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School Board News Bulletin
January 1995

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Edgar supports charters, tax cap referendum in key address

Governor Edgar laid out policy goals for the upcoming legislative session in his State of the State message in January, calling for charter schools and a referendum on downstate tax caps. Edgar called for the 89th General Assembly to:

1. Enact up to 45 charter schools on a pilot basis. Proposals would be submitted to local boards for approval and would be exempt from most state laws.

2. Permit broad waiver authority, allowing schools the opportunity to waive most state requirements.

3. Provide technology and capital assistance, with a local school district match required.

Meanwhile, tax caps for suburban Cook County are on what legislators call the "fast track." Lawmakers plan to approve them by March 1.

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New science standards urge more critical thinking

A national committee of teachers, scientists, and science educators has developed draft guidelines aimed at improving science literacy. The guidelines spell out what students in grades K-12 should know and be able to do in science.

The standards aim to make science lessons "more enjoyable and exciting" by engaging students in hands-on, intellectually stimulating work. They should also encourage students to ask questions and think critically," says Bruce M. Alberts, president of the National Academy of Sciences and chair of the National Research Council.

"Memorizing a few scientific terms and definitions is not particularly interesting or exciting to students and does not make a person scientifically literate," he says. The emphasis should be shifted from "teachers presenting information and covering topics to students learning science through active involvement."

The standards list information students should know in eight scientific categories at the ends of the fourth, eighth and 12th grades.

The National Research Council is coordinating development of the standards, but they will be reviewed by thousands of educators, administrators, parents and scientists around the nation before they become official in late 1995. For more information contact the National Research Council, at 202/334-2138.

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Court: immigrant programs can go unfunded

A federal judge has thrown out Florida's lawsuit seeking $1.5 billion from the federal government to pay for education and other programs for immigrants.

U.S. District Judge Edward B. Davis ruled December 20 in the suit filed by Democratic Governor Lawton Chiles that he lacks the authority to act because the case presented, "a political question," not a legal one, over the allocation of federal resources.

Judge Davis, however, says he recognizes Florida has "a tremendous burden due to the methods by which the federal government has chosen to enforce the immigration laws."

Similar suits are pending in Arizona, California, Texas, and New Jersey.

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Drug use is up again

Marijuana use among eighth graders has more than doubled since 1991, according to a survey released in December by the University of Michigan. Thirteen percent of all eighth graders surveyed said they had used marijuana at least once in the preceding 12 months. That is a sharp rise from 9.2 percent in 1993 and more than twice the 6.2 percent just three years ago.

About 52,000 students in grades 8, 10, and 12 from 420 schools were surveyed.

There were less dramatic increases in the use of LSD, other hallucinogens, stimulants, cocaine, and crack. Most alarming is the finding that drug use is growing among younger students.

The Institute for Social Research, in Michigan, began examining drug abuse among teens in 1975. Teen drug abuse grew until the 1980s, declined conspicuously through 1991, and has risen again since 1991.

An executive summary of the drug survey, Monitoring the Future is free from the Institute for Social Research, P.O. Box 1248, 2311 ISR, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1248; phone 313/763-5043.

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Parent involvement level high

Parent involvement is crucial to improving academic performance of students, various studies have shown. That's why the latest report on this subject from the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics comes as such good news.

More than 80 percent of eighth grade students reported that they had talked with their parents about school life and about selecting courses in 1988, the latest year for which such statistics are available. Six of ten students reported that their parents had spoken to a teacher or counselor; however, relatively few students reported that their parents had visited their classes.

Female students were more likely to report talking with their parents about school life than male students.

Students with three or more incidents of misbehavior were less likely to report that their parents limited their television viewing or going out with friends than students with fewer than three misbehavior incidents. To obtain a copy of The Condition of Education, call the Government Printing Office at 202/512-1800, order number S/N 065-000-00667-7.

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State unemployment insurance tax rates to fall in 1995

Illinois employers, including school districts, received a bit of good news from the state recently. The adjusted state experience factor, a component of employer Unemployment Insurance tax rates, has dropped for 1995. For most employers that means their 1995 tax rate will be lower than their 1994 rate, according to the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

The decrease in the factor is the result of a continuing economic expansion that has led to fewer Unemployment Insurance benefits being paid in the past two years, the state agency said.

