ERIC Identifier: ED385610
Publication Date: 1995-04-00
Author:
Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and
Evaluation Washington DC.
Goals 2000 and World-Class Standards on the Internet. ERIC/AE
Digest.
Many organizations, school districts, and state departments of education are
posting useful materials on the Internet. These materials can prove to be a
valuable resource for anyone interested in Goals 2000, World-Class standards,
and school restructuring.
The digest identifies key Internet offerings related to Goals 2000 and World
Class standards. Pointers to each of these offerings can be found at the ERIC
Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation (ERIC/AE) gopher site
(gopher.cua.edu, special resources, ERIC, Goals 2000). The broad target audience
for these materials includes parents, teachers, school administrators and others
concerned with improving education. The information includes activities at the
local, state and Federal levels.
HIGHLIGHTS
Some top Internet offerings are:
* Parental and Local Community assistance on how to get involved and support
school improvement efforts. A Goals 2000 newsletter and community exchange are
included along with a community action toolkit and a list of things you can do.
* State information from 26 states which have established gopher sites,
ranging from comprehensive state department of education sites to smaller
specific sites on topics such as frameworks, curricula and assessments.
Information on states that have received grants to develop content standards and
guidance to states in preparing grant applications is included.
* National information from the U.S. Department of Education on Goals 2000
initiatives, guides for teachers, researchers and programs. It also includes
information on the National Education Goals Panel and its publications and the
National Education Reform Leadership, Standards and Assessment.
* World-Class Standards information on the development of standards including
the National Standards Projects, State Content Standards, and essays on
standards and assessments.
* International information on standards and assessment and education from
the United Kingdom, Canada, Singapore and the Occupational Skills Standard
Project.
* Other Goals 2000 Gophers includes gophers focused on Goals 2000 at the
national, regional and state levels.
LEGISLATION AND POLICY
The U.S. Department of Education
(gopher://gopher.ed. gov.:10001/11/initiatives/goals/legislation) has the full
text of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act which President Clinton signed into
law on March 31, 1994. The House of Representatives approved the bill on March
23, 1994, with a 306-121 vote. The Senate passed it on March 26, 1994, with a
63-22 vote. You can examine the Act by passages or obtain the entire document in
zip format.
PARENT ASSISTANCE/INFORMATION
Parents, grandparents and
concerned citizens are critical to children's education and a critical part of
the effort to reach the goals and achieve world-class standards. The National
Parent Information Network (gopher://ericps.ed.uiuc.edu/11/npin) has posted a
wealth of topics ranging from early childhood to the teenage and college years.
Additional information includes the monthly Goals 2000 Community Update
Newsletter (gopher://gopher.ed.gov.:10001/11/initiatives/goals /news), the
popular Community Action Toolkit (gopher://gopher.
ed.gov.:10001/11/initiatives/goals/national/rpts/toolkit) and Promising
Practices in Science and Math (gopher://gopher.rbs.
org.:70/11/DataBases/programs).
50 Simple Things You Can Do (gopher://gopher.ed.gov :10001/00/initiatives/
goals/50things.txt), is a useful guide for parents and others looking to help
reach the goals. The U.S. Department of Education has also posted information on
Parent and Community Support and Involvement (gopher://gopher.ed.gov.:10001
/00/initiatives/goals/back/states/doc3.txt) and the Strong Families, Strong
School Report including school-family partnerships, family-friendly businesses,
and communities and states connecting families and schools
(gopher://gopher.ed.gov. :10001/11/initiatives/family/strong).
LOCAL ASSISTANCE INFORMATION
A great deal of information
targeted to teachers, school administrators, principals and others in the
community interested in improving education is also available. The U.S.
Department of Education provide pointers to the Teacher and Researcher Guides, a
Guide to its Programs (gopher://gopher.ed. gov:70/11/genmprogs), Educating
Teachers for World-Class Standards
(gopher://gopher.ed.gov.:70/00/publications/fullmtext/ 93-1217.txt) and
Technology (Advanced Technology in U.S. Public Schools, Telecomputing for
Teaching and Learning, Tools for Transforming Teaching and Learning)
(gopher://gopher.ed.gov. :10001/11/initiatives/technology). Michigan has posted
information on portfolios (gopher://mdenet.mde.state.mi.us/ 11/serv/meap) which
provides a very helpful question and answer section related to the
implementation and administration of their statewide program.
