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 A Talented ... Teacher in Every Classroom President's Education Priorities for Fall School Enrollments Hit Another All-Time High Teacher Leadership Publication, Webboard Town Meeting Schedule Announced All Classrooms Connected to the Internet NASA Educational Programming for 1998-99 Technology & Learning Beyond the Schoolhouse Neighborhood Networks Conference World Disaster Reduction Day Activities Distance Learning Resources Credits

A TALENTED, DEDICATED, WELL-PREPARED TEACHER IN EVERY CLASSROOM Secretary Riley will speak on September 15 about the need to hire more than 2 million teachers over the next decade, the importance of ensuring well-trained teachers in all classrooms, & the Administration's efforts to improve teacher training & professional development opportunities. The speech will be webcast live from the National Press Club at 1:00 - 2:00 (ET). For details (& the archive of the Secretary's webcast speeches), please see: http://www.broadcast.com/news/events/deptedu

PRESIDENT'S EDUCATION PRIORITIES FOR FALL In a roundtable discussion on August 31, President Clinton described his education & training priorities for the remainder of this Congressional session, which include... school modernization tax credits, small class sizes, education technology, charter schools, reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, mentors for middle school students, teacher preparation & recruitment, helping every child read well by the end of 3rd grade, after- school programs, Head Start, Title I (education for the disadvantaged), Goals 2000, Hispanic education, education opportunity zones, safe & drug-free communities, summer jobs for youth, youth opportunity areas, & school-to-work. Details, including the legislative status of each priority, are in a press release at: http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/08-1998/wh-0831.html

SCHOOL ENROLLMENTS HIT ANOTHER ALL-TIME HIGH This fall public & private school enrollment will hit a new record -- 52.7 million students, surpassing last fall's all-time high by 500,000 students -- according to a report announced by Secretary Riley on School Modernization Day (September 8). The third annual "Back to School Special Report on the Baby Boom Echo" focuses on *suburban* growth & tells that... New enrollment records will continue to be set for at least the next 8 years. By 2008, 54.3 million students are expected to attend elementary & secondary school. This year college enrollment will rise to a record 14.6 million, up from 14.3 million in 1997, an increase of some 240,000 students. Also on School Modernization Day, President Clinton called for more schools, more classrooms, & more teachers in communities nationwide. His remarks -- & the Baby Boom Echo report, prepared by the Department's National Center for Education Statistics -- are at: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/bbecho98/ http://www.broadcast.com/news/events/deptedu http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/WhiteHouse.html

TEACHER LEADERSHIP PUBLICATION, WEBBOARD How teachers can spur change in their schools & communities and how schools & communities can support teacher leadership are the focus of a report added to the Departments's website. "Teachers Leading the Way" looks at why teacher leadership is needed, ways teachers can lead, how schools & communities can support teachers as leaders, & steps teachers can take to get started. The 26-page report is based on suggestions from more than 100 outstanding teachers attending the 4th annual National Teacher Forum, & from teachers across the U.S. who posted ideas on the Teacher Leadership Forum webpage. The report -- & a webboard where you can read ideas on teacher leadership & post your own -- are at: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/TeachersLead/ http://www.ed.gov/comments/TeachLeader/

TOWN MEETING SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED The new Satellite Town Meeting (STM) season gets underway on September 15, when Secretary Riley hosts a live discussion with innovative school & community leaders in "Back to School: Safe & Sound." The broadcast will feature a large high school in Miami that has created a small community feel, a business initiative in Vermont that provides mentors & encourages employers to allow time for their employees to work with young people, & an inner city religious community that has developed a 10-point plan to help children & mobilize churches to combat youth violence & despair. Viewers will have a chance to ask questions of Secretary Riley & his guests via a special 1-800 number. Details about the broadcast, dates for upcoming STMs, & a new listserv to keep you informed about STMs are at: http://www.ed.gov/inits/stm/

