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Press Release - June 9, 1997
http://www.aft.org/pr/pr60997.htm
June 9, 1997
FOR RELEASE: 11 AM June 10
CONTACT: Janet Bass 202/879-4458
Statement by Sandra Feldman
President, American Federation of Teachers
on results of the Third International Math and Science Study (TIMSS)
for fourth-graders
(additional info on the TIMMS study)
Public-school bashers, take note: there's good news here about American students, American teachers,
and American public schools. The TIMSS study of fourth-graders shows that our students perform above
the international average in math and science when compared to their peers in 26 nations. Our youngsters
are mastering the basics, and the challenge now is to take more of them beyond the basics.
Scores for our students drop in eighth grade, and we need to figure out why. One explanation is that we
spend too much time repeating basic material, instead of adding more demanding topics, as our
international competitors do. Another factor might be class size. Internationally, the data on how class
size affects learning present a very mixed picture. But in the U.S., class size matters. A recent study by
the Educational Testing Service, "When Money Matters," shows that small class size is directly related to
student achievement in math for fourth and eighth graders. The effect is even more dramatic for
low-income students.
We still have a lot of work to do to get to where we want our students to be. And that's at the top, not
just "above average." TIMSS shows what we need to do: stay the course with standards. A rigorous,
focused curriculum based on high standards must follow students as they progress through elementary,
middle and high school. Instead of toying with vouchers and other education fads, legislatures and school
districts should work on raising standards and improving discipline a common-sense approach that will
push more of our youngsters to world-class levels of achievement.
The American Federation of Teachers represents 940,000 teachers, school support staff, higher
education facultyand staff, healthcare professionals, and state and local government employees. AFT's
Lessons for Life campaign seeks to make high standards for achievement and conduct a reality in every
public school.
###
Back to Previous AFT Press Releases
Back to Main AFT Page
American Federation of Teachers - 555 New Jersey Ave, NW - Washington, DC 20001
Copyright 1997 by the American Federation of Teachers. All rights reserved. Photographs and illustrations, as well as text,
cannot be used without permission from the AFT.
1 of 1
06/19/97 09:36:28
Boston Globe Online / Metro I Region / US students lagging by 8th grade, tests http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe/globeht./US_students_lagging_by_8th_grade__t.htm
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US students lagging by 8th grade, tests show
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By Kate Zernike, Globe Staff, 06/11/97
8734 (Tue)
Mass Millions
The largest comparison of students from around the world provided
2,8,15,17,37,44
strong new arguments yesterday for the movement toward tougher
Bonus: 16 (Mon)
national standards and tests.
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6,21,24,37,39,40 (Sat)
For while fourth graders from the United States scored at or near the
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top of the international heap in science and math, US eighth graders in
courtesy Interlotto
the same study ranked lower against their foreign peers.
LATEST NEWS
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The key to the contrast, researchers said, is the difference in what's
region
taught in US and international schools in the grades in between.
COLUMNS
Click here to view complete mathematics report (.pdf format)
Mike Barnicle
Click here to view complete science report (.pdf format)
Eileen McNamara
Patricia Smith
These files require the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view, which can be
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Latest regional news
While US students are often still learning arithmetic and basic science in
Obituaries
middle and junior high school, their international counterparts have
Death notices
Starts & Stops
moved on to algebra and geometry, chemistry and physics, courses
The Big Dig
often dictated by national standards.
Students in countries that scored better than the United States in eighth
grade face tough exams around that grade, exams that often determine
Table of Contents
whether they will attend university and the nature of their careers.
The test results of the Third International Math and Science Study
coincide with a movement by President Clinton, and by Massachusetts
and other states, to institute graduation exams and tougher standards of
Search the Globe:
what students need to know to leave high school. The movement has
been opposed by teachers who complain that standards are too
Today
Yesterday
prescriptive. Parents have successfully sued states for denying diplomas
SEARCH
to students who fail tests.
Yesterday's results, however, suggested that such tests and standards
are the key to boosting achievement.
