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

A biweekly look at progress on the Secretary's priorities

Table of Contents High Standards for All Students A Talented, Dedicated, Well-Prepared Teacher... Budget Agreement America Goes Back to School Flexibility & Waivers School-to-Work Satellite Town Meeting 1997-98... Smith to Be Nominated... New Online Credits

HIGH STANDARDS FOR ALL STUDENTS Fifteen urban school districts will participate in voluntary national tests in 4th-grade reading and 8th-grade math, the President announced on July 25 in a speech to the National Association of Elementary School Principals. These 15 urban school systems -- which include the 3 largest (New York City, Los Angeles & Chicago) and 6 of the 7 largest in the U.S. -- join the states of Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, and West Virginia & Department of Defense schools (which t ogether serve nearly 1/5th of the nation's students) in pledging to take part in the tests. The American Federal of Teachers (AFT) reported last week that "...many [states] see the national tests proposed by President Clinton as a possible opportunity to benchmark their academic expectations to a high standard. Some 20 states & D.C. say they are interested in using the proposed national tests in math & reading." New draft specifications for the voluntary national 8th- grade math test are now online (for comment) at: http://www.ed.gov/nationaltests/contract.html Transcripts of past public meetings & dates of upcoming ones, content frameworks & other information on the tests are available at: http://www.ed.gov/nationaltests/

A TALENTED, DEDICATED, WELL-PREPARED TEACHER IN EVERY CLASSROOM Performance, not seat time, is central to the teacher preparation program at Alverno College. Students in the program at this Milwaukee (WI) commuter college must demonstrate their ability to integrate content knowledge -- & other skills essential to good teaching -- into classroom practice. Alverno faculty assess students' mastery of these skills through essays, case study analyses & simulations. Upon completing an extensive student teaching experience, students' "clinical preparation" is asse ssed by Alverno faculty and by teachers & administrators at the K-12 schools. Students receive lots of individual attention & support, which is one reason 40% of Alverno's graduates go on to teach successfully in Milwaukee's public schools. Hist orically a college that has served 1st-generation college students, Alverno today prepares proportionately more new teachers of color than any other area college, and its faculty & administrators are working with 3 other institutions seeking to improv e their teacher preparation programs.

BUDGET AGREEMENT Last week, the House & Senate passed legislation agreed on by the President & Congressional leaders to balance the budget & support the President's education goals -- making sure that every 8-year-old can read, every 12-year-old can log onto t he Internet, every 18-year-old can go to college, & every adult can continue learning for a lifetime. "At the heart of this balanced budget," the President said, "is the historic investment in education -- the most significant increase in education f unding in more than 30 years. It includes $35 billion in tax relief to help families pay for college and training -- the largest investment in higher education since the G.I. Bill 50 years ago. It will give every American who needs it a HOPE Scholarship to pay for the first 2 years of college. It gives tax relief for all 4 years of college & for education throughout a lifetime. The overall budget agreement also includes the largest increase in Pell Grant Scholarships for deserving students in 3 dec ades, funds our America Reads Challenge, helps to connect all our schools & libraries to the Internet by the year 2000. As the spending bills move forward in weeks to come, we will work to see that they reflect this agreement. I am pleased that this legislation also will give communities substantial tax cuts to help to build & modernize our schools." For more information on HOPE Scholarships & the America Reads Challenge, please see: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/PPI/HOPE/ and http://www.ed.gov/inits/americareads/

AMERICA GOES BACK TO SCHOOL Schools & communities across the country are planning back-to-school activities aimed to involve more family & community members in their children's education. A teacher in Kentucky has teamed up with a professor at a local Catholic university to host a state-wide telethon where people will call in & pledge time in classrooms instead of money. The student body president at Oregon State University is inviting educators, students & citizens across Oregon to a day-long conference (in Septem ber) on reading, math, and preparing students for college that will culminate in a downlink of the September Satellite Town Meeting (see below). For information about how your school can participate in the America Goes Back to School initiative, please c all 1-800-USA-LEARN or visit: http://www.ed.gov/Family/agbts/

