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School Board News Bulletin
December 1999

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Legislature moves up adjournment deadline; State moves up spring 2000 waiver deadline

Academic standards movement faulted

Get help in selecting a design professional

Some states back away from academic standards

Palatine District 15 wins highest honor of Lincoln Award For Excellence

Supreme Court rebuffs church-state appeals

President, Congress agree on class size reduction funding

THE NATIONAL SCENE

Student grades impact teacher pay

Hurricane Floyd school disaster relief effort continues

Schools seen as ready for Y2K

Teacher’s organization offers praise for standards progress

Districts turn to temp agencies for substitute teachers

RESEARCH REPORTS

Students demonstrate grasp of basic civics

FBI study identifies signs of potentially violent children

High teacher turnover rates predicted

TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS

Scholarships can help school leaders attend risk management conference

E-rate application deadline is January 19

Directory lists $30 billion in school technology funding

Get on-line facts about recruiting, preparing teachers

Join online discussion on standardized testing

FEDERAL UPDATE

High Court justices agree to hear prayer case

Board members will lobby at FRN conference

Crisis communication and management workshop set

School board members get IRS advice

WORKSHOPS & MEETINGS

INSPRA to host first of several school PR sessions downstate

Online news organization to host confab on technology funding

WIU produces school violence teleconference series

Because the legislature has set the adjournment date for its spring session for April 14, the Illinois State Board of Education has moved the waiver request submission deadline up to February 10, 2000 (previously the waiver deadline was March 17). The Illinois School Code requires the State Board to send a report to the legislature by May 1 and October 1 each year. School districts must have their spring 2000 waiver requests postmarked by February 10 to be eligible.

Senate President James "Pate" Phillip and Speaker of the House Michael Madigan agreed to change the legislature's spring adjournment date during the recently concluded fall veto session. The April 14 adjournment means that major committee work and legislative maneuverings will occur in February and March next year. In addition to making the adjournment date change, lawmakers discussed several education-related issues during the veto session, but the legislature took no action on such issues.

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Standardized tests aren't merely uninformative about the educational issues that matter: they prevent us from understanding what is really going on and what to do about it." That is the gist of the argument made by writer Alfie Kohn in a research-based book, The Schools Our Children Deserve. Time magazine calls Kohn "perhaps the country's most outspoken critic of education's fixation on grades." In the book he argues that the academic-standards movement is fundamentally flawed in key respects:

*It is wrong on student motivation. A large body of research suggests that students who focus mainly on how well they are performing in school can become disinterested in what they are studying, and in learning itself.

*It is wrong about instructional practices. The standards movement's emphasis on teaching "core knowledge" and "basic skills" through proscriptive instructional methods is misguided, and does not work well.

*It is wrong about evaluation. Terms such as "higher standards" and "raising the bar" rely upon standardized tests as the universal evaluation tool, yet such tests are often multiple-choice, norm-referenced and otherwise inaccurate.

*It is wrong about reform. Attempts to specify precisely what must be taught and learned are commonly mandated by champions of academic standards. Yet Kohn argues that "accountability usually turns out to be a code for tighter control over what happens in the classroom by people who are not in classrooms."

*It is mistaken about school improvement. The common belief that "tougher" always signifies "better" schooling is wrong. "The dominant philosophy. . . [is] that what we're doing is OK, we just need to do it harder, longer, stronger, louder, meaner, and we'll have a better country," Kohn states.

Kohn's book is $24 and is published by Houghton Mifflin Company, 181 Ballardvale St., P.O. Box 7050, Wilmington, MA 01887. Phone 800/225-3362.

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Where can school administrators turn when a proposed project will require the services of an engineer or an architect? How about a program that "offers free information, guidelines, and, if necessary, assistance in selecting a design professional; the program is known as Qualification Based Selection (QBS)," according to Bob Harms, QBS Facilitator and registered Professional Engineer.

Harms says QBS offers a selection procedure based on competition, qualifications, and negotiation. It is required by law in Illinois for use by state agencies and non home rule local governmental agencies. It also is required by law in at least 30 other states.

How will QBS help your district? Harms says it will help in the selection of a qualified firm for your particular project: "It will help you select a firm that will represent your interests, one that will be a team with you and be an extension of your staff; not one that will be trying to cut corners to make a profit on a 'low-ball' bid. It will help your district obtain a quality design that will solve the problems unique to your project."

