T C E B TRIANGLE COALITION ELECTRONIC BULLETIN JANUARY 25, 2001 VOL. 7, NO. 4 _____________________________________________________ Published by the TRIANGLE COALITION FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION _____________________________________________________ THIS WEEK'S TOPICS: BUSH TO LAUNCH FEDERAL EDUCATION PLAN CONGRESS APPROVES RECORD BUDGET INCREASE FOR EDUCATION DEPARTMENT STUDY FINDS ERRORS IN SCIENCE TEXTBOOKS BILL AIMS TO ATTRACT TEACHERS MORE THAN 1 MILLION TO RECEIVE AFTER SCHOOL HELP; NEW COMPETITION THIS SPRING TO EXPAND SUPPORT FEDERAL STUDY DETAILS MAJOR BARRIER TO INTERNET LEARNING ____________________________________________________ BUSH TO LAUNCH FEDERAL EDUCATION PLAN (Source, The New York Times, January 23, 2001) President Bush has presented an education package that he said would let local school districts improve themselves with Washington's help so that, in the end, "not one single child" would be left without decent schooling. "It's time to come together to get it done," Mr. Bush said at a White House ceremony. He said that, with a new administration and a new Congress, the time would never be better. "We have a chance to think anew, to act anew," the president said. He said he would soon send Congress legislation to raise American educational standards based on four main pillars: nationwide annual testing in reading and math in the third grade through the eighth grade; local control of schools; federal help for school districts; and making federal money available to parents who opt to remove their children from substandard public schools and put them in private ones. Mr. Bush said he hoped Congress would act on his plans this summer, in time to begin putting them in place in the school term that begins next September. (Editor's Note: The Bush proposal is on the House Education and Workforce website at http://edworkforce.house.gov/press/press107/NoChildLeftBehind.pdf.) ************************************ CONGRESS APPROVES RECORD BUDGET INCREASE FOR EDUCATION DEPARTMENT (Source: Education Week, January 10, 2001) The Department of Education will receive the largest-ever increase to its annual budget as part of the fiscal 2001 spending package (former) President Clinton signed into law late last month. The agreement, which came 21/2 months after the budget year began Oct. 1, hands the department an additional $6.5 billion for discretionary programs, for a total of $42.1 billion. The president succeeded in securing first-time money for a school renovation program, as well as increases for federal class-size-reduction and after-school programs. After-school funding will nearly double, to $846 million, in fiscal 2001. A key accomplishment for congressional Republicans was stepping up federal aid for special education costs. State grants under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act rose by nearly $1.4 billion, to $6.3 billion. Working in a lame-duck session after the November elections, Congress approved the education budget as part of an omnibus appropriations package that combined three outstanding spending bills covering several departments and agencies, the White House, and Congress itself. The House passed the bill 292-60, and the Senate passed it by a voice vote. The Education Department total is about $1.5 billion less than was contained in an agreement reached between congressional appropriators and the White House before the Nov. 7 elections. That deal was scuttled by Republican leaders, who cited a measure on workplace safety that was unrelated to education. But after the elections, leading Republicans made clear they also objected to the spending totals in the agreement. Even so, the final agreement provides $2 billion more for the Education Department than Mr. Clinton originally requested. Under a new policy mandate contained in the budget legislation, schools and libraries will be required to implement Internet filtering technology for computers as a condition of participating in the federal E-rate program or receiving certain federal technology funds. The spending agreement also will reauthorize the federal Even Start program, a family-literacy initiative championed by Mr. Goodling that was originally destined for inclusion in the ESEA bill. Even Start funding climbed by $100 million, for a total of $250 million, under the agreement. The Department of Education posts the 2001 programs appropriations table (www.ed.gov/offices/OUS/01app.pdf) showing the amounts allotted for its programs and activities, as well as 2001 state tables (www.ed.gov/offices/OUS/01byst.pdf) listing funds for state-formula allocated and select student aid programs. Both are based on the enacted budget. ************************************ STUDY FINDS ERRORS IN SCIENCE TEXTBOOKS (Source: The Cleveland Plain Dealer: January 16, 2001) Twelve of the most popular science textbooks used at middle schools nationwide are riddled with errors, a new study has found. Researchers compiled 500 pages of errors, from maps depicting the equator passing through the southern United States to a photo of singer Linda Ronstadt labeled as a silicon crystal. None of the 12 textbooks has an acceptable level of accuracy, said John