Most public school buildings in the U.S. are at least adequate, but 75% need some work, according to a report released yesterday. "Condition of America's Public School Facilities: 1999" estimates that $127 billion is needed to fix America's school buildings. Of the 903 elementary and secondary schools surveyed for this National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) report, 50% reported at least one building feature -- such as heating, plumbing, roofs, or sprinklers and fire alarms -- in less than adequate condition, and 43% reported at least one environmental factor, such as ventilation, security, or indoor air quality, in unsatisfactory condition. Of the schools that rated the condition of their building features as less than adequate, most had no plans for major repair, renovation, or replacement in the next 2 years. http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2000032

LAST WEEK THE PRESIDENT visited an elementary school in Queens, NY, where he called on Congress to pass his school construction proposals, including...

• $25 billion in school modernization funds that would be interest-free for school districts and would help modernize 6,000 schools
• $6.5 billion in loans and grants for urgent repairs.

http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/06-2000/wh-0616.html

The June 26 hearing of the Web-based Education Commission will be webcast live at 1:00 - 3:30 p.m. (ET) from the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, where it is being held in conjunction with the National Educational Computing Conference. The focus is the promise of the Internet to empower K-12 learners. The agenda, witness list, and testimony are at http://www.webcommission.org. The hearing will be webcast at http://www.neccsite.org

This month the President released a Department report that looks at the importance of college and trade schools and describes the Administration's efforts to establish universal access to higher education. Among the findings:

• A college graduate earns $600,000 more over a lifetime, on average, than a high school graduate.
• 66% of 1998 high school graduates enroll in college or trade school the next fall, compared to 60% in 1990.
• The percentage of high school graduates completing 4 years of English and 3 years of each of math, science, and social studies increased from 38% to 55% from 1982 to 1998.
• 50% of adults participated in formal learning in the year prior to the 1999 survey, up from 38% in 1991.

The report tells how Administration initiatives have helped increase availability of college scholarships, affordability of student loans, and new paths to college and careers. "Expanding College Opportunity: More Access, Greater Achievement, Higher Expectations" is at http://www.ed.gov/pubs/expanding
http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/06-2000/wh-0610a.html

At last week's White House Strategy Session on Improving Hispanic Achievement, the Administration announced new strategies to increase the achievement of Hispanic students preschool through college. http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/06-2000/wh-0615.html
http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/06-2000/wh-0615b.html

Also last week...

• The President released "Educational Attainment and Success in the New Economy: Challenges for Improving Hispanic Students' Achievement," which identifies education achievement gaps between Hispanic students and their peers.
• Secretary Riley spoke at the National Hispanic Education meeting and released "Key Indicators of Hispanic Student Achievement: National Goals and Benchmarks for the Next Decade." http://www.ed.gov/pubs/hispanicindicators/
  http://www.ed.gov/Speeches/06-2000/hispaniceduc.html
• Vice President Gore announced 76 new grants to Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) to improve their facilities, academic programs, and student services. http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/06-2000/0615.html

Note: HSIs are colleges or universities where Hispanics represent at least 25% of the student population and at least half of those students are low-income. Some 195 2- and 4-year schools are designated as HSIs, and they enroll about 40% of Hispanic undergraduate students in the U.S.

Last week the House passed an education funding bill that falls $2.9 billion short of the President's budget request. Secretary Riley said that the bill...

"provides no additional support so that 2.9 million more children can have smaller class sizes, no support to modernize outdated and crumbling school buildings, no services for 1.6 million more children to attend safe afterschool programs, no services to help nearly 650,000 more disadvantaged students go on to college, and no support for strengthening accountability and turning around low-performing schools.

"The House bill also fails to provide a serious response to the urgent need we face to put 2.2 million qualified teachers in our classrooms. It totally ignored the President's proposed $1 billion in targeted investments to improve teacher quality."

The Secretary's full statement and tables showing the impact of the House and Senate bills are at http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/05-2000/0511.html It is anticipated that the Senate could take up its own FY 2001 bill next month.