The key cost factors for a typical project, according to Harms, are:

Operation and Maintenance 56%

Construction 42%

Planning, Design & Construction Management 2%

"This means that trying to get the lowest possible price or taking bids for professional design services is false economy. If a qualified professional can save you 2.4% on construction, you could increase his fee by 50% and still come out ahead. If he or she could save you just 3.6% on operation and maintenance, you would save more than the cost of planning, design and construction management. So you want the design professional who has the qualifications and experience for your particular project with its unique problems; not necessarily the lowest bidder. There are also other reasons for not selecting by low bid," according to Harms.

The QBS program which provides the free service is sponsored by the Consulting Engineers Council of Illinois, the American Institute of Architects of Illinois, and the Illinois Society of Professional Engineers. It is carried out by facilitators, who are retired engineers or architects, in the various geographic areas of the state.

The facilitators sit down individually with your district superintendent or business official or make a presentation to your governing group or a selection committee, as you deem appropriate. They provide a booklet of guidelines, including background information, copies of applicable laws, a description of the recommended procedure, and blank forms for every step. They then go over: the procedure, reasons for using it, the ways in which taking bids can create problems, and criteria for making a selection. They then try to answer any questions.

The program is coordinated and administered by David Kennedy, Executive Director of the Consulting Engineers Council of Illinois. Kennedy refers requests to the appropriate area facilitator. For more information, phone Kennedy at 217/529-7430, or fax 217/529-2742, by email: consengil@aol.com or by mail at 5221 South Sixth Street, Springfield, IL 62703.

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The tougher learning standards imposed by state policy makers in the past three years, along with high-stakes student testing, are beginning to produce a backlash in some places. Most students are not scoring well on the new tests, and some appear to be in real jeopardy of dropping out or being held back. The parents of such students are venting frustration and states are starting to retrench. In fact, a few states are admitting that financial concerns have kept them from putting in place the support - including teacher training programs, and extra help for students - needed to meet their higher standards,. One state that has recently backed away from its rigorous academic standards is Wisconsin. Other states or school systems backing away from highly proscriptive standards are: Arizona, Virginia, Massachusetts, New York, Los Angeles, California and San Diego, California. Source: Jacques Sternberg, "Academic Standards Eased As a Fear of Failure Spreads," The New York Times, December 3, 1999, A1.

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In an awards ceremony Wednesday, December 8, Palatine Community Consolidated District 15 won the highest level of distinction of the coveted Lincoln Award for Excellence. Journeys of Excellence was the fifth annual awards celebration. A statement was read from Governor George Ryan declaring Wednesday, December 8th the Lincoln Foundation for Business Excellence Day. Palatine District 15 is the first school district in the state to win the Level III award.

In his acceptance speech district superintendent John Conyers spoke eloquently about the process of continual quality improvement, coupled with the fundamental founding principles of public school education, as a basis of our democracy: "...we speak with passion about quality; we celebrate the connected learning community that makes up District 15," Conyers said. He thanked the staff, parents, community, examiners, and business mentors who helped all district personnel excel. Superintendent Conyers also stated that by winning this award District 15 is saying to its community it holds itself to a high level of quality that will remain in place even after the glow of the award has faded. He spoke of the need for, the glory of and the pride in public school education. He concluded by recalling Thomas Jefferson's philosophy on public education: children are our future, we can not forsake them. The Lincoln Award process includes three levels, beginning with the Level I Award, Commitment to Excellence. This goes to organizations recognized for their earnest efforts to adopt and apply continuous improvement principles. The award process allows organizations to measure themselves against The Lincoln Foundation's seven criteria of excellence, patterned after the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award: leadership, strategic planning, customer and market focus, information and analysis, human resource focus, process management and organization results. The Level II Award is The Lincoln Award for Progress Towards Excellence. This level is awarded to organizations recognized for demonstrating sound and notable continuous improvement processes. Level III is only awarded to organizations that have demonstrated an exemplary approach, deployment and results in their overall quality systems and processes. Winners are considered role models for other Illinois organizations.

As IASB helps school leaders celebrate the excellence exemplified by District 15, other districts are beginning the process of undertaking the rigors of the Lincoln criteria. IASB looks forward to the opportunity to offer accolades to others as they commence their journey of excellence to model quality education in this unique way.

For more information phone the foundation: 312/258-5301.

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The U.S. Supreme Court recently turned down appeals in three cases involving church-state issues. The High Court's rebuff of the cases could intensify the national debate regarding tuition vouchers and other efforts to provide public funding for religious schools. The ruling means Maine may continue giving vouchers to children in non-religious private schools while denying such assistance for children who attend religious schools. The Court also rebuffed New York's attempt to resuscitate a public school district in the midst of a community of Hasidic Jews and denied Pennsylvania's effort to dispense with state sales taxes on religious publications. Source: Associated Press, "Supreme Court rejects three church-state appeals," October 13, 1999.

