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School Board News Bulletin
January 1998

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Three districts win Lincoln Award

Court action urged on academic freedom claims

WORKSHOPS AND MEETINGS

Parent involvement, family education to be featured in three workshops.

NSBA annual convention set for April 4-7

NEWS FROM IASB

Challenger flag of learning and liberty available for display at schools

Sign up for Spring Leadership Academy

RESEARCH REPORTS

High school dropout rate remains 5 percent

Report identifies promising drug prevention approaches

TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS

Offer handbook for literacy volunteers

New resource from Kids Can Make a Difference

ISDLAF+ offers investment choices

FEDERAL UPDATE

FCC will "go slow" on e-rate subsidies

Board settles affirmative action case

Illinois FRN delegates to lobby

Board members entitled to tax deduction

THE NATIONAL SCENE

Edwards a finalist for national superintendent of the year

Progress seen in raising teacher quality

New "Learning First Alliance" announced

AASA backs children's rights amendment

Three districts earn Lincoln Award in recognition of excellence

Three Illinois school districts recently received the Lincoln Award for "Commitment to Excellence." The winning districts -- C.U. District 5, Sterling; C.C. District 15, Palatine; and Naperville C.U. District 203 -- were chosen by the Lincoln Foundation for Business Excellence.

The 1997 winners were honored at a reception at the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago December 4. In addition, C.C. School District 15, Palatine, received recognition for "Exemplary Practice" for its Teacher Leadership Academy and its Senior Exchange Program.

The Lincoln Foundation launched in 1995 in Illinois (one of 49 states with similar programs) presents awards in the categories of government, education, health care, industry, and service. The Lincoln Award uses seven criteria: leadership, strategic planning, information and analysis, customer and market focus, human resource development and management, process management, and organization results.

The three districts join Carpentersville District 300 and Valley View District 365U, 1996 recipients, in being recognized for their continuing commitment to excellence. The districts' practices undergo an intensive examination based on the Malcolm-Baldridge criteria, which is a national standard for excellence.

All the districts except Valley View 365U are members of the State Board's Leadership in Accountability and Quality Assurance (LAQA) Initiative. This group of 15 districts pursues excellence through collaborative inquiry in the areas of reading, alignment, technology, professional development, and the effectiveness of site-based management.

Court action urged on academic freedom claims

Fighting to protect school boards' control of the curriculum, NSBA recently intervened in a case involving a teacher who says his First Amendment rights were trampled when he was fired. A school district fired that teacher for showing an R-rated movie in class.

The decision to file a legal brief in Board of Education of Jefferson County School District R-1 v. Wilder, which is now before the Colorado Supreme Court, reportedly is a response to a growing number of similar lawsuits. Such lawsuits are increasingly being filed by teachers arguing that they have a free-speech right to determine what's taught in the classroom, says NSBA Deputy General Counsel Gwendolyn H. Gregory.

By supporting local school boards in several of these cases, NSBA hopes to avoid or overturn court rulings that set a legal precedent undermining the authority of school boards to make the final decision on the content of curricular materials and their use in the classroom, Gregory says. In several recent cases the lower courts have ruled in favor of teachers.

That proved true in the Wilder case, which centers on the dismissal of teacher Alfred E. Wilder, a 25-year veteran of the district who claims he was fired for showing portions of the film 1900 to his students. The Italian film, a portrayal of Italian society during the first half of the twentieth century, contains scenes involving nudity, sexual conduct, drug use, and violence.

According to Wilder, his dismissal for showing the film violated his constitutional right to freedom of expression. The Colorado Court of Appeals ruled in his favor, ordering him reinstated despite the school district's contention that his showing of the film violated school district policy on presenting a "controversial learning resource" and was the latest in a string of disciplinary problems involving the teacher.

In urging the Colorado Supreme Court to overturn this decision, NSBA's brief argues that past U.S. Supreme Court decisions have clearly set forth the importance of local control of the schools. The NSBA brief notes that the high court has instructed lower courts repeatedly not to substitute their own judgment for the judgment of school officials.

