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 All Children Read Well... A Talented, Dedicated, Well-Prepared Teacher... IDEA Meetings Budget Satellite Teleconferences & Webcasts New Online Credits

HIGH STANDARDS FOR ALL STUDENTS One of 32 Goals 2000 grants Utah awarded to schools last year (1996-7) went to Salt Lake City School District. Teachers are visiting businesses, learning first-hand what job skills students need, and then strengthening workplace curricula & the connection between classwork & careers. Another Utah district, Granite School District, is using its Goals 2000 award to help support... a website where teachers can ask questions of each other & consultants, web-oriented projects (created by teachers) designed to enrich instruction in the core curriculum, and "web communities" where students submit their work for peer review, where teachers announce homework & offer resources, and where student teams collaborate with students across the nation & around the world http://www.granite.k12.ut.us/

ALL CHILDREN READ WELL BY THE END OF 3rd GRADE Department staff have been working with the bipartisan staff of the House Committee on Education & the Workforce to reach an agreement on a reading initiative for children in the spirit of President Clinton's America Reads Challenge. When the full Committee met on October 9, Chairman Goodling postponed consideration of a bill (on a reading initiative) prepared for consideration at the meeting, stating that "...because of the Administration's continued attempts to forge ahead with federal testing despite the objections of the U.S. House of Representatives, I have stopped this Committee's work on any reading initiatives." Secretary Riley responded in a letter & a statement, saying that "Reading is a bi- partisan issue.... Trying to stop the voluntary national tests & the reading initiative is hardly the right way to help any child become a better reader." The full text of the Secretary's letter & statement are at: http://www.ed.gov/inits/americareads/971014.html

A TALENTED, DEDICATED, WELL-PREPARED TEACHER IN EVERY CLASSROOM Individuals looking for teaching positions & school district administrators seeking to hire teachers now have a tool to help. A "teacher referral website," developed by the Department of Defense & the Arizona Department of Education, allows individuals not in the military, as well as military personnel seeking a second career in teaching, to search for K-12 teacher vacancies across the country -- by county, city, school district & subject area. School district administrators may search a database of more than 2,000 service members & veterans interested in a new career in public education. Teacher vacancies may be posted by school district officials at no cost, though an access code & password are required. School district officials may register for this service by phoning or e-mailing the "Troops to Teachers" office at 1- 800-231-6242 or ttt@voled.doded.mil

IDEA MEETINGS In the September 17 issue of the Federal Register, the Secretary announced plans to hold meetings in 7 cities to gather public comments on the upcoming rules to clarify portions of the reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)... Boston (Oct.23), Atlanta (Oct.27), Dallas (Oct.28), Washington, DC (Nov.4), Denver (Nov.18), San Francisco (Nov.21), Chicago (Nov.24). For information on registering & motel accommodations, please see the September 17, 1997, Federal Register (page 48923) notice: http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/other/1997-3/091797a.html For information on the reauthorized IDEA, please see: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/Policy/IDEA/index.html

BUDGET The Department continues to operate at 1997 spending levels, as required by the continuing resolution (CR) passed in September by the House & Senate. That CR expires Thursday, October 23. When Congress returns from its Columbus Day recess next week, conferees are scheduled to resume work on the Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill on October 21. Agreements have not been reached on several 1998 appropriations bills, making it unlikely that work on these bills will be completed by the October 23 deadline. So, a second CR is expected to be passed, allowing the Department to continue working at 1997 spending levels, probably through October 30.

SATELLITE TELECONFERENCES & WEBCASTS NASA Quest is redistributing the Department's monthly Satellite Town Meetings via the Internet, beginning October 21. "Preparing Classrooms for the Future: Ensuring Access to the Internet" (October 21, 8-9:00 p.m. ET) will be offered not only by satellite but also using RealAudio (14.4Kbps audio signal), RealMedia (28.8Kbps & up video/audio signal), CU-SeeMe (56Kbps & up video/audio signal), and MBONE (T1/Unix platform video/audio signal). For information about accessing the program via these Internet-based technologies, please see: http://www.quest.arc.nasa.gov/ltc/stm For details on the program via satellite, please see: http://www.ed.gov/MailingLists/EDInfo/0297.html Several sessions at the October 16-18 Improving America's Schools Conferences, "A Call to Action: Working Together for Equity and Excellence," will be webcast & available in on- demand archives, including a video appearance by President Clinton. For information & to download software for viewing webcast sessions, please click on the webcast icon at http://www.ncbe.gwu.edu/iasconferences/ To directly access webcast information for the conferences, visit http://mrd.web.cerf.net/ias/ If you're attending this conference in San Diego -- the first of 3 such conferences -- you're invited to stop by Web Central, the technology headquarters where you can "look over the shoulders" of the webcast crew & see webcasting technologies in action. Secretary Riley's keynote speech at the "TeleCon XVII Telconferencing Users" conference in Anaheim, CA -- on November 5 at 4:30 EST -- will be broadcast live via satellite & available free to any K-12 school in the U.S. having access to C-band downlink facilities or Ku Band digitally compressed signal using SpectrumSaver. For information, please see http://www.abctelecon.com or call 800-275-5162.

NEW ONLINE Games, photos, stories, student artwork & more deliver to kids (through Grade 8) the message of "disaster preparedness" on a new interactive website unveiled this month by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Children are invited to submit jokes, feedback, poems, essays & artwork; and they may earn a Disaster Action Kids certificate (signed by FEMA Director James Lee Witt) by completing selected assignments, games & quizzes. http://www.fema.gov/kids/index.htm The 31st edition of the "Guide to U.S. Department of Education Programs & Resources" offers various ways of viewing descriptions of Department programs -- by topic, office that administers the program, who is eligible to apply, education level served & more. http://web99.ed.gov/GTEP/Program2.nsf "Preparándose a Tiempo Para la Universidad," the Spanish version of "Getting Ready for College Early," tells what families & children can do during the middle & junior high school years to prepare for success in college. http://www.ed.gov/pubs/GRFC_Span/grfcspan.html The summer issue of "A.L.L. Points Bulletin," a newsletter on adult learning & literacy, looks at professional development for adult learning & literacy providers, citizenship information & resources, workforce initiatives in southern states & more. http://www.ed.gov/offices/OVAE/AdultEd/ InfoBoard/allpoint.html "Including Your Child" is filled with questions & suggestions for families of children having special needs (ages 0-8). http://www.ed.gov/pubs/parents/Including/ The new National Educational Research & Development Centers homepage offers information on the 12 university-based centers currently supported through OERI's 5 National Institutes. Links to homepages for the centers have been added where available, along with links to 5 previously supported research centers. http://www.ed.gov/offices/OERI/ResCtr.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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