US
Education Update
Issue
Fifteen - October 2002
Contents
School Choice
The Supreme Court Decision on Vouchers in Ohio
In a landmark decision the Supreme Court ruled, five to four, on June
27 that the voucher programme operating in Cleveland schools is not in
violation of the Constitution's First Amendment (separation of church
and state). Students from Cleveland's beleaguered public school system
can attend a private school using vouchers of up to $2,250 (funded by
the taxpayer).
With 96% of the students in the voucher programme attending a religious
school, usually Catholic, opponents argued that this amounted to state
sponsorship of religion. The majority opinion of the Supreme Court focused,
however, on parental choice: the parents chose to send their child to
a particular school which happened to be a religious one. Other choices
open to parents are magnet schools, charter schools (known as "community
schools" in Ohio) and suburban schools, although places at these
institutions are scarce and highly competitive. Dissenters argued that
there is no real choice as the only schools affordable with the voucher
are low-tuition Catholic schools.
Beneficiaries of the Cleveland voucher programme are children from low-income,
predominantly black, families. Their supporters say that this gives them
the freedom of choice afforded to wealthier families who can choose either
private schools or public schools in good neighbourhoods for their children.
Supporters of vouchers argued that the funds go directly to the parents
and not to the institutions, citing the precedent of postsecondary student
aid grants which can be used by an individual at a religious college.
Opponents focused on the perceived weakening of the Constitution's First
Amendment and the money which would be drained from public education into
the private system.
As the ruling applied only to Ohio, it is not clear how many other states
will choose to adopt voucher legislation (Wisconsin and Florida are the
only others with similar programmes in place). It continues to be a hot
issue and the process is likely to be slow in the face of tightening state
education budgets, the language within state constitutions and legislature
to be overcome, and public opinion which remains skeptical for the most
part (teachers' unions strongly oppose vouchers).
For more information:
www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/01slipopinion.html
- download the Supreme Court's ruling (Zelman v Simmons-Harris)
www.nea.org/vouchers/
- anti-voucher information from the National Education Association, one
of the largest teachers' unions
www.schoolchoiceinfo.org/
- pro-voucher information for parents
www.edexcellence.net/topics/choice.html
- pro-voucher information from the Thomas B Fordham Foundation
www.edweek.org - click on
"hot topics", then "vouchers" for comprehensive information
from Education Week
(Sources: Education Week, New York Times, Washington Post)
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Florida's School Choice Programmes
Florida has witnessed an expansion of it school choice programmes and
an increased number of participants. It offers "Opportunity Scholarships"
for students attending schools which are deemed failing ie they receive
an F grade under the state's accountability system twice over the course
of four years. The scholarship is currently worth about $3,900.
Recent legislation allows companies in Florida to donate up to 75% of
their income taxes to non-profit groups which provide funds for students
to attend private schools. About 10,000 students are currently on their
way to receiving one of these scholarships this year.
"McKay Scholarships" enable special education students to use
state money ($4,500 to $21,000) for private schooling. An estimated 9,000
students are enrolled using them.
However, a state court in Florida ruled in August that vouchers violated
the state constitution which prevents public money being fed into religious
institutions (including schools). The ruling has been appealed and programmes
will continue in the meantime.
As vouchers continue to be a political hot potato, the general elections
on 5 November (which could see changes in state Governors and thus the
composition of state Boards of Education) will be an important factor
in determining education policy.
(Source: Education Week, September 4, 2002)
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Minnesota's Public School Choice Programmes
A new study from the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs entitled
"What Really Happened? Minnesota's experience with statewide public
school choice programmes." looks at the impact of four statewide
public school choice laws on Minnesota education since 1985.
Key findings include:
§ In the period 1988-89 through 2000-01, the proportion of students
participating in a public choice programme increased from about 1% to
17%. In 2000-01, 30% of secondary students participated in a choice option.
§ Choice programmes have caused some schools and districts to change
the way they educate children.
§ The vast majority of participating students and parents express
a high degree of satisfaction with their education.