"Since the factor is based on the total Trust Fund Balance and the total benefits paid statewide for the past three fiscal years, there is little any individual employer can do to change it. However, each employer can control their own UI tax rate by exercising good hiring practices," said a recent Employer Newsletter from the department. "Keeping your own experience with layoffs to a minimum is a the most effective way to maintain a low UI tax rate," the newsletter said.

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NSBA's 55th annual conference to feature leaders in education

Some of the nation's leading authorities on education will discuss new issues for public school governance at the National School Boards Association's 55th annual conference and exposition in San Francisco April 1-4.

U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley and Tom Peters, best selling author on corporate management, will help board members rethink and reshape the schooling process. The NSBA annual conference is the largest meeting of elected public officials in the nation.

For further conference information, or to register by telephone, call NSBA toll-free at 1-800/950-6722.

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Romer, Elders headline principals' convention

Colorado Governor Roy Romer and former U.S. Surgeon General, Jocelyn Elders will highlight the 79th annual convention of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) February 3-7 in San Antonio.

More than 6,000 principals, assistant principals and other educators are expected at the meeting, which will feature more than 150 events, including two debates. For more information contact NASSP at 703/860-0200.

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Feds set meetings to gather comments on special ed system

Officials from the federal Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) will conduct meetings in a few weeks to gather feedback on the functioning of special education programs in Illinois. The meetings, to be held in coming weeks, are part of the monitoring review of the state's special education system. To allow maximum participation, presentations generally are limited to one person per organization. For information on downstate meetings February 27 and 28, call Jack Shook at 217/782-6601. To learn about Chicago area meetings on March 2, call Fran LeVato at 312/814-5561.

Written comments may be submitted to OSEP at the meetings or by mail. (Any written comments, however, may be subject to the disclosure requirements of the Freedom of Information Act.) Mail written comments to OSEP's state contact for Illinois: Dr. Gerrie Hawkins, Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education, Switzer Building, Room 3624, 330 C Street, SW, Washington, DC 20202-2722.

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Schools must aim for inclusion in special education: law experts

Failing to examine opportunities for including disabled children in regular education classrooms can place schools on precarious legal ground, experts say.

Federal courts are delving into school district attempts to offer services and equipment that enable special education students to be educated with non-disabled students in regular classrooms. That warning was delivered by speakers at a meeting of the National Organization on Legal Problems of Education, as reported in Education USA (December 5, 1994, page 8).

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Guide helps boards pilot shoals of religion and public education

"Civic consensus" is a workable route to ending growing conflicts over the role of religion in the public schools, urges a new guide for schools on the First Amendment.

"We are not talking about religious consensus, but civic consensus," stresses Charles C. Haynes, editor of Finding Common Ground.

NSBA General Counsel August W. Steinhilber describes the book as "a marvelous, middle-of-the-road review of the issues in education and religion." NSBA worked with Haynes in developing the guide, along with many education and religious groups.

The publication includes advice on teaching about religion, religious holidays, religious expression in public schools, religious practices of students, and character education. Haynes produced it while he was a visiting professional scholar at the Freedom Forum First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.

The guide urges schools to involve the community, including religious conservatives, in developing policies on education/religion issues.

There are a few extremists on both sides more interested in fund raising by "demonizing the other side," Haynes says. But "I have found people deeply committed to the fundamentalist Christian perspective are among the best supporters of what we are trying to do...find a way forward that best serves the schools and the community."

Single copies of the guide are available free from the Freedom Forum First Amendment Center, phone 615/321-9588.

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Computer software program for school bus routes hits the shelf

School districts can save thousands of dollars a year by using their school buses more efficiently.

Murray Spitzer, a computer scientist at the U.S. Education Department, can help. He has developed a software program for school bus routes that can help school districts reduce the number of miles driven and buses needed. Spitzer is providing the software free as a public service to any school board or education agency that requests it. He developed it on his own time, not as part of an official Education Department program, although he says the department has "tacitly approved it."

To receive the software, call Spitzer at 202/708-9431 or reach him through the Internet, murray_spitzer @ed.gov .

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Rural Bond Bank again helps schools

Lieutenant Governor Bob Kustra announced that the Illinois Rural Bond Bank completed its ninth pooled bond issue on December 20, 1994, providing almost $1.4 million to two school districts.

