From: curt@aixwiz.austin.ibm.com (Curt Finch/131072)
Newsgroups: tx.politics
Subject: NEA is against real reform of education
Date: 1 Oct 92 20:14:03 GMT
Reply-To: curt@aixwiz.austin.ibm.com (Curt Finch/131072)
Distribution: tx
Organization: IBM AWD, Austin, TX


                   =====  TAKING STOCK  =====

*6   NATIONAL ED GOALS PANEL REPORT:  COMPLACENCY REIGNS
     The second report issued by the National Education Goals
Panel attributes U.S. pupils' discouraging progress to complacent
parents and schools (multi. cites).  The first report was issued
in July (See DRC 7/31, #10).  Only "modest progress" has been
made toward education goals set three years ago by President Bush
and the governors, writes the N.Y. TIMES (DeWitt).
     The report says:  "American workers ... anticipate a static
environment where their current skills will remain useful in the
future" which is a misconception, writes the ATLANTA CONSTITUTION
(White).  S.C. Governor Carroll Campbell (R), past chairman of
the goals panel:  "In seeking to change the [education] system
... we're dealing with massive inertia and a lot of people who
have much to gain from the status quo ... American expectations
are too low."
     Highlights of the report:  Significant math achievement gaps
relative to other nations occur as early as first grade, and the
gap grows as U.S. students get older.  Basic skills in reading
and geography are comparable to students' in other nations, but
higher order thinking and reasoning skills are lacking; and
American parents are more easily satisfied with their children's
educational achievement than parents in higher-performing
nations, reports the WASH. TIMES (Innerst).  The PHILA. INQUIRER
writes that 55% of all low-achieving 8th graders had not mastered
simple math concepts in 1988; two years later, 62% had not
mastered these skills.
     According to the C.S. MONITOR, the goals panel is operating
on two fronts:  The panel tries to obtain accurate comparison
date while also pushing for improved performance (Walters).  But
this requires a balancing act that concerns some educators.
Keith Geiger, president of the National Education Association:
"There's been too much emphasis on identifying problems that have
already been documented."
     Govs. Campbell and Nelson (D-Neb.) agreed that the goals
panel needs to do more to publicize international standards so
Americans can see how far short U.S. schoolchildren are falling.
They also said parents need to have higher expectations, teachers
need to be more innovative and students must work harder to meet
higher standards (10/1).

*7   NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS PANEL II:  SOME REACTIONS
     The state of Ga. yesterday issued a report pegged to the
second National Education Goals Panel report on progress on
achieving the goals (White, ATLANTA CONSTITUTION).
     Although Ga. ranks below the national average on education,
the state's report says it has launched more than 50 new programs
to ameliorate education.  Among those mentioned are pilot
prekindergartens for disadvantaged 4-year-olds; more math and
science classes for non-college-bound youth; tests that stress
problem-solving and higher-order thinking skills; and tax breaks
to businesses that help their employees gain literacy skills.
     Md. School Supt. Nancy Grasmick pointed to two programs that
help students achieve the national goals (Balto. SUN.)  The
Extended Elementary Education Pre-Kindergarten program for
disadvantaged 4-year-olds and Maryland's Tomorrow, a program
aimed at students who may drop out of school, have been
successful, writes the SUN.  Grasmick:  "We have a long way to go
in terms of international competitiveness so we can't feel any
sense of complacency."
     Ed Sec Lamar Alexander:  "The rest of the world has been
expecting more from its students and getting more.  Now we're
setting our sights higher and doing what needs to be done to help
our students learn."
     Albert Shanker, president of the American Federation of
Teachers:  "The report is just a tool like a thermometer.  It can
take the temperature of our students, but it doesn't provide a
cure.  Where are the people working on the cure?" (all cites
10/1)

--
curt@aixwiz.austin.ibm.com (Curt L. Finch) | AIX NFS/NIS Field Quality 
My views are unrelated to those of IBM     |       Austin, TX
 -Public school administration has gone from 15% to 30% of expenses since 1960-
Newsgroups: tx.politics