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President Bill Clinton and congressional leaders reached agreement on class size reduction funding in the final days of the 1999 Congress, as part of a major fiscal year 2000 education appropriations package. The agreement gives school districts more flexibility in how they use the new funds to reduce class size, allowing as much as 25 percent to go to teacher training. Last year districts could spend no more than 15 percent of such funds on teacher training. The $35.7 billion appropriation for the federal Education Department, up from $33.5 billion last year, includes $1.3 billion to reduce class size. The $1.3 billion would enable school districts to retain the 29,000 new teachers hired this year. It also makes good on a bipartisan promise made last year to eventually hire 100,000 teachers to reduce class size in the early grades. In pursuit of that goal the bill provides funding for roughly an additional 8,000 teachers this year. In November, the administration released a report showing that the class size reduction initiative is working. Teachers are being hired in areas of greatest need and urban teachers are receiving high quality training.

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FEDERAL UPDATE

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High Court justices agree to hear prayer case

The U.S. Supreme Court announced in November that it will hear a case involving prayers at school football games. The case involves a student-led prayer broadcast over a public address system before a football game at a high school in the Santa Fe Independent School District, in Texas. An appellate court ruled in February that the pre-game prayers violate the constitutional requirement for separation of church and state. The last time the Supreme Court ruled on school prayer, in 1992, it found clergy-led prayers at graduation ceremonies unconstitutional.

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Board members will lobby at FRN conference

A delegation of IASB school board members will join hundreds of other board members from across the nation in Washington, DC to meet and lobby federal officials January 30 through February 1. The occasion is the 27th annual Federal Relations Network (FRN) conference, an opportunity to express the concerns of local boards of education to Congressional representatives and other national leaders. The FRN is a nationwide organization of local school board members, coordinated by the National School Boards Association (NSBA).

The theme of this year's FRN Conference is "Decision 2000: An education agenda for the new millennium." The lobbying effort this year will focus on: the upcoming reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act; the need for increased federal investment in education; and local school leaders' thoughts on vouchers. A full day of Capitol Hill lobbying on these issues is set for February 1. For more information, call NSBA at 800/950-6722.

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Crisis communication and management workshop set

The National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) will present a workshop focusing on all areas of crisis communication February 25-26 at Trade Winds Resort, St. Pete Beach, Florida. The workshop will cover: crisis preparation activities, what to do when a crisis hits, and the aftermath activities that are critical to restoring teaching and learning in schools. This NSPRA "academy" is designed for school leaders who may find themselves in the middle of a crisis - from school shootings to natural disasters. District superintendents and board members are invited, in addition to principals, communications directors, school counselors, transportation directors, and business directors. The registration fee is $289, plus $250 for each additional team member. The deadline to register is February 13, however reservations at the headquarters hotel (phone 800/808-9833) must be made by January 23. For more information about the workshop phone NSPRA at 301/519-0494.

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School board members get IRS advice

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently provided income reporting guidance for school board members. The IRS advised school officials to read its "publication 463, Travel, Entertainment, Gift and Car Expenses," which explains what to do when a board member receives an advance or is reimbursed for certain expenses, such as conference attendance.

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RESEARCH REPORTS

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Students demonstrate grasp of basic civics

A national assessment of civics administered to fourth, eighth, and 12th graders found that roughly two of every three students in each grade performed at or above the "basic" level. Roughly 25 percent of students at each grade level performed at or above the "proficient" level, based on the latest findings from the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The remaining 30 to 35 percent of students at each grade performed below the "basic" level. For more information, visit the website at http://nces.ed.gov/ ; or phone 877/433-7827.

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FBI study identifies signs of potentially violent children

A new study by FBI researchers, and by educators, counselors and psychologists, lists roughly 50 risk factors to help identify children who could become "dangerously violent." These factors include: 1) Frequent outbursts of violent temper; 2) forty hours or more a week spent viewing violent video entertainment; 3) discussions with friends about plans to commit violent acts; and 4) a gun in the house. Researchers believe that school shootings and workplace attacks by adults feed off one another. Contrary to the belief that young mass shooters are maladjusted loners, the researchers found that most were good or adequate students and not known "problem children." With a growing emphasis on finding severely troubled teens before they start shooting, experts warn of overreaction, contending that the focus on the shootings can turn schools into virtual prisons. Source: Chris Mondics, Knight Ridder Newspapers, "FBI study identifies which child might kill" as published in The Seattle Times, November 9, 1999, A1 (http://www.seattletimes.com).

