February 13, 1985

Education Week, Vol. 04, Issue 21
Education Federal File: Clampdown; Olive Branch Offered?; Almost-Confirmed Rumor

In his first day on the job, Secretary of Education William J. Bennett ordered his senior staff not to speak with the press or communicate--formally or informally--with members of Congress or Congressional staff members without advance clearance.
February 13, 1985
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2 min read
Education E.P.A. Delays Ban On Asbestos Use In Surprise Move
In a surprise action, the Environmental Protection Agency has delayed plans to ban the mining and importation of asbestos and its use in certain products.
Lynn Olson, February 13, 1985
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6 min read
Education Independent Schools Report Sharp Gains in Minority Enrollment
A dramatic increase in the number of Asian-American students enrolling in the nation's independent schools in the past four years has bolstered their overall minority enrollment, despite the fact that the proportions of black, Hispanic, and Native American students enrolled have increased only slightly, according to a new report.
Blake Rodman, February 13, 1985
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4 min read
Education Experts See Challenges, Dangers, And Possibilities in Early School
New York City officials are convinced that beginning school earlier will have a positive impact on the dropout rate, and to prove it, they point to a study that has attracted the attention of many education officials across the country.

According to Marian L. Schwarz, coordinator of youth services for the Office of the Mayor, the study: "Changed Lives: The Effects of the Perry Preschool Program on Youths Through Age 19," had a significant impact on Mayor Edward I. Koch's decision to push for earlier schooling.

February 13, 1985
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3 min read
Education N.S.F. Shifts Effort to Lower Grades, But Budget Maneuver Trims Its Scope
The National Science Foundation has announced plans to spend up to half of its $82 million in science-education funds this year and in fiscal 1986 on projects that strengthen the teaching and learning of science and mathematics in middle and elementary schools.
Lynn Olson, February 13, 1985
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9 min read
Education Union Returns to Court, Seeks Tighter Asbestos Rules
A union representing some 100,000 school-maintenance workers has returned to court in an attempt to force the Environmental Protection Agency to strengthen its regulations regarding asbestos in schools.
Lynn Olson, February 13, 1985
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4 min read
Education A Little Gratitude Goes a Long, Long Way
A little gratitude can go a long way.

That is what students at the Jefferson Elementary School in Springfield, Ill., discovered when they launched 540 helium-filled balloons last November to say thanks to the people of Springfield for approving a property-tax referendum to support the community's public schools.

February 13, 1985
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1 min read
Education National News Roundup
Only about 22 percent of runaways and homeless youths who need help are receiving it from shelters and community programs, according to the preliminary findings of a nationwide survey.

The survey, conducted by the Na-tional Network of Runaway and Youth Services in Washington, D.C., is based on reports from 200 shelters and youth-service agencies across the country.

February 13, 1985
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1 min read
Education Research and Reports
Despite good programs, conscientious teachers, and sound work habits, 9th-grade students nationwide suffer from "a lack of meaningful instruction," according to the preliminary findings of a report sponsored by the National Association of Secondary School Principals.

"I think there is good reason to be concerned," said John Lounsbury, author of the report and professor emeritus at Georgia College in Milledgeville, Ga.

February 13, 1985
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2 min read
Education State News Roundup
A federal district-court judge has temporarily blocked West Virginia's new school-prayer amendment, after hearing witnesses' testimony at a hearing last month that children were being forced to pray against their will.

Judge Elizabeth Hallanan, with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, issued a preliminary injunction Feb. 1 in a suit brought by opponents of the law. The judge deferred ruling on a permanent injunction until more evidence is introduced in the case.

February 13, 1985
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11 min read
Education Academic Girds for Fight On Student-Aid Cutback
Minutes after last week's Education Department press conference outlining President Reagan's proposed 1986 federal budget, representatives of the nation's colleges and universities held a press conference of their own on the sidewalk outside the department's headquarters.
Sheppard Ranbom, February 13, 1985
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8 min read
Education Federal Child-Care Guidelines Draw Some Praise, More Criticism
New federal guidelines for regulating child-care programs are drawing praise from experts as "a first step" toward controlling the quality of the burgeoning industry.
Anne Bridgman, February 13, 1985
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8 min read
Education National, State Groups Pressing For English as Official Tongue
Opponents of bilingualism are intensifying their drive to change the United States Constitution and those of individual states to make English the country's official language.
Lynn Olson, February 13, 1985
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3 min read
Education 'Indicators': Many Freshmen in Remedial Classes
Previously unreported data contained in a new Education Department booklet indicate that a substantial number of the nation's college freshmen are enrolled in remedial courses.
Tom Mirga, February 13, 1985
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3 min read
Education Governors in Four of Five States Urge Hikes in Education Spending
Following are summaries of state-of-the-state and budget messages delivered by governors in recent weeks.

