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 America Goes Back to School National School Modernization Day Helping All Children Reach High Standards Every School Strong, Safe, Drug-Free & Disciplined Parent Involvement Adult Education K-12 Classrooms Connect With Real NASA Experts White House Millennium Evening New One-Stop for Department Publications Email Update Credits

AMERICA GOES BACK TO SCHOOL Families, schools & communities around the country are gearing up for back-to-school activities, & the Department is encouraging all Americans to share their talents & time to help strengthen local schools. Please join thousands of people participating in the 4th annual "America Goes Back to School" initiative, which, during August through October, will help launch hundreds of year-long partnerships. You can pitch in by... helping teachers get & use technology mentoring a child in math starting an after-school or summer reading program helping prepare kids for college early teaching kids about the dangers of drugs, alcohol & tobacco. Find out how you can get involved by calling 1-800-USA-LEARN or by visiting the America Goes Back to School homepage: http://www.ed.gov/Family/agbts/

NATIONAL SCHOOL MODERNIZATION DAY On September 8, National School Modernization Day, President Clinton & others will speak on the importance of providing students with safe & modern facilities, equipment, & the personal attention they need in order to excel. At schools & other locations from Hawaii to New England, Members of Congress & local officials, parents & educators, business & community leaders & others will discuss the challenges they face in their own local schools; how parents, communities, & state & local governments can get involved; & how the Administration's education agenda can help address these needs. All Americans concerned about education are encouraged to join in these efforts. Each local event can link by satellite to a live national event with President Clinton at 2:15 p.m. (ET). This live event will also be broadcast (& archived) on the web at: http://www.broadcast.com/news/events/deptedu Anyone interested in organizing or participating in these events will receive... suggestions for how to arrange a town meeting ways to facilitate discussions on community involvement in school modernization procedures for linking to other events across the country. If you would like to organize or be involved in a local event, please call 1-800-USA-LEARN or send email to usa.learn@ed.gov An overview on School Modernization Day, ideas for being part of it, & a registration form can be found at: http://www.ed.gov/inits/construction/ (Ed Note: Site no longer on-line)

HELPING ALL CHILDREN REACH HIGH STANDARDS This month 7 states (HI, MA, MO, NM, NV, WA, & WV) received $11 million to help raise student achievement under comprehensive, research-driven approaches that strengthen entire schools & make curricula more rigorous. The awards were made under the Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration (CSRD) program, which is designed to raise standards & build on other state & local school efforts, through Title I & other reform programs. Last month, 10 states received a total of $44 million under the program. Additional states are expected to be funded this fall, with the deadline for state applications June 30, 1999. The CSRD program will help demonstrate how federal funds can be used more effectively for Title I "schoolwide programs" in more than 25,000 high-poverty schools. States are also encouraged to use CSRD funds to strengthen schools in need of improvement because of low student achievement. For details, please see: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/compreform/ http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/08-1998/reform1.html

EVERY SCHOOL STRONG, SAFE, DRUG-FREE & DISCIPLINED The President announced this week the release of a new guide to help teachers, parents, principals & school district leaders prevent violence in schools. Early Warning, Timely Response: A Guide to Safe Schools tells what to look for & what to do to prevent violence, when to intervene & get help for troubled children, & how to respond when violent situations occur. When releasing the guide, Secretary Riley said, "Schools remain among the safest places for young people, yet even one incident of violent crime in a school is too many. This guide is a practical resource for schools & communities to use to reduce the likelihood of violence & improve existing prevention & intervention efforts. Because there is no one-size- fits-all approach to this complex issue, it is important that everyone -- parents, students, teachers, staff, & community members -- be part of creating safe, disciplined school environments." The guide presents a brief summary of research on violence prevention, intervention, & crisis response in schools. It was developed at the request of President Clinton by the U.S. Departments of Justice & Education in cooperation with the National Association of School Psychologists. It will be distributed to schools nationwide & is available by calling 1-877-4ED-PUBS, or by visiting: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/OSEP/Products/earlywrn.html