1 of 3
06/11/97 17:44:53
Boston Globe Online / Metro I Region / US students lagging by 8th grade, tests http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe/globeht./US_students_lagging_by_8th_grade_t.htm
Sections
"There's not the same focus and motivation for eighth graders in the
United States as there is in other countries," said Michael Martin,
PAGE ONE
deputy director of the international study and a professor at Boston
NATION WORLD
College, which did the research. "Having tests by itself isn't going to do
METRO REGION
anything. It's the consequences of those tests that are the important
BUSINESS
thing in other countries."
SPORTS
LIVING ARTS
By contrast, researchers found that class size, television watching,
EDITORIALS
COLUMNS
homework, and time in school made no difference in boosting scores.
CALENDAR
Japanese students watched as much television as US students, had
CLASSIFIEDS
larger class sizes, and spent less time in school, even when accounting
for after-school Japanese "cram" schools. Students in four out of seven
of the countries that outperformed the United States in math spend less
time in class per week than the international average, and far less than
the United States.
"Some of these easy answers aren't at the heart of it," said Pascal D.
Forgione Jr., US commissioner of education statistics.
Hailing the fourth-grade results at a Rose Garden press conference,
Clinton used them to reinforce his call for standards. US Education
Secretary Richard W. Riley emphasized the need for such standards in
the middle grades, which he acknowledged are a "weak link."
The study looked at the same test taken by about 500,000 students in
26 countries, whose schools were randomly selected from communities
that offered a good balance of social and economic factors. The study
also included questions about influences on learning such as TV
watching, homework, class size, and teacher preparation.
Results for eighth graders in the same study were released in November.
Both sets of students, as well as a group of 12th graders whose results
will be released in 1998, took the test in 1995.
US fourth graders scored above the international average in both math
and science. Singapore and Korea scored highest in math, with Japan,
Hong Kong and the Czech Republic also doing significantly better than
the United States. In science, only Korea outperformed the United
States. While Ireland had a slightly higher score in math and Japan a
slightly higher score in science than the United States, the differences
were so small that statisticians consider the scores the same.
But US eighth graders scored below the international average in math,
and behind several nations in science. In other countries, there generally
was not the same difference between fourth and eighth graders: Nine of
the 12 countries that performed above average in math in fourth grade
also did so in eighth. Eight out of 12 performing well in fourth grade
science also performed well in eighth grade science.
2 of 3
06/11/97 17:44:53
Boston Globe Online / Metro | Region / US students lagging by 8th grade, tests http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe/globeht./US_students_lagging_by_8th_grade__t.htm
Eighteen of the 26 countries in the study have a national curriculum.
Researchers suggested this was where to look for answers about the
gap between US fourth and eighth graders.
"The topics introduced to our eighth graders are topics that are
mastered by the rest of the high-performing countries in the seventh
grade," Forgione said. "We need to make sure our kids are doing
algebra and other higher math in middle school."
Only 19 percent of US eighth graders had taken algebra in 1992,
according to an Education Week study earlier this year. About 31 states
are writing standards of what students need to know, according to
Education Week, and 14 states have graduation tests.
But researchers from the study released yesterday also sounded a note
of caution about how to draft such standards. Eighth graders in the
United States, they said, are asked to learn too many topics, so teachers
can't spend too much time on any one. In other countries, they teach
tougher but fewer concepts. "We need to have rigor, and focus,"
Forgione said.
This story ran on page A01 of the Boston Globe on 06/11/97.
© Copyright 1997 Globe Newspaper Company.
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3 of 3
06/11/97 17:44:53
Yahoo! Clinton Hails Reports of Better U.S. Education
http://www.yahoo.com/headlines/970610/politics/stories/education_l.html
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Tuesday June 10 2:42 PM EDT
Clinton Hails Reports of Better U.S. Education
By Steve Holland
WASHINGTON (Reuter) - After years of embarrassing test scores, President Clinton Tuesday hailed
new evidence that American schoolchildren are performing above the international average in math and
science.
