DOCUMENT RESUME ED 426 147 UD 032 702 TITLE Selected Readings on School Reform. Vol. 2, No. 4. INSTITUTION Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, Washington, DC. PUB DATE 1998-00-00 NOTE 199p. AVAILABLE FROM Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, 1015 18th St., N.W., Suite 300, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 1-888-TBF-7474 (Toll Free); Web site: http://www.edexcellence.net PUB TYPE Collected Works General (020) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC08 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Academic Standards; Accountability; Achievement Tests; Bilingual Education; *Charter Schools; *Educational Change; Educational Finance; Elementary Secondary Education; Political Influences; *School Choice; School Restructuring; Special Education; Teacher Education; *Teacher Qualifications IDENTIFIERS *Reform Efforts ABSTRACT Selected current readings in the area of school reform are presented. Seven selections in "The Front Lines" focus on current developments in educational change in the political arena. A sectionon "Charter Schools" contains eight readings on the development and implementation of charter schools. A section titled "School Choice" contains six essays on parental school choice. A section on "Standards,Tests, and Accountability" contains eight articles on achievement tests, test results, and test use. "Teacher Talent" contains six selections on teacher education, certification, and teacher personnel policies. The "Curriculum & Pedagogy" section contains five selections on teaching methods and curriculumcontent. The final "Grab Bag" section contains five articles on various subjects, including Head Start, special education, bilingual education, and state educational budgets. The source of each selection is identified. (SLD) ******************************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ******************************************************************************** cm./ THOMAS B. ORDHAM OUNDATION OUTSIDE THE BOX elected, cy on chool t, eform U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS CENTER (ERIC) BEEN GRANTED BY XThis document has been reproducedas Fall 1998 received from the person or organization originating it. ,ficiAlft 11-aed 0 Minor changes have been made to Vol. 2, No. 4 improve reproduction quality. Than aX_ F_ eirelhae/_,_ POUnd. Points of view or opinions stated in this TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES document do not necessarily represent INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) official OERI position or policy. The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation 1015 18th Street, NW Suite 300 Washington, DC, 20036 (202) 223-5452 (202) 223-9226 (fax) 1(888) TBF-7474 (publications line) http:11www.edexcellence.net :41 Selected Readings on School Reform Fall 1998 Vol. 2, No. 4 The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation 1015 18th Street, NW Suite 300 Washington, DC 20036 (202) 223-5452 (202). 223-9226 (fax) (888) TBF-7474 (publications line) http://www.edexcellence.net 3 Chester E. Finn, Jr. Trustees President THOMAS B. Chester E. Finn Chester E. Finn, Jr. David H. Ponitz ORDHAM Thomas A. Holton Vice President Bruno V. Manno OUNDATION Peter W. Nash Thomas A. Holton OUTSIDE THE BOX David H. Ponitz Secretary 1 Treasurer Diane S. Ravitch Fall 1998 Dear Education Reformer, Greetings. School's back in and Washington is providing its own unique civicslesson. Beyond the Beltway, however, important work is underway in theworld of school reform. Here's your quarterly dose of Selected Readings on School Reform tohelp catch you up. This summer's highest profile school reform event was the releaseof the results of the Massachusetts teacher certification exam. Over 60% of would-be teachersflunked, sparking outrage from every corner of the country. We feature anextended investigation into the teacher quality problem in our "Teacher Talent" section. It's clear that theMassachusetts experience is not isolated. The school choice front quieted down a bit from the Spring's historichappenings (the Wisconsin Supreme Court decision, the announcement of the $100 millionChildren's Scholarship Fund). Perhaps the most important recent development is further evidencethat public opinion is shifting ever more in favor of school choice. In "Front Lines," webring you an excerpt from the annual Phi Delta Kappan/Gallup education poll, which shows a majorityof Americans now in favor of government funding for private schools. This issue of (SR)2 also serves up a healthy helping of meaty policy essays.Among our favorites: a chapter from Paul Hill's and Mary Beth Celio's excellent Brookingsvolume, Fbdng Urban Schools, Christopher Jencks's and Meredith Phillips's AmericanProspect piece on closing the