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US Education UpdateIssue 2, July 2000 Contents
Research on Performance-Related Pay for Teachers A growing number of states are experimenting with various teacher compensation plans. For an overview of this issue, go to the website of the Consortium for Policy Research in Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison: www.wcer.wisc.edu/cpre/. The site offers background to teacher compensation in the USA, links to recent newspaper articles of schools experimenting with "merit pay", links to the Consortium's own research/publications, and information on upcoming seminars on this subject. The issue is a current hot topic with the largest teaching union, the National Education Association (www.nea.org), debating performance-related pay in early July at its annual Representative Assembly. A long-term opponent to the issue, the union had cautiously set out conditions under which it could approve new pay plans. However, delegates representing the 2.5 million teachers in the union voted narrowly to reject the conservatively-worded resolution . Those against compensating teachers for anything more than their level of education and length of service cited fears that teachers would be assessed on factors outside their control such as a student's attendance or discipline problems. The move is seen as an attempt to slow the growing support for performance-related pay among policymakers as a vital part of school improvement. The union supports bonuses for teachers certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (www.nbpts.org/nbpts). This concurs with the other major teaching union, the American Federation of Teachers (www.aft.org) which also supports rewarding teachers for gaining certification from the NBPTS. The NBPTS certification is a voluntary process and is in addition to a state's requirements for a teacher. School Leadership and High Performing, High Poverty Schools A recent report entitled "No Excuses: Lessons from 21 High-Performing, High-Poverty Schools" presents case studies on 21 schools across the USA which are exceeding academic expectations with "hard work, common sense teaching philosophies, and successful leadership strategies". The report criticises a public school system which fails low-income students. Outlining seven common traits and a number of "best practices" (with particular emphasis on school leadership) the report shows that, in the schools examined, it is possible for children from high poverty backgrounds to succeed. The seven "common sense" traits are: Principals must be
free to make their own budgetary, hiring, and curriculum decisions Re-inventing High Schools: Taking Action In June the US Department
of Education held a conference in Washington DC which was attended by
1500 delegates - teachers, education administrators, parents and students.
Set against a backdrop of high schools as enduring and unchanging institutions,
the aim of the conference was to share ideas and successful strategies
and take action. Speakers included Education Secretary, Richard Riley
and the Governor of Kentucky, Paul Patton.
New Commission on High School Senior Year A new commission,
headed by Paul Patton, Governor of Kentucky, will develop ideas and recommendations
on how to make the last years of high school more productive and how to
improve the transition to college, work and adulthood. A wider goal will
be to build partnerships between the public and private sectors and between
secondary and post-secondary education. Schools. Universities. A number of regional virtual universities already exist throughout the states (see websites listed below) and there is a growing number of statewide partnerships. Institutions cite advantages such as cost-sharing for services eg purchasing for a statewide virtual library (GALLILEO, Georgia's online library allows students to access databases, journals and reference materials in the state's 34 colleges and universities). Currently, there are several models of virtual universities: some are simply websites which list information on the availability of online courses or allow students to apply and register online for institutions within the consortium; others are a group of institutions which pool their resources to create and distribute distance education courses via the Internet (for example, the Southern Regional Electronic Campus: www.srec.sreb.org/ ) or, in the case of Western Governors University (www.wgu.edu ), an organisation which uses courses created by its member institutions but promotes itself as a single university. Many issues are still causing debate such as accreditation and financial structures and there has been at least one notable failure: the California Virtual University, contrary to its original aim, is simply a website offering information on courses at the state's institutions. The virtual institutions are seen as a growth market and are aimed primarily at lifelong learners rather than the traditional full-time student. Examples of regional
and statewide consortia: Sources: Quality Measures for Internet-based Distance Education The first study of the quality of on-line distance learning has been carried out by The Institute for Higher Education Policy. According to the report "distance learning can be quality learning". The study examines six institutions, including one virtual university, which are heavily invested in distance education and currently offer at least one full degree via the Internet. Having established 24 benchmarks for measuring quality, the researchers visited each institution to find out how they incorporated the benchmarks into their distance learning programmes. The study is intended as a first step in assessing how technology can enhance the teaching/learning process. The full report, entitled "Quality on the Line: Benchmarks for Success in Internet-Based Distance Education" can be downloaded in .pdf format from: www.ihep.com/pub.htm Learning and Skills Councils US-style The Workforce Investment
Act (WIA) was signed into law by President Clinton in August 1998. It
came into effect on 1 July 2000. There are significant analogies to the
UK Government's post-16 agenda and, in particular, the Learning and Skills
Councils. Given that the implementation of WIA is roughly 18 months ahead
of the Learning and Skills Councils, this gives the UK an excellent opportunity
to learn of some likely hurdles and some possible solutions. A subsidiary of Sallie
Mae, the USA' s leading provider of education loans, has joined with the
American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO
- a federation of labour unions) to offer loans at favourable rates for
job skills training to union members and their families. The move signals
recognition of the need for improved access to job skills training for
workers throughout their working life to help them remain competitive
and respond to the demands of the new economy. It is hoped that access
to loans for lifelong learning will be as straightforward as those for
college education. Sources: Presidential International Education Initiative There have been important
developments on President Clinton's International Education Policy Directive.