"Today is a good day for American education," he told a ceremony in the sunny Rose Garden where he
announced results of the Third International Math and Science Study. The private study said U.S.
students scored above the international average science score and U.S. fourth-graders -- 9-year-olds --
were outperformed only by students in South Korea.
It said that in math U.S. students averaged above the international norm and only students in Singapore,
South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Austria performed better.
Clinton, Education Secretary Richard Riley and other senior officials were quick to seize on the results as
an indication of a turnaround in American education, long criticized in some areas of the country for low
standards, uninspired teaching and disinterested students.
In some public schools, the process of learning is disrupted by the fear of crime and violence. Some
Washington, D.C., and New York City schools have metal detectors to try to prevent students from
carrying weapons inside.
As recently as 1991, a similar study found fourth graders to be below average in math and above average
in science but, Clinton said, "nowhere near where they are today."
The president has declared improving U.S. education a priority and has proposed a large increase in
education funding in a plan to balance the budget by 2002.
1 of 2
06/10/97 16:14:29
Yahoo! - Clinton Hails Reports of Better U.S. Education
http://www.yahoo.com/headlines/970610/politics/stories/education_1.html
"There are a lot of people who never believed the United States children would score in the top two in
the world on any of these international tests," he said.
"But let's not kid ourselves: We are still nowhere near where we need to be. We can be the best in the
world if we simply believe it and then organize ourselves to achieve it."
Clinton fretted that even though fourth-graders did well in the new study, eight-graders -- 13-year-olds --
from a similar study last November did not do well in math. He said this proved his case that all states
should adopt voluntary national learning standards and tests in fourth-grade reading and eighth-grade
math that he proposed soon after he took office in January for his second term.
He announced that Kentucky had become the seventh state to agree to embrace the standards. The others
included Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, California, West Virginia and Massachusetts, along with
schools on military bases.
The tests are to be given first in the spring of 1999.
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2 of 2
06/10/97 16:14:29
Clinton Urges Uniform Testing
http://www.abcnews.com/sections/us/education6 10/index.html
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U.S. fourth-graders placed third in science, behind Korea and Japan (M.
Triandafellos/ABCNEWS.com)
By Rebecca Howland
ABCNEWS.com
President Clinton used a disparity in international
audio
test scores to call for national education standards
President Clinton:
today, saying national tests would help pinpoint
"Today is a good day
for American
weak links in the American curriculum.
education."
(RealAudio)
A new study places fourth-graders in the top echelon
of science students around the world, and above average
in mathematics. The study comes one year after a similar
study ranked eighth-graders much lower.
The results are a "clear challenge to every single state
that has not yet come forward to participate in the
1 of 3
06/10/97 15:51:19
Clinton Urges Uniform Testing
http://www.abcnews.com/sections/us/education6 10/index.html
Countries
national standards movement, Clinton said.
Participating in
"In no other country in the world did performance in
the 4th Grade
math drop from above average in fourth grade to below
Study
average in eight grade. We are doing a very good job in
Austrailia
the early grades, but we've got a lot more work to do in
Austria
Canada
the later ones."
Cyprus
The president's push for uniform testing has met with
Czech Republic
England
resistance in Congress, where some lawmakers want to
Greece
overhaul and revamp education programs before adopting
Hong Kong
Hungary
standards.
Iceland
Six states have agreed to participate in national
Iran
Ireland
testing-Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, California,
Israel
West Virginia, and Massachusetts.
Japan
Korea
Kuwait
Latvia
Fourth-Graders Rank 3rd in Science
Netherlands
The study, based on tests given to students in 26
New Zealand
Norway
countries and reported by the Third International
Portugal
Mathematics and Science Study, ranked American
Scotland
Singapore
fourth-graders 3rd in science and 12th in math. The report
Slovenia
did not include 15 countries that were used in the TIMSS
Thailand
United States
study of eighth-graders last year.
