Individuals who have a bachelor's degree (or higher) earn, on average, $15,000 more per year than high school graduates earn, according to a report released last week. "Getting Ready for College: A Report for National College Week" also looks at record enrollments in higher education, greater higher education affordability, and more diverse student populations. The report was released at a National College Week event recognizing GEAR UP, a program in which businesses, schools, and community groups work together to prepare disadvantaged youth for college (beginning in middle school).
http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/10-2000/101600.html
http://www.ed.gov/gearup/

Secretary Riley joined President Clinton in calling on the leadership in Congress to support America's Better Classrooms Act of 2000, H.R. 4094, a bipartisan school modernization bill. He pointed to a 1999 study telling that millions of students are trying to learn in schools where roofs are leaking, ceilings are falling down, and basic safety features are absent. The press release and report are at
http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/10-2000/102400.html
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2000032

"Creating High-Quality Preschool: New Ideas for Supporting Early Learning Programs" is the title of a live, interactive teleconference on November 15 from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. ET. The program will suggest ways that schools and districts can use existing federal funds (including Title I) and form partnerships to support pre-school programs and serve young children. Department representatives will take questions during the program and will answer questions sent in advance (by noon November 14) via email (OIIA.Satellite.Town.Meeting@ed.gov) or by fax (202-205-0676). To register please see http://registerevent.ed.gov

School crime continues to drop, consistent with a declining rate of crime against students outside of school, according to the "Third Annual Report on School Safety," released yesterday by the Departments of Education and Justice. The 75-page report presents sections on the nature and scope of school violence; information on school discipline policies, including suspension and expulsions; and resources on school safety and crime. The report also describes the work of the 23 new Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative grant recipients and features a new section with background on school discipline policies, including the Gun- Free Schools Act, data on suspensions and expulsions, and findings on racial disparities. http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/10-2000/102600.html

Also yesterday the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released "Indicators of School Crime and Safety," a statistical report offering the most recent available data from various federally funded studies related to school crime and safety. http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/10-2000/102600a.html

"21st Century Community Learning Centers: Providing Quality Afterschool Learning Opportunities for America's Families" was released this month by the White House. The report tells that after school each weekday, at least 8 million children in America are left alone and unsupervised. The hours immediately after school are when children are most likely to commit or be victims of crime. For many other children, the afternoon hours can be idle, wasted time.

More than 3,600 schools in over 900 communities have received funds under the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program to create community learning centers where students are safe and have access to homework help, cultural enrichment, and recreational opportunities. http://www.ed.gov/pubs/Providing_Quality_Afterschool_Learning/

More than $42 million in grants will help large high schools (1,000 students or more) create smaller, more personalized learning communities, Secretary Riley announced this month. Research has shown that students have better attendance, are less likely to dropout, exhibit fewer discipline problems, and perform better when attending a smaller high school. However, more than 70% of high school students attend schools with more than 1,000 students, and half attend schools with more than 1,500 students. Under the program, schools may create career academies, mentoring and other teacher-advisory systems, schools-within-schools and "houses" that operate within existing schools, and career clusters. A total of 354 schools, serving more than 400,000 high school students, will benefit during the first year of this program. http://www.ed.gov/offices/OVAE/HS/SLCP

In response to a report last week by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, which found that national board certified teachers outperform others, Secretary Riley said...

"The study released today clearly shows board certification makes for better teaching and learning. The percentage of student work that showed strong learning was more than double among students taught by board-certified teachers versus those taught by non-certified teachers (70-30%).... Although research shows that qualified teachers are the most important in-school factor in improving student achievement, more than 30% of newly hired teachers are entering the teaching profession without full certification, more than 11% enter the field with no license at all, and more than one-quarter of public school teachers are teaching out-of-field."