ALABAMA

February 13, 1985
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8 min read
Education Grassroots Coalition of Educators Calls for 'Bottom-Up' Reforms
Many of the current "prescriptions" for educational excellence actually are having a negative impact on the quality of public schools, according to a statement released here last week by a grassroots network of educators.
Cindy Currence, February 13, 1985
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5 min read
Education New York City Mayor Proposes Public Schooling for 4-Year-Olds
City and state officials are eagerly embracing a proposal by Mayor Edward I. Koch to begin public schooling in New York City at age 4 as a response to societal changes and to the city's dropout problem.
Linda Chion-Kenney, February 13, 1985
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5 min read
Education Federal News Roundup
Representative Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, last week introduced legislation that would require any school of education receiving federal funds to provide a two-year warranty on the classroom performance of its graduates.

Education-school graduates who "receive an unsatisfactory evaluation" after two years in the classroom would be eligible for retraining at their school "at no cost to the graduate as long as it does not exceed the amount of federal assistance received by that student while at the education school," said Repre-sentative Wyden in introducing the legislation.

February 13, 1985
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1 min read
Education District News Roundup
Within hours after a Philadelphia 9th grader committed suicide in a school bathroom, Clyde O. Basham, the vice principal of Martin Luther King High School, held an assembly to discuss the incident and encourage troubled students to seek help from school employees.

"What we'd like to do is give you the straight information so you can go home and see your parents and tell them exactly what happened," Mr. Basham told the 9th graders, who are attending the Morris E. Leeds Middle School while workers remove asbestos from their school.

February 13, 1985
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3 min read
Education Main Programs for Schools Kept at Fiscal 1985 Levels
William J. Bennett, the new Secretary of Education, inherits the difficult task of having to sell to the Congress a $15.5-billion Education Department budget for fiscal 1986 that includes deep cuts in popular higher-education programs and reductions or spending freezes in most elementary- and secondary-education programs.
James Hertling, February 13, 1985
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11 min read
Education Fine-Arts Products Industry Will Label Toxic Items Containing Toxins
One of every five fine-arts products recently tested--including many used in schools--has been found to contain known toxins, and such products will soon be required to bear warning labels.
J.R. Sirkin, February 13, 1985
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6 min read
Education For The Record
Following are extended excerpts of written responses provided by William J. Bennett, secretary-designate of education, to questions posed by members of the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources as part of this month's confirmation proceedings.

Priorities

February 13, 1985
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10 min read
Education Group Suggests Software Publishers Boycott N.E.A. Evaluation Service

A group of software publishers last week charged that a software-evaluation service run by the National Education Association represents a conflict of interest because it charges evaluation fees of publishers that seek to have their software certified as "teacher-tested" and controls sales of approved programs.
February 13, 1985
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2 min read
Education Rules on School Use by Church Groups Upheld
A federal appeals court has ruled that Kansas City, Mo., school officials do not violate the rights of religious groups by requiring them to follow a special procedure for renting auditoriums or classroom space.

A school-district policy requiring the city school board to approve church groups' rental applications is justifiable because school officials have legitimate concerns about the separation of church and state, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit ruled in late December.

February 13, 1985
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1 min read
Education Opinion Teacher Inks 3-Year, $850-K Pact With Regional
I was dreaming the other day that I read in the paper about John Smith, a local high-school history teacher, who had signed a three-year, $850,000 contract to stay on at Regional High School.
James J. Coogan, February 13, 1985
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4 min read
Education Opinion Poor Is Poor And More Won't Make It Better
New Jersey has a problem. It has come to the state's attention that the academic quality of its prospective teachers is not equivalent to that, let us say, of its prospective doctors and lawyers. In fact, the sat scores of prospective education majors in the state run 30 to 50 points below the not particularly stellar New Jersey average.
Faith Dunne & Beth Hannah, February 13, 1985
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7 min read
Education Letter to the Editor Letters To The Editor
Kudos to Douglas D. Noble for his recent Commentary, ("Jumping Off the Computer Bandwagon," Education Week, Oct. 3, 1984). His article is long overdue.

However, I protest the validity of his statement that "teachers have ... endorsed the entire enterprise [the current computer mania]--so far as I know, without a printed word of protest."

February 13, 1985
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9 min read