THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 29, 1994 TAG: 9409290477
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF AND WIRE REPORT
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium: 52 lines
American schools got an incomplete in the latest report card on the progress they've made toward meeting eight national education goals.
Highlighting the good news, the National Education Goals Panel said Wednesday that fourth- and eighth-graders are doing better in math, violence against 10th-graders is down, student alcohol use is declining, and fewer infants are being born with health risks that affect learning.
One key indicator actually worsened: The panel reported a 3 percent increase in drug use among 10th-graders since 1991.
``If these indicators were used to measure our nation's economic vitality, we would urge the Federal Reserve, banks, businesses and consumers to take necessary steps to stimulate the economy,'' said Indiana Gov. Evan Bayh, the panel's incoming chairman. ``Citizens have a right and a responsibility to get involved and monitor what their schools and communities are doing to achieve the National Education Goals.''
The panel is making available to communities a tool kit, including guide books, resource directories and step-by-step instructions, designed to help them mobilize support for the education goals.
In Virginia, Gov. George Allen's administration has been reluctant to adopt the goals and accept federal money to implement them because of concerns of losing state and local control over education policy. But Allen has launched efforts to reform public education, focusing on academics and variations on the federal goals.
The report released Wednesday showed that Virginia's progress toward meeting the federal objectives was essentially unchanged from last year.
There was a lack of data in Virginia to evaluate how well the state was doing on four of the federal goals - those dealing with safety and discipline, parental participation, adult literacy and teacher education and development - and information gaps in the others.
A few of Virginia's indicators from the report are:
Goal 1, readiness to learn, the number of infants born with two or more health risks dropped to 11 percent from 12 percent.
Goal 2, school completion, more than 85 percent of 16- to 20-year-olds have completed high school.
Under goal 3, student achievement, the number of students per 1,000 taking advanced placement courses and scoring high enough for college credit increased.
KEYWORDS: SCHOOLS STATISTICS by CNB