The ISBE says it will be producing the standards in a variety of formats, and is now making them available through the agency's home page on the Internet (www.isbe.state.il.us).

Adopted in July, the new goals, standards and benchmarks were advanced and refined with the help of thousands of Illinois school leaders, parents, employers and citizens. Based on the 1985 State Goals for Learning, they specify the required learning targets for all students in the areas of mathematics, science, social science, physical development and health and fine arts. There is an advisory set of standards for foreign language.

According to the ISBE, state assessments based on these standards will be phased in starting in the 1998-99 school year.

For more information about the standards, phone 217/782-0541.

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One example was an amendment to the tax reconciliation bill by Sen. Paul Coverdell (R-Ga.) that would allow parents to use IRAs (Individualized Retirement Accounts) to pay for private or home schooling. All but the wealthiest Americans could contribute up to $2,000 a year in tax-sheltered funds to pay for school transportation, books, and supplies, as well as tuition.

Coverdell also drafted a provision in the Senate Republicans' education reform bill to authorize vouchers to enable children at "unsafe" public schools to transfer to private or religious schools. He also introduced a similar provision to the Senate budget resolution, where it passed on a narrow margin but was dropped in conference.

NSBA opposes all measures aimed at channeling public money to private schools on grounds that diverting such funds would reduce the resources available to public schools.

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The academy offers this advice on how school leaders can develop similar dropout prevention programs:

1. Recruit students via teacher recommendations.
2. Team up with a university or community college that has programs matching your goals.
3. Offer enrichment activities to support academic studies related to the occupational path to be explored.
4. Offer tutoring after school hours during the regular school year.
5. Build parent involvement by way of workshops.
6. Bolster self esteem with goal-setting activities.

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Furthermore, as spelled out in its new booklet, NEH in the Digital Age, NEH also is launching its own projects to support technology, developing digital content materials and fostering partnerships for schools with parents and the public sector. For a copy of the booklet, call NEH at 202/606-8400. For information and application forms for grants, see the Web at http://www.neh.fed.us under "EDD Guidelines" or contact NEH, Division of Research and Education Programs, Room 318, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20506; phone 202/606-8380; fax 202/606-8394; e-mail: education@neh.fed.us.

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This fall's class includes 1.1 million students whose average mathematics score is 511 on the SAT I: Reasoning Test, three points above last year's level and the highest in 26 years. The average SAT verbal score is 505, the same as last year.

Only 14 percent of Illinois seniors took the SAT, compared to 42 percent of all seniors nationwide. Scores of Illinois students were 562 on the verbal portion of the SAT, and 578 on the Math portion. The verbal score in the state was two points lower than last year, while the math score was three points higher than last year.

Illinois SAT verbal scores were 23 points higher than they were ten years ago, and Illinois math scores were 38 points higher than ten years ago.

Nationwide, verbal scores on the SAT "are in a state of limbo," according to College Board president Donald M. Stewart. He attributes this, in part, to the fact that students are taking fewer English courses and more math and science courses in high school.

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The awards give national recognition to communities that have developed exemplary local collaborations to foster vigorous, unified, and integrated approaches for addressing the needs of children and young people.

The Local Collaboration for Children and Youth is comprised of six national organizations representing local government and school systems in the United States. The six organizations are the American Association of School Administrators, the International City/County Management Association, the National Association of Counties, the National League of Cities, the National School Boards Association, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

Who is eligible? Any community group, local government, school system or parent or youth representative may submit an application on behalf of a community collaboration. Applicants do not have to be affiliated with one of the participating national organizations.

Those interested should seek out applications immediately. Application brochures were mailed in late August. If you did not receive one in the mail, contact Sandra Reinsel Markwood at the National Association of Counties, 202/942-4235 or John Kyle at the National League of Cities, 202/626-3030.

The deadline for turning in completed applications is 5 p.m., Friday, October 17, 1997. Winners will be announced at the beginning of December.

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The award is presented annually to a school board that has demonstrated support for and commitment to high-quality arts education in its school district, community, state or special jurisdiction.

One school board per state is nominated for the national award and the final selection is made by a panel of arts educators and other educators including representatives of KCAAEN and NSBA.

