ED REVIEW

December 6, 2002

...a bi-weekly update on U.S. Department of Education activities relevant

to the Intergovernmental and Corporate community and other stakeholders
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NCLB UPDATE (http://www.nochildleftbehind.gov/)

On November 26, Secretary Paige released final regulations for Title I of the No Child
Left Behind Act. Approximately 140 parties submitted over 700 comments in response
to the August 6 notice of proposed rulemaking. The Secretary made numerous changes
to the proposed regulations -- though in many cases he determined that the notice best
reflected both the spirit and intent of the law. The final regulations also clarify
federal, state, and local responsibilities under the federal law, as well as correct errors.
Among the significant policies:

• Adequate Yearly Progress. A state may continue to use its current accountability
system if that system integrates adequate yearly progress as defined in the statute
and regulations. Also, states are required to use graduation rates in high school and
one other academic indicator in elementary and middle schools to determine whether
or not a school or school district has made adequate yearly progress.
• School Choice and Capacity. The law does not permit a school district to preclude
choice options on the basis of capacity constraints. Also, choice must begin as soon
as possible after a school is identified in need of improvement.
• Supplemental Educational Services. States and school districts are responsible for
ensuring that the list of approved supplemental educational service providers include
some providers that can serve students with limited English proficiency and students
with disabilities.
• Funding Choice and Supplemental Services. Schools districts must spend an amount
equal to 20 percent of their Title I, Part A allocations on choice transportation and
supplemental educational services, unless a lesser amount is needed to meet demand.
• Qualified Teachers. By the end of the 2005-06 school year, all teachers of core
academic subjects must be fully certified (through traditional or alternative routes)
and have demonstrated competency in the subjects they teach (by having a major or
 by passing a subject-matter test). Also, all teachers pursuing certification through
alternative routes must receive high-quality professional development before and
while teaching, participate in a program of supervision, and function as a teacher for
no more than three years (until fully certified by the state).

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/11-

2002/11262002.html.

The application deadline for the first competition of the Local Flexibility Demonstration
program (http://www.ed.gov/flexibility/), authorizing up to 80 local education agencies
to consolidate certain federal education funds, is today. However, there will be another
opportunity to apply for a Local-Flex agreement in 2003.
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BINATIONAL AGREEMENT

On his first foreign trip as a Cabinet member, Secretary Paige traveled to Mexico City.
"I am so happy to be in Mexico to discuss educational initiatives that benefit both of
our countries, from migrant education and language acquisition to the development of
new technologies," he said. In addition to touring an elementary school and addressing
representatives of the Mexican Congressional Education Committees, Paige participated
in a working group on education with his counterpart, Secretary Reyes Tamez Guerra.
Annex VII, the new addition to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on education
covering 2002-2004, addresses such topics as special education, higher education, adult
and vocational education, and the strengthening of educational statistics and indicators.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/11-
2002/11252002.html.
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EDUCATION SCIENCES

President Bush has appointed Grover "Russ" Whitehurst to serve a six-year term as the
first director of the Institute of Education Sciences. Since July 2001, Whitehurst has
served as the Department's Assistant Secretary for Educational Research and
Improvement -- the predecessor to the Institute. Before joining the administration, he
was a professor of psychology and pediatrics and chair of the department of psychology
at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Advised by a 15-member board of
research experts and practitioners, the Institute will consist of three separate centers
for research, statistics, and evaluation. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO
http://www.ed.gov/legislation/EdSciencesRef/.

Note: "Projections of Education Statistics to 2012" is online at

http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2002/proj2012/. The report includes 56 tables and 44 figures
on elementary and secondary schools and degree-granting institutions.
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HEALTHY START, GROW SMART

Back in August, ED Review highlighted a series of useful booklets first developed by

First Lady Laura Bush and the Texas Department of Health -- and subsequently revised
by the Departments of Education, Agriculture, and Health and Human Services. The
booklets outline activities designed to stimulate infant brain development and build
skills that children will need once they start school. For example, "Your Newborn" walks
parents and other caregivers through such topics as Checkups and Shots, Wonders of
the Brain, and Ways to Soothe Your Baby. Separate booklets are available for each
month between one-month-old and ten-month-old babies. FOR MORE INFORMATION,
PLEASE GO TO http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/earlychildhood/healthystart/. (Each
booklet is also available, or will soon be available, in Spanish.)
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HURRICANE STRIKE!

Developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Hurricane Strike! is

a multi-media learning package aimed primarily at middle school students. It integrates
disaster safety and preparedness with science instruction, providing an engaging,
interactive learning environment. It also dovetails with science and safety content from
cooperating partners like the American Red Cross, the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, the National Weather Service, and the Weather Channel.
(A worksheet for each day can be printed out and used to evaluate students' progress
and understanding, although progress through the module is not tracked automatically.)
Teachers with a T1 or DSL line (or equivalent) can access Hurricane Strike! directly on
the World Wide Web. Otherwise, the module can be downloaded and run locally. FOR
MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://meted.ucar.edu/emgmt/access.htm.
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COLLEGE QUALITY

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), co-sponsored by the Pew Forum on
Undergraduate Learning and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching,
challenges the view of college quality popularized by national news magazines that rate
institutions on the basis of their institutional resources and public reputation. Instead,
NSSE's 2002 report, titled "From Promise to Progress: How Colleges and Universities
Are Using Student Engagement Results to Improve Collegiate Quality," summarizes the
views of 135,000 first-year and senior students at 613 different four-year colleges and
universities on five benchmarks: (1) level of academic challenge, (2) active and
collaborative learning, (3) student-faculty interaction, (4) enriching educational
experiences, and (5) supportive campus environment. Some findings? 87 percent of all
students rated their college experience as "good" or "excellent;" two-thirds of seniors
did community service or volunteer work during college; and 57 percent of all students
say diverse perspectives are frequently included in class discussions. But 42 percent of
first-year students and 26 percent of seniors say they never discussed ideas from their
reading or classes with faculty members outside of class. FOR MORE INFORMATION,
PLEASE GO TO http://www.iub.edu/~nsse/.
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QUOTE TO NOTE

"These [rules] represent the hard work and persistence of many at the Department of
Education who sought the input and advice nationwide from local parents, teachers,
principals and state school chiefs. At the same time, the dedicated staff at the
Department provided guidance to the states; fielded hundreds of phone calls, faxes, and
requests for information; and provided timely advice on our web site. I personally
visited 26 states and 38 cities to meet with local and state educators -- people who
really have to make the new law work. I believe these regulations provide
comprehensive and meaningful direction.... My hope is that states will accept this
guidance in the spirit that it is given: to help close the achievement gap in America's
schools that for too long split us into two nations -- one that dreams and one that
doesn't. One that is hopeful and one that is hopeless."
-- Secretary of Education Rod Paige (11/26/02)
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UPCOMING EVENTS

The Department's next "Education News Parents Can Use" broadcast, on NCLB's one-
year anniversary, is scheduled for January 21. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE
GO TO http://registerevent.ed.gov/downlink/event-flyer.asp?intEventID=163.

Let's Get Real (http://www.lgreal.org/) is a competition for teams of students to gain

experience working on real business problems. Corporate sponsors supply real problems
for which teams submit solutions in business format. Problems might include areas such
as distribution, engineering, environmental issues, facilities design, health and safety,
human resources, manufacturing, public relations, software creation, or any other areas
deemed important to the corporations involved. Currently, Hershey Foods is sponsoring
two challenges. Submissions are due by February 17, 2003.
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Please feel free to contact the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs with any questions:
Deputy Assistant Secretary -- Terri Rayburn, (202) 401-0404, mailto:Terri.Rayburn@ed.gov
Program Analyst -- Adam Honeysett, (202) 401-3003, mailto:Adam.Honeysett@ed.gov
To be added or removed from distribution, or submit comments (we welcome your feedback!),
please contact Adam Honeysett. Or, visit http://www.ed.gov/offices/OIIA/OIA/edreview/.