"The Rural Bond Bank has again helped rural local governments, including two school districts, finance community projects at favorable interest rates," said Kustra, who chairs the Rural Bond Bank.

The proceeds of the recent issue funded loans to local governments in four communities in amounts ranging from $280,000 to $800,000. Interest rates ranged from 5 to 7 percent with terms ranging from 12 to 20 years.

The local school districts participating were: LaHarpe C.U. District 335, $800,000 for school building additions; and Pleasant Plains C.U. District 8, $590,000 for life-safety improvements to school buildings.

The LaHarpe District financing also involved a portion of the debt being placed directly with the local bank, providing for lower costs for the district.

The Rural Bond Bank, which provides low-cost capital to rural Illinois communities, has completed nine pooled bond issues providing over $45 million of financing for more than 60 different local governments. It plans to bring its next pooled bond issue to market in May 1995. School districts interested in participating in that particular bond issue generally must file applications by February 17 (for alternate bonds and revenue bonds).

For a description of the Rural Bond Bank see the June 18, 1991 issue of the News Bulletin (page 7). For guidance on participation contact the Rural Bond Bank office at 217/524-2663.

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Publications

New publication boosts access to administrative law for schools

Administrative law is the fastest growing body of law. In Illinois 559 new state rules and regulations were created in 1993. These rules regulate everything from health care and labor to insurance and the environment--so keeping current can sometimes be a headache.

Now there is relief. A new publication makes it easier to access all or parts of the Illinois Administrative Code--the rules and regulations set forth by state agencies to carry out state law. The publication, Barclays Official Illinois Administrative Rules, is intended to present a complete, accurate version of the administrative law of Illinois in a consistent, concise and convenient form.

A simple telephone call can get school leaders copies of the rules that affect education, and they do not have to purchase the full Code or even complete titles. Customers order only what they want from more than 200 purchasable units, characterized by title, agency or specific subject. They receive monthly updates for at least a year.

The rules will be available on line and on CD-ROM. Selected units will be available on floppy disk. For more information or to get a copy of selected administrative rules, call 1-800/455-7347.

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Books may help parents

Need help getting parents involved in their children's education? A new eight-book series called "Helping your child..." shows parents simple things they can do to help their children develop reading, writing and study skills. Titles range from "Helping your child learn math" to "Helping your child learn responsible behavior." Varying in length from 24 to 58 pages, the books cost $3.50 each. Volume discounts and customized editions are available. To order, call 800/235-3565, ext. 1992, or 617/860-1992.

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Get help from grants

Receiving contributions totalling almost $6 billion, education benefits from the majority of corporate grant dollars, experts say.

Now a new book, Proposing Projects and Finding Funds: Guide to Grants, presents ideas for beating school budget problems by obtaining a share of these contributions.

The book is a guide for those in charge of writing project proposals requiring some form of evaluation, measurable outcomes and accountability. It provides valuable tips on identifying goals, isolating needs, setting objectives, and winning project approval and funding.

The book is available for $24.50 from: Technomic Publishing Co., Inc., 851 New Holland Ave., Box 3535, Lancaster, PA 17604; phone: 800/233-9936, fax: 717/295-4538.

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Read what's right in schools

Today's public schools are unfairly maligned; in fact they are doing a lot of things right--and there's plenty of evidence to back it up, according to the Oregon School Study Council (OSSC).

In the October 1994 OSSC Bulletin, What's Right with Schools, author Jayne Freeman marshalls data about SATs, standardized test scores, international comparisons, college attendance, and much more. The results are sure to boost the self-esteem of every teacher and administrator.

Copies of What's Right with Schools, at $7 each, can be ordered from Publication Sales, Oregon School Study Council, 1787 Agate Street, 5207 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-5207. Copies of a condensed version, Bulletin in Brief, are available at $2 each. A handling charge of $3 is added to all billed orders.

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Report: small school size is linked to student performance

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the nation's largest association of state legislators, found in a recent study that school size is linked to higher SAT scores. While painting a grim picture of the future and effectiveness of much education spending, the study said schools with fewer than 300 students showed the best performances.

The report, based upon examination of existing data, also claimed education performance did not improve in the past year although education spending continued to increase. Noting recent increases in ACT and NAEP scores, ALEC termed these improvements "marginal."