The Secretary's statement is at http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/10-2000/101800a.html The NBPTS press release and executive summary of the study are at http://www.nbpts.org/

Two awards announced this month will use technology to help improve math and science teaching. The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) received a 5-year, $39 million grant to create a new national online service, "Teacherline." Current and prospective teachers will receive various math and technology resources, including online mentoring, teacher discussions, and videos of classroom practices. The project is designed to help teachers meet professional and state standards for math and technology. The Concord Consortium will use a 1-year, $1 million grant for the "Seeing Math Telecommunications Project," which will study the use of the Internet to deliver professional development resources to teachers. Ten interactive online digital video case studies will feature effective math teaching models. http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/10-2000/101300.html

Six research organizations were awarded grants this month to study comprehensive school reform models that focus on schoolwide improvement. The studies will examine the effectiveness of models in boosting the achievement of all students, characteristics related to successful implementation of models, and conditions necessary for effective implementation and sustainability of models. http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/10-2000/101700a.html

This month the Department and the National Endowment for the Arts announced $990,000 in grants to help school districts help young people better understand and interpret the artistic content of electronic media messages, including those that contain violence. According to a Senate Judiciary Committee report ("Children, Violence, and the Media: A Report for Parents and Policy Makers" http://www.senate.gov/~judiciary/), almost half of children have televisions in their rooms, and 67% of homes with children also have video game equipment. Another report tells that children spend an average of 4.35 hours a day in front of a screen, watching TV or videotape, playing video games or using a personal computer ("Media in the Home 1999: The Fourth Annual Survey of Parents and Children, Annenberg Public Policy Center, http://www.appcpenn.org/). More information and a list of grantees is at http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/10-2000/100400.html

"Inclusive Approaches to Schooling" is the focus of a 2-week online conversation. Beginning November 1, online facilitators will answer questions and share perspectives about the challenges schools face in educating all students. They will also answer questions about, "Improving Education: The Promise of Inclusive Schooling," a report supported by the Department's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). To join the discussion, sponsored by the National Institute for Urban School Improvement, please see http://www.edc.org/urban/forums.htm (and follow the link to Inclusive Approaches to Schooling). The "Improving Education" report is at http://www.edc.org/urban/publicat.htm

What can teachers, parents, schools, and communities do about difficult and disruptive students? Teachers are talking about this and other issues at Teachers Discuss. You are invited to read what teachers are saying and share your thoughts. http://wdcrowdcrobcolp01.ed.gov:8000/Teachers/

Secretary Riley testified this week before the House Education and the Workforce Committee regarding funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Department management, and other issues. He pointed to billions of taxpayer dollars saved as a result of this Administration's efforts to improve accountability and fiscal responsibility in the Department's programs. http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/10-2000/102500.html

"The National Study of the Operation of the Federal Work-Study Program" analyzes student and institutional experiences with the FWS program and describes how the program is operated. Students indicated high levels of satisfaction and felt that the program contributed positively to their academic studies. http://www.ed.gov/offices/OUS/PES/

"Building an Automated School Record System" is a guide for local and state education agencies that are designing or upgrading an automated student information system. It is based on a chapter in the "Student Data Handbook for Elementary, Secondary, and Early Childhood Education." The new guide provides additional information and includes guidelines, checklists, and examples. http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2000324

"What Works in Classroom Instruction" features instructional strategies that research shows have the greatest likelihood of improving student learning. The nearly 200-page publication is designed to help K-12 teachers and administrators easily select strategies and integrate them with existing programs or practices. It was produced by Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) and written by Robert Marzano, Barbara Gaddy, and Ceri Dean. http://www.mcrel.org/products/learning/whatworks.pdf

Learn what technology can -- and can't -- do in the education of young children. Early Connections, developed by Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory's Child and Family Program and NWREL's Northwest Educational Technology Consortium, provides research-based information and resources for those who work with children ages 8 and younger. It pulls together a range of information about child development, use of technology, and tips for teachers, parents, caregivers, and others. http://www.netc.org/earlyconnections/

The "Listening to Student Voices Toolkit" was made available by the School Change Collaborative, comprised of Regional Educational Laboratories with the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory and supported by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement Laboratory Network Program. The toolkit offers research-based and field-tested self-study materials and processes that allow schools to listen to students' ideas for improving their school. http://www.nwrel.org/scpd/scc/studentvoices/index.html

ED Initiatives is made possible by many contributors, including Karen Blaha, Jim Bradshaw, Carol Chelemer, Stephanie Dalton, John Emekli, Donna Fisher, Daniel Goldenberg, Roberta Heine, Peter Kickbush, Melinda Kitchell Malico, Todd May, Tracy Sisser, Bob Stonehill, Kevin Sullivan, 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.