Switzerland, France, Russia, Sweden and Germany
were among the countries that participated last year but
not this year.
Researchers cautioned that the rankings were inexact
because of differences in scoring methods among the
participating countries.
Researchers also said it was too early to explain the
http://www.ed.gov
latest findings. They analyzed the amount of homework
/NCES/timss/
assigned, time spent watching TV, teacher education and
training, and curricula but said no single factor in the
study emerged as significant.
Among the world's seven largest industrial
democracies, only four participated in this year's study:
the United States, Japan, Canada and Britain. Italy,
Germany and France did not. U.S. students outperformed
their British and Canadian counterparts in science but
scored below their peers in Japan.
Is Math a Weak Link?
Education Secretary Richard Riley said the evidence was
clear that "math at eighth grade is a weak link," and that
adopting national standards would go a long way toward
rectifying that.
"Our elementary schools are getting better at teaching
the basics," Riley said. "Our goal now is to keep up the
pace and make sure that they are learning to these high
2 of 3
06/10/97 15:51:19
Clinton Urges Uniform Testing
http://www.abcnews.com/sections/us/education610/index.html
standards all the way through to high school."
But Jim Giordano, the district supervisor for math at
Princeton High School in Princeton, NJ, said the
administration may be misinterpreting the study's results.
Rather than reflecting poor teaching between fourth
and eighth grades, the numbers may be reflecting recent
changes to curriculums.
"The way mathematics is being taught is changing
dramatically," Giordano said. "It's no longer only focused
on computation. It's focusing on higher-order thinking
skills, applications. teaching kids to think."
The discrepancy between fourth and eighth grades
may be the result of recently improved teaching, Giordano
said, adding that older students adapt less well to
fundamental curricular changes. "When you throw change
at kids in the middle it tends to muddy things."
The Associated Press contributed to the report.
Copyright 1997 ABC News and Starwave
BONEW
Corporation. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcest,
STARWAVE
rewritten, or redistributed in any form.
3 of 3
06/10/97 15:51:19
Fourth-Graders Score High in Math
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WAPO/19970610/V000310-061097-dx.html
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Fourth-Graders Score High in
Math
By EUN-KYUNG KIM
Associated Press Writer
Tuesday, June 10, 1997 10:04 am EDT
WASHINGTON (AP) -- American fourth-graders are doing slightly
better in science and math than their eighth-grade counterparts, scoring
above the international average in both subjects on tests comparing them
with foreign students, according to a study by a private research group.
President Clinton was highlighting today's results at the White House as
part of his push for national testing standards to measure what U.S.
students know.
The findings were based on math and science tests given to students in 26
countries and reported by the Third International Mathematics and
Science Study. The report, however, did not include 15 countries that
were used in a similar TIMMS study last November that centered on tests
given to eighth-graders in 41 nations. Switzerland, France, Russia,
Sweden and Germany were among the countries that participated last
year but not this year.
In science, U.S. fourth-graders ranked third behind students in Korea and
Japan and were trailed closely by Austria, Australia, Netherlands, and the
Czech Republic.
American fourth-graders ranked 12th out of the 26 countries in math.
U.S. students were outranked by their counterparts in Singapore, Korea,
Japan and Hong Kong. Students in the Netherlands, Czech Republic,
Austria, Slovenia, Ireland, Hungary and Australia also scored higher than
Americans.
Researchers cautioned that the rankings were inexact because of
differences in scoring methods among the participating countries.
Last year's report on eighth-graders ranked Americans 28th in math tests
given to students in 41 countries. In science, they finished in the top half
of the list, at 17.
1 of 2
06/10/97 14:15:07
Fourth-Graders Score High in Math
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WAPO/19970610/V000310-061097-idx:.html
Researchers said it was too early to explain the latest findings. They
analyzed the amount of homework assigned, time spent watching TV,
teacher education and training and curricula but said no single factor in
the study emerged as significant.