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High teacher turnover rates predicted

The American Council on Education recently urged college presidents to place a priority on improving teacher preparation programs in preparation for predicted high turnover rates in the teaching profession. The Council said the nation will need 2.5 million new teachers by 2010, roughly 20 percent more teachers than normal. The nationwide teacher shortage over the next decade will result from retirements, reductions in class size, and enrollment growth. Some school districts have faced teacher shortages already. The report, called To Touch The Future: Transforming The Way Teachers Are Taught, says the shortage presents a prime opportunity for improving the nation's teaching force. Copies of the report were mailed to every college president in the nation.

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THE NATIONAL SCENE

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Student grades impact teacher pay

Teachers could receive raises based on high student achievement in Colorado, the National School Boards Association reports. Some teachers in Denver will have their salaries linked to the progress of the students in their own classrooms. The first new pay plan in the United States was approved by the Denver Classroom Teachers Association September 10. The pay-for-performance pilot project initially will involve only a small group of volunteers - about 10 percent of the district's 43,000 teachers.

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Hurricane Floyd school disaster relief effort continues

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) reports being inundated with phone call from people who want to help schools affected by Hurricane Floyd. The NCDPI has established a web page that lists schools needing help, along with contact information. School leaders, classes, PTA groups and concerned citizens who would like to adopt a school, are asked to obtain contact information by visiting the NCDPI web site: http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/hurricane_floyd/adopt.html .

Meanwhile the Nash-Rocky Mount School System has established a disaster relief fund for school employees. Sadly, more than 100 staff members experienced the loss of their homes and belongings during Hurricane Floyd. Checks, payable to the NRMS Disaster Fund, may be sent to Community Relations, Nash-Rocky Mount Schools, 930 Eastern Avenue, Nashville, NC 27856. For further information phone the school district at 252/459-5220.

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Schools seen as ready for Y2K

January should be a relatively smooth month for schools across the nation. That is what the U.S. Department of Education is counting on, because 98 percent of school districts report having their "critical" systems in place and ready to face any problems caused by the Y2K bug in the new millennium. The results are based on the feedback of over 3,500 districts that recently responded to an Internet-based survey.

There may be glitches with a few boilers and alarm systems, but overall, there should not be many schools closing due to the millenium bug, asserts Dave Dexter, deputy director of the federal agency's Year 2000 Project.

If problems do occur, districts may be helped by a new federal law signed in 1999 to protect school districts and other entities that might be sued over problems caused by the Y2K bug. The legislation promotes negotiated settlements between two parties, as it requires a 90-day "cooling off" period before a lawsuit can proceed. Under the new law, school districts are exempt from paying punitive damages, according to NSBA.

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Teacher's organization offers praise for standards progress

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) says states are making good progress in boosting academic standards. The AFT says states increasingly are making standards clear and specific enough to create a sound basis for school curricula. In fact, the number of states that meet the teacher organization's standards for sensible standards has increased from 13 to 22 just in the past four years. The AFT report, "Making Standards Matter" is only available online, via the AFT's website at http://www.aft.org.

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Districts turn to temp agencies for substitute teachers

School districts hard-pressed to meet their demand for substitute teachers are turning to a new source-temporary employment agencies. Kelly Services, one of the nation's largest temp firms, announced plans November 4 to open a national Educational Staffing Service to help public school districts facing a shortage of substitutes. Source: NSBA.

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TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS

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Scholarships can help school leaders attend risk management conference

Two large risk management organizations are offering a scholarship program to enable small public entities and non-profit organizations to send a representative to the annual conference of the Public Risk Management Association (PRIMA). The PRIMA Annual Conference is June 4-7 in Charlotte, NC. Scholarship recipients receive $650 to be applied to any costs related to attending the conference. The deadline for applying is February 15, 2000. An application form can be obtained by calling the Public Entity Risk Institute (PERI) at 703/934-6046 or PRIMA at 703/528-7701. It can also be printed from PERI's Web site (http://www.riskinstitute.org).

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E-rate application deadline is January 19

Schools can begin applying for e-rate discounts on telecommunications services, Internet access and internal connections for Year Three (July 1, 2000 - June 30, 2001) by filing new FCC forms 470 and 471. The forms may be filed online via the Schools and Libraries Division (SLD) Web site, http://www.universalservice.org (click the "apply online/view forms" button) or they can be downloaded at http://www.sld.universal.org/reference/forms.asp . The forms also are available via fax-on-demand at 800/959-0733 or by mail by calling 888/203-8100.