white-black achievement gap; and an original contribution from veteranCalifornia bilingual educator Richard Munro entitled "Bilingual Miseducation." You will alsofind a new Public Interest essay by my colleague, Mike Petrilli, and yours truly, "WashingtonVersus School Reform." It previews some of the issues (and possibilities) facing Congress duringthe upcoming re-authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. We are lucky to have two able and energetic interns, Susan Flora andJake Phillips, who did most of the heavy lifting on this issue. Susan is starting a public policygraduate program at American University while Jake is taking a semi-breather from his senior year atDuke. We're grateful for their help. Have a terrific autumn. Youll hear from us again in January. Sincerely, Chester E. Finn, Jr. President 4 1015 18th Street, NW Suite 300Washington, DC, 20036Telephone (202) 223-5452Fax (202) 223-9226 http://www.edexcellence.net CONTENTS Vol. II, No. 4 Fall 1998 NET NOTES A Tale of Two Grants. By Peter Huidekoper. THE FRONT LINES 9 Phianthropy.* September/October. 5 I Washington Versus School Reform. Charter Schools in Search of Angels. By Chester E. Finn, Jr. and Michael J. Petri Ili. By Fred Musante. The Public Interest. Fall 1998. 10 The New York Times. September 6, 1998..... 53 30th Annual Phi Delta Kappa Gallup Poll of the The 12 Labors of Charter Schools. Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools. By Chester E. Finn, Jr. and Bruno V. Manno. By Lowell C. Rose and Alec M. Gallup. The New Democrat. July/August 1998. 55 Phi Delta Kappan.* September 1998. 17 Race Discrimination in Arizona. Under the Shadow of the State: Do Takeovers By Jeffry Flake.* Work? Goldwater Institute. 58 By Kevin Bushweller. The American School Board Journal.* August 1998. 19 SCHOOL CHOICE 61 The Wastage in Education. Expansion of Choice Program Gets Under Way. By Robert J. Samuelson. By Joe Williams. Newsweek. August 10, 1998. 22 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. August 27, 1998...62 California Struggles to Repair Its Troubled What People Are Saying About School Choice. Schools. By Nina H. Shokraii.* By Richard Lee Colvin. Heritage Backgrounder. June 2, 1998. 63 The Public Perspective.* August/September 1998. 23 Many Latinos Fare Better in Catholic Schools. By Anne Marie O'Connor. Creating Reforms that Work. The Los Angeles Times. August 3, 1998. 68 By Paul Hill and Mary Beth Celio.* Fixing Urban Schools (Brookings Institution At Work-Site Schools, Kids Learn While Press, Washington D.C., 1998) pp. 61-84......27 Parents Earn. By Kirstin Downey Grimsley. New York Offers 30% Raise If Principals The Washington Post. September 8, 1998. 71 Drop Tenure. By Anemona Hartocollis. The High School at the End of the Road. The New York Times. September 17, 1998. .... 39 By Alex Kotlowitz. The New York Times Magazine, July 5, 1998. .74 CHARTER SCHOOLS 41 Cartoon by Gary Varvel.* The Indianapolis Star News 80 A School Reform Whose Time Has Come. By Bruno V. Manno and Sol Stern. City Journal. Summer 1998. 42 STANDARDS, TESTS, AND ACCOUNTABILITY 81 Charter Schools Open to High Demand. By Jay Mathews. The Washington Post. September 9, 1998. ..... 47 Black Parents Want Focus on Academics. By Ann Bradley. Opting Out of D.C. System. Education Week.* August 5, 1998. 82 By Jay Mathews. The Washington Post. July 17, 1998. .....48 Numero Uno. By Tyce Palmaffy. Schools Compete for Pupils, Funding. Policy Review* September/Ocotober 1998 ...84 By Liz Wyatt. The Battle Creek Enquirer. June 28, 1998. ....49 5 America's Next Achievement Test. The New New Math. By Christopher Jencks and Meredith Phillips. By Martin Gardner. The American Prospect.* The New York Review of Books.* September/October 1998. 89 September 24, 1998. 133 'High Stakes' for Students. Testimony of Stan Metzenberg, Ph. D.* By Tamara Henry. House of Representatives, Committee on Science, USA Today. July 14, 1998. 97 Subcommittee on Basic Research. July 23, 1998. 139 The War Against Testing. By David W. Murray.* What Reading Does for the Soul. Commentary. September 1998. 100 By Annie Dillard. The American Educator.* A True Test. Spring/Summer 1998. 143 By Adrian Wooldridge. The New Republic.* June 15, 1998. 104 GRAB BAG 149 What Do the 1998 SAT Scores Really Show? By Marci Kanstoroom. 107 Is Head Start Smart? By Diane Ravitch. SAT Scores Decline Even as Grades Rise. The New Democrat.* July/August 1998. 150 By William H. Honan. The New York Times. September 2, 1998. .109 Special Ed Law is Big Business. By Doug Struck and Valerie Strauss. The Washington Post. July 20, 1998. .153 TEACHER TALENT 111 Bilingual Miseducation. Dumbing Down Teachers. By Richard K. Munro* 154 By John Leo. U.S. News & World Report. August 3, 1998.... 112 States Increasingly Link Budgets to Performance. Lesson Plan for