Hubisz, a North Carolina State University physics professor who led the two-year survey, released earlier this month. "These are terrible books, and they're probably a strong component of why we do so poorly in science," he said. Hubisz estimated about 85 percent of children in the United States use the textbooks examined. "The books have a very large number of errors, many irrelevant photographs, complicated illustrations, experiments that could not possibly work, and drawings that represented impossible situations," he told the Charlotte Observer. The study was financed with a $64,000 grant from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. A team of researchers, including middle school teachers and college professors, reviewed the 12 textbooks for factual errors. Textbooks are generally reviewed by teachers, administrators, parents, and curriculum specialists before the books are used in a classroom. But Hubisz, president of the American Association of Physics Teachers, said many middle-school science teachers have little physical science training and may not recognize errors. The study's reviewers tried to contact textbook authors with questions, Hubisz said, but in many cases the people listed said they didn't write the book, and some didn't even know their names had been listed. Some of the authors of a physical science book, for example, were biologists. Hubisz said the researchers contacted publishers, who for the most part either dismissed the panel's findings or promised corrections in subsequent editions. Reviews of later editions turned up more errors than corrections, the report said. (Editor's Note: The purpose of the grant was to review and critique the physical science in Middle School (grades 6, 7, and 8, although some schools called Junior High designate grades 7, 8, and 9) science textbooks with regard to the scientific accuracy, adherence to an accurate portrayal of the scientific approach, and the appropriateness and pedagogic effectiveness of the material presented for the particular grade level. For more information and to view a copy of the full report, visit www.psrc-online.org.) ************************************ BILL AIMS TO ATTRACT TEACHERS (Source: The Salt Lake Tribune, January 19, 2001) Sen. Lyle Hillyard, R-Logan (UT), introduced a bill that outlines how the state plans to shore up the shortage of math and science teachers in public schools and boost the number of engineering and computer science students in higher education. The bill sets aside $10.5 million for higher education and $19 million for public education. Hillyard's bill establishes a Public Education Job Enhancement Program to attract and retain "highly qualified" secondary teachers in math, physics, chemistry, physical science, and information technology. In general, currently employed teachers with backgrounds in those fields or who are willing to be trained in those areas would get up to $20,000 if they promise to teach in Utah for four years. They would get $10,000 upfront and $10,000 at the end of that period. Teachers who don't fulfill that commitment would have to repay some of the money. The bill creates a Job Enhancement Committee to prioritize critical teaching needs, review applications for the bonuses, and award them on a competitive basis. Most public education groups have signed on to the proposal with one notable exception -- the Utah Education Association, which says the proposal will demoralize teachers in other fields. "If the bill passed I would be foolish not to take that money," said Barry Lehto, a chemistry teacher at Bingham High School and a union member. "It would be at the expense of English teachers and social studies teachers. I don't think it's fair to them that I would be getting a bonus like that." Gerald Stringfellow, dean of the University of Utah's engineering school, sympathizes but has a different take. "English teachers are important, there is no question about that. But they don't get hired away," he said. A supporter of the bill, Stringfellow said, "We really need to put some resources into public education, especially at the junior high and high school levels, to make sure children get the necessary math and science skills" to prepare them for high-tech college programs." He acknowledged, however, that the bill's call to double Utah's high-tech college graduates in five years is "a tall order." ************************************ MORE THAN 1 MILLION TO RECEIVE AFTER SCHOOL HELP; NEW COMPETITION THIS SPRING TO EXPAND SUPPORT U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley has announced the award of nearly $213 million in new grants to 386 school districts in 46 states to establish high-quality after school community learning centers. Riley also opened a new $200 million competition that will provide after school grants to an additional 400 communities this spring. The grants will support about 1,500 new school-based centers in communities across the country that have submitted well-developed plans for meeting the needs of young people in their communities. These centers, in collaboration with community partners, will provide enriched learning opportunities in a safe environment for 300,000 children