NSBA also warns of the chaos and confusion that would result if the court fails to recognize the school board's ultimate authority over the curriculum. By overruling board decisions, NSBA argues, the court undermines local control of the schools by encouraging critics to circumvent the school board's policy-making role.

"If courts assume the authority to make curriculum choices, the public school system cannot survive," NSBA argues. "Parents and teachers disagreeing with the philosophy underlying the school board's curricular decisions would file lawsuits asking courts to set standards for determining what is educationally appropriate for schools to teach."

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WORKSHOPS & MEETINGS

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Parent involvement, family education to be featured in three workshops

Training offered by the Illinois Family Education Institute will focus on family education as well as parent involvement at three upcoming workshops. The workshops are intended for teachers, administrators and staff of schools and related institutions.

The Institute began as a cross-agency collaboration between the Illinois State Board of Education, Illinois Secretary of State's literacy office/State Library, Illinois Community College Board, Head Start, and Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).

Workshops scheduled for 1998 include:

Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Chicago

Preconference activity for the Illinois Title I Conference

Contact: Monica Mazur, 847/803-3535, ext. 316

Prairie Capitol Convention Center,

Springfield

Preconference activity for the Illinois Reading Council Conference

Contact: Monica Mazur, 847/803-3535, ext. 316

Renaissance Hotel, Springfield

Preconference activity for the Illinois Family Literacy Conference

Contact: Laura Bercovitz, 847/803-3535, ext. 305.

Preconference activities encompass five day-long sessions on these topics: program administration, program evaluation, interactive parent-child activities, parenting education and family support.

Those urged to attend are school administrators, instructors (preschool to adult), librarians, parent educators, and other school staff and family service agency staff.

The $90 fee for the workshop covers lunch and refreshments, plus workshop binders. Because registration for the Family Institute is separate, one need not register for the conference to attend the workshop.

For more information about the Institute, look on the Internet at: http://archon.educ.kent.edu/~illinois, then choose NETWORK Research and Training Projects, and click on the Illinois Family Education Institute.

NSBA annual convention set for April 4-7

Starting on April 4, 1998, in New Orleans, school leaders -- both board members and school administrators -- will meet at the National School Boards Association's 58th Annual Conference. Veteran board members and newcomers will meet to discuss the educational challenges they face and the practical solutions to overcome them.

Through numerous workshops, sessions, and speeches they'll get the proven tools, tips, and techniques they need to make the best possible decisions for their schools. The event will be headquartered at the Hilton Riverside Hotel.

Participants this year can get help in choosing from the many sessions and clinics at the NSBA Conference. New, topical program tracks help participants select among the diverse interests and issues facing school leaders:

1) Fundamentals of Board Service -- designed for new

school board members.

2) Advanced Boardsmanship -- to polish board member

governance and leadership skills.

3) Leadership for Student Achievement -- a primary

focus of this year's conference.

4) Finance, Facilities & Technology -- all the nuts

and bolts.

5) Current Issues -- from at-risk students to test

scores.

6) Community Relations & Collaboration -- getting

others to get involved.

7) School Law -- what you don't know can hurt

you.

8) Rural and Small District Programming --

tailored to board members in these districts.

9) Urban and Large District Programming --

sessions developed to meet the unique challenges

of urban and large districts.

10) Best of the Rest -- fascinating, wide-ranging

issues.

Details on registration, housing, speaker biographies, seminar descriptions, and New Orleans dining and attractions are available from the NSBA Annual Conference home page on the Internet at http://www.nsba.org/Conference. Or call the NSBA Annual Conference fax-on-demand system at 800/934-3967 for a complete listing of conference documents.

For additional information, or to register, call NSBA toll-free at 800/950-6722.