PARENT INVOLVEMENT While schools are working hard to involve parents in their children's education, most parents would like even more information & help on how to support their children both at school & at home, according to a report released this month. Family Involvement in Education: A National Portrait presents findings from phone interviews with 376 parents of elementary & middle school students. When issuing the report, Secretary Riley noted that it "offers a snapshot of the specific opportunities & the barriers to family involvement in education as seen through the eyes of parents & will be useful in helping others evaluate their experiences." The survey was sponsored by the Department, the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education, & the GTE Foundation. A companion report, Questions Parents Ask About Schools, answers some of the most frequent concerns that parents have on school work, homework, safety & preparing children for a career. For example, regarding school work, the report advises: "Ask to see examples of successful student work & compare it to your child's work;" and, on safety, "Know your child's friends ... Listen to their stories about what they do when they are with other adults & when adults aren't around." Both publications will be available soon on the Department's website. Single paper copies may be requested by calling 1-877-4ED-PUBS.

ADULT EDUCATION Local programs funded by the Massachusetts Department of Education (MDOE) now are required to allocate a minimum of $2000 of each federal Adult Basic Education grant award annually to support a technology coordinator. The coordinator facilitates technology development & links technology with instruction at local centers. MDOE also expects to award about $1.4 million in state-funded technology minigrants to support a new System for Managing Accountability & Results Through Technology (SMART). The system will provide the state with student participation performance data monthly through the Internet. MA is receiving $6.8 million in federal funding to provide services for a adult learners. For information on federal investments in adult education & funding to other states, please see: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OVAE/index/news.html

K-12 CLASSROOMS CONNECT WITH REAL NASA EXPERTS Students & teachers can participate in interactive Internet projects & also communicate with science experts through "Quest," a free service sponsored by NASA. Quest projects include... Space Team Online, which involves the space shuttle, space station, & research with people in space. Aero Design Team Online, which looks at various aeronautics topics -- wind tunnels, simulators, supercomputers, flight research, air safety, & technology. Women of NASA, which profiles women aeronautics experts as role models for young girls. Mars Team Online, which explores Mars & missions to the red planet. Projects include email Q&A, real-time Internet audio/video programs, biographies, field journals, lesson plans, kid publishing, online collaborations, background, photos, & more. For more information -- including a "getting started" guide, a listserv for teachers using Quest, & a story about student volunteers (who now get paid) -- please see: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov

WHITE HOUSE MILLENNIUM EVENING "Jazz as an American Metaphor" is the theme of the 4th White House Millennium evening hosted by the President & Mrs. Clinton, and will be broadcast live from the East Room via satellite & Internet on September 18th at 7:30 p.m.(ET). "Millennium Evenings" is a series of lectures & cultural events showcasing innovation in the arts & sciences. To register as a downlink site, call 1-800-USA-LEARN. A registration form will be available soon at: http://www.ed.gov/News/index.html

NEW ONE-STOP FOR DEPARTMENT PUBLICATIONS "ED Pubs," the Department's new one-stop shop for information products, was announced this month by the National Library of Education. ED Pubs (short for Education Publications Center) is the place to call for publications, brochures, videos, CD-ROMs, posters, bookmarks, & other ED products. ED Pubs includes online ordering via the Internet, a searchable database that includes all ED products, a customer call center, & an automated inventory system for ED personnel. ED Pubs customer service representatives (including Spanish speaking representatives) are available from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (ET), Monday through Friday. You may call any time to leave a voicemail request or to use the fax-on-demand service. Below is how to contact ED Pubs: toll free: 1-877-4ED-Pubs (1-877-433-7827) TTY/TDD: 1-877-576-7734 e-mail: edpubs@inet.ed.gov Internet: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html

EMAIL UPDATE The Department's email system has been restored. Work continues to ensure the stability of the system. We apologize for this inconvenience.

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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