The award panelists reportedly will look favorably upon those school districts that have worked to fully integrate the arts in their schools. In addition, panelists will be looking for ways a school district has incorporated all of the arts into its local educational reform efforts, including the consideration of the national standards for arts education or the adoption of its own arts education standards.

Local school boards may nominate themselves for the award, but the deadline for nominations is November 15.

Application forms may be obtained by calling 312/750-0589 or faxing 312/750-9113.

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The missing pane--Con the topic of diversity--is "Governors State University/Ford Heights School District 169 Learning in Context Partnership." Here is a description:

"This innovative partnership helps young people become concerned, participating citizens. Youth, communities, and universities together have created dynamic programs to empower young people, thus providing meaningful alternatives to anti-social behavior. The five-tiered program can help your community foster significant growth in its youth while strengthening community development."

The 1997 Joint Annual Conference will feature panels on scores of topics targeted to school leaders. See the recently mailed conference brochure for descriptions of other panels and events and to make plans for attending this year's conference.

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Districts seeking rooms may wish to contact neighboring districts to see if they might be permitted to use rooms that would otherwise be canceled. All that is necessary for an alternate district to claim the room at the conference rate is a call to the hotel reservations department to change the name on the reservation. However, districts must not use the term "cancel," but instead should state that they would like to change the name on an existing reservation from Mr. John Smith to Mr. Charles Jones for example. If the new occupant has different arrival and/or departure dates, these can be altered at the same time with no problem.

The only downside to this scenario is that the individual to whom the reservation is changed now must pay his or her account upon departure or put the charges on his or her personal credit card or the district's card. If not, the account will be billed to the district of the individual for whom the room was originally reserved.

If a district cannot secure rooms and therefore does not attend the conference, the full registration fees paid will be refunded following the conference.

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1) Family Education Network: Overall score: 94 (content: 97; education: 91; fun: 91; ease of use: 93; revisit: 94).

"Here's a top site for all things parental and educational. If you're home-schooling your kids, have a child with a learning disability, or want to know how to deal with your toddler's temper tantrums, you'll find answers here," according to the magazine. The site contains articles on topics ranging from "When kids leave home" to ANine rules of thumb for parents of special education kids."

Pros: In the Quick Poll section, parents can give their two cents on topics such as computers in the classroom and summer vacations.

Cons: Some testers thought that the page actually had too much information and that it wasn't organized well.

Noteworthy: Local schools can set up their own site for free so parents can stay in touch with the school on a daily basis. The entire state of Maryland recently signed onto FamilyEducation.com, and each school district will have its own website.

According to one tester: "You have the ability to communicate with other parents who may be going through some of the same growing pains that you are with your children. If that doesn't get you the answer, you can always ask the ‘experts,’ which is where you can ask a question to a staff member of the site."--Benjamin Harbaugh, 34, of Hamilton Sq., New Jersey.

2) Family.com: Overall score: 89 (content: 87; education: 86; fun: 92; ease of use: 88; revisit: 92).

Disney's parenting site is a great mixture of activities, message boards, articles and expert advice. It features articles from FamilyFun and FamilyPC, as well as columns by parenting expert Penelope Leach. Family.Com offers a few unique features as well, including D-cards, electronic greeting cards that you can send to anyone with an email address. If you're looking for something to do there are activities for every situation.

Pros: A variety of features, including greeting cards, family projects, activities, recipes and travel.

Cons: You have to pay to get access to all articles and features.

Noteworthy: This is one of the few sites where parents found useful information about teens and "tweeners."

According to one tester: "I particularly liked the For Your Eyes Only drop-down list box which lets you enter an age group category and select a topic of interest. The associated articles are numerous, brief and very informative. This is a site where one might find a great deal of information quickly and easily."-- MaryAnn Walters, 44, of Vanderbilt, Pennsylvania.

3) Kid Source Online: Overall: 85 (content: 78; education: 91; fun: 77; ease of use: 88; revisit: 91)

Kid Source Online is the brainchild of a group of parents. The focus of the information is education and health. The site does not feature any bells and whistles--no fancy graphics, background music or video clips--so the articles load up quickly. All of the articles include a list of sources, so you know where the information is coming from. The site also features parenting articles from a variety of sources, which it rates on a five-star basis (from "must see by all parents" to "use as reference").