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NEWS FROM IASB

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Challenger flag of learning and liberty available for display at Illinois schools

The Flag of Learning and Liberty was developed in 1985 by the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) to symbolize the crucial role of education in a democratic society. Its tongues of flame represent such concepts as excellence in teaching, high expectations for students, and community involvement.

A few months after it was first commissioned, a flag was presented to teacher-astronaut Christa McAuliffe. She opted to take a supply of small flags with her on the Challenger space shuttle in early 1986, a venture that ended in disaster and the death of all crew members.

The lone surviving flag carried aboard the Challenger was returned to NSPRA by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. That flag has been encased in a traveling display that was exhibited at the 1997 Joint Annual Conference and is available for use by schools throughout the United States and Canada.

Any school scheduling the display is responsible for its temporary safekeeping and for the cost of shipping from its current location. The seven-foot tall display comes in its own wheeled case, with a shipping weight of nearly 800 pounds.

The display is now on assignment in Elgin District U-46 schools and will be through February. School officials in other districts who are interested in scheduling the Challenger flag display can call Larry Ascough in Elgin's office of school/community relations at 847/888-5000, extension 5039.

Sign up for Spring Leadership Academy

It is nearly time again for IASB's Spring Leadership Academy. Dates for the 1998 Academy are March 13 & 14, at the Marriott Oak Brook Hotel,. A wide variety of workshops and panel sessions will be offered. Topics will range from parliamentary procedure to school administration. The featured speaker is Janelle Brittain, Executive Director of Dynamic Performance Institute. Her topic: "Coping with Change without Maalox." For more information, phone IASB at 630/629-3776, extension 1220.

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RESEARCH REPORTS: facts and figures from school leaders

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High School dropout rate remains 5 percent

High School dropout rates have remained stable -- at roughly 5 percent -- over the past decade, according to a new report by the U.S. Education Department. About 500,000 youths left school last year without graduating.

Hispanics continue to drop out at a higher rate than other groups. In 1996, 9 percent of Hispanics failed to complete high school, compared to 6.7 percent for blacks and 4.1 percent for whites.

Contact: National Library of Education, 800/424-1616.

Report identifies promising drug prevention approaches

The most effective way to prevent children from using drugs is to provide adult supervision and structured recreational activities, particularly during the afternoon when school is out and many parents are not yet home. So says a new report released by Drug Strategies, a Washington, DC-based policy research institute.

The 1997 edition of Drug Strategies' annual report, Keeping Score, identifies 18 of the most promising national and local drug prevention and treatment programs. Among them are:

• the Westchester Student Assistance Program in Westchester County, NY, a school-based program that encourages teenagers to seek counseling for anything that might lead to drug abuse;
• One-on-One Winners, a national program of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America, which matches at-risk youths with carefully screened adult mentors;
• Athletes Against Drugs, a program in Chicago that uses professional and Olympic athletes to help build self-esteem and positive health habits among children in grades 4-6 while reinforcing the dangers of drug abuse; and
• Yo Puedo, a program in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that encourages Hispanic youths to stay in school and uses workshops, social activities, and field trips to universities and businesses to strengthen their ability to resist drugs.

Contact: Drug Strategies, 202/663-6090.

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TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS

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Offer handbook for literacy volunteers

The U.S. Department of Education's National Institute on Early Childhood Development and Education recently announced the release of Read With Me: A Guide for Student Volunteers Starting Early Childhood Literacy Programs. This publication, designed for college student volunteers, was written from a student's perspective by a college senior who started a collection of grassroots emergent literacy volunteer groups in Cambridge, MA.

The major focus of the publication is to provide detailed suggestions and examples of how similar grassroots programs can be started.

The booklet includes suggestions based on actual experience about such basic issues as volunteer recruitment, training, and program expansion. It also contains in-depth discussions of the role of volunteer "reflection" times, special needs of individual classrooms, and the importance of working with -- not simply for -- communities.