The report also included projections for Illinois school spending ten years from now (2005), forecasting a 30 percent increase in the education tax burden on families, lower than the national average increase of 33.3 percent. "These [national] projections, and historic education trends, indicate that conventional approaches to reform based on increased spending, do not work and may not be sustainable," ALEC claimed.

In releasing the Report Card on American Education 1994, ALEC executive director Samuel A. Brunelli said, "We already know more money will not solve our education problems. What we need is serious reform and there are solutions available . . . including: schools that believe all children can learn, and [have a commitment to] challenge their students academically with core academic classes; small schools with less administrative overhead; and high levels of parental involvement. These are things that money cannot buy, but that concerned communities can provide."

The report's data indicate that there is virtually no relationship between the amount of money spent on education and student performance. None of the states that rank in the top 10 in students' performance rank among the top 10 states in per pupil expenditures.

The report shows Illinois ranking 13th in ACT scores, for example, out of 28 states that rely heavily on the ACT test to measure student achievement. Yet Illinois ranks 23rd among all states in per pupil spending on public schools.

States with high test results spend a bigger share of their education budget on teachers, the report added. [If so, that may help explain why test results are above average in Illinois: because Illinois spends a bigger share on teachers (45.9 percent) than any other state in the nation. The national average is 39.1 percent, according to the ALEC report.]

States that posted the highest SAT scores in 1994 were primarily located in the midwest and west--mainly states where small schools are the rule. One key advantage of smaller schools is their ability to involve parents significantly. According to ALEC spokesman Bill Myers, "parents in small schools can attend a school board meeting and have a good chance of being influential, while parents in large school districts often feel it is futile to navigate the bureaucracy."

ALEC is a pro-business lawmaker's group committed to "the Jeffersonian principles of free markets, free enterprise, limited government and individual liberty." For more information on the ALEC report, contact them at 202/466-3800.

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Study: systemic reform in high schools still lacking

The largest nationwide study of regionally accredited public and private high schools to date has found evidence of widespread restructuring activity. Yet few high schools report the kinds of comprehensive systemic restructuring that may be needed to make a major impact on student achievement.

In the study, High School Restructuring: A National Study, high school principals were asked to indicate the degree to which their schools were involved in 38 different restructuring activities. The activities were grouped under five major components of high school reform: curricu- lum/teaching, school organization, community outreach, technology, and monetary incentives.

One major finding: the focus of instruction is shifting from an emphasis on "seat time" as the path to graduation. In its place is an emphasis on active student performance as measured by clear standards. Thus, 26 percent of responding high schools have established specific learner outcomes or standards for graduation, and another 32 percent had begun to set such standards.

Of the 3,380 high schools responding, fewer than 10 reported general use of seven key elements that the study listed as showing a high degree of systemic restructuring.

The study's seven key elements are: setting clear performance standards for graduation; using alternative assessment techniques; teaching across disciplines to encourage a more integrated curriculum; using site-based management techniques to empower the staff and parents at the school level to assume more responsibility for school improvement; using block schedules to afford more flexibility in instructional time; involving the larger community in the educational process through business/industry alliances; and making extensive use of technology.

A copy of the study is available for $40, plus $4 for postage and handling, from Educational Research Service, 2000 Clarendon Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22201; phone 703/243-2100; fax 703/243-8316. Mail orders must be accompanied by check or purchase order.

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Study finds middle school teachers ill prepared

A study of middle school teachers in five states has found that only one- fifth of the teachers had any special training to deal with young adolescents, an age group that is considered especially demanding. The report, Growing Pains: The Making of America's Middle School Teachers, surveyed over 3,100 middle school teachers in Missouri, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina and Virginia. Researchers from the Center for Early Adolescence at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill found only one-tenth of the teachers had a comprehensive college major in teaching middle school. For further information call the National Middle School Association, at 800/528-6672.

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Major overhaul expected in voc ed programs

Control of federal funds for vocational education soon could be taken out of the hands of federal education officials and local school boards and turned over to labor department officials.

That's just one of the more dramatic proposals for changing vocational education funding before the Republican-controlled Congress. Congress soon will begin considering such ideas when it takes up legislation to reauthorize the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act.

No one is certain what Congress ultimately will do, says Ed Kealy, NSBA's director of federal programs. But now that Republicans head the education committee overseeing the Perkins Act, substantial revisions that would have been unthinkable before the November election are a possibility.