The Clinton administration wants states and school districts to move
toward uniform testing standards, starting by participating in TIMSS this
year and next year. The president's plan has met with resistance in
Congress, where some lawmakers want to overhaul and revamp
education programs before adopting standards.
Education Secretary Richard Riley said the evidence was clear that ``math
at eighth grade is a weak link," and adopting national standards as Clinton
has suggested would go a long way toward rectifying that.
"Our elementary schools are getting better at teaching the basics," Riley
said. "Our goal now is to keep up the pace and make sure that they are
learning to these high standards all the way through to high school."
Among the world's seven largest industrial democracies, only four
participated in this year's study: the United States, Japan, Canada and
Britain. Italy, Germany and France did not. U.S. students outperformed
their British and Canadian counterparts in science but scored below their
peers in Japan.
Copyright 1997 The Associated Press
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2 of 2
06/10/97 14:15:07
Vouchers: Clips Summary
Overall Reaction:
One major debate is whether or not it blurs separation between church and state
to give public money to fund children to go to private, religious schools.
This issue seems to run on party lines. Republicans support vouchers and
Democrats oppose them
Unions oppose vouchers
Those who oppose see vouchers as an abandonment of public schools
What's Going on in the States:
Ohio In August of 1996 a state court upheld vouchers for low-income parents to
send their children to private and parochial schools. The judge said there was
no entanglement because it was the parents who chose where the student went
to school and not the government.
In May the 10th District Court of Appeals ruled that vouchers violated the
Ohio Constitution in two ways:
1) Vouchers allow public money to be spent on religious schools which
violates the separation of church and state.
2) Since the program was limited to Cleveland it violates the
"uniformity" clause in the State Constitution.
Georgia, Atlanta in May a group of parents tried to revive a 1961 School voucher
law, but the school board refused to set rules for issuing vouchers. The law was
originally written to help preserve segregation.
Louisiana: In May a proposed voucher program was narrowly defeated in a state
senate committee.
Pennsylvania: Philadelphia City Council narrowly defeated a nonbinding
resolution in favor of vouchers. Currently there are two proposals circulating at
the state level:
1) Reimburse a fraction of the cost of private education
2) Proposal by State Representative Dwight Evans (D) which would reimburse
parents in full. They are trying to do this by making Florence County V.
Carter apply to more than just special education.
Illinois: Chicago paper editorial calls for the use of vouchers saying vouchers are
not unconstitutional.
New York: The Common Council is proposing tax-payer financed vouchers for
Buffalo
Buffalo Teacher's Union is against it.
Wisconsin: Individual donors and private foundations came up with scholarships
while Circuit Judge Paul Higginbotham blocked Wisconsin's five year old school
choice plan and give tuition vouchers to religious schools.
In Feb. State Representative Annette "Polly" Williams announced that she
would introduce a bill proposing the expansion of choice only to non-
religious schools. The Governor didn't want to tinker with law while it is in
the courts.
New Jersey: In Lincoln Park the school board decided to grant vouchers which
would let the students go to any area school instead of the school they were
assigned to in the neighboring town.
The ACLU, New Jersey Education Association, Americans United for
Separation of Church and State, and the Education Law Center in Newark
all oppose this.
Florida: Governor Lawton Chiles says he opposed to the idea of couchers that
are paid for with tax dollars.
What the Unions and Other Organizations Say:
AFT
Since you can't just give vouchers to poor children, they will end up being
an entitlement for the rich.
Vouchers do not promote school choice because it is the school that
chooses the child.
Private schools will lose the freedom that they enjoy. Since they will be
taking public money they will be held to public standards, etc.
There is no evidence that vouchers will give a high quality education to all
students.
NEA
Against public funds for private school vouchers
Vouchers keep communities from working together to improve education.
People for the American Way
An advocacy groups that "works to preserve the separation of church and
state and maintain the public education system."
This group is co-counsel for groups opposing tuition voucher plans in
Ohio and Wisconsin.