Although the book was written from the perspective of a college student, its guidelines can be used by secondary school or community groups interested in developing this kind of community service program.

Copies of Read With Me: A Guide for Student Volunteers Starting Early Childhood Literacy Programs are available from New Orders, Superintendent of Documents, P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954. The stock number is 065-000-01078-0, and the price is $5.

Copies are also available through the National Library of Education (phone 1-800/424-1616 for one of a limited number of copies) or through the Internet at http://www.ed.gov.

New resource from Kids Can Make a Difference inspires students to fight hunger and poverty

World Hunger Year recently announced the publication of Finding Solutions to Hunger: Kids Can Make a Difference," a source book of engaging, interactive and challenging lessons for middle and high school students on the causes and solutions to hunger. The guide examines contemporary development projects, the media, famine v. chronic hunger, and the working poor.

J. Larry Brown, Director of the Center on Hunger, Poverty & Nutrition Policy at Tufts University, described the guide as a "remarkable investment in the belief that social progress depends on youth -- children who see old injustices and determine to change them."

New York City's Caedman School teacher Jane Darby said "I've used this guide with great success. It provides creative and thought-provoking lessons for students, as well as invaluable background information for teachers. Perhaps most importantly, it provides us with a framework for action."

Professor Emeritus Joan Dye Gussow, Teachers College, Columbia University, said "I found myself thinking how much I would enjoy introducing these lessons to a classroom full of MTV'd seventh graders; the activities are so engaging that they inspire such compassion and hope."

Kids Can Make a Difference, a World Hunger Year program, inspires students to realize that it is within their power to help eliminate hunger and poverty. For further information regarding this program or the book, Finding Solutions to Hunger: Kids Can Make a Difference, call Larry Levine of Kids Can Make a Difference at 207/439-9588.

ISDLAF+ offers investment choices

There are numerous ways to select sources for investing a school district's funds, according to the Illinois School District Liquid Asset Fund Plus (ISDLAF+). Fund administrators note that no other investment source is exclusively managed for Illinois school districts, community colleges and educational service regions. ISDLAF+ administrators have identified the following unique characteristics of the Fund that may distinguish it from other providers:

The Board of Trustees

• The Board has full, exclusive and absolute control and authority over the business of the fund.
• All members of the Board are selected from school leaders' peers.
• The Board reportedly has established investment criteria that are more restrictive than the Illinois Investment Statutes.
• The Board is responsible for hiring professionals for

1. --Auditing Services
2. -Custodial Services
3. --Investment Services
4. --Legal Services

The Board regularly reviews all policies and procedures.

Auditing, Safekeeping & Security Pricing

The Fund, through its Investment Adviser, is subject to a surprise annual audit to confirm balances and assets with 100 percent of its members. The audits also are designed to confirm with the custodian banks that balances and assets agree with those reflected on the books of the investment adviser.

Third-party safekeeping of all securities that qualify under GASB Statement III, Category I, the highest safety category.

Assets in the Liquid Series and the MAX Series are priced to the market on a weekly basis by both the investment adviser and the custodian bank.

All certificates of deposit are purchased in your school district's name.

All pooled assets are held in the names of the trustees as official custodians.

All supervisory offices of the Investment Adviser are subject to a surprise audit by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Registered with the National Association of Security Dealers (NASD).

FDIC-registered certificate of deposit broker.

A member of the Security Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC).

NASD-licensed Fund representatives (Series 6 and Series 63).

The Liquid and the MAX Series are rated AAAm by Standard and Poor's, and ISDLAF+ programs are endorsed by IASB, IASA, and IASBO. For further information, call John Patti, Vice President of Marketing, at: 1-888/ISDLAFP or 1-800/473-5237.

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FEDERAL UPDATE

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FCC will "go slow" on e-rate subsidies

Funding to wire the nation's schools for improved telecommunications services -- widely known as the e-rate -- will be lower than hoped in the first half of 1998. Just two weeks before the funding program is scheduled to take effect, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman William Kennard announced e-rate funds collected for schools and libraries would be $625 million for the first six months of next year.

