Reflections on 9/11

Chester E. Finn, Jr. / September 11, 2003

On this solemn anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001, in lieu of a conventional editorial, we offer excerpts from five of the 29 thoughtful essays in Fordham's recent publication, Terrorists, Despots, and Democracy: What Our Children Need to Know. Gadfly joins with the rest of the nation in honoring the victims and heroes of 9/11 as well as those who have given the last full measure of devotion in the global war on terrorism and despotism.

America: Always Vulnerable, Never Inevitable
Richard Rodriguez

When I was in school, U.S. history classes seemed happily fated. There were past calamities, to be sure - slavery, the massacre of Indians, the mistreatments suffered by the poor - but these were mere obstacles to the present, obstacles overcome by battles or treaties or acts of Congress, or by the lucky coincidence of heroic lives and national need. As a boy, I loved American history, precisely for its lack of tragedy. I loved Ben Franklin and the stories of the Underground Railroad and the New Deal, because everything led happily to me, living at 935 39th Street in Sacramento, California.

The man awoke, years later, to see jet airliners (the symbol of our mobility) turned against us by terrorists; to see the collapse of the World Trade Center (the symbol of our global capitalism); to see a wall of the Pentagon (the assurance of our self-defense) in flames. What I realized that

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Reflections on 9/11

NEA president supports vouchers for all

Kathleen Porter-Magee / September 11, 2003

In a late-night vote Tuesday, the House of Representatives, by a razor-thin margin, approved the controversial bill to provide $10 million in private school tuition grants to at least 1,300 D.C. schoolchildren next year. As Gadfly reported last week, three prominent D.C. officials, all former voucher foes, came out strongly in favor of the new "scholarship" program. Since then, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), also a longtime voucher opponent, has reiterated her support for the program, claiming that, while she does not support vouchers for her own state, she believes "local leaders should have the opportunity to experiment with programs that they believe are right for their area."

This week's vote, which was divided almost exactly along party lines, is doubly interesting in light of a recent Heritage Foundation report showing that 38 percent of House Democrats send at least one child to private school - thus exercising private school choice of their own. This number, of course, does not include the countless others who exercise school choice by buying homes in good public school districts, a luxury that poor families cannot afford. What's good enough for the goose ought, in our view, also be available to the gander.

In another interesting turn of events, when queried by Siobhan Gorman for the Washington Monthly, NEA president Reg Weaver came out swinging against the D.C. voucher initiative. When pressed on the details, he couldn't quite explain why the program should not be

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NEA president supports vouchers for all

MN sets the standards

September 11, 2003

Minnesota's current statewide social studies standards are, as education commissioner Cheri Pierson Yecke bluntly puts it, an "embarrassment." Encouraging, then, that this week Minnesota released a new set of draft standards in science and social studies that are, on their face, terrific.[For earlier coverage of the battle over pitching the Profiles, see http://www.edexcellence.net/gadfly/issue.cfm?issue=24#104.] We especially like the social studies standards, which are rich in content, sequentially sound, and historically balanced. Check out these and the new science standards at http://education.state.mn.us/stellent/groups/public/documents/... Now it falls to Yecke and Governor Tim Pawlenty to get the new standards through what promises to be a bruising round of public comment. How important is their success? Later this month, when Fordham releases Effective State Standards in U.S. History: A 2003 Report Card, you will get fresh evidence as to why a social studies upgrade is desperately needed in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

"Academic standards strike nerves," by John Welsh, St. Paul Pioneer Press, September 9, 2003

"New school standards stress basics," by Norman Draper, Minneapolis Star Tribune, September 9, 2003

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MN sets the standards

Bush launches NCLB website

September 11, 2003

President Bush this week announced a public-private partnership between the U.S. Department of Education and the Broad Foundation-in conjunction with Standard & Poor's and the education data-crunching outfit Just for the Kids (JFTK) - to make disaggregated state student achievement data and other NCLB-related information readily available via the web for parents and policy makers. Uncle Sam will supply $4.7 million over two years for a "No Child Left Behind Website," while Broad and other groups will kick in more than $50 million to get the project going. Standard & Poor's and JFTK will ramp up their present efforts at providing info about state achievement data for a national effort. "We want full disclosure," said Bush. "We have nothing to hide in America when it comes to results." The trip was part of a determined pushback by the White House on behalf of its signature education law, which is becoming a major issue in the developing presidential campaign as Democratic contenders attack NCLB on various grounds, mostly having to do with money.

"Bush touts new system to track education data," by Edwin Chen, Los Angeles Times, September 9, 2003

Just for the Kids

The Broad Foundation

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Bush launches NCLB website

CA charter bills out of balance

September 11, 2003

A California bill that would strengthen state oversight of charter schools has come one step closer to becoming law, passing the California Senate and heading to the General Assembly, possibly within days. [For earlier coverage, see http://www.edexcellence.net/gadfly/issue.cfm?issue=3#48.] AB 1137 would require charter authorizers to ensure that the schools they oversee comply with specified reporting requirements and meet at least one of several objective academic performance criteria in order to receive a charter renewal. Sadly, though, a companion bill, AB 1464, which would allow colleges and universities, mayors and, in some cases, nonprofit organizations to authorize charter schools [as recommended by the Fordham Institute publication Charter School Authorizing: Are States Making the Grade?] is dead for this year. Passing 1137 and not 1464 would severely put out of whack the accountability-cum-freedom tradeoff that makes charter schools the promising innovations they are.

