Education Reform Briefs

From the American Federation of Teachers, 12/11/00

Technology Crucial to Serving Members, Expanding Growth Says AFT

As the union grows, so must our capacity and willingness to use new technology to better serve members and expand our organizing opportunities, says AFT secretary-treasurer Edward J. McElroy. Speaking at the opening session of the AFT's Information Technology Conference 2000 in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 8, McElroy noted that the AFT is now a major force in education, labor and health care policy both at the national level and in state legislatures and that it is "not enough to accumulate membership; rather, we must make sure that members participate in their union in a positive way. McElroy told the more than 150 participants at the Dec. 7-10 conference that since it was formed in 1916, the AFT has moved from a "mom-and-pop" operation centered on a few regions of the country to a modern, nationwide union representing 1.1 million members in five divisions. Technology such as the Internet, he noted, offers a tremendous opportunity to connect with members, to provide training to many more AFT leaders, to help affiliates and members become more politically involved and effective and to build communities with other groups and people who share our values. The new technology, he added, is crucial in equipping the union to respond to a world increasingly hostile to unions and the broad values we stand for, from quality housing, health care and education to a just and democratic society and securing rights of working people.

From the Family Research Council/Ed Facts, 12/15/00

Universal Tax Credit Gains Momentum

The failure of two voucher initiatives in Michigan and California has caused advocates of parental choice in education to reconsider their strategy. One option being proposed by the Cato Institute and the Mackinac Center for Public Policy is the universal education tax credit, a proposal that aims to help children from families of all economic backgrounds. The two organizations discuss the plan in detail in a paper released last week: "Reclaiming Our Schools: Increasing Parental Control of Education Through the Universal Education Credit."

The universal education credit would allow parents, individual taxpayers, and businesses to receive a dollar- for-dollar tax credit for money spent on tuition at a public or private school. The credit could be taken for up to half of the tuition for an individual child and as long as the combination of credits would not exceed the individual or company's tax liability. The plan being proposed by Cato and the Mackinac Center differs from other tax credit proposals because it is designed to help families with limited or no tax liability.

From the Education Intelligence Agency, 12/11/00

NEA to Take On Political Party Role?

The NEA Executive Committee will examine the possibility of creating stables of loyal NEA members to run for targeted Congressional and statehouse seats. Evidently concerned that the Democratic and Republican parties are not producing reliable enough candidates for the union's purposes, NEA will study whether to formalize a practice haphazardly used by some of its affiliates across the country. Under this proposal, NEA itself will recruit and train NEA members regionally, then support them in races for political offices selected by the union.

From CEO America, 12/15/00

Cleveland School Choice Case Headed for Supreme Court

As expected by many, Monday, Dec. 11 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit declared the Cleveland school choice program unconstitutional in a 2-1 decision. Said The Wall St. Journal: "Look at it this way: We're one step closer to a final resolution from the Supreme CourtŠ.[on behalf of] one of the most progressive reforms in American education: a Cleveland scholarship program for low-income kids in failing public schools." Defending litigant, Institute for Justice immediately blasted the decision as "a disaster for every schoolchild in America, but it will be short-livedŠ.This is the U.S. Supreme Court test case we've been waiting for to remove the constitutional cloud from school choice once and for all."

From the NSBA/School Board News, 12/5/00

Standards address the teaching of religion

Nearly all of the state standards on social studies call for schools to teach about religion, reports a new study by the First Amendment Center and the Council on Islamic Education.

"Now public education has finally acknowledged that study about religion is an essential part of a good education," says the council's founding director, Shabbir Mansuri.

Teaching about Religion in National and State Social Studies Standards analyzes the standards and program frameworks in seven national curriculum documents, most of which were published in the early 1990s, and the academic standards documents adopted or undergoing adoption by most of the 50 states.

From the U.S. Department of Education, 12/15/00

Riley Releases National Educational Technology Plan

e-Learning: Putting a World-Class Education at the Fingertips of All Children, a new national plan, was released by U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley.

The plan released today sets five national goals:

1. All students and teachers will have access to information technology in their classrooms, schools, communities and homes;
2. All teachers will use technology effectively to help students achieve high academic standards;
3. All students will have technology and information literacy skills;
4. Research and evaluation will improve the next generation of technology applications for teaching and learning;
5. Digital content and networked applications will transform teaching and learning.

From the National PTA, 12/7/00

E-Rate Provides $2 Billion in Telecommunications Funding

The Schools and Libraries Division (SLD) of the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) announced that it has wrapped-up the processing of Year Three E-Rate funding requests. SLD committed more than $2.085 billion in discounts to schools and libraries during this funding cycle. This is an increase of about $81 million over last year.

Under Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules, requests for telecommunications services, such as Internet and telephone connections, have top priority. SLD was only able to fulfill applications from schools and libraries qualifying for discounts of 80 percent or more. Approximately 10,000 funding requests, seeking more than $2.6 billion, were denied.

Since the program's inception [three years ago], the percentage of public schools with Internet access has risen from 27 percent to more than 90 percent, while the percentage of public school classrooms wired to the Internet has risen from 5 percent to more than 60 percent.

From Edison Schools, 12/4/00

Edison Launches Benchmark Assessment System

Edison Schools announced that its proprietary Benchmark Assessment System is now being administered online at its schools around the country. Under this system, which was placed online in collaboration with Vantage Learning, Edison's students are able to take these monthly tests on the computer, the assessments are scored automatically, and teachers receive the results immediately. By providing detailed measurements of student progress toward achieving academic standards, this cutting edge system will help teachers tailor their instruction to the specific needs of students and will help schools work more strategically toward higher achievement. During the 2000-2001 academic year Edison will administer more than one million of these Benchmarks online.

The Benchmark Assessment System was designed to provide teachers with ongoing monthly information about the progress of their grade 2 to 8 students toward meeting end-of-grade standards. These assessments, currently available in reading, math, writing, and language arts, take the form of short tests using multiple-choice and open-response questions that mirror standardized criterion- and norm-referenced tests. The results are automatically charted for teachers each month so schools can track their students' progress in meeting Edison, state, and national testing standards. Teachers use the results to adjust their instruction to best meet individual student needs.

From the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN), 12/4/00

GLSEN Plans Expanded Federal Education Effort

GLSEN announced the opening of its Office for Public Policy in Washington, D.C. Under the stewardship of Public Policy Director Mary Kate Cullen, the offices will identify federal, state and local public policy strategies and expand the organization's work with the Department of Education and mainstream education organizations.

In addition to expanding GLSEN's work with national mainstream education and civil rights groups, the Office for Public Policy will provide leadership in mapping out the states and communities in which GLSEN will leverage resources to pass safe schools legislation, expand nondiscrimination policies or fight anti-gay initiatives. It will also direct GLSEN's Research Project, which brings together academics and activists to identify research gap areas and strategies to fill them.

From the Eagle Forum/Education Reporter, December 2000

New Mandatory Kindergarten Law Encroaches on Parental Rights

A new California law makes kindergarten mandatory before a child enters first grade. AB 25 also requires public school officials to contact parents of 3-5-year-olds about pre- school programs. California's Capitol Research Institute (CRI) charges that the law encroaches on the fundamental right of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children, and places an increased financial burden on parents who plan to enroll their children in private schools beginning in first grade, not kindergarten. CRI warns that AB 25's requirement that school officials contact parents of preschoolers may pressure parents to enroll their children in early childhood education, robbing both children and parents of precious time together. Contrary to the law's language, there is no sound evidence that early formal education brings any lasting benefits to a child.