FLEXIBILITY & WAIVERS Last month Michigan, Iowa & Illinois became the 10th, 11th and 12th states to receive "Ed-Flex" authority under Goals 2000. This means officials in these states now have the authority to waive federal education rules & regulations in cases where a waiver would advance local & state school improvement efforts, in exchange for increased accountability for student progress. Schools & school districts in these states will be able to seek waivers from requirements of the Perkins Act & the Elementary & Secondary Education Act, including Title I, the Safe & Drug-Free Schools & Communities provisions, Eisenhower Professional Development, & other programs. Civil rights requirements will not be waived; nor are waivers allowable under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). To qualify for waiver authority under the Education Flexibility Partnership Demonstration Program, which permits a maximum of 12 states to receive Ed-Flex authority, these states submitted their own statewide comprehensive school improvement plans develop ed under Goals 2000 by educators, parents, and civic & business leaders from across their states. They also pledged to waive state requirements that apply to education & to hold schools & districts accountable for progress toward locally adop ted goals for students' academic performance. Other states that have also received Ed-Flex authority are: Colorado, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Texas & Vermont. For more information, please see: http://www.ed.gov/PressRele ases/07-1997/flex.html More information on flexibility, Ed-Flex & waivers can be found at: http://www.ed.gov/flexibility/

SCHOOL-TO-WORK For information on... a Michigan website where students can search for internships, job shadowing & other workplace opportunities in their communities, a guidebook for people (in workplaces and schools) who plan, direct, or evaluate work-based learning opportunities for youth (written by Mary Agnes Hamilton & Stephen Hamilton), and more, please visit the STW Internet Gateway: http://www.stw.ed.gov/

SATELLITE TOWN MEETING 1997-98 SCHEDULE The schedule for the 1997-98 Satellite Town Meeting (STM) series has been announced, & the 1st gets under way on Tuesday, September 16, at 8:00 p.m. (Eastern time) with "Back to School: Families & Communities Together for Learning." Subsequent ST Ms will focus on... ensuring access to the Internet, supporting quality teaching, serving students with disabilities, raising student achievement, preparing for college (academically & financially), making math count (world-class achievement starting with alg ebra), helping children read well, and creating safe, disciplined, & drug-free schools. The STM schedule is now available at: http://www.ed.gov/inits/stm/97-98stm.html

SMITH TO BE NOMINATED FOR DEPUTY SECRETARY POST Last week, the President announced his intent to nominate Marshall (Mike) Smith as Deputy Secretary at the Department of Education. Smith has served as Acting Deputy Secretary at the Department since August 1996. Prior to that, he served as Under Secret ary. Smith came to the Department from Stanford University, where he was a professor of education & dean of the graduate school of education.

NEW ONLINE Recent additions include... The Seven Priorities of the U.S. Department of Education -- A working document that describes the Department's 7 priorities, including how the Department arrived at them, the significance of each, and strategies & existing programs th at can support them. http://www.ed.gov/updates/7priorities/index.html On the Road to Economic Development: A Guide for Continuing Education Programs at Historically Black Colleges & Universities -- Describes the capacities & potential of Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) that ar e providing continuing education services within the context of their labor markets. http://www.ed.gov/offices/OERI/PLLI/ipp.html Spanish versions of 2 Read*Write*Now! booklets -- Actividades para Divertirse Leyendo y Escribiendo (Activities for Reading and Writing Fun) offers reading & writing development activities for children in 3 age groups: in fants & preschoolers, preschool - Grade 2, and Grades 3 - 6. Jugando Con Papel (Play on Paper) presents reading readiness activities for children 5 and under. http://www.ed.gov/Family/RWN/Actividades/ http://www.ed.gov/Family/RWN/Jugando/jugando.html Guidance on the Supreme Court's Decision in Agostini v. Felton and Title I (Part A) of the Elementary & Secondary Education Act -- Designed to assist state educational agencies, local educational agencies & representatives of priv ate school children in implementing the Court's Decision. http://www.ed.gov/legislation/ESEA/cvrltr.html The Department's Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA) new homepage provides the full text of hundreds of initial decisions issued by the Department's administrative law judges & other hearing officers (searchable). http://www.ed-oha.org Developments in School Finance, 1996 -- 9 papers by presenters from the July 1996 NCES State Data Conference. Presenters sought to address the perplexing persistence of inequity, not only in expenditures at the school district level, but also at the school level & in student access to services, programs & course offerings. http://nces.ed.gov/pubs97/97535.html Dropout Rates in the United States: 1995 (released July 31, 1997) -- Presents data for 1995 on high school dropout & retention rates and examines high school completion & graduation rates. http://nces.ed.gov/pubs/dp95/index.html

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.

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