Given the Telecommunications Act of 1996 set maximum funding at $2.25 billion annually, the funds announced by Kennard appear to fall more than $400 million below what some education groups had hoped would be made available in early 1998.

At a December 15 press conference, Kennard emphasized that the $2.25 billion ceiling for the e-rate program had not been reduced, and if school needs warrant increased funding, the government could boost corporate subsidies in the second half of 1998.

The lower funding level is the result of an FCC decision to "scale back" the subsidies the telecommunications industry pays into a special fund established by the 1996 law. The fund is designed to provide schools and libraries with discounted rates on telecommunications services such as Internet access, internal telecommunications connections, wiring, and wireless networks.

By scaling back initial corporate subsidies, Kennard says, the FCC hopes to ensure the e-rate program is not "overfunded" but more closely matches what schools and libraries need.

Other officials said the go-slow strategy also would allow the FCC to ensure the e-rate subsidies are offset by regulatory changes and cuts in fees long-distance carriers pay for access to local telephone company lines.

A balance between higher subsidies and company operating costs is needed, they said, to ensure long-distance telephone rates won't increase. The FCC also has been under pressure from conservative members of Congress to move slowly with the program.

The scaled-back launch of the program is disappointing, says Michelle Richards, NSBA's director of federal programs. But the e-rate program remains on track -- and school districts still will be eligible for funding as anticipated.

"The goal now is to get the program up and running," she says. "Meanwhile, NSBA will work diligently to ensure that every dollar needed to make this program work is available over the course of the year and that every school district gets the funding it needs."

Although the FCC decision garnered a good deal of media attention recently, it was only the most visible sign of the intense negotiations, lobbying, and political maneuvering that has surrounded implementation of the 1996 law.

For additional information on the e-rate, call 800/733-6860, EdLiNC's e-rate hotline.

Board settles affirmative action case

The board of education of Piscataway, New Jersey, agreed November 20 to settle an affirmative action lawsuit that was scheduled to be argued before the U.S. Supreme Court in January.

The Black Leadership Forum, an alliance of civil rights groups, contributed 70 percent of the cost of the settlement, reportedly because it was thought that a Supreme Court decision could have set a precedent, setting back affirmative action policies throughout the country. The total settlement of $433,500 includes $186,000 in back pay to plaintiff Sharon Taxman.

The case arose in 1989 when the Piscataway school district, faced with the need to lay off one high school business teacher, chose to lay off Taxman, who is white, and retain a black teacher, Debra Williams.

Both had been hired on the same day nine years earlier, and the district determined they had equivalent qualifications. The board's decision was made to promote racial diversity among the teaching staff.

Taxman filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, charging reverse discrimination, and in August 1996 the 3^rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in her favor.

Taxman was rehired in 1992, but continued to pursue her lawsuit to seek back pay. Since then, she and Williams continued to work in the business department at Piscataway High School but rarely spoke to one another, and the case led to strained relations among the school's faculty.

NSBA Executive Director Anne L. Bryant said the Piscataway school board "made a thoughtful and courageous decision in 1989 when, faced with the need to downsize, it decided to retain the only African-American teacher in the business department rather than a comparably qualified white teacher. The board made this decision as a matter of educational policy to ensure that children would learn in a diverse environment."

"This was never a case about correcting past wrongs," Bryant said. "Our public elementary and secondary schools must be allowed to teach tolerance and diversity by example. Diversity in school faculties serves a compelling educational purpose of promoting tolerance."

Source: NSBA News Service, December 9, 1997.

Illinois FRN delegates to lobby

A delegation of IASB school board members will join hundreds of other board members from across the nation in traveling to Washington, DC to meet and lobby federal officials February 1-3. The event marks the 25^th annual Federal Relations Network (FRN) conference in the nation's capital.

