Education Reform Briefs

From the American Federation of Teachers, Week of 3/29/99

AFT, NEA Back NATO Action on Kosovo

AFT president Sandra Feldman and NEA president Bob Chase have sent a letter to President Clinton and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright supporting American involvement in the current NATO military strikes "to stop the bloodletting by Serbian forces in Kosovo." Through contact this week with Agim Hyseni, president of the Union of Education, Science and Culture of Kosova (SBASHK), the AFT and NEA have learned that teachers have been singled out for massacre by Serbian forces. In recent months, more than 53 ethnic Albanian teachers have been killed by Serbian soldiers and police. News agencies are reporting that in just one day, March 25, teachers and a headmaster were among 20 people slaughtered near the village of Goden in southwest Kosovo. The teachers, said Hyseni, were murdered in front of their horrified students.

From the Heartland Institute/School Reform News, March 1999

Continued Increases in Education Funding a Bad Investment Says ALEC Chairman

"There is a growing cry for greatly increased funding of our public schools," with the "obvious" conclusion that "more money will make our schools better," says Arkansas House Speaker Bobby L. Hogue, national chairman of the American Legislative Exchange Council, in a forward to the Council's 1998 Report Card on American Education.

"Sometimes, the obvious isn't true," adds Hogue, pointing out that an unprecedented 51 percent increase in inflation-adjusted per-pupil spending over the past 20 years has not led to better-performing schools.

"Throwing good money after bad" to perpetuate such schools "would be the worst investment we could make," Hogue concludes. Instead, he calls for focusing on more fundamental issues, such as increasing parental involvement in schools and strengthening community involvement.

From the American Federation of Teachers, Week of 3/29/99

School Boards Disconnected from Parents

A new report from the National School Boards Foundation points to a profound disconnect between urban school board members and the public in several key areas, including the overall success of urban public schools. A national survey included in "Leadership Matters: Transforming Urban School Boards" finds that 63 percent of urban school board members surveyed believe schools do a good or excellent job teaching reading, writing and math, compared to 49 percent of the public. Some 39 percent of urban residents believe schools do a good or excellent job involving parents, compared to 51 percent of school boards. And only a third of urban residents believe schools do a good or excellent job keeping violence and drugs out of schools, compared to 82 percent of members--the largest perception gap found in the study.

From the Family Research Council's Ed Facts, 3/26/99

New Study Gives Homeschoolers High Marks

The largest-ever study of home school students paints a positive image of the nationwide movement that now totals between 750,000 and 1.2 million students. The study of 20,760 students in 11,903 families was conducted by University of Maryland professor Lawrence M. Rudner, director of the Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation.

The study tested students in grades 1-12 on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills or the Tests of Achievement and Proficiency(depending on grade level). Median scores in most grade levels were in the 70th-80th percentile among all students who took the same tests. Moreover, many home school students are studying at a level beyond their "age-appropriate" grade. No "gender gap" in test scores between girls and boys was evident in the study. Nor did teacher certification of a parent affect children's test scores.

From the Eagle Forum/Education Reporter, March 1999

School Choice Efforts Continue Around The Country, But Not Without Concern Even Among Conservative Groups

Efforts to advance the school choice cause are underway across the country. In several states, tuition-tax-credit plans have either been enacted or are on the table. The Virginia legislature is considering the Virginia Children's Educational Opportunity Act of 1999, which would establish nonrefundable income tax credits for tuition and other instructional fees charged by public or private schools and for certain fees and costs associated with home schooling.

Some observers caution that school choice legislation, including tax credits, can create new regulations for private and home schools. Pro-family leader Cathie Adams notes that, "in the beginning, voucher bills have few regulations, but litigation imposes more regs and teachers' unions relentlessly demand more in order to erase differences between public and private schools." She points out that the Milwaukee voucher program includes over 300 regulations.

From the Family Research Council's Ed Facts, 3/22/99

Parents and Teachers Complete Survey on Parent Involvement in Public Schools

In a new Public Agenda survey titled, "Playing Their Parts: Parents and Teachers Talk About Parental Involvement in Public Schools," the conclusions imply that parents don't want a significant role in decision-making at school.

But a closer look shows that most parents are comfortable with such involvement. When asked what type of role they would like to fill in their children's education, most parents said they feel comfortable helping to plan the curriculum (25 percent very comfortable; 36 percent somewhat comfortable) and participating in evaluating teachers (37 percent very; 37 percent somewhat).

School personnel's attitudes toward such types of parental involvement may factor in parents' comfort level. Most teachers said they would approve of having parents propose changes to the lunch menu (85 percent) but few would approve of parents offering changes to the curriculum (15 percent).

From the Education Intelligence Agency, 3/29/99

NEA Members Rely on Union for Political Information

Last month's [February] meeting of the NEA Board of Directors featured a presentation by pollster Diane Feldman. Feldman polled NEA members after the 1998 elections and found an increasing number of them cited NEA as their primary source of political information. That being the case, it is not surprising that a corresponding number of members viewed NEA as a bipartisan organization.

From the Capital Research Center, April 1999

Public Sector Collective Bargaining Defeated in Missouri

On March 9, the Democrat-controlled Missouri General Assembly rejected an attempt by labor unions to give collective bargaining rights to teachers and other public employees. The collective-bargaining bill was defeated by a vote of 73-88. The bill was endorsed by Democratic Governor Mel Carnahan and House Speaker Steve Gaw, leading many to believe the bill's chances of passing were good. However, thirteen Democrats voted against the measure.

The state affiliates of the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers, and police officer and firefighter unions strongly supported the bill. Opponents included the Missouri State Teachers Association, an organization of teachers, administrators, and school board members, and business groups like the Associated Industries of Missouri.