Pros: The search feature lets you find the information you need quickly.

Cons: Graphically unappealing.

Noteworthy: The Computing Edge section matches needy schools with donors of used or excess computer equipment.

According to one tester: "As an educator, I was impressed with the quality of the site: the education articles--I think that this site would be very appealing to other educators--not just parents. I also like the availability of a subscription for updates when the site changes. This is really a great source for parents and teachers!"--Anita Hill, 41, of Maynard, Massachusetts.

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Another site worth visiting is provided by the Business Week Online Insider Newsletter. It provides access to a listserv for technology-using educators, described and archived at http://www.businessweek.com/tocs/teched.htm.

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The book, Some Things Do Make a Difference for Youth: A Compendium of Evaluations of Youth Programs and Practices, was released in July by the American Youth Policy Forum. This nonpartisan Washington, D.C., policy development group prepared the book to highlight research that shows what works and why, and to share the recipes for successful programs.

The book profiles 49 youth programs, including:

* Big Brothers/Big Sisters, a 93-year-old program that matches volunteer adult mentors with young people. Youth participants reported that they were 46 percent less likely to start using drugs and they had better relationships with their parents.

* Career Academies, described in the book as "schools within schools" in which high school students take several academic and career theme-related classes together. Academies place different emphasis on dropout prevention, career preparation and college preparation, or pursue all three.

The book is available for $10 from: American Youth Policy Forum; 1001 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 719; Washington, D.C. 20036-5541. For more information on ordering, phone Lucille Easson at 202/775-9731.

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The magazine recently called for 490 parents to examine the 13 leading parenting sites on the Web to help determine which sites were best.

"Testers looked to see if the information was reliable, how it compared in scope to traditional sources of information, whether the information was presented well and whether they would use the sites regularly as a source of research on child-raising issues," according to magazine writer Valle Dwight.

"Testers found that the Web is a great source of information, encouragement and advice." Testers said the best parenting features were the chat rooms and message boards "where they could talk one on one with parents going through similar problems," Dwight wrote.

Yet only three of the 13 sites received an endorsement from the testers: Family Education Network, Family.com and Kidsource.com (see "Parenting sites on the Web, rated and reviewed," on p. 3).

"Probably the best information about parenting comes from others. Whether it's mothers comparing notes over the backyard fence or swapping tips at a play-group, parents have traditionally turned to each other for advice and comfort in child-rearing," Dwight wrote. "The Web expands this community beyond the boundaries of the old home town. If you're facing a challenging situation, you may not find someone next door who is going through it, but you're bound to find a sympathetic (and empathetic) ear on the Web."

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The 1996 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, conducted by the national government and released August 6, found 7.1 percent of youths ages 12 to 17 said they used marijuana in the previous month. The 1995 survey found 8.2 percent did so.

While this is not considered a significant difference, it suggests that teenage marijuana use is no longer escalating as it had since 1992.

Marijuana use leveled off among teenagers of all races and ethnic groups and in all parts of the nation, according to the study. The sharpest declines were reported in 12 to 15-year-olds.

The battle against drugs apparently is being won on other fronts, as well: the percentage of young people who used cocaine in the past month dropped from 0.8 percent in 1995 to 0.6 percent last year. Alcohol use by teenagers also fell, along with cigarette use.

Hallucinogenic drug use increased slightly, however, rising from 1.7 percent to 2 percent.

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The 18-month study looked at the Big Brothers/Big Sisters programs throughout the United States and focused on student academic performance, antisocial behaviors, family relationships, behaviors and attitudes, peer relationships, and cultural/social enrichment.

Conducted by Public/Private Ventures, the study also deduced that meticulous screening of volunteers is essential to the effectiveness of mentoring programs. Aspects also required for success: good training, professional case management matching mentors with children, and thorough supervision by a case manager.

Another finding was that the limited number of adults available to serve as mentors is a major obstacle for mentoring programs. Although 5-15 million children could benefit from having a mentor, only about 75,000 children are matched per year.

