totaling $44 million) to establish 214 Community Technology Centers in economically distressed, high-poverty communities. The centers -- to be housed in libraries, schools, community centers, community colleges, public housing facilities, and other organizations -- will make computers and the Internet available to low-income residents in urban and rural communities. Business and community partners will provide matching funds. http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/04-2000/0418.html

The work of these centers will be strengthened through a new America Connects Consortium. The Department is inviting proposals to establish the consortium. (EdNote: Pages on longer on-line)

The centers and consortium are part of the President's Digital Opportunity Initiative challenging corporations and non-profit organizations to provide 21st century learning tools for every child in every school and to create digital opportunity for every American family and community. For more information, please visit: http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/04-2000/0418.html

Last week Secretary Riley and Attorney General Reno issued a guide recommending how communities can develop violence prevention plans. The 62-page booklet, "Safeguarding Our Children: An Action Guide," is based on the premise that a key element in any such plan is *teamwork* among educators, mental health professionals, parents, students, and community groups and organizations. The guide is a follow-up to the 1998 publication, "Early Warning, Timely Response: A Guide to Safe Schools." Both guides are at http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS

In a speech on international education last month, Secretary Riley announced steps to re-energize the cause of international education in the U.S. Among the steps is a new Presidential memorandum promoting study abroad, strengthening support for foreign language learning at all levels, and ensuring that international education is an integral part of U.S. undergraduate education. He said the U.S. should once again become an active member of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and expand the number of high quality dual-immersion schools. The Secretary's remarks and the memorandum can be found at http://www.ed.gov/Speeches/04-2000/000419.html

How are teachers using the Internet to help their students communicate with and learn from students in other countries? Teachers are talking about this and other issues at the Teachers Discuss website. Whether you're an educator, policymaker, or citizen, you are invited to visit, see what teachers are saying, and participate in this and other discussions.

Yesterday the Department announced 9 state grants, totaling $7.5 million annually for 5 years, to help improve special and general education services for students with disabilities. The 9 states are Alaska, Connecticut, Illinois, Montana, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, and Oklahoma. The awards were made under the competitive State Improvement Grant program, established by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Amendments of 1997. The $7.5 million supplements $18 million granted to 18 other states last year. For more information, please see http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/05-2000/0502b.html

Looking for the phone number, address, or other information on a particular college or university, school or school district, private school, or public library? Now it can be found with one simple search using the "Global Education Locator," developed by the National Center on Education Statistics (NCES). http://nces.ed.gov/globallocator

ED Initiatives is made possible by many contributors, including Jim Bradshaw, Patricia Brennan, Michelle del Valle, Norris Dickard, John Emekli, Laura Emmett, Lenore Garcia, Jennifer Hartman, Julie Kaminkow, Erica Lepping, Melinda Malico, Bill Modzeleski, Jerry Malitz, Ray Myers, Peter Kickbush, Linda Roberts, Tracy Sisser, Mary Stanik, Keith Stubbs, David Thomas, Melinda Ulloa, and others.

Have a comment or suggestion on ED Initiatives? Please send it to Kirk Winters in the Office of the Under Secretary at kirk.winters@ed.gov.