Each year the meeting gives education leaders an opportunity to let members of Congress know what works, and more importantly what doesn't work, in public education from a firsthand perspective.

The FRN is a nationwide organization of members of local boards of education, coordinated by the National School Boards Association, the Illinois Association of School Boards, and school boards associations in other states.

The theme of this year's FRN Conference is "Working Together for Student Achievement." The aim is to make sure Congress not only supports efforts to improve student achievement, but becomes a partner with NSBA and FRN members in addressing this challenge.

Participants in the conference will:

find out firsthand what roadblocks and opportunities lie ahead for public education, including concerns about vouchers, appropriations and unfunded federal mandates;

hear from key representatives and senators, as well as knowledgeable NSBA staff;

learn the skills of effective lobbying;

spend a full day on Capitol Hill lobbying their senators and representatives and meeting informally with members of Congress and their staff.

The full day of lobbying is scheduled for February 3. Prior to that, FRN delegates will get briefings on major education issues that will be considered by Congress this year.

Board members entitled to tax deduction

School board members are allowed to take a deduction on federal income tax returns for non-reimbursed expenses arising from board service. The cost of driving to and from board meetings is one such deduction. A school board member must itemize deductions in order to qualify. For further information contact the IRS or see IRS Publication 526, "Charitable Contributions," containing guidelines pertinent to board member deductions. Free copies of this publication are available from the IRS and may be obtained via fax or mail by calling 800/829-3676.

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THE NATIONAL SCENE

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Edwards a finalist for national Superintendent of the Year

Marvin Edwards, Superintendent of District U-46 in Elgin is one of four finalists for the 1998 AASA National Superintendent of the Year award.

The AASA National Superintendent of the Year program is co-sponsored by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) and the Service Master Company of Downers Grove.

"Superintendents are at the very center of community leadership. Their responsibilities are awesome, yet their contributions are inspiring," said AASA Executive Director Paul Houston.

National Superintendent of the Year candidates are selected based on four criteria:

Leadership for Learning. Candidates must demonstrate creativity in successfully meeting the learning needs of students in their education systems.

Communications Skills. Candidates must demonstrate strength in both personal and organizational communications.

Professionalism. Candidates must demonstrate a commitment to growth through consistently upgrading their administrative knowledge and skills, providing professional development opportunities for other members of their education teams, and motivating others to achieve.

Community Involvement. Candidates must demonstrate knowledge about and active involvement in local community activities, as well as exhibit understanding of regional, national, and international issues.

Progress seen in raising teacher quality

More than a year after its first report cited a lack of qualified teachers, a commission on teaching reports that North Carolina and 13 other states have enacted laws to improve the quality and training of classroom instructors.

The report urged professional standards boards for teachers -- much like the boards for lawyers and doctors -- and accreditation for all colleges of education.

The first report, issued 14 months ago by the National Commission on Teaching & America's Future, found that poor city and rural districts suffered most from a lack of qualified teachers. The commission urged special programs to recruit and train teachers for those areas.

This year's update noted that since the original report, 14 states have passed legislation encompassing its key recommendations and 12 states -- including Illinois -- have signed on with the commission to look for ways to carry out the recommendations.

Moreover, President Clinton has proposed spending $350 million to educate teachers who will serve in poor areas. Several teacher preparation bills have been introduced in Congress.

"Thanks to the leadership of policymakers, educators and concerned community members across the country, we are making important progress in our efforts to improve learning by improving the quality of teaching," said Linda Darling-Hammond, executive director of the commission and a professor at Columbia University's Teachers College.

The 26-member commission was set up by the Rockefeller Foundation and Carnegie Corporation of New York. Members include Governor Edgar, and North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt, a Democrat. Additional members are the presidents of the two major teachers' unions and other teachers and education professors.

It also includes the heads of the National Board for Professional Teacher Standards, which would benefit from the recommendations, and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.

The 14 states are: Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Washington, West Virginia, and Virginia.

