Yesterday, in a speech on the future of education, Secretary Riley said the recent elections are evidence of growing public agreement about education. He called it a "new consensus, built on partnership, not partisanship." Citing the defeat of voucher initiatives in California and Michigan, the Secretary said he is pleased by "a consensus that moves away from the divisiveness of vouchers and toward support for partnership and investment in our public schools and helping families pay for college." He noted that this is both American Education Week and International Education Week. "Sometimes people forget," he said, "that an emphasis on international education helps strengthen other aspects of domestic education. For example, American math teachers are using videos to learn from successful teachers in high-performing countries. And many nations are learning about and emulating our higher education system." Before his remarks, the Secretary joined the Education Minister of Denmark in signing an agreement to expand exchanges in vocational-technical education. He expressed hope that "every school in the U.S. will use technology to share information with a school from another country. This would encourage children to learn a second language and invite teachers to work together to meet the challenges that arise in every classroom." He also announced an online "Teacher's Guide to International Collaboration on the Internet." The speech, press release, and guide are at http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/11-2000/111600.html and http://www.ed.gov/Technology/guide/international/index.html An online discussion on technology and international collaboration can be found at http://wdcrowdcrobcolp01.ed.gov:8000/Teachers/

Early this week, Congress extended through December 5 its deadline for finishing work on the federal budget, leaving at risk $7.5 billion in increased investments in education. A chart and state-by-state press releases showing the investments in our children's future that have been jeopardized are at http://www.ed.gov/offices/OUS/budnews.html#FY2001

More than 14,000 lesson ideas and learning resources from over 200 organizations can now be found through the Gateway to Educational Materials (GEM). Teachers and others can type a topic, grade level, and other information into the GEM search, which then pinpoints -- among thousands of learning resources across these organizations' websites -- those that meet those criteria. http://www.thegateway.org

"Ready to Learn" is a new video that provides parents and caregivers with information on how to foster a young child's language and literacy development beginning at birth and continuing through the preschool years. The video, hosted by Jamie Lee Curtis and LeVar Burton in English and by Edward James Olmos in Spanish, is available from ED Pubs (limit per person: 1 English and 1 Spanish) at this toll free number: 1-877-4ED-PUBS. To request large orders, please visit the I Am Your Child Foundation website for information on ordering procedures and cost.
http://www.iamyourchild.org/order/order.html
http://www.ed.gov/inits/americareads/

The final Improving America's Schools (IAS) Conferences will take place December 13-15 in Washington, D.C. Teachers and principals, administrators and program managers, education officials and organizations, and others are invited to attend. Participants will learn how to integrate federal programs with local efforts and how to use Department-supported resources and technical assistance to pursue comprehensive school reform. The conferences will also help participants understand Department initiatives, recent research, and funding opportunities. State and local *teams* are encouraged to attend, and group discounts are available. A detailed conference agenda and online registration are at http://www.ncbe.gwu.edu/iasconferences/index.htm

The IDEA Practices website is designed to help teachers, families, and others interested in improving educational results for students with disabilities. You are invited to visit the website and sign up to receive IDEAnews, a monthly e-mail newsletter that offers information and resources to help professionals and families understand the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA '97) and its implementation.
http://www.ideapractices.org/

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) now offers occasional online chats with NCES staff and authors of NCES reports. Recent chats, available now as transcripts, include...

• a chat with the NCES webmaster
• trends in national academic performance
• dropout rates: a conversation about high school dropouts and completers.

http://nces.ed.gov/statchat/

Students in Grades 9-12 are invited to submit ideas about how technology could be used to improve the performance of government. The Student Imagine e-Government Award, which includes a $5,000 prize, will be awarded in the spring to the student whose idea shows the most originality, feasibility, and public value. The Imagine e-Government competition, administered by the Council for Excellence in Government, is also offering a competition and prize for adults. For details and the application please see
http://www.excelgov.org
http://www.excelgov.org/cgi-bin/egovaward/

"Reaching Out to Spanish-Speaking Families: Ensuring Educational Success" is the title of a live, interactive teleconference December 6 from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. (ET) hosted by Secretary Riley and National PTA president Ginny Markell. The expert panel will discuss how schools and communities can involve Spanish-speaking parents in their children's education. For more information and to register, please visit http://ed.gov/offices/OIIA/teleconferences.html

"Partners for Excellence: Families, Businesses and Communities Working Together for Schools" is the subject of the November Satellite Town Meeting. The program, hosted by Secretary Riley and Terry Peterson, Counselor to the Secretary, will be held November 21, from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. (ET). It will focus on creative partnerships that are bringing new resources, ideas, and volunteers to help local schools succeed. For details and to register please visit http://www.ed.gov/inits/stm/2000-2001.html

The National Education Goals Panel, as part of its Year 2000 Agenda, "High Achieving Schools: The Promise, The Results," is hosting a national teleconference "Rising to the Test: Meeting the Challenges of Standards, Assessment and Accountability." Learn how schools and districts are meeting these challenges and hear from teachers and administrators from 3 effective schools that are helping children reach high standards. The program will be held December 5 at 1:00 p.m. (ET). More information is at http://www.negp.gov/teleconf/page1-1.htm

Nearly 1,000 organizations have been added to the Educational Resource Organizations Directory (EROD) in the past 6 months. EROD helps you identify and contact organizations that provide information and assistance on a range of education-related topics. New entries describe education-related resources at the state level (such as PTA offices, library agencies, and correctional education agencies) and the national level (information centers, associations, and clearinghouses). http://www.ed.gov/Programs/EROD/

Directory of Federal Postsecondary Education Programs lists more than 400 programs offered by 31 U.S. departments and agencies for which postsecondary education institutions, students, faculty, or employees are eligible to apply or compete for available funding or services. http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/directory/

Changes in High School Vocational Coursetaking in a Larger Perspective looks at trends in vocational coursetaking among high-school students. It examines these trends in light of labor market changes. http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2001026

Teachers Who Learn, Kids Who Achieve describes professional development in 8 schools selected under the Department's National Awards Program for Model Professional Development. http://www.wested.org/cs/wew/view/rs/179

Turning Around Low-Performing Schools provides information about the Low-Performing Schools Initiative. The site offers a link to proceedings from the 2000 Strategies to Turn Around Low-Performing Schools Summer Institute, grant information, publications and resources, news and events, and a list of frequently asked questions. http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/archives/LPS/

Dropout Rates in the United States: 1999 presents national data on high school dropout rates and high school completion rates from 1972 to 1999, as well as state data the 1990s. The report also examines various individual and family characteristics as they relate to high school dropout and completion patterns. http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2001022

ED Initiatives is made possible by many contributors, including Lucy Bisognano, Ida Eblinger, Fritz Edelstein, Peter Kickbush, Jerry Malitz, Barbara Marenus, John McGrath, Nancy Morgan, Carol Rasco, Arlene Remz, Tracy Sisser, Keith Stubbs, 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.