"Charter school bill advances," by Jennifer M. Fitzenberger, Sacramento Bee, September 9, 2003

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CA charter bills out of balance

China puts private schools on par

September 11, 2003

Over the past few years, the number of private schools in China has grown rapidly, numbering more than 54,000 by the end of 2000 and likely far more today. These private schools have sprung up in response to the increased demand for primary, secondary and higher education - a demand that the government cannot afford to meet, given the size of China's student population. Now, seeking to encourage further growth of private education, the Chinese government has given them equal legal status with state-owned schools. According to the new law, this move gives those who run private schools preferential treatment when applying for loans as well as preferential tax policies.

"China declares equal status for private schools," People Daily, September 3, 2003

"China to draft law on private schools," China Daily, May 23, 2001

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China puts private schools on par

From the Headlines to the Frontlines: The Teacher Shortage and its Implications for Recruitment Policy

Eric Osberg / September 11, 2003

Patrick J. Murphy and Michael M. DeArmond, Center on Reinventing Public Education, University of Washington
August 2003

This short report takes a fresh look at teacher shortages, offering some insights into how schools react and how policies may alleviate the problem. The report uses surveys, interviews, and data from 1999-2000 and, not surprisingly, finds that shortages are most common in urban areas, low income and minority schools, and among special ed, math, and science positions. (Social studies, elementary, and English positions are easiest to fill.) But it focuses on the reactions of schools and districts to their hiring needs. Unfortunately, the culture in many human resource departments appears to be part of the problem. Staffers fail to plan ahead for upcoming shortages without specific positions in mind and are unable to break away from standard operating procedures in order to solve problems. The report notes some interesting exceptions, however, such as San Jose, which built affordable housing for new teachers, and the many districts that have expanded their recruiting efforts across the country and beyond. Two recurrent problems are union demands and certification barriers, although administrators express much greater concern for the former than the latter. The report recounts a sad example of one district's effort to decentralize teacher placement, which the union nominally supported but then undercut. We know that teacher shortages have many causes, but our first priorities must be to change the status quo by lowering entrance barriers

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From the Headlines to the Frontlines: The Teacher Shortage and its Implications for Recruitment Policy

The College Cost Crisis

Chester E. Finn, Jr. / September 11, 2003

Congressmen John Boehner and Buck McKeon
September 2003

The head of the House Education and the Workforce Committee and the chair of the Competitiveness Subcommittee released this 20-page analysis of college costs and their implications for American higher education. With reauthorization of the Higher Education Act cranking up (in piecemeal fashion so far), it's important to know that the two most influential Republican House members in this area believe that the "gains of the Higher Education Act are being severely hampered by what can only be described as a college cost crisis." This they define as tuition increasing faster than inflation, faster than family income, and faster even than "increases in state and federal financial aid." Report the authors, "These cost increases are pricing students and families out of the college market, and forcing prospective students to 'trade down' in their postsecondary educational choices because options that may have been affordable years ago have now been priced out of reach." The authors attribute the problem to laxity and profligacy in many (but not all) institutions of higher education, the absence of productivity gains, and lack of consumer-accountability in the higher education industry. In releasing the report, Messrs. Boehner and McKeown hinted at what the Washington Times termed a "new round of federal accountability measures" during the forthcoming legislative cycle.

The basic analysis is surely right. What's missing, however, is consideration of a very different approach to higher-education financing, one that some states seem

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The College Cost Crisis

Preparing Teachers Around the World

Chester E. Finn, Jr. / September 11, 2003

Aubrey H. Wang et al., Educational Testing Service
September 2003

This 44-pager from the Policy Information Center at ETS reports on how seven other countries prepare teachers and control access to the teaching field, and how these compare with U.S. practices. The focus is on teachers of 8th grade science and math. It's hard to generalize - the countries are so different - but several points struck me: (1) In other lands, prospective math and science teachers must demonstrate "competency in mathematics and science knowledge" before being admitted to undergraduate teacher education programs. (2) "In most other countries, too, university entry is more difficult than in the United States. . .Since entry to teacher education programs usually requires university student status first, the relative difficulty of university entry is pertinent to any comparison of the rigor of teacher education program entry across countries." (3) For entry into graduate-level teacher education programs, "most of the other countries surveyed require an undergraduate degree and, in some cases, a master's level degree in the subject area." (4) Among the seven other countries, only England has "alternate teacher certification." You won't likely reach any striking conclusions from reading this report, but you're apt to find it interesting. You can track it down at http://www.ets.org/research/pic/prepteach.pdf.

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Preparing Teachers Around the World

No More Islands: Family Involvement in 27 School and Youth Programs

Terry Ryan / September 11, 2003

Donna Walker James and Glenda Partee, American Youth Policy Forum
September 2003

Since the seminal works of Daniel P. Moynihan and James Coleman in the 1960s, it has been understood that there is a clear and positive relationship between family involvement and positive outcomes for children and youth. For the authors of this 152-page report, sponsored by McKnight Foundation, positive outcomes include higher student grades and test scores, better attendance, more homework done, fewer special-ed placements, more positive attitudes and behavior, higher graduation rates and greater college enrollment. Strong families breed better students than do weak families. Trying to build on this truth, the No Child Left Behind Act, the Workforce Investment Act, and other federal laws now "require" family involvement in both school and youth programs. In offering guidance for turning federal requirements into reality, the authors assert that "young people should not be treated as 'islands' by schools and youth programs, separate from the context of their families and neighborhoods." "No More Islands" describes 27 school and youth programs, showing how they involve families in decisions and activities that impact on children's learning and well-being. These 27 programs employed four main (and rather obvious) family involvement strategies, including: communicating with families and reinforcing program goals; designating staff to coordinate with families and professional development; designing and implementing family member-related services and activities; and expanding family roles and relationships. In sum, the report encourages schools and youth programs, and those who

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No More Islands: Family Involvement in 27 School and Youth Programs