Interesting Quotes
"The problem with vouchers and privatization is not teacher union opposition. The
problem is that there is no evidence that they work." AI Shanker, AFT
"This is a classic example of what I've learned: the poor have no advocates. The
service providers to the poor, they have lots of advocates. But the poor have none."
David Brennan, Ohio
"The educational establishment will stop at nothing to preserve its monopoly status." --
The Columbus Dispatch
"That's the problem in a nutshell: the mind-set that educational spending is for the
benefit of schools, not students." The Columbus Dispatch
"Vouchers controversies polarize communities and distract them from working together
on common sense reforms to improve public schools." -Marshall Smith
"The School voucher movement threatens the demise of public education and, if
successful, will ultimately make it harder for poor children to get a good education." --
DeWayne Wickham
Charter Schools: Clips Summary
Overall Reaction:
Both parties support charter schools, however it changes from state to state
which party supports them more.
Everyone seems to support them because they promote greater freedom and
competition.
Some expressed concerns over whether charter schools should compete with
and replace traditional public schools or be a collaborative effort with public
schools which offer new alternatives for parents and children.
Local school boards tend not to approve Charters because they do not want to
lose money
Special Education is a BIG issue with Charter Schools
Concerns about whether Title I and IDEA funds are getting to Charter
Schools
There are not enough guidelines on how Special Education should play
into Charter Schools.
Boston is experiencing criticism because people say that they have a
smaller percentage of Special Education students than public schools do.
Some people accuse Charter Schools of filtering out Special Education
students by telling the parents that the school really isn't suited for the
child.
The Special Education laws require large bureaucracies to process
paperwork, which is the main reason Charter Schools use for lack the
resources for SPED students.
In Arizona some housing developments are being built with plans for charter
schools included in the development. Hoping to make this a reality in AZ and
FL.
Charter schools are rated by students and parents as excellent or good in
motivating students.
Some people have the impression that Charter Schools are elitist, that they only
skim from the top students. However, a lot of Charter Schools are set up
specifically for "at-risk" students. Also, students who are successful in most
public schools aren't going to risk changing something that is working for them.
What the Unions Say:
AFT supports Charter Schools
They have certain conditions for Charter Schools:
Allow anyone to submit a proposal as long as they get approval of the
local school district.
Exclude private schools from receiving Charter status
Allow collective bargaining rights and make Charter Schools responsible
for retirement and health costs to the same extent as other public schools.
Publish charter school student test scores and make available student's
progress on state standards and assessments.
NEA supports Charter Schools.
They also have conditions:
School admission must be open to and meet the needs of all students
Staff members, parents, and other stakeholders must be involved in the
design and governance of the school.
Teacher must be certified professionals.
Schools must submit to rigorous fiscal and academic accountability
Schools must share what they learn in order to promote improvements in
other public schools.
NEA opposes loosely drawn Charter laws that lead to back-door privatization
NEA's focus is to make sure that Charter Schools will be public schools in the
best sense.
NEA sees Charter Schools as a catalyst for innovation in and renewal of public
schools.
Other Think Tank Opinions:
Chester Finn says that since unions say they support Charters, but want to place
too many restrictions on them they will become clones of public schools.
Hudson Institute
They think you should allow anyone to submit a Charter Proposal
Private Schools should be allowed to convert to Charter status.
There should be minimal restrictions placed on the Charter Schools
Charter School accountability should be a triad consisting of standards,
assessments, and consequences.
What Is Going on in the States:
CN, FL, IL, NJ, NC, and SC are the latest states to pass Charter Laws
PA and OH didn't make it past the state legislature
ID, OR, and NV didn't make it past committee
Pennsylvania: the Charter Bill was threatened by a long-standing distrust
between to government and the education establishment.
Ridge added amendments to the Bill that made people nervous
Blanket instead of selective waivers from state mandates
More local and state money per student for each charter
An appeals panel for those who are turned down by local school
districts
Elimination of a provision that requires 1/2 parents and 1/2
teachers in public schools agree before a school can convert to a
charter
The number of certified teachers reduced to 60% from 75%
Some people saw Ridge's Amendments as evidence that he wanted to
funnel money to private schools
What percentage of per pupil expenditure to give to the Charter schools
was another problem.