§ Limited evidence on academic performance suggests that the effect
of school choice is positive, but more research is needed
To read the report, go to: www.hhh.umn.edu/centers/school-change
What Really Happened? Minnesota's experience with statewide public school
choice programs
William Lowe Boyd, Debra Hare and Joe Nathan, Center for School Change,
Hubert H. Humphrey Institute for Public Affairs, University of Minnesota
(Source: adapted from The Education Gadfly, News and Analysis from the
Fordham Foundation June 20, 2002)
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Early Days for the No Child Left Behind Act
Leaving Behind a Failing School
Early into the new school year districts are scrambling to adhere to the
No Child Left Behind Act signed into law in January. During the summer
the US Department of Education announced that 8,652 schools (or 7% of
schools in the nation) had been identified for improvement under Title
1 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). These schools
have failed to make progress in test scores two years in a row and, under
the law, districts must make provisions for pupils to have the option
to transfer to a better school within the school district (using a portion
of the district's federal funding to pay for transportation costs).
So far, the number of pupils opting to transfer has been very low. For
example, in one county in Maryland only 63 pupils out of a possible 2,300
applied to transfer from their school. District officials suggest parents
want their children close to home and are willing to keep them at their
current school. Many schools have campaigned forcefully to encourage parents
to stay with their school and promised improvement. In many districts,
already experiencing overcrowding, there is simply no room at better schools.
However, some districts have been accused of dragging their feet on the
law and giving parents very little time to apply for a transfer.
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Teacher Recruitment
Under the new law schools must ensure that each classroom has a "highly
qualified" teacher for core academic subjects by 2005-06. (Highly
qualified is defined as holding a bachelor's degree, full state certification,
demonstrated teaching skills and competence in their subject.)
School districts in large urban areas where teacher shortages are felt
most acutely are facing the biggest challenges in meeting the requirements
of the law. However, large districts such as New York City and the Los
Angeles Unified School District are reporting a higher percentage of certified
newly-hired teachers. In New York, 97% of the new recruits are certified
(compared to 50% last year) and the LAUSD reported 56% (compared to 34%
last year) with the rest on a "fast-track" to certification.
Both districts are relying on alternative routes to teacher certification
to make up the numbers such as Teaching Fellows for mid-career individuals
switching from other professions, or Teach for America for recent college
graduates. Other factors such as increased salaries and aggressive hiring
techniques have contributed to the increase.
Officials acknowledge that the next challenge is to keep the new teachers.
In Illinois, a more relaxed teacher pension law is enabling recent retirees
to work part-time while collecting full pension benefits. School districts
are taking advantage of the law to attract experienced teachers back to
the classroom rather than using untrained substitutes. The law allows
retired teachers to work 120 days or 600 hours for a school district while
receiving a full pension. The scheme is attractive to retirees wishing
to keep teaching who, once eligible for good retirement benefits, could
not justify financially working full-time. Many school districts are finding
their retired recruits on an internet job placement site called Teach-On.com.
(Source: Chicago Tribune 23/9/02)
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Following the Leaders Project: Best Practice Models
The Bush administration remains upbeat about the enactment of the law
so far and emphasises that this is the beginning of a twelve year programme
to change the culture of public education in the USA. Aware of the concerns
being raised by many states over implementation of the accountability
requirements under the new law, the US Department of Education announced
funding for a project aimed at providing models of best practice. A grant
of $3.5 million has been awarded to the Education Leaders Council for
the Following the Leaders Project. Six states (Alaska, Illinois, Mississippi,
Pennsylvania, Tennessee and West Virginia) were chosen from a list of
28 which applied to be part of the project. They were chosen as representative
of differing size, geography, demographics and stages of current implementation
of accountability programmes. The Education Leaders Council will work
them, using the data and analysis tools provided by the project, to establish
models for use by other states.