The 12 partner states are: Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, Ohio, and Oklahoma.

New "Learning First Alliance" announced

Twelve leading national educational organizations came together recently to announce the formation of the Learning First Alliance -- an unprecedented and permanent collaboration of major national organizations to improve student learning.

The Learning First Alliance will reportedly serve as a catalyst to coordinate resources and initiatives of its member organizations to further student achievement. The members include: American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, American Association of School Administrators, American Federation of Teachers, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Council of Chief State School Officers, Education Commission of the States, National Association of Elementary School Principals, National Association of Secondary School Principals, National Association of State Boards of Education, National Education Association, National Parent Teacher Association, and the National School Boards Association.

Together these organizations' members and constituencies represent more than ten million Americans, according to the Alliance.

"It is hard to name a challenge confronting our public schools that could not be better addressed by a fuller and more forceful collaboration of the education community -- both inside and outside our schools," said Anne Bryant, NSBA Executive Director and new chair of the Learning First Alliance Steering Committee.

According to Bryant, the Alliance will work with and through its member organizations on three specific objectives:

To ensure that high academic expectations are held for all students.

To ensure a positive and supportive place of learning for all students.

To engage parents and all community members in helping students achieve high academic expectations.

The presidents and executive directors of the Alliance organizations plan to meet regularly to coordinate efforts that will include the development and delivery of messages to all segments of the education system. They will also attempt to disseminate success stories and model initiatives, conduct and analyze solid research, and collaborate on actions.

"Our joint commitment to student learning is real and will be unrelenting," said Alan Glenn, president-elect of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, and chair of the Learning First Alliance. "Each education leader here today, in fact every educator and policymaker, and indeed every American has ultimately failed if a single child leaves school without the basic skills he or she needs to become a productive citizen. It is time for us to double and redouble our efforts.

Shirley Sagawa, the executive director of the Learning First Alliance, announced that the Alliance will initially focus on improving reading and math achievement. The Alliance member organizations will sponsor a national summit on reading and math to be held in January, 1998, in Washington, D.C.

Sagawa said the summit will feature national and local delegations of the member organizations, as well as outstanding and innovative leaders in the education and related communities. The summit will conclude with a strategic action plan on reading and math to be undertaken by the Learning First Alliance member organizations that will be announced at the summit's conclusion.

AASA backs children's rights amendment

The American Association of School Administrators (AASA) top leaders have voted to support a proposed children's rights amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

At its November meeting, the AASA Executive Committee voted in favor of a proposed amendment developed by several groups, including AASA, under the leadership of a Connecticut judge, Charles Gill. In discussing the proposal before the vote, the Executive Committee members reportedly noted the tension that often exists between children's rights and parental rights.

The proposed amendment states:

The rights of persons under the age of 18 shall include all of the protective and due process rights possessed by those over the age of 18 years.

Nothing herein shall be construed to diminish any existing rights of such persons nor to preclude the enactment of laws to enhance the rights of such persons.

Such rights may only be limited upon a demonstration of a compelling state interest and any such limitation shall be accomplished by the least intrusive means.

IASB School Board News Bulletin
Illinois Association of School Boards

This newsletter is published monthly by the Illinois Association of School Boards for member boards of education and their superin-tendents. The Illinois Association of School Boards, an Illinois not-for-profit corporation, is a voluntary association of local boards of education and is not affiliated with any branch of government.

Gerald R. Glaub, Deputy Executive Director, Member Services
Gary Adkins, Editor

2921 Baker Drive
Springfield, Illinois 62703-5929
(217) 528-9688

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COPYRIGHT NOTICE -- This document is copyrighted © by the Illinois Association of School Boards. IASB hereby grants to school districts and other Internet users the right to download, print and reproduce this document provided that (a) the Illinois Association of School Boards is prominently noted as publisher and copyright holder of the document and (b) any reproductions of this document are disseminated without charge and not used for any commercial purpose.