The Departments of Education and State have set up four working groups
to take the initiative forward: There is significant
interest from the US side in collaboration in all these areas. For more information, contact Jenny Scott, Director, Education Promotion: jenny.scott@britishcouncil-usa.org Atlantic Fellowships in Public Policy The Atlantic Fellowships, established by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to commemorate the 50th anniversary of D-Day and the US contribution to the liberation of Europe, enable US mid-career professionals to gain practical experience in public policy in the UK for a minimum of three months. Examples of research to be carried out by the Atlantic Fellows 2000 include: Comparison of Child Support Enforcement Reforms in the UK and US: Lessons for Putting Children First, Anne Benson from the US Dept of Health and Human Services, Washington DC. Host: University of Newcastle Effective Transitional Employment: Policies, Programs and Administration, Julie Kerksick, The New Hope Project, Inc., Milwaukee. Host: Department of Social Security, London. A Comparison of US/UK Environmental Welfare-to-Work Programs: Andrew Moore, National Association of Service and Conservation Corps (NASCC), Washington DC. Host: British Trust for Conservation, Wallingford. Welfare Reform Three Years Later - How Local, Grassroots Perspectives Within the UK and US Can Inform National Policies on Self-Sufficiency and Diminution of Poverty and Social Exclusion, Jonathan Stein, Community Legal Services, Inc. Philadelphia. Host: Child Poverty Action Group, London. For more information on the above Atlantic Fellows, contact Jonathan Bird Atlantic Fellowships Officer: jonathan.bird@us.britishcouncil.org Statistical Resources on the Web The University of Michigan Documents Center has established a website of statistical resources on the web for information on the USA (and some other countries). The resources cover all areas, including education: www.lib.umich.edu/libhome/Documents.center/stats.html Bush, Gore and
the Education Debate Recent opinion polls put education near the top of issues Americans feel must be addressed in the upcoming elections, especially among women with school-aged children. These so-called "soccer moms" largely abandoned the Republicans in the last two presidential elections and, while Democrats have traditionally been viewed as pro-public education, Bush is gaining in the polls against Gore on the issue. Over the past two months, Gore and Bush have laid out differing views on how best to improve the nation's school system that mirror the different sides in the Senate debate. Gore proposes spending $115 billion over 10 years to help teachers, students and schools meet higher education standards by, among other things, requiring every state and school district to identify failing schools and set strict accountability standards for those schools. He will allocate money to reduce class size, enrol more children in pre-school, improve school buildings, hire 100,000 new teachers nation-wide, and improve their pay. Gore would also give financial incentives to principals and teachers of improved schools. Bush has proposed spending an additional $13.5 billion over five years. His proposals include a $5 billion program called "Reading First" that is intended to combat illiteracy in disadvantaged children through early reading programs. Bush also would combine the current 52 federal programs into five categories and award money on that basis, which he says would give states and local school districts unprecedented flexibility. He also plans to improve and build more charter schools, and revamp Head Start -- the federal program for pre-school-age children from low-income families. Vice President Gore has taken his presidential campaign to Republican rival George W. Bush's home state of Texas, announcing initiatives to ensure accountability among failing public schools and claiming his Republican rival offered an education plan "that skimps on needed investments." In a speech to the national Conference of Black Mayors in Dallas, Gore said "We need to bring revolutionary improvements to our schools, we need to invest more and demand more -- not aim too low, invest too little, and drain resources away from public schools with private school vouchers." In a plan that partly resembles the Texas governor's education agenda, Gore proposed that the federal government withhold Title I funding and other public monies from states that fail to close the gap between disadvantaged students and those that are better off. But while Bush's plan would pull federal Title I dollars meant to help poor students from individual schools that fail to improve -- and instead give parents $1,500 private school vouchers -- the vice president would reinvest the monies into reform programs designed to turn those public schools around. Under the Gore proposal, states would be required to set standards and identify failing schools. If those schools failed to improve within two years, they would be closed and reopened under new leadership. Parents would be allowed to transfer their children to better public schools. To help failing schools turn around, Gore proposed setting aside $500 million per year to pay for overhaul programs. He would also direct more funding toward after-school programs at failing schools, and offer them the first chance at other public funding. Gore is also calling on states to establish high school exit exams and other tests to ensure that graduating students can read and do maths at the proper levels, and promised federal bonuses to districts that make significant progress in reducing drop-out rates. He has called for a renewed focus on discipline and character education by increasing the number of after-school programs aimed at preventing juvenile crime, alcohol and drug abuse, and teen pregnancy. Meanwhile, the Bush campaign has accused the vice president of taking a page from its own education plan. The Bush 2000 spokesman, Dan Bartlett said recently, "we're not going to question a convert on the day of his conversion, but we're glad Al Gore now agrees with Governor Bush's proposal to hold schools accountable for results." Although traditionally an issue controlled by the Democrats, Bush has sought to dominate the education debate since the earliest days of his candidacy with a series of proposals predicated on accountability, rather the federal spending. The latest polls would seem to suggest he is succeeding. More information, please see the candidates' websites: www.algore2000.com and www.georgewbush.com Regional Conferences on Improving America's Schools US Education Secretary Riley has announced the seventh round of Annual Regional Conferences on Improving America's Schools. The meetings will be in three locations across the USA beginning in September. These are annual events at which the Department of Education aims to communicate its agenda to educators/ administrators at the state and local levels. A key theme is collaboration and co-operation between the Department and those at the "sharp end". Specific goals for participants include learning more about how to use resources to implement comprehensive schools reform and achieving a better understanding of funding opportunities. Those invited include teachers, parents, counsellors and local/state education officials. More information: www.ncbe.gwu.edu/iasconferences/ The Education Trust Annual Conference The Education Trust
Annual Conference, "Seeing is Believing: Evidence that We CAN Close
the Academic Achievement Gap", will be held in Washington DC, 2-4
November. The Education Trust is an extremely good organisation that supports
education reform efforts which promote high academic achievement for all
students at all levels. Previous issues of the Education Update are available on the British Council's USA website. If there are any topics
you would like to see covered in future editions of the Update, please
contact: alison.corbett@us.britishcouncil.org Additional contacts
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