For more information
www.followingtheleaders.org
- Following the Leaders project
www.educationleaders.org
- Education Leaders Council
(Sources: New York Times 28/8/02, Education Week 11/9/02, The Education
Gadfly, News and Analysis from the Fordham Foundation, August 2002)
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Understanding and Preventing School Violence
Evidence suggests that violence in schools, although not a new phenomenon,
has been increasing in recent years in the USA. Since the shootings at
Columbine High School in 1999, the Department of Education's Safe and
Drug-Free Schools Program and the US Secret Service have been working
together to tackle the issue of school violence. They have developed the
Safe School Initiative which has both agencies working together using
a modification of the Secret Service's threat assessment process. With
studies showing that most violent acts are carefully planned, with little
regard to secrecy, the threat assessment process seeks to identify the
signs and develop a strategy of prevention.
The two agencies recently held a seminar and a full report on school violence,
statistics, the Safe School Initiative, and the Threat Assessment guide
can be read here: School
Violence Seminar Report
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New Federal Offices Promote School Choice and Safe Schools
The US Department of Education announced, in September, the formation
of two new high level offices: the Office of Innovation and Improvement
and the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools.
The Office of Innovation and Improvement will assume responsibility for
federal programmes related to choice, charter schools, private schools,
and magnet schools, and will work with the Office of Elementary and Secondary
Education to implement the public school choice and supplemental services
provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act.
The Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools will house all programs related
to safe schools, crisis and response (including response to terrorism),
alcohol and drug prevention, health and well being of students, and building
strong character and citizenship.
Press releases ("Paige Announces Formation of Two New Offices";
"Nina Shokraii Rees to Head New Office of Innovation and Improvement";
and "Eric D. Andell to Lead New Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools")
are available at www.ed.gov/PressReleases/index.html
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Maine Launches Laptop Initiative for Middle School Students
In September, Maine became the first state to enact a law providing every
7th and 8th grade public school student (13 and 14 year olds, usually
in middle schools) and their teacher with a laptop computer. Known as
the Maine Learning and Technologies Initiative, the project aims to make
Maine's youth the most technologically skilled in the nation. The project
will cost $37.2 million and the contract, a lease-purchase agreement with
Apple computers, includes installation of a wireless network, teacher
training, technical support, and professional development.
The cost of the initiative has drawn criticism at a time when Maine is
facing an education budget shortfall of $240 million. Indeed, the funding
for the project has been plundered to help with the deficit and a major
fundraising campaign is underway to replenish the endowment.
Critics also worry about inappropriate use of the laptops by students,
such as downloading games, music or worse. State officials, however, say
teacher training and technical support measures are in place to ensure
that this does not happen, and a pilot project in nine schools has not
reported any problems so far.
For more information, please go to the Maine Learning and Technologies
Initiative: www.state.me.us/mlte/
(Source: Portland (ME) Press Herald, 14/9/02)
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First National Data on Public Alternative Schools for
At-Risk Students
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)has issued a report
with data on public alternative schools and programmes for at-risk students.
It is the first national study of its kind and provides data on the availability
of alternative schools, enrollment, staffing and services. The focus of
the study is on alternative schools and programmes which serve students
who are at risk of educational failure, as indicated by poor grades, truancy,
disruptive behavior, suspension, pregnancy, or similar factors associated
with early withdrawal from school.
To download the report, entitled "Public Alternative Schools and
Programs for Students At Risk of Education Failure: 2000-01" , please
go to: nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2002004
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Strategies for Closing the Achievement Gap in Urban
School Districts
A report released by the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS) looks
at four urban school districts which have improved their students' scores
and begun to close the academic achievement gap between white and minority
students. The four districts are: Houston (Texas); Charlotte-Mecklenburg
(North Carolina); Sacramento (California); and the Chancellor's District
in New York City (a special district composed of low-performing schools).
In addition to the progress mentioned above, they were chosen because
they are improving more quickly than their respective states, and they
are geographically representative. Two anonymous school districts were
used as comparisons.
The report emphasises the importance of looking at large urban districts,
as opposed to individual schools, and working on a districtwide reform
strategy. Urban school districts educate a high proportion of minority
students and face challenges such as overcrowding and less-experienced
teachers. It identifies several preconditions for reform and outlines
common elements of the districts' strategies which are successful.
The report, entitled "Foundations for Success: Case Studies of How
Urban School Systems Improve Student Achievement," was jointly released
by CGCS and the Manpower Development Research Corporation, and partly
funded by the US Department of Education. It is available at: www.cgcs.org/reports/Foundations.html
The Council of the Great City Schools is a Washington-based network of
57 urban districts; the Manpower Demonstration Research Corp. is a nonprofit
research organisation in New York City.