STATE ASSISTANCE/INFORMATION
States are quite active in
Goals 2000 and many have posted a wide range of information on the Internet. A
number of states have established State Department of Education gopher sites
(California, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, New York, Ohio,
Oklahoma, Oregon and Wisconsin), some quite comprehensive. Michigan for example
has posted the state-wide systematic initiative, the state education assessment
program, the Michigan school report, and the Goals 2000 local reform and
professional development grants.
The state applications for grants under Title II of the Educate America Act
posted by OERI and mirrored by ERIC/AE provide information on the state's school
reform and improvement efforts. The segment on State Content Standards
(gopher://vms gopher.cua.edu.:70/11gophermrootmericmae:[ma2000.wcs.scs])
includes the guidance to states in preparing grant applications
(gopher://gopher.ed.gov.:10001/11/initiatives/goals/guidance). ERIC/AE has
created a searchable data base of the awards made to 29 states and descriptions
of them.
There are also pointers to descriptions of Federal programs in each state
funded by the various Departments--Agriculture, Education, Labor, etc. and
Agencies--the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Environmental
Protection Agency, etc. (gopher://enc.org/Programs and Opportunities/ Directory
of Federal Programs/Program Highlights by State).
NATIONAL INFORMATION/PROGRAMS
The U.S. Department of
Education has established an outstanding gopher providing nationally oriented
material and information on its programs and list of Department-wide
Initiatives, the Goals 2000 Initiative (gopher://gopher.ed.
gov.:10001/11/initiatives), Guides for Teachers
(gopher://gopher.ed.gov.:70/11/genmprogs/teachmguide),
Researchers
(gopher://gopher.ed.gov.:70/11/genmprogs/guide) and the Office of Educational
Research and Improvement (gopher://inet.ed. gov.:70/11/).
Information is included on the National Education Goals Panel and its
publications and reports (gopher://vmsgopher.
cua.edu.:70/11gophermrootmericmae:[ma2000.nip.negp]), and the National Education
Reform Leadership, Standards and Assessments
(gopher://gopher.ed.gov.:10001/11/initiatives/goals/guidance/natl-ed u).
WORLD CLASS STANDARDS
The Development of world-class
standards and related issues are being addressed at the national, state and
local levels. The National Standards Projects have been posted (Arts Education
and Civics and Government) (gopher://vmsgopher.cua.edu/11
gophermrootmericmae:[ma2000.nip.nspl]). Additionally, information is provided on
Standards and Documents about Standards (gopher://
gopher.ed.gov.:10001/11/initiatives/stan-doc), the Federally sponsored State
Content Standards awards and standards developed independently by certain states
(Colorado, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, and Texas).
There are also essays on standards and assessments including issues of equity
and opportunity to learn, performance standards and assessments, portfolios,
technical quality, and testing as a reform tool.
gopher://vmsgopher.cua.edu/11gophermrootmericmae: [ma2000.wcs.es]).
INTERNATIONAL INFORMATION
Several other countries have
posted information on the Internet related to standards and assessments. Among
the most notable are the Education Minister of British Columbia's Order for
Assessment and School Accreditation (gopher://sun.bctf.bc.ca/
11pedagogy/assessment), Records of Achievement - The United Kingdom's version of
portfolios (gopher://spinoza.cse.ucla. edu.:71/00/NewsLetters/Portfolios/Records
of Achievement), and the Singapore Ministry of Education (gopher://gopher.moe.
ac.sg/1).
Also available is the Occupational Skills Standards Project comparing
education-driven skill standards in this country to six foreign countries --
Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom
(gopher://gopher.ed.gov.:10001/11/OVAE/ school2work).
OTHER GOALS 2000 GOPHERS
A number of states and a couple of regions have established Goals 2000
gophers on the Internet. Examples include state-gophers for California, Florida,
Georgia (PeachNet), Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Oregon, and Texas;
regional gophers for the Northeast and Island Regional Educational Laboratory
(gopher://gopher..neirl.org) and the Northwest Regional Education Laboratory
(gopher://gopher.nwrel.org.:70/11/goals2000).
