|
The
National Education Goals Panel: A Report on Goal One-- School
Readiness
by
Katie Dufford-Melendez, SERVEing Young Children
Introduction
History/Background
Membership
Purposes of the Panel
Overall Progress
Progress by Year
Looking Toward the Future
NEGP Reports on Early Childhood Education
Bibliography
Introduction
Conceived
in 1989, the National Education Goals Panel has spent the past
decade striving to improve America’s schools by assisting states
in developing educational plans and by reporting on subjects of
national interest as well as the progress of states towards their
goals.
This paper reviews the Panel’s and the nation’s progress
in early childhood education and school readiness. Following is a
brief history of the National Education Goals Panel, a review of
the annual reports since 1996 (as they pertain to Goal One: School
Readiness), and a synopsis of the impact the panel has made on
America’s schools.
History/Background
In a
two-day educational summit held in Charlottesville, Virginia,
President Bush met with the nation’s governors in an effort to
galvanize national support for school reform. The 1989 summit
called for a movement towards national educational goals. The main
objectives of the plan were to improve student achievement in core
subjects and to lead the world in math and science test scores by
the year 2000, making America’s children internationally
competitive. The meeting in Charlottesville was the impetus for
the National Goals 2000 (NEGP History).
The Goals are based on three basic premises: (1) that all
children can learn, (2) that lasting improvement can be made only
through the leadership and collaboration of local and state
education departments with the support of their communities, (3)
and that reform must take place at all levels (USDOE “Goals
2000: Reforming Education”).
In January 1990, President Bush proposed the first six
national goals in the State of the Union Address, and the
following month, the National Governors Association adopted them
at their annual winter meeting. By 1994, the Goals became law.
President Clinton included two additional goals involving
professional development for teachers and parental participation.
The Goals 2000: Educate America Act also included a provision to
assist states in developing standards and assessments through
grants (NEGP History).
In April 1996, Congress approved three amendments to the
Goals 2000: Educate America Act. The first amendment allowed
states to develop their plan without the approval of the Secretary
of Education, but still states must continue to assure the Panel
that they are meeting the needs of their constituents. The second
addressed states not participating on the national level of the
Goals 2000 (Alabama, Montana, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, and
Virginia). The amendment allowed individual districts to apply for
federal grants to assist them in the process rather than going
through their states, provided they had the approval of the state
educational agency. After the amendment passed, Alabama, New
Hampshire, and Virginia began participating in the Goals 2000,
while Oklahoma and Montana continue to allow their districts to
apply for grants. The third amendment lifted the requirements for
the make-up of local and state panels (USDOE Appendix E).
According to the legislation, the purpose of the National
Goals 2000 Panel is to establish a bipartisan, organized effort
for “building a national consensus for education improvements”
(H.R. 1804, 1994). The Panel reports progress toward the Goals and
serves as advisor to the President, the Secretary of Education,
and Congress.
Membership
The National Education Goals Panel is composed of 18 members
(Legislation H.R. 1804, Title II, Sec. 201-203):
Appointed by the President
= 2
Governors
= 8
* Three (3) from the same party as the president
* Five (5) from the opposite party and appointed by the
National Governors Assn.
Members of Congress = 4
* One
(1) appointed by the majority leader of the House
* One (1) appointed by the majority leader of the Senate
* One (1) appointed by the minority leader of the House
* One (1) appointed by the minority leader of the Senate
Members of State legislatures appointed by the President of the
National = 4
Conference of State Legislatures (2 from the same party as the
President)
Purposes of the Panel
The Panel is to report on the progress of the States and the
Nation toward the Goals. In addition, the Panel reports on the
states’ opportunity-to-learn standards and strategies,
highlights promising practices within the states, and makes
recommendations for appointment to the National Education
Standards and Improvement Council.
The National Education Standards and Improvement Council
submits its criteria for certifying voluntary standards
(specifically the content, student performance, and national
opportunity-to-learn standards) and assessments to the Panel for
their approval. The Panel may disapprove of the standards provided
they do so within 90 days of receipt.
Finally, the Panel is to build a “nation-wide, bi-partisan
consensus for reform.” The Panel has been instrumental in
developing national standards for education, which have gained the
approval of members from both political parties as well as both
branches of Congress.
The
Goals
While
the National Education Goals Panel members acknowledge the goals
are not easy to achieve, they do feel the goals serve the purpose
of setting high expectations for America’s children.
Furthermore, it may prove to be more difficult for some states to
achieve the goals since many are beginning at such varied levels (NEGP
Report 1998).