The Universal Service Administrative Company, which administers the e-rate program, announced recently that any school or library that submits a properly completed Form 470 and Form 471 in Year Two (July 1 - June 30, 2000) will receive discounts for all services requested. So far, the SLD has released $1.85 billion in discounts for Year Two funding, of $2.25 billion available for the year.

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Directory lists $30 billion in school technology funding

A new desktop reference guide provides grant-finding information on $30 billion in technology funding available for local schools. It is called the 1999-2000 School Technology Funding Directory, and is published by the online news service eschoolnews. In it, you'll find hundreds of sources of funding for K-12 technology. Federal, state, and local government agencies, corporate foundations, private endowments, charitable organizations, and community foundations - all are concisely listed, described and indexed for instant access. Directory listings include funding priorities, limitations, deadlines, and financial data for each donor. The directory is now available at a discount price of $95 - which is $50 off the regular directory price - although this offer expires for orders placed after January 31, 2000. To learn more or to get a copy of the directory, you can visit the eschoolnews web site: http://www.eschoolnews.org/pubs/stfd_about.html or call toll free: 800/394-0115.

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Get on-line facts about recruiting, preparing teachers

Information about recruiting and preparing teachers is now available online through the U.S. Department of Education's Teacher Quality Web site. The site also contains information on professional development, speeches and studies, and classroom resources. It serves as a place, as well, for teachers to share their wisdom on everything from class size to mentoring. To access the site, visit http://www.ed.gov/inits/teachers/teach.html.

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Join online discussion on standardized testing

School leaders who would like to join a discussion on standardized testing can log on to: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-rv/national/feed/a57102-1999sep29.htm .

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WORKSHOPS & MEETINGS

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INSPRA to host first of several school PR sessions downstate

The Illinois Chapter of the National School Public Relations Association (INSPRA) has announced plans to bring a free session of its most popular meeting to central Illinois. The group's regular Tips and Tactics session will be held February 4 at the Board Room of Springfield District 186, 1900 West Monroe Street, Springfield.

Meeting organizers pledge to provide good PR ideas for school districts, plus a chance to meet with fellow PR practitioners from area districts. In lieu of a registration fee, participants are asked to bring their best PR idea to share, along with sample materials for 30 to 40 people. Participants also are encouraged to let INSPRA know ahead of time what PR challenge or problem they would like to get advice about, and INSPRA will make an effort to bring someone who can help. School administrators, board members, and school public relations practitioners are invited, and even INSPRA non-members are welcome. To register, give organizers your name and contact information, and tell them you plan to attend the February 4 Springfield Networking Meeting. Phone: 708/763-0000.

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Online news organization to host confab on technology funding

Grants and funding for school technology is the topic of a conference scheduled January 27-28, 2000, at the Hotel Inter-Continental in New Orleans. This two-day event-sponsored by eschool news is a hands-on, how-to professional development conference that brings school representatives together with corporate, foundation, and federal and state grant givers. Sponsors say the aim is to provide the tools to find and secure big dollars for school technology programs. Registration fees are $495 per person. Register online at http://www.eschoolnews.com/events/gf/reg.html or by phone at 800/394-0115, ext. 120.

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WIU produces school violence teleconference series

School violence is a concern that confronts each teacher, administrator, and school board member every day in schools across the nation. That's why representatives of several academic departments of Western Illinois University have collaborated to create a series of five teleconferences to bring a holistic approach to school violence prevention. Dates and subjects of the teleconferences for the educational community include:

Thursday, Jan. 13, 2000 - Law enforcement and private security side-issues to consider

Thursday, Feb. 10, 2000 - Violence in our culture-violence in our schools

Thursday, Mar. 16, 2000 - Responding to school violence-the role of the school counselor

Thursday, Apr. 13, 2000 - Issues for your community/school to consider

All programs will be broadcast from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the following satellite bands: Ku, C and Ku Digital (CII SpectrumSaver). Technical questions should be directed to Mike Taylor at 309/298-1880.

This series will help allow constituent school groups to understand the issues and problems involved in school violence prevention, and help them develop a plan that makes sense for their school district. For more information, contact Deb Maguire at 309/298-1804.

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IASB ARCHIVES HOME

Illinois Association of School Boards

2921 Baker Drive
Springfield, Illinois 62703