That fact concerns vocational education advocates. "I'm telling our own people to hold onto their hats," says Bret Lovejoy, acting director of the American Vocational Association. "This session of Congress is going to be a bumpy ride." Congress has appropriated nearly $1.2 billion for the Perkins Act for fiscal year 1995.

One scenario NSBA foresees is that Congress may combine Perkins funds in a block grant program with federal funds from the Job Training Partnership Act and other adult education programs. In its most extreme form, Kealy says, this kind of block grant could eliminate distinct federal vocational education funds.

How much consideration this kind of legislative proposal will receive from Congress remains to be seen, Kealy says.

All that is certain is that the Perkins Act will get close scrutiny. Changes could range from minor tinkering to substantive rewriting. Hearings are slated to begin this spring.

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Income tax deductions open to board members

A deduction on federal income tax returns is permitted to school board members for their non-reimbursed expenses of board service. The cost of driving to and from board meetings is one such deduction. A board member must itemize deductions, however, in order to qualify. For more information, see IRS Publication 526, "Charitable Contributions." For a free copy call the IRS at 800/829-3676.

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The National Scene

Charter schools remain hot

"The topic of Charter Schools continues to be of interest, in spite of the temporary failure of Illinois' proposed charter legislation in the spring of 1994. To date, ten states from coast to coast have authorized the establishment of Charter Schools: Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin," according to the Illinois Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development's newsletter Hot Topics (number 15).

For a copy or additional information, contact Donald Kachur, Executive Secretary; IASCD; College of Education; Illinois State University; Campus Box 5300; Normal, IL 617690-5300; 309/438-8294.

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Charter law repaired in Michigan

State legislators in Michigan have passed a bill to rectify problems with the state's first charter schools law. The action comes in the wake of a court ruling last fall that denied state support for charter schools.

The bill is designed to address the court's finding that Michigan's state board of education lacked sufficient oversight of the state's eight charter schools. Emergency funding for the schools was provided in a separate bill, and both bills were signed into law following a special session in December.

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Massachusetts OK's 14 charter schools

Officials in Massachusetts recently gave final consent to plans for launching 14 state-approved charter schools. Only one Edison Project reform school is included among the 14 schools. The private, not-for- profit Edison Project, owned by media tycoon Chris Whittle, had tentatively won approval last spring to operate three charter schools. Two of the planned Edison Project schools, however, ran into problems securing appropriate facilities.

Each charter school in Massachusetts will receive a startup grant of $10,000, and will draw funds for curriculum design and other costs from a $500,000 state fund.

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Boston experiments with deregulation

The Boston School Committee has approved a plan for six pilot schools to operate largely independent of the district and the teachers' union--as long as they meet sound educational practice and conform to court orders and state and federal laws.

The schools, scheduled to open by next September, were chosen by Superintendent Lois Harrison-Jones from among 17 applicants.

While the six schools will use vastly different approaches and cater to a wide range of student interests, they were chosen for their ease of application and "a commitment to involve parents and the community," says Harrison-Jones.

The pilot schools will be given greater discretion in staffing, allocating funds, and establishing evaluation instruments and procedures.

The schools will be able to hire staff from inside and outside the district without regard to seniority. They also can cut staff positions without regard to seniority but must follow due process procedures.

The superintendent and the school committee will retain oversight authority to ensure the rights of students and staff are protected and to make sure public funds are spent in educationally sound ways.

Each pilot school will get a start-up grant of up to $50,000.

If they succeed, the programs will be copied in other schools--otherwise they may not be renewed for another school year.

For more information, contact: Lois Harrison-Jones, at 617/635-9000.

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Evanston, Arlington Heights schools ranked in top 10 of 600 nationally

For the second consecutive year Expansion Management magazine has ranked the Evanston elementary and high school districts among the top American public school systems for educational quality and ability to produce a quality workforce. Evanston was ranked second out of 600 communities studied by the business journal, which specializes in corporate relocations. Arlington Heights District 25 ranked 6th. Evanston was ranked number one last year.

The school districts are judged on indicators of educational quality, including high school graduation rate, average college board scores (ACT or SAT), minimum scheduled and average classroom teacher salaries, amount of money spent per pupil on instruction, student-teacher ratio, and surrounding community's average level of education and income level. Local elementary and high school districts' statistics were combined in cities without a unified school district.

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