and 100,000 adults outside of regular school hours and during the summer. The new grants and competition are funded under $846 million recently appropriated by Congress for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program. The appropriation also continues funding for 805 communities -- serving approximately 650,000 youth and 200,000 adults -- which started after school programs during the past two years. The average grant award is nearly $500,000 and supports four centers. The 21st Century Community Learning Centers program helps schools stay open longer to provide youth tutoring and homework help, academic enrichment, college prep activities, enrichment through the arts, technology education, drug and violence prevention counseling, supervised recreational opportunities, and services for youth with disabilities. The grant application and other information are available at www.ed.gov/21stcclc, by telephone (1-800-USA-LEARN), or by e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Completed applications are due March 30, 2001. ************************************ FEDERAL STUDY DETAILS MAJOR BARRIER TO INTERNET LEARNING (Source: Education Week, January 10, 2001) The World Wide Web can be shaped into a vibrant educational tool serving all learners if more money is devoted to research and development and if governments clear away many conflicting and obsolete rules, a federal panel has concluded after a 10-month study. "Technology offers tremendous potential for improving the delivery of education, and we should not squander this opportunity," Sen. Bob Kerrey, D-NE, the chairman of the Web-based Education Commission, said as the panel's report was released here last month. Congress authorized the commission in 1998 to advise lawmakers on how to develop the web as a medium for learning. Despite the web's potential, "significant barriers" to using the global computer network as a teaching tool remain, said Mr. Kerrey, who has since retired from the Senate and has a new job as president of the New School University in New York City. The main hurdles identified in the study include providing widespread, affordable access to broadband communications, which allows two-way transmission of digital video; better training for teachers and school administrators; and more high-quality, online educational resources. Over a span of 10 months, the commission received oral and written testimony from hundreds of organizations and individuals concerned about the use of technology in schools. The commission has now wrapped up its business, but its report, "The Power of the Internet for Learning: Moving From Promise to Practice," released Dec. 19, will remain online at www.webcommission.org. The recommendations in the 129-page document stretch far beyond federal action -- and in most cases hinge on collaboration among federal, state, and local governments, school boards, the information technology and education industries, and the education research community. On two central issues -- copyright of online materials and funding for technology -- the commissioners did not find clear solutions, however. "We were lobbied very hard" by publishers interested in protecting the value of their content in a digital world, said commission member Richard J. Gowan, the president of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City, SD Teachers, meanwhile, were passionate about not losing their traditional "fair use" right to use copyrighted materials in instruction, Mr. Gowan said. _____________________________________________________ This TCEB is made possible by a grant from E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. Please visit their web site at www.dupont.com for more information about their educational support programs. The TCEB is a newsletter provided to members of the Triangle Coalition. Members may forward individual articles or the issue in its entirety providing that credit is given to the Triangle Coalition, and all of the following contact information is included in any republication. For TCEB subscription or membership information, contact: Triangle Coalition for Science and Technology Education 1201 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20005 phone: 800-582-0115 fax: 202-289-1303 e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.triangle-coalition.org To submit information for possible inclusion in TCEB, contact: Joanne Van Voorhis, Target Marketing, Editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] ************************************ THE MISSION OF THE TRIANGLE COALITION IS TO FOSTER COLLABORATION AMONG LEADERS IN EDUCATION, BUSINESS, AND GOVERNMENT TO IMPROVE SCIENCE, MATHEMATICS, AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION. The Triangle Coalition membership includes business, labor, education, science, mathematics, technology and engineering organizations, and community and state-based alliances. ************************************ -- This is the CPS Science Teacher List. To unsubscribe, send a message to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For more information: <http://home.sprintmail.com/~mikelach/subscribe.html>. 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