National Education Goals.

How many of you have had an opportunity to see a copy of the National Education Goals Report: Building a Nation of Learners, 1997? The report is the seventh in a series of annual reports designed to assess the progress that the United States as a whole, as well as individual states, have made toward achieving the National Education Goals.

The National Education Goals have been added to and further defined since they were first introduced in 1989. They were originally the focus of America 2000: An Education Strategy, President Bush's longterm plan for school reform, and, later on, a key component of President Clinton's Goals 2000: Educate America Act. Goals 2000 calls for the development of national standards for elementary and secondary education, and for the establishment of a program to aid/reward states that seek to improve schools and achieve higher standards of excellence. The eight goals to be achieved by the year 2000 are:

* Goal 1: All children will start school ready to learn.

* Goal 2: The high school graduation rate will increase to at least 90 percent.

* Goal 3: Students will leave grades 4, 8, and 12 having demonstrated competency in challenging subject matter, including English, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, art, history, and geography; and every school in the country will ensure that all students learn to use their minds well, so they may be prepared for responsible citizenship, further learning, and productive employment in a modern economy.

* Goal 4: The teaching force will have access to programs for the continued improvement of their professional skills, as well as the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to instruct and prepare students for the 21st century.

* Goal 5: U.S. students will rank first in the world in science and mathematics achievement.

* Goal 6: Every adult will be literate, and will possess the knowledge and skills necessary to compete in a global economy and to exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

* Goal 7: Every school will be free of drugs, violence, and the unauthorized presence of firearms and alcohol, and will offer a disciplined environment conducive to learning.

* Goal 8: Every school will promote partnerships to increase parental involvement and participation in promoting the social, emotional, and academic growth of children.

The National Education Goals Panel (NEGP) is the federal agency charged with the responsibility of monitoring the Goals' progress. In 1989, at a historic Education Summit in Charlottesville, Virginia, the NEGP helped the nation's governors prepare the first draft of the national standards, or goals. In addition to reporting to the public on progress toward the Goals, the agency is responsible for establishing a system of high academic standards and assessments; identifying what actions federal, state, and local governments need to take; and building a nationwide bipartisan consensus to achieve the Goals.

The National Education Goals Report prepared by the NEGP does much more than measure progress. It gives policymakers direction, helps to promote accountability and excellence in education through its advocacy of national standards, and shows where we are and what needs to be done to meet the Goals.

The 339-page report for 1997 includes some good news, particularly in terms of significant nationwide progress in science and mathematics (Goals 3 and 5), children's health (Goal 1), and student safety (Goal 7). In other areas, however, national performance has declined. Grade 12 reading achievement, for example, is lower (Goal 3), fewer adults with no more than a high school diploma are participating in adult education (Goal 6), and the percentage of secondary school teachers who hold a degree in their principal teaching area is down (Goal 4). Far more disturbing, I think, is the trend with respect to Goal 7. Student drug use has increased, as has the sale of drugs at school. In addition, threats/injuries to teachers are up, and more classroom disruptions that interfere with teaching are being reported. In many other areas, no significant changes have occurred since the Goals were established. This news is also discouraging.

The Goals report also looks at state data. Since base lines for state performance were established, significant progress has been made in getting children ready to learn (Goal 1). Forty states, however, have successfully reduced the percentage of infants born with one or more health risks, and the number of mothers receiving prenatal care has increased in nearly all jurisdictions. Also, in the majority of states, student achievement in challenging subjects is up significantly, especially in science and mathematics (Goals 3 and 5). The percentage of students enrolling in postsecondary education increased in 9 out of 12 reporting states. On the down side, the number of children born with low birth weight increased in 47 jurisdictions (Goal 1); 9 of 18 states reported an increase in the high school dropout rate (Goal 2); the percentage of high school students who reported using marijuana or being offered drugs at school also increased (Goal 7); and in all but 13 states, more teachers reported classroom disruptions that interfered with teaching (Goal 7).

State performance in many other key areas of the Goals Report showed little, if any, change over time, including such indicators as childhood immunizations (Goal 1); over 30 jurisdictions reported no change in the percentage of 4th-grade students scoring at the proficient or advanced levels on the NAEP assessment tests for mathematics and reading (Goal 3), nor any in the level of teacher preparation and professional development (Goal 4).

Also, no significant progress was seen in the majority of states reporting on student alcohol consumption, student victimization, school safety, and violent behavior (Goal 7). Finally, over 40 states reported no change in parental involvement.

Quality education is important to everyone, and the Goals Report gives us an excellent overview of educational performance. The 1997 report has been improved, making it much easier to do a state-by-state comparison. It is also possible to measure how well a particular state is doing compared to its own base lines. For more information, write the National Education Goals Panel, 1255 22nd St. N.W., Ste. 502, Washington, DC 20037 (fax: [phone]). You can download data on your state using NEGP's Web site ([e-mail]). Four pages of data on each state/territory can be found on pages 72 through 302.