Series 2558: Constituent Correspondence, 2000-2003
38869
From: "Honeysett, Adam" <Adam_Honeysett@ed.gov> BC: Governor Musgrove Created: 12/8/2000 7:48 AM Subject: ED Review #33 Message: > <<...OLE_Obj...>> > ED REVIEW > December 8, 2000 > > ...a bi-weekly update on Education Department activities relevant to > the Intergovernmental and Corporate community > ________________________________________________________ > > <<...OLE_Obj...>> HAPPY ANNIVERSARY IDEA > > This week marks the 25th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities > Education Act (IDEA), the federal law that ensures all children receive a > free, appropriate public education regardless of the level or severity of > their disability. In celebration, the Department's Office of Special > Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) launched a new "Lessons for > All" web site (http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/IDEA25th/), packed with > information on IDEA's history, its impact on the lives of children with > disabilities, and stories from students and community members who have > benefited from the act. In addition, the Department released its "22nd > Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of IDEA" > (http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/OSEP/OSEP2000AnlRpt/). The report shows > a record 55.4 percent of America's disabled students are graduating from > high school, while dropout rates are falling (31 percent in 1997-98, down > from 32.7 percent the previous school year) and more disabled students are > attending regular classes alongside non-disabled students (a record 46.4 > percent of students with disabilities were served in regular classrooms at > least 80 percent of the day). > ________________________________________________________ > > <<...OLE_Obj...>> AGENDA PROJECT > > On November 29, Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education Lee > Fritschler issued the results of his office's Agenda Project -- a > January-June 2000 dialogue with the nation's higher education community on > the federal role in postsecondary education. The issues and opportunities > identified by college and university presidents and faculty, trade and > proprietary school executives, Congressional staff, students, parents, > teachers, business and technology leaders, community members, and others > are presented under five themes: Ensuring All Students Are Prepared to Go > to College and Succeed; Examining the Roles and Responsibilities in Paying > for College; Improving Teacher Quality; Integrating Technology and > Distance Education into the Curriculum; and Revitalizing International > Education. In turn, the Department's Office of Postsecondary Education > (OPE) has identified 12 strategies to improve how OPE serves its > stakeholders and more than 30 steps OPE should take. FOR MORE > INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO > http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/AgenProj/report/index.html. > > Also: A new report card from the independent National Center for Public > Policy and Higher Education grades states on their performance in higher > education. States are evaluated (using A through F) in five key areas: > preparation, participation, affordability, completion, and benefits. FOR > MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO > http://measuringup2000.highereducation.org/. > ________________________________________________________ > > <<...OLE_Obj...>> NEW AMERICAN HIGH SCHOOLS > > Last week, Secretary Riley honored 27 schools as New American High Schools > (NAHS). Since 1996, the Education Department's New American High Schools > initiative has showcased and supported outstanding high schools that have > committed to extensive reform efforts, raised academic standards for all > students, and achieved results. There are now 69 NAHS, representing every > region of the country (urban, suburban, and rural). Among the benefits of > designation are national recognition and the opportunity to serve as a > reform leader, a small stipend for outreach to other schools, access to > technical and expert assistance, participation in a network with other > NAHS, and the opportunity to inform policy and practice at a state and > federal level. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO > http://www.ed.gov/offices/OVAE/nahs/. > ________________________________________________________ > > <<...OLE_Obj...>> RESEARCH: KINDERGARTEN AND TIMSS > > According to a new report from the National Center for Education > Statistics (NCES), children from all backgrounds significantly improve > their reading and math performance and increase their readiness for future > schooling during kindergarten. Moreover, the gains are about the same > regardless of background. However, significant gaps remain in more > advanced skills (such as recognizing words by sight or solving math > problems) between at-risk children and their peers. "This report clearly > shows that kindergarten benefits all children," said Secretary Riley. > "But it also reminds us that a half-day of kindergarten and regular school > cannot do everything. The challenge for at-risk students raises > compelling questions." "The Kindergarten Year" is the second in a series > of planned reports from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, which > provides primary data on children attending public and private schools. > Future studies will continue to follow the same sample of children through > fifth grade. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO > http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2001023. > > "Pursuing Excellence: Comparisons of International Eighth-Grade > Mathematics and Science Achievement from a U.S. Perspective, 1995 and > 1999," another report from NCES, assesses eighth-graders' knowledge of > math and science in 38 nations, following-up on the 1995 Third > International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). In 1999, for math, > U.S. students performed better than the international average in fractions > and number sense; data representation, analysis, and probability; and > algebra. They performed at the international average in measurement and > geometry. In 1999, for science, U.S. students performed better in earth > science; life science; chemistry; environmental and resource issues; and > scientific inquiry and the nature of science. They performed at the > international average in physics. Overall, U.S. eighth-grader performance > was about the same in 1999 as in 1995. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO > http://nces.ed.gov/TIMSS/. > ________________________________________________________ > > <<...OLE_Obj...>> PROMOTING HEALTH > > Secretary Riley and Health and Human Services' Secretary Donna Shalala > recently delivered to President Clinton an interagency report on physical > activity for children. "Promoting Health for Young People through > Physical Activity and Sports" lists strategies to promote participation in > physical activity through family activities, afterschool care programs, > community-based youth sports and recreation programs, and media campaigns. > It also discusses the need to promote walking and bicycling by creating > more sidewalks, bicycle paths, trails, and community recreation > facilities. A major emphasis of the report is the importance for all > children, from early childhood through grade 12, to participate in quality > physical education classes every school day. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE > GO TO http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash/presphysactrpt/. > ________________________________________________________ > > <<...OLE_Obj...>> NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFICATION > > On November 30, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards > (NBPTS) announced that 4,694 primary and secondary school teachers from 49 > states and the District of Columbia have earned the highest professional > credential in their field -- National Board Certification -- for the > 1999-2000 school year. This record number of National Board Certified > Teachers (NBCTs) almost doubles last year's announcement of 2,970, > bringing the current total to 9,498. Per state, North Carolina led the > way with 1,115 new NBCTs, followed by Florida (699), California (440), and > Mississippi (389). North Carolina also has the most NBCTs overall with > 2,377. In support of candidates, 39 states and nearly 200 school > districts have offered a variety of incentives, including fee assistance > and salary increases for teachers who achieve certification. Foundations, > corporations, and other private entities are also providing substantial > support. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www.nbpts.org/. > ________________________________________________________ > > <<...OLE_Obj...>> VIRTUAL SAFETY > > With a briefing paper and a new web site, the Consortium for School > Networking (CoSN) has launched its "Safeguarding the Wired Schoolhouse" > initiative, designed to help school leaders understand their technological > options for managing the content students access over the Internet. The > briefing paper examines school districts' options for providing > appropriate Internet access and content management. It also explains the > history behind filters, how they were developed, how to write an > acceptable-use policy, how monitoring and filtering work, and more. The > web site offers a checklist of questions school leaders should ask before > deciding whether to manage content and when evaluating the various types > of filtering products available. Eventually, CoSN plans to add a > downloadable PowerPoint presentation for schools to use. FOR MORE > INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www.safewiredschools.org/. > ________________________________________________________ > > <<...OLE_Obj...>> ECONOMIC AND MORAL IMPERATIVE > > "The benefits of the IDEA stretch far beyond just those with disabilities. > The new technologies and teaching methods developed to assist students > with disabilities are improving education for all students. > Three-quarters of children with disabilities are learning in classrooms > alongside their non-disabled peers, contributing to the diversity that is > one of America's greatest strengths.... In this time of record > prosperity, with more opportunities for success than ever before, we must > ensure that all of our children have the education that will allow them to > go to college, get good jobs, and play active roles in their communities. > America's ongoing commitment to this principle, embodied in the IDEA, is > both an economic and moral imperative for our future." > -- > President Clinton (11/29/00) > ________________________________________________________ > > <<...OLE_Obj...>> UPCOMING EVENTS > > On December 14, Senator Bob Kerrey (NE) and Representative Johnny Isakson > (GA) will present the findings and recommendations of the Web-Based > Education Commission. Since November 1999, the 16 members of the > commission (selected by the President, Secretary of Education, and > congressional leadership) have been meeting with education, business, > technology, and policy experts to establish a roadmap to help local, > state, and federal education officials and policymakers better address the > challenges brought about by the Internet and other emerging technologies. > The press conference will be web cast on http://www.webcommission.org. > The commission's final report, "The Power of the Internet for Learning: > Moving from Promise to Practice," will be posted on the site after the > press conference. > ________________________________________________________ > > For your convenience, the current issue of ED REVIEW is saved, below, as > a Microsoft Word 97 file. Viewing, printing, and forwarding the issue > from the Word file (if you possess the capability either through Word or > an advanced version of Word Perfect) should reveal all associated > graphics. > <<ed12-8.doc>> > _______________________________________________________ > > Please feel free to contact the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs with > any questions: > Deputy Assistant Secretary -- Leo Coco, (202) 401-3049, > mailto:Leo_Coco@ed.gov > Director -- Cheryl Parker Rose, (202) 401-0153, > mailto:Cheryl_Parker_Rose@ed.gov > Program Analyst -- Adam Honeysett, (202) 401-3003, > mailto:Adam_Honeysett@ed.gov > To be added or removed from distribution, or in case of technical > questions, > please contact Adam Honeysett. Or, go to > http://www.ed.gov/offices/OIIA/OIA/edreview/. > > - Attachment Filename: C:\archives\governor\mail\Governor Musgrove\_attach\ED Review #33\ed12-8.doc - Attachment Filename: C:\archives\governor\mail\Governor Musgrove\_attach\ED Review #33\Mime.822