________________________________________  THE VERMONT EDUCATION REPORT April 9, 2001 Vol. 1, No. 6 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯  Covering education news in Vermont and beyond... Informative, provocative, unique... Published by Vermonters for Better Education  VBE is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization whose mission is to enlist parents and the public at large in achieving quality educational opportunities for all the children of Vermont by monitoring the state of education in Vermont; promoting the value of educational freedoms for all parents; and giving parents the evaluative tools with which to identify excellence. Libby Sternberg, executive director: MAILTO:LSternberg@aol.com STATE NEWS... SCHOOL CHOICE BILL MEETS RESISTANCE H. 104, a bill introduced by Rep. Kevin Mullin (R-Rutland Town) and cosponsored by numerous other legislators, is hitting some resistance on the road to passage. The bill would allow some money to follow the child to the school of his or her choice under the modest public high school choice bill passed last year. Some schools - notably Rutland High and Spaulding High - have complained that no money following the child equals an "unfunded mandate." However, the Education Coalition (the Vermont Superintendents Association, the Vermont Principals Association, the Vermont NEA, the Vermont School Boards Association and more) believes that allowing the money to follow the child is an "unfunded mandate." Add to the Coalition's resistance some Rutland County educators who recently sent a letter to Mullin expressing their concerns. One of their main concerns appears to be the possibility that competitive forces would be interjected into the process if money follows the child. In a Rutland Herald article today, Rutland Northeast Supervisory Union Superintendent William Mathis (a staunch school choice foe) was quoted as saying "Once we interject money into the program, we start getting into marketing games..." Mathis's district includes Otter Valley Union High School which has never been a large gainer of students under the Rutland region public school choice program. For information on the positive effects of competition on schools, follow this link <http://www.dismal.com/todays_econ/te_021301.asp> to an article on research by Harvard economist Caroline Hoxby. Hoxby's research has shown that competitive forces actually improve schools. IS YOUR CHILD RECEIVING ADEQUATE MATH INSTRUCTION? The April 5 Deerfield Valley News carried an all-too-familiar story for many Vermont parents. Under the headline "Math class doesn't add up," the article details a meeting of the Wilmington School board in which parents expressed their concerns over ongoing problems with the middle school's math program. Parents in other districts might have similar concerns. How can they evaluate their children's math programs? Below are some tips from Michelle Ralston, Dean of Academic Affairs at St. Johnsbury Academy. Ms. Ralston has taught math for 23 years and was chair of the math department at St. J.A. before becoming Dean. This interview is reprinted from the VBE print newsletter. VBE: The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics released recommendations last April calling for a return to an emphasis on basics. What does this mean to you? MR: An understanding of number facts and concepts. Students at the high school level still do not know their number facts, and they have no idea of estimation, or units of measure. They do not understand or "feel" the size of a fraction, decimal, percent. VBE: How can parents tell if their children are receiving adequate instruction in mathematics? What should they look for? MR: Understanding of number concepts - sense of size. Good estimation skills - an answer being reasonable. Good problem solving, critical thinking skills - how to attack a problem. VBE: Conversely, what are the warning signs that children are NOT being exposed to a good math program? MR: No sense of how to even begin to THINK through a problem! VBE: How can parents evaluate a math program? MR: (1). Does the program contain the "mix" that I mentioned above? Drill on number facts? Working with concepts...comparing decimals, reading the measures on a ruler, measuring cup, calculating discounts in their heads, converting fractions to decimals to percents?  (2). Exercises for attacking problems that are "real." Methodologies for good problem solving - charts, diagrams, flow charts, tables, spreadsheets, etc.  (3). Examine books and student portfolios based on these ideas. VBE: What should children be expected to know - in math - by the time they graduate from high school? MR: Truly, the best place to go for this answer is to the College Board! Calculus contains wonderful skills for mathematics. These skills, should, in fact, trickle down to grade one! This is the basis for something called "Vertical Teaming" in the Advanced Placement Board. Vertical Teaming is looking at something like AP Calculus or any other Advanced Placement math course - and taking those skills and concepts and working down through the other grades with them. A good K-12 math program has those skills identified at the top, and it is those concepts and skills that drive everything below it. VBE: Perhaps because parents do want their children to be exposed to "the basics," most math programs promote a focus on "the basics." How can parents separate promotion from reality in evaluating programs? MR: My advice is to be realistic. Computers and calculators are here to stay. So, let's teach our kids how to use them correctly without ever losing sight of basic number facts. In truth, I think that there is more of a problem with teaching than with programs. Teachers need to carefully find the compromise between what is important in a text book and what critical skills need to be taught to our kids. In fact, using three or more programs might be just what we need to do. VBE: What advice would you give to parents whose children are enrolled in a school that has adopted a "fuzzy math" program? MR: Start at the top - investigate high school standards in math, what do seniors need to know and to be able to do by the time they graduate high school? Consult with someone who knows the Vertical Teaming concept. Allow these standards to work their way DOWN to grade one. This, indeed, then becomes your math program! Then, focus on teacher education...less on a math textbook! VBE: Why is math so important - if some children are not destined to become mathematicians, engineers, scientists, etc? MR: For the problem solving it enables young people to do. Critical thinking will get you through nearly everything. A good web site for math programs: < http://www.mathematicallycorrect.org >. PARENTAL NOTIFICATION EMAIL SPURRED ACTION In last week's VER we carried the story of a Vermont department of education employee who had used two department email lists to circulate information on parental notification (a bill before the legislature that would require health care providers to notify parents or a guardian when a minor seeks an abortion). The department notified us to say that the employee has been informed that this action was inappropriate. Below are excerpts