Michigan: Right now the states has 78 Charter Schools and the debate is very
politically charged.
Republicans say that Democrats opposed Charters because of the
Michigan Education Association which give a lot of money to oppose
them.
Democrats say the real reason is that they are not done evaluating them.
Under current law there are 4 groups who can grant charters:
1) School Boards of local k-12 districts
2) Intermediate School District Boards
3) Community College Boards
4) State University Boards
Since so many State Universities were granting charters, limits were
created, these limits only apply to State University Boards:
No more than 85 charters through 1996
No more than 100 through 1997
No more than 125 through 1998
No more than 150 at any time
Massachusetts: Most articles praised how Charters are created and held
accountable to the state.
Boston Globe editorial called for lifting the 25 charter school cap to 75
Another editorial in the Globe said that two issues need to be resolved
before opening more Charter Schools they are:
1) Whether Charters are intended to be a network of demonstration
schools or the leading edge of an entirely parallel system of public
schools.
2) State-up funds from private sources and then receive vouchers from
respective communities.
There are problems in Boston, lack of SPED students enrolled in Charter
Schools
Louisiana: Groups who can't get a local school board to approve charters, can
appeal to the state education board.
Georgia: Charter schools can only be set up by converting existing schools
Critics say that there are too many barriers to these new education
approaches and it limits the number of Charter schools that can be
started.
Republicans want to rewrite the law so communities and parents can start
them using money designated by the district.
Virginia: Republican bid to create Charter Schools was killed in the House of
Delegates Education Panel.
One of the main reasons why Republicans are pushing for Charter
Schools is because they want their share of the money that the President
has allotted to Charter Schools.
Democrats say they oppose Charter Schools because they fear a return
to segregation.
Ohio: Governor wants to try Charter Schools In Columbus
He is thinking about as many as 20
State Representative Sally Perz (R) tried to pass legislation which would
have introduced Charters statewide. It cleared the House but was
shelved in the Senate after opposition from the Ohio Education
Association, Ohio School Boards Association, and Buckeye Association of
School Administrators.
Concerns about job security for teachers because Charter would siphon
revenue from existing public schools, and result in a loss of local control
over schools.
Washington. D.C.: The 9 member Board Of Trustees does not have the power to
grant Charters, but they can develop the criteria which the school board must
follow.
Maryland: The Stadium School in Baltimore will close if test scores and
instruction don't improve.
New York: Education Commissioner Richard Mills said that NY should work on
improving existing schools -- not creating Charters
Regents Chancellor Carl Hayden said Charters aren't a panacea to solve
all the problems of failing schools.
Illinois: Contract negotiations for Charter Schools would include performance
standards on lowa Test of Basic Skills or Tests of Achievement and Proficiency
and the Illinois Goal Assessment Program
Any Charter which gets a 5 year contract from a Chicago School Board
also would need approval from the Illinois Board of Education.
Interesting Quotes:
"They [charter schools] have the potential to foster innovative teaching techniques and
bring students to high levels of achievement." Orlando Sentinel
"Current Special Education laws are ill-suited to Charter Schools. They require large
bureaucracies and were designed for school systems in which some students are
'special' and others are not" LRP Publications
"One common, more troublesome misperception is that these are elitist, special
schools. They are not. The law says quite clearly that all charter schools have to be
open to any student in the city. In reality, the people putting together applications for
charter schools are trying to help the most disadvantaged kids." Greg Richmond
"The charter movement is still too young for anyone to be certain that measurable
achievement will be superior in these schools. But for the most part, they feel like
places were a lot O learning is happening." The Washington Post
"The number one thing is not the money. IT's the message" -- Joe Nathan, Director,
Center for School Change at University of Minnesota in Minneapolis (referring to the
President's increase for charter schools in the budget)