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 Helping All Children Reach High Standards A Talented, Dedicated, Well-Prepared Teacher... All Classrooms Connected to the Internet... Every School Strong, Safe, Drug-Free & Disciplined Higher Education Act (HEA) Reauthorization Appropriations Bill Year 2000 Adult Education School-to-Work Credits

HELPING ALL CHILDREN REACH HIGH STANDARDS Ten states will receive a total of nearly $44 million to support comprehensive, research-driven approaches that strengthen entire schools & make curricula more rigorous, the Vice President announced this month. The awards were made under the Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration (CSRD) program, which is designed to raise standards & build on other state & local efforts, through Title I & other reform programs. Secretary Riley noted that the demonstration program will help point the way toward more effective use of federal funds for Title I "schoolwide programs" in more than 25,000 high-poverty schools. States are also encouraged to use CSRD funds to help improve schools identified as in need of improvement because of low student achievement. The law creating CSRD, Public Law 105-78, specifies 17 comprehensive school reform programs that may be used. While any comprehensive reform program with a successful track record may be used, schools must integrate curriculum & instruction, student assessment, professional development, parent involvement & school management -- and bring in help from outside partners with experience in school reform. For more information, please see: http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/07-1998/csrp.html http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/compreform/

A TALENTED, DEDICATED, WELL-PREPARED TEACHER IN EVERY CLASSROOM As secondary schools create new courses such as Tech Prep & Principles of Engineering, they face a challenge: preparing enough qualified math, science, & technology teachers to teach these courses. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York has responded by developing 2 masters programs, each lasting 3 summers. One uses state-of-the art instructional technology in the classroom; the other stresses principles of engineering design. The aim is for all teachers graduating from these programs to... have updated their knowledge of mathematics, science, & engineering principles be capable of applying an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to the instruction be able to use emerging technologies in instruction, evaluation of student performance, & curriculum design be aware of modern research on cognitive & motivational issues in the teaching & learning of mathematics, science, & technology. An evaluation of the first class of graduates showed they were well-prepared to teach new classes & enhance student understanding of the concepts that underlie technological systems. As technology experts, graduates also became influential in their districts regarding the use of technology, & they stayed in contact with each other in order to develop joint projects. For more information, e-mail Linda Fedigan at cipce@rpi.edu

ALL CLASSROOMS CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET; ALL STUDENTS TECHNOLOGY LITERATE On Wednesday, July 29, 8:45 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. Eastern time, Secretary Riley will deliver a speech on "Technology & Education: An Investment in Equity & Excellence" that will be broadcast live on the web. The speech, to the National Young Leaders Conference in Washington, D.C., will focus on the exciting possibilities that technology offers to enhance education in the 21st century & on the importance of ensuring equal access for all. Senator John Glenn will also speak. The live webcast (& an archived file of the speech) will be at: http://www.ed.gov/Speeches/980729.html http://www.broadcast.com/news/dc/doed SEVEN PARTNERSHIPS OF TEACHERS & federal agencies will each receive up to $50,000 to develop online learning modules & communities, Secretary Riley announced this month. "These partnerships will allow students to use primary documents, scientists, & other federal resources as springboards for learning," Riley said. He noted that the partnerships will also "build 'online learning communities' of students, teachers, scholars & others who use & contribute to the materials." For example: Teachers & the National Archives & Records Administration (NARA) will organize "The Constitution Community," which will develop dozens of lessons & learning activities based on online images of the Louisiana Purchase, the Treaty of Paris, Rosa Parks' arrest record, & other primary documents. Teachers & NASA will develop lessons for use during the upcoming wind tunnel test of the Wright brothers' first airplane (flown at Kitty Hawk). Students will manipulate data generated by the test & learn about lift, drag, thrust, & other aeronautics concepts. Ten planning efforts will also receive $5,000 to create plans to develop Internet-based learning materials. Funding comes from the Government Information Technology Services Board (GITSB) Innovation Fund, administered by the General Services Administration. The press release & descriptions of what partnerships will do are at the FREE website: http://www.ed.gov/free/

EVERY SCHOOL STRONG, SAFE, DRUG-FREE & DISCIPLINED Character education grants to 10 states were announced this month by Vice President Gore. States will use the grants, made under the Partnerships in Education Pilot Project, to form partnerships with local school districts & communities to develop curriculum materials, provide teacher training, build community consensus on common values, involve parents in character education, & integrate character education into curricula. Partnerships will be evaluated to determine their success toward reducing discipline problems, improving student grades, increasing participation in extracurricular activities, and strengthening parent & community involvement. For more information, please see: http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/07-1998/caring.html A WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON SCHOOL SAFETY will be held on October 15, National School Safety Day, President Clinton announced this month. Many school safety policies supported by the Administration -- including school uniforms, tough truancy laws, community-based curfews, & zero tolerance for guns -- will be highlighted. The conference will include communities affected by the recent wave of school shootings & will be broadcast by satellite to schools across the country. The first annual report on school safety will also be released at the conference.

HIGHER EDUCATION ACT (HEA) REAUTHORIZATION On July 9, the Senate passed the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, which includes measures to... save students billions of dollars by lowering student interest rates improve teacher quality, training & recruitment promote high quality distance learning efforts help disadvantaged students prepare for college create the government's first-ever performance based organization for the delivery of student aid. While the Administration is pleased with many parts of the bill, Secretary Riley noted that he has "serious concerns about the excessive taxpayer subsidy to lenders & cuts that would jeopardize the delivery of student aid." He also said that he "will continue to work to improve this legislation as it moves to conference so that all Americans have access to a high quality postsecondary education." A Senate & House Conference Committee will meet to work out the differences between this measure & the House companion bill that passed on May 6. The press release & details on the reauthorization of HEA can be found at: http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/07-1998/senhea.html http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/PPI/Reauthor/

APPROPRIATIONS BILL On July 15, the House Appropriations Committee passed the Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill, which made deep cuts in the Administration's proposals for school improvement. Secretary Riley stated, "At a time when thousands of schools need to be built & repaired; when many students need extra help learning to read; when computers are essential to students' success in the 21st century; and when states are working hard to raise standards, it is irresponsible not to invest in these critical education needs." The full House intends to consider this measure before the August recess. The Secretary's full statement is at: http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/07-1998/housapp.html

YEAR 2000 The Department's Year 2000 team is continuing to alert the education community about the urgency of the Year 2000 problem, which results from a common computer programming practice of representing dates with 6 digits instead of 8. The team, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food & Nutrition Service (FNS), recently asked state agencies that administer the school breakfast & lunch program to submit a status report on their efforts to ensure that their computer systems & technology are Year 2000 compliant. The Department's Year 2000 website is at: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OCIO/year/

ADULT EDUCATION On July 2, National Literacy Day, $345 million in funding to states for adult education & literacy programs was announced. These programs are expected to serve more than 4 million adults. 40-44 million people read at a level less than necessary for full participation in society & are in need of basic education & literacy assistance. Assistant Secretary for adult & vocational education Patricia McNeil stated that "the competitiveness of the U.S. is compromised in the workplace by the millions of Americans who are functionally or technologically illiterate." For the press release, including state allotments, please see: http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/07-1998/lit-gr.html

SCHOOL-TO-WORK Industry groups & trade associations have been awarded $6.6 million for projects to increase employer involvement in School-to-Work (STW), Education Secretary Riley & Labor Secretary Herman announced this month. The STW program encourages states & communities to form local partnerships among schools, parents, employers, employees, organized labor & community organizations that link the classroom with the real world of work. The successful applicants are from high growth industries & will concentrate on increasing employer participation in STW through outreach, technical assistance, & other activities.

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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