In reference to Goal One, “Ready for School,” a 1997 NEGP
Report states, “No direct measure currently exists to tell us
the proportion of the nation’s children who are ready to learn
when they start school.” Rather, the nation and states rely on
results from the health, family, and preschool objectives. The
Goals Panel convened a group of early childhood experts,
university officials, and state officials to define readiness.
They cited five categories of learning and development: (a) health
and physical development, (b) emotional well-being and social
competence, (c) approaches to learning, (d) communication skills,
and (e) cognition and general knowledge (National Education Goals
Report 1997). The Panel is currently conducting longitudinal
studies based on these areas.
However, the Panel has identified four indicators toward
progress of Goal One:
1.
Children’s
Health Index
2.
Immunizations
3.
Preschool
Participation
4.
Family-Child
Reading and Storytelling
The results from the National Education Panel Report from
1996, 1997, and 1998 are fairly uniform.
·
The percentage of infants born with one or more of four
health risks decreased.
·
The percentage of 2-year-olds fully immunized against
preventable childhood diseases increased.
·
The number of families reading or story-telling to their
three- to five-year-olds increased.
·
Although in previous years, there was no significant change
in the gap between preschool participation of three- and
five-year-olds from high- and low-income families, the 1999 Report
states this gap has decreased.
The reports also show no drop in performance of any of the
four indicators during the four years; the nation as a whole has
progressed toward Goal One.
Most improved states on Goal One included:
·
District of Columbia reduced the percentage of infants born
with one or more of four health-risks from 48 percent to 37
percent.
·
Michigan and West Virginia increased the percentage of
two-year-olds fully immunized against childhood diseases from 61
percent to 77 percent.
·
The Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia made the
greatest reductions in the percentages of infants born at low
birth weight.
·
New Mexico and Georgia increased the percentage of mothers
receiving early prenatal care from 57 percent to 69 percent.
Actual numbers reported
Progress by
Year:
1996
1997
1998
1999
Looking Toward the Future
December 1999 marked the tenth anniversary of the National
Education Goals. The passing of the decade has encouraged the
Panel to examine its commitment and its future work. The Panel is
committed to continuing to make educational improvements by
partnering with policymakers to conduct a series of field hearings
to identify promising and effective practices and to share
information with educators and policymakers (News Release,
December 2, 1999).
Sharon Lynn Kagan reported on Goal One. She cited five
positive effects Goal One has had on early childhood education (NEGP
Lessons Learned 1999):
- New
respect for young children and for the importance of the early
years
- Increased
awareness, exploration, and action to improve early childhood
opportunities
- Increased
unity within the early childhood field toward reaching a
common definition of readiness
- Inclusion
of readiness on the national agenda
- Increased
support from private and public organizations to improve early
childhood education
Kagan also outlined future challenges or tenets needing
expansion (NEGP Lessons Learned 1999):
- Revisit
the goal and its objectives
- Promote
more effective early childhood assessment processes
- Improve
quality of early childhood settings
- Increase
public awareness
In anticipation of the December celebratory meeting, experts
in each of the eight fields represented in the goals were asked to
prepare a report. In the report, they were to include input on
three main topics: the success of the goals, the “big issues”
for the next period, and the future roles of the goals and the
Panel (NEGP Lessons Learned 1999).
The
Future of the National Education Goals Panel
In February 1999, the National Education Goals Panel
unanimously passed a resolution changing the name of the goals to
“America’s Education Goals” (NEGP News Release February 22,
1999). In addition, the Panel will now be referred to as
“America’s Education Goals Panel.” Because of overwhelming
positive feedback, the Panel also agreed to continue its efforts
beyond the year 2000 (NEGP History).
The tenth anniversary of the Goals was celebrated in
Washington, D.C., in early December. Presidents Bush and Clinton
were honored for their strong support of and dedication to the
Goals. The Panel highlighted the effects the Goals have had over
the past decade and awarded twelve states for their achievement
toward the goals. Maine was cited for outstanding performance in
Goal One and its high performance across the National Education
Goals (NEGP News Release, December 1, 1999).
The National Education Goals Panel has held bipartisan
support for eight educational goals for which the nation should
strive. It has been the longest educational reform effort in
history and has proven its impact on America’s schools.
Listed are various reports published by the Panel. Summaries
are provided with links to the full text.
Ready Schools
Go to Report
Special Early Childhood Report
Go to Report
Summing it Up
Go to Report
Reconsidering Children’s Early Development
and Learning: Toward Common Views and Vocabulary
Go to Report
Principles and Recommendations for
Early Childhood Assessment and the Unique Development of Young
Children
Go to Report
Trends in Early Childhood Assessment
Policies and Procedures
Go to Report
Getting a Good Start in School
Go to Report
Bibliography
SERVE HOME
|