Secretary Riley begins a 4-day back-to-school bus tour on August 27, visiting mostly rural communities along the Mississippi River. The tour will feature schools using new technologies, innovative reading and afterschool programs, and family resource centers, as well as award-winning schools that serve primarily students from low-income families. The Secretary's "Success Express" is currently scheduled to stop in Monroe, Rayville and Winnsboro, LA; Portland, Helena, Marianna and Blytheville, AR; Hollandale, Rosedale and Clarksdale, MS; Memphis and Union City, TN; Hickman and Paducah, KY; Charleston, MO; and Ft. Defiance and Metropolis, IL. http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/06-2000/0614.html

Borrowers may apply for loan consolidation as late as June 30 and still take advantage of low student loan interest rates currently in effect, the Department's Office of Student Financial Assistance (SFA) announced earlier this month. This opportunity is available in the direct loan program. Private lenders that participate in the federally guaranteed loan program may also offer the extended consolidation opportunity. Lower rates will be used to calculate the loan consolidation interest rate as long as the borrower's application is postmarked on or before June 30, 2000. For information about the benefits of loan consolidation, please visit or call http://www.loanconsolidation.ed.gov or 1-800-557-7392 (1-800- 557-7395 TDD).

This month the Administration announced nearly $45 million for 122 new grants to train future teachers to use technology. Funded under the Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology program, the grants will support teacher preparation improvements in virtually every state and region -- mostly in low-income communities, rural areas, and among minority groups and special populations. http://www.ed.gov/teachtech/

Last month Secretary Riley announced an $18.5 million grant to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) to continue development of a national, voluntary certification system for America's teachers. Since 1995, when the first group of NBPTS-certified teachers was announced, 4,803 teachers have been certified. Currently, nearly 10,000 teachers are seeking NBPTS certification in the 1999-2000 cycle. This is the first of 5 grants, totaling $67 million, that the Department expects to make to NBPTS through 2004. http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/05-2000/0531.html
http://www.nbpts.org/

New this week on our website are descriptions of grant awards made under 18 major programs:

21st Century Community Learning Centers, Advanced Placement Incentive, Bilingual Professional Development, Class Size Reduction, Community Technology Centers, Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration, English Literacy/Civics Education, GEAR UP, Learning Anytime Anywhere Partnerships, Middle School Coordinators, New American High Schools, Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology, Public Charter Schools, Reading Excellence, Safe Schools/Healthy Students, Teacher Quality Enhancement, Technology Innovation Challenge, and TRIO Programs.

http://www.ed.gov/inits/FY2000/grants/

"What should we [teachers] be talking about in this time of change and urgency and testing and standards and increasing demands?" Mary Beth Blegen, Teacher-in-Residence at the Department, recently asked a group of teachers. "Who should we be talking to about the reality of our kids and what they need?"

You are invited to join this discussion. Read what teachers are saying and post your own views at http://www.ed.gov/teacherstalk

"The Condition of Education: 2000" includes 67 indicators, 35 of which are new this year, and an essay on the knowledge, skills, and behaviors that entering kindergartners bring to school. http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/06-2000/0601.html
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2000062

An updated comparison of major changes to current proposed by the Administration, House, and Senate bills to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) is now available. This comparison reflects Congressional action through May 2000. An ESEA program table showing fiscal year 2000 enacted funding and the President's budget request for fiscal year 2001 (under the Administration's reauthorization proposal) is also provided. http://www.ed.gov/offices/OUS/budnews.html#ESEAreauth

"Education Statistics Quarterly" (Spring 2000) offers an overview of all National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) products released in the last quarter. It contains short publications, executive summaries of longer publications, descriptive paragraphs of other NCES products, and notices about training and funding opportunities. Each issue includes a featured publication with invited commentary pieces, a note on a current topic from a staff member, and a message from NCES. http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2000/qrtlyspring/

"Mathematics and Science in the 8th Grade: Findings from TIMSS" is an in-depth report on the 1995 Third International Mathematics and Science Study on 8th graders, with an emphasis on the place of the U.S. among participating nations. It examines overall achievement of U.S. students and of various U.S. subpopulations, as well as instructional practices of U.S. 8th grade math and science teachers. http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2000014

"Helping Your Child Become a Reader" suggests dozens of everyday activities families may use to encourage reading and strengthen language skills of young children (birth-age 6). http://www.ed.gov/pubs/parents/Reader/.

A new website for parents and families of children with disabilities is now available from the Federal Interagency Coordinating Council (FICC). The site identifies people throughout government who can help answer parents' questions about children and disability issues. http://www.fed-icc.org

ED Initiatives is made possible by many contributors, including Seth Andrew, Stephanie Babyak, Jim Bradshaw, Lisa Cain, Laura Emmett, Susan Frost, Jane Glickman, Gregory Glova, Roberta Heine, Marty Jacobs, Peter Kickbush, Erica Lepping, Tom Lyon, Sara Mead, David Quinlan, Heidi Ramirez, Tracy Sisser, Irene Spero, David Thomas, and others.

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.