To obtain a copy of Juvenile Justice Bulletin "Mentoring--A Proven Delinquency Prevention Strategy," write the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse, P.O. Box 6000, Rockville, MD 20849-6000, or phone 800/638-8736.

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When asked to evaluate 10 specific reform proposals for improving academic achievement in the public schools, a majority of respondents assign a great deal or quite a lot of importance to eight of the 10.

The top-rated reforms, supported by roughly three-fourths of Americans, were placing a computer in every classroom (endorsed by 81 percent), and establishing national standards for measuring academic performance (77 percent). Others rated highly: moving persistent "troublemakers" to alternative schools (75 percent), and allowing families to choose a public school (73 percent).

This year the public was asked to rate the importance of three factors in explaining why public schools in some locales are better than those in others. The public ranked strong support from parents number one (rated very important or quite important by 97 percent of respondents). The amount of money spent on schools ranked second (91 percent), and the kind of students attending the schools ranked third (67 percent).

Meanwhile, President Clinton has weighed in with proposals designed to improve public schools, enhance student achievement, and provide incentives for students to succeed in school. Respondents to the 1997 Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup poll expressed major support for all three proposals.

The public gives its strongest support (82 percent) to the President's proposed tax credit for parents of first-year college students. Two-thirds of the public (66 percent) favor the proposal for placing a computer with access to the Internet in every public school classroom. The proposal for testing student achievement at two different grade levels--4th grade and 8th grade--also receives the support of a majority (57 percent) of respondents.

In other findings, most Americans (52 percent) remain opposed to allowing students to attend a private school at "public expense." But 44 percent support such a concept, and support has been growing since 1993, when just 24 percent were in favor. When asked the same question, if the phrase "government expense" is substituted for Apublic expense," the public is evenly divided--48 percent in favor and 48 percent opposed.

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Girls might do better at both spatial-skills and math by competing in sports, the study found.

The study, published in the current issue of Developmental Psychology, was an examination of competing explanations for why boys consistently outscore girls on the math part of the SAT. Researchers found that nearly two-thirds of the measurable differences in math scores (64 percent) was attributable to boys' better spatial ability, and 36 percent to girls' lower self-confidence.

The ninety-four high school students in the study were tested as sophomores on spatial skills--the ability to mentally visualize and rotate three-dimensional objects--and on their math self-confidence. Two years later, their SAT scores and math grades ranked them among the top one-third of college-bound students in suburban schools.

Girls' higher math anxiety did not affect their scores on the math SAT's, the study found.

And since boys are encouraged at early ages to play with blocks and toys such as model airplanes, and later to participate in sports, girls would do well to get the same encouragement.

Source: Associated Press.

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The revised Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), signed into law June 4, makes extensive changes in every aspect of special education--from discipline to attorney fees, from funding to parental involvement.

School boards should have a two-pronged strategy for implementing the changes in special education law, advises NSBA Associate Executive Director Michael A. Resnick. In addition to getting involved in the regulatory process, he says, Athey need to begin a constructive implementation plan" to ensure children with disabilities are well-served and that Aparents and schools are working together to do so."

It took Congress more than three years to revise the law first enacted 22 years ago to guarantee a free and appropriate education to all children with disabilities. The delay was primarily due to major disagreements between school boards and parents.

"NSBA was not thrilled with all the amendments--especially some of the cost and discipline provisions," Resnick says. "But I do think this law will work right for kids."

"Ultimately, you will have to do what is required, but there will be some confusion during the interim. So, during the transition, don't rush to create policies and precedents by making decisions that you don't have to make," Resnick advises school boards.

"At the expense of being flippant, part of your response in the interim should be to 'keep your collar dry,'" Resnick said, and not jump into ill-considered action.

Many changes took effect immediately, and the Education Department will reorganize the grant programs by October. However, the final regulations won't be issued by the department until this spring.

As an early step, "school boards should consider reaching out to parents to explain the changes in the law," he suggests. "From the first, develop common understanding of what is now required, so we don't return to what has been the we-them mentality."

The new law affects 12 percent of all students and probably close to 18 percent of school district's operating budgets, Resnick says.

One unusual provision of the new law states that school districts may not withhold special education services from eligible students who are being disciplined, even for gross misconduct unrelated to the student's disability. Apparently, schools must provide free and appropriate education even if a child has committed acts that would require expulsion for a child not enrolled in special education.