ALL CLASSROOMS CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET; ALL STUDENTS TECHNOLOGY LITERATE On September 15, the America Links Up campaign kicks off "National Kids Online Week" with a National Town Hall meeting in Washington, D.C., from 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. (ET). The discussion will include why the Internet is important to children, pitfalls parents & teachers should know about, & how adults can keep children safe when they're online. Industry leaders, government experts, teachers, librarians, parents & kids will participate in the meeting, which will be *webcast* live & will feature the unveiling of... "Take the Trip Together" public service announcements * a safety video to be distributed to schools across the country a comprehensive guide to safety tools available to parents activities in communities around the nation the America Links Up website -- a resource for parents who want to learn more about the Internet. For details, please see: http://www.americalinksup.org/

NASA EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING FOR 1998-99 This fall the Learning Technologies Channel (LTC), part of NASA's Quest service, is offering live & archived audio/visual science programs that encourage audience participation, including... monthly tours of the International Space Station a 4-part hurricane series starting in September 8 lectures by world-class experts on astrobiology, a multi-discipline research area about life in the universe To receive updates on LTC's ever-growing schedule of programs, you can subscribe to the LTC mail-list by sending email to: listmanager@quest.arc.nasa.gov In the message body, write: subscribe updates-ltc The current schedule can be found online at: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/ltc/schedule.html Another service, NASA CONNECT, features 5 interactive, instructional elementary & middle school math & science programs that use NASA programs, facilities, & researchers to link math & science concepts & skills to the workplace. Aeronautics & space transportation are the focus of the 5 programs, which will feature topics such as weather, aircraft design, navigation, structures & materials, & noise (sound). Educators can register for programs & obtain lessons & pre- & post-lesson activities at: http://edu.larc.nasa.gov/connect/

TECHNOLOGY & LEARNING BEYOND THE SCHOOLHOUSE On September 18, at 3 p.m. (ET), a live teleconference will look at innovative ways that distance learning & related technologies are being used in early childhood education centers, correctional facilities, community-based learning centers, & other non- traditional education settings. Panelists for the free teleconference, sponsored by the Department, include Chris Dede of George Mason University; Antonio Stone of the Community Technology Centers' Network; Dorothy Singer from Yale University; John Doyle, a West Virginia State Legislator; & Anne Kulinksky, Corrections Instructor for the ESD #101. The panel will be moderated by Andrea Johnson, Professor of Telecommunications Law. Satellite coordinates & other information are at: http://www.ed.gov/News/980909.html

NEIGHBORHOOD NETWORKS CONFERENCE Technology, center development, & job readiness/training are among the topics featured at 2 conferences for community technology centers on September 14-16 in Phoenix & September 23-25 in Atlanta. The conferences provide a chance for staff at these centers, which provide computer access to low-income residents of multi-family housing units, a chance to learn more about the successes, challenges, & future directions of individual Neighborhood Networks centers & the HUD sponsored national Neighborhood Networks initiative. The Department's FY99 budget contains a request for $10 million to build & expand community technology centers. For more information on the conferences & community technology centers, please see: http://www.ctcnet.org/

WORLD DISASTER REDUCTION DAY ACTIVITIES With World Disaster Reduction Day approaching (October 14), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has added to its website new activities to help youngsters learn about & be prepared for natural disasters. The activities are designed so that elementary & middle school teachers can incorporate disaster planning & prevention into reading, science, math, art, geography, & physical education lessons. They're available on the FEMA Resources for Parents & Teachers webpage at: http://www.fema.gov/kids/teacher.htm

DISTANCE LEARNING RESOURCES The Distance Learning Resource Network (DLRN) website offers fact sheets on distance education, answers to frequently asked questions, a technology resource guide, listserv archives, literature reviews, research, distance learning programs, & more. It is designed for educators, administrators, policymakers, & parents, & it's available at: http://www.wested.org/tie/dlrn/

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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