from a letter from Commissioner of Education David Wolk that was sent to former State Senator Betty Ferraro after she complained about the emails. Dear Betty, Thank you for letter of concern about a Vermont Department of Education employee forwarding a message regarding H.218 to an e-mail list of technical education guidance and adult program coordinators. As soon as I heard about this occurrence back in February, I took immediate action to ensure this kind of thing does not occur in the future. Using State facilities and time to promote personal or political agendas is not appropriate and is not permitted. ... Jeb (Spaulding, the employee's supervisor) sent an e-mail to the rest of his team reminding them of the Department and State policies that forbid this kind of activity. The Department periodically reminds all employees about these policies, and staff members were reminded of this prohibition following this incident. We will continue working to ensure these policies are followed. Any future violations will result in employee discipline. ... One of the issues with modern technology we all face is the speed and ease of communicating with large numbers of people. I am confident that (the employee) understands that writing, typing, or copying such messages while at work is inappropriate. Unfortunately, the ease of clicking "send" and using her existing address books to forward the message did not leave much time for her to think through the ramifications. Now that we have discussed this with her, as well as with other employees, we are hopeful that this type of situation will not happen again. If it does, we will take disciplinary action...  Respectfully yours, David Wolk ELSEWHERE... WHEN WILL WE TEACH THEM PHONICS? Data released last week from the U.S. Department of Education showed that the gap is widening between the best and worst fourth-grade readers, despite reform efforts that have entailed millions of dollars in spending.  "After spending $125 billion . . . over 25 years, we have virtually nothing to show for it," U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige was quoted as saying in a Los Angeles Times article, referring to the federal government's leading school program for poor children known as Title I. "Fewer than a third of fourth-graders can read at grade level."  The Times article pointed out that "Numerous government-sponsored studies over the last decade have found that explicit instruction in sound-letter relationships and phonics practice, combined with exposure to rich literature, produce the best results. That approach, however, has yet to find its way into many classrooms as teachers and those who train them continue to embrace unproven methods and programs."  For the full article go to:<http://www.latimes.com/news/state/20010407/t000029769.html> NAEP REPORT ONLINE: The reading statistics mentioned in the above article are from the National Assessment of Educational Progress. For the full report, go to:<http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2001499> WHEN WILL WE TEACH THEM PHONICS: PART TWO Excerpts from Testimony of Dr. G. Reid Lyon, chief of the Child Development and Behavior Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health Subcommittee on Education Reform, Committee on Education and the Workforce, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C., March 8, 2001  "As you know, the NICHD considers that teaching and learning in today's schools reflect not only significant educational concerns but public health concerns as well. Our research has consistently shown that if children do not learn to understand and use language, to read and write, to calculate and reason mathematically, to solve problems, and to communicate their ideas and perspectives, their opportunities for a fulfilling and rewarding life are seriously compromised. Specifically, in our NICHD-supported longitudinal studies, we have learned that school failure has devastating consequences with respect to self-esteem, social development, and opportunities for advanced education and meaningful employment. Nowhere are these consequences more apparent than when children fail to learn to read. Why? Simply stated, the development of reading skills serves as THE major foundational academic ability for all school-based learning....  "... many children who have difficulty learning to read are bright and motivated to learn to read--at least initially. Their difficulties understanding what they have read occur because it takes far too long to read words, leaving little energy for remembering and comprehending what was read. Unfortunately, the slow and inaccurate reading of words cannot be improved in any appreciable way by using the context of what is read to help pronounce the words correctly. Consequently, while the fundamental purpose of reading is to derive meaning from print, the key to comprehension starts with the rapid and accurate reading of words. In fact, difficulties in decoding unfamiliar words and learning to recognize words rapidly are at the core of most reading difficulties. These difficulties can be traced systematically to initial difficulties in understanding that the language that is heard by the ear is actually composed of smaller segments of sound (e.g., phonemic awareness)...  "... the majority of children who enter kindergarten and elementary school at-risk for reading failure can learn to read at average or above levels, but only if they are identified early and provided with systematic, explicit, and intensive instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, reading fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension strategies. Substantial research supported by NICHD ... shows clearly that without systematic, focused, and intensive interventions, the majority of children rarely "catch up". Failure to develop basic reading skills by age nine predicts a lifetime of illiteracy. Unless these children receive the appropriate instruction, over 70 percent of the children entering first grade who are at risk for reading failure will continue to have reading problems into adulthood. On the other hand, the early identification of children at-risk for reading failure coupled with the provision of comprehensive early reading interventions can reduce the percentage of children reading below the basic level in the fourth grade (e.g., 38 percent) to six percent or less...  "... Will Proper Reading Instruction Reduce the Need for Special Education? Yes...by putting in place well designed evidence-based early identification, prevention, and early intervention programs in our public schools, our data strongly show that the 20 million children today suffering from reading failure could be reduced by approximately two-thirds. While still a totally unacceptable rate of reading failure, such a reduction would allow us to provide services to the children who are in genuine need of special education services with substantially greater focus and intensity."  For full testimony, go to <http://www.nrrf.org/lyon_statement3-01.htm> *    *    * The VERMONT EDUCATION REPORT is published by Vermonters for Better Education 170 Church Street, Rutland, VT 05701, 802.773.5240 Contact Lsternberg@aol.com for more information.