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The EPA policy, which may take up to a year to be finalized, is the first major advance in stopping the private firms from forcing local governments and school districts to share in the millions of dollars in fines levied to clean up the waste dumps.

Capitol Hill has been wrestling for five years with revamping the troubled Superfund program--both its authorization and financing legislation have expired--and the current Congress still seems far from agreement, says NSBA Assistant Executive Director Laurie Westley.

The new policy proposal would allow only the EPA to bring local government agencies into Superfund court actions.

The Superfund law, aimed at clearing up the nation's worst hazardous waste dumps, holds that each polluter that contributed toxic waste to a Superfund site is 100 percent responsible for cleaning up the site. That provision was written to ensure that all the companies that have dumped hazardous wastes share in the cleanup costs.

But it has been used by the companies targeted by the EPA to file third-party suits against school districts and other local governments that also used the landfills, even though the latter primarily used the site for ordinary garbage.

More than 200 school districts have been sued under the law by private firms, and a significant number have paid huge settlements.

If the EPA policy becomes final, it is likely to be challenged in court by the major corporate polluters.

Source: NSBA News Service, August 19, 1997.

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The August 22 ruling says the school choice plan violates a section of the state constitution that prohibits the use of public money for religious purposes.

The decision says the Milwaukee program could redirect "well over $40 million in state payments" to religious schools.

Attorneys for the state and school choice supporters are expected to take the case to the State Supreme Court, which heard it last year but deadlocked on it. The case is expected to eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court.

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The strike was not a huge problem nationwide for school districts, because most textbook publishers had made alternative shipping arrangements, according to Richard Blake, vice president of the School Division of the Association of American Publishers (AAP).

The delay of book orders was disruptive, however, in a number of schools.

Source: NSBA's School Board News, August 19, 1997.

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The plan, which lost by a margin of 58 percent to 42 percent, was proposed by the Cleveland Teachers Union to protect the school district's 60 percent share of local property tax receipts.

The union contends the schools lose $21 million a year to various tax abatements, enterprise zones, and tax increment financing programs used as incentives to lure businesses to invest in the city.

Mayor Michael R. White campaigned hard against the measure. School officials took no formal stand on it. But Superintendent Richard Boyd noted that although schools' revenue growth suffers, they don't actually lose revenue through property tax abatements.

Further, he says, schools would lose out on new taxes if businesses left the city because they couldn't get an abatement.

Source: NSBA's School Board News, August 19, 1997.

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"Preparing Schools and School Systems for the 21st Century," one of five areas of focus around which workshops will be organized for the conference, drew the most responses in AASA's annual competition for slots on their conference program.

In all, conference staff received 586 proposals for fewer than 200 slots on the program, which also encompasses four other focal areas:

* Improving the condition of children and youth;

* Connecting schools, school systems and communities;

* Enhancing the effectiveness of school leaders; and

* Bringing balance to their lives.

Joseph Porto, superintendent of the 650-student Pleasantdale District 107 in Burr Ridge, in Cook County, said he was impressed by the array of ideas offered for improving the condition of children and youth.

"It's nice to see so many people involved and willing to share their expertise," he said, especially in the area of coordinating services among agencies and schools and for addressing diversity of all kinds, not just racial and ethnic.

Robert Ferrera, an assistant superintendent in San Jose, California, and another proposal reviewer, said he was excited by the many strategies offered for enhancing the effectiveness of school leaders.

"Many of (the proposals) were data-driven and research based, in addition to being very practical," he said. Popular issues included board-superintendent relations and leadership techniques that work with various groups.

For details call AASA at 703/875-0748.

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More than $495 million was invested in the Fixed Rate program, at rates of 5.40 percent for a 30-day certificate to 5.85 percent for a one-year certificate. For more information about ISDLAF+, call, toll-free, 1-800/221-4524.

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FOR SALE: 70-person band riser: $5,000. Contact Larry Elsea, Superintendent, Smithton C.C. District 130; phone 618/233-6863.

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September 12: 1997 IASB Resolutions Committee Report on the agenda for the upcoming delegate assembly, to district superintendents.