(Sources: Education Week. 11/9/02; The Education Gadfly News and Analysis
from the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation 5/9/02)
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Reauthorisation of the Vocational Education Act
During this month (October), the US Department of Education's Office of
Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE) will hold public meetings in New
Hampshire and California to solicit comments on the reauthorisation of
federal support for vocational and technical education programmes.
The Carl D Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act, signed into
law in 1998, authorises federal support to improve secondary and postsecondary
vocational and technical education. Federal funding is $1.3 billion in
FY 2002 and most funds are awarded as grants to state agencies. The Act's
statutory authorisation expires on 30 September, 2004 and reauthorisation
will be discussed in Congress during 2003.
OVAE is holding the public meetings, and inviting written comments, as
a way of developing strategies for the future of vocational and technical
education and enhancing the upcoming debate in Congress.
In the public discussion on the future role of vocational education, the
OVAE has suggested some priority issues:
· Narrowing the achievement gap - academic achievement gaps between
white students and their minority peers remained stable or widened in
the 1990s, many college students require remediation in basic subjects
· Targetting limited federal input to the greatest effect - federal
funding of $1.3 billion accounts for only 7% of the overall funding for
vocational and technical education (the rest comes from states and local
districts). What programmes work?
· Accountability - the 1998 Act introduced state accountability
for the first time and data will be available to Congress on the progress
states are making. However, the system has been criticised for being too
complex and inaccessible.
· Coordination of federal employment and training programmes -
how successful is the "one-stop shop" created under the Workforce
Investment Act 1998?
For more information:
www.ed.gov/offices/OVAE
- Office of Vocational and Adult Education
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Changes to the University Admissions Test: SAT
In November last year
the President of the University of California, Richard C Atkinson, called
for the replacement of the SAT. He felt that the test did not reflect
the curriculum of Californian schools. Furthermore, there has always been
criticism that the test discriminates against students from low-income
families, in particular black and Hispanic students.
With no national curriculum
or national examinations, many universities rely on the scores of this
private test as an admissions criterion and over two million students
pay to take the test each year. For background on the test, please read
The American
SAT.
The College Board,
which administers the test, immediately launched a consultation process
with the University of California, the largest public university system
(nine campuses with 178,000 students) and therefore an important customer.
In May the College Board announced that it has added a writing component
to the test (a short essay) and it will expand its testing of mathematics.
A section, infamous in the USA, on word analogies has been dropped.
The changes will take
effect with the high school graduating class of 2006.
(Source: New York
Times, May 16, 2002)
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Upcoming
Events/Conferences
November 10-12, 2002
Public Education Network, Annual Conference
Washington, DC
"Standards-Based Reform: A Civic Imperative."
For more information, visit: www.publiceducation.org/events/conference/index.htm
November 17-19, 2002
Education Trust, Annual Conference
Grand Hyatt Hotel, Washington DC
"All Students College Ready, Can we do it? What will it take?"
For more information, visit: www.edtrust.org
November 18-22, 2002
Department of Education and Department of State's 3rd annual
International
Education Week
For more information, visit: exchanges.state.gov/iew
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Back Issues
Previous issues of
the Education Update are available on the British Council's USA website.
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For More Information
If there are any topics
you would like to see covered in future editions of the Update, please
contact: alison.corbett@us.britishcouncil.org,
Education Research Officer
Additional contacts
judith.grant@worldnet.att.net;
judith.grant@dfes.gsi.gov.uk
Consultant to the British Embassy
jenny.scott@us.britishcouncil.org
Director Education, British Council USA
andy.mackay@us.britishcouncil.org
Director, British Council USA
Alex.Gibbs@fco.gov.uk Counsellor
Economic, British Embassy, USA
John.Russell@fco.gov.uk Labour
Officer, British Embassy
British Embassy website;
www.britainUSA.com
To add or remove a
name from the distribution list, please email alison.corbett@us.britishcouncil.org
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