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In preparing for this paper a number of internet sources were
studied, the most helpful being the Goals 2000 Legislation
and Related Items Web site at: http://www.ed.gov/G2K/.
When looking at the scorecard produced by the National Educational
Goals Panel, (http://www.negp.gov/negp/statetab/wa.pdf),
my state of Washington does not stand out as either good or bad
when comparing progress towards the eight national education goals
between my state and other states. When comparing progress between
Washington and the U.S. average, Washington progressed further
in 3 out of the 15 comparable categories. Washington experienced
the same amount of progress or lack of progress in 8 out of the
15 categories, and my state fell behind in 4 out of the 15 categories
that were measured for both the U.S. and Washington State. All
of the categories in which my state did better than the national
average showed no change whereas the U.S. average showed a drop.
In all but one of the categories, the U.S. showed progress where
Washington stayed the same. In the 19 categories that had both
a baseline and an update for the state, 3 showed a negative change,
10 showed no change, and 6 showed positive gain. In this study,
the baseline data was gathered between 1988 and 1993, while the
update data was gathered between 1995 and 1997. This is important
to consider because although Washington state had begun the process
of renewal of academic standards and of assessment of those standards,
that process is still going on. Only within the last two years
has it been felt on the local level in such a way as to stimulate
meaningful curriculum renewal. For this reason it would be very
interesting to see another update of this study within the next
couple of years. As per our new state standards, more students
of all ages met the standards last school year then have during
the previous two years. As has been stated in our textbook, lasting
and meaningful change takes time, which is precisely what we are
seeing in Washington state. It is also interesting to note the
different way that our goals are stated.
Washington State's education goals call for students to:
1. Read, write and communicate;
2. Know, and apply concepts of math, science, and other core subjects;
3. Think, analytically, make reasoned judgments, solve problems;
and
4. Understand, the connection between learning and opportunities
in life and work.
These goals and the Essential academic Learning Requirements
that go with them are our state's response to the nationwide
push for higher academic standards. When measuring Washington
state students against our own goals, progress in both norm-referenced
and criterion-referenced tests has shown improvement over the
last couple of years in all areas. This information comprises
some of the evidence that our state's push for curriculum renewal
is on the right track.
In my school, the emphasis has been on our new state standards, on what changes in the curriculum as experienced by our students can help us better meet these standards. We have had almost no conversations on Goals 2000. My belief is that since they represent a tier above the state standards, the staff regards the national goals as something that should not directly be dealt with by our faculty. Our state and district frameworks have much more depth and meaning to what we are trying to accomplish in our building than do the national goals. Moreover, by working to accomplish our state standards, we are also helping to accomplish many of the national goals. I tend to agree with this although I think it is in our best interest to consider and discuss the national goals on occasion.
If, as a non-politician, I were to rewrite the national goals
they would look something like this:
Goals are something to strive towards; they aren't always easy
to accomplish or even to meet. The following national goals for
education are attainable but will also be a challenge for us as
a nation, a challenge worthy of our nation's ingenuity and resourcefulness.
1. Positive parenting skills will be demonstrated by an increasing
percentage of parents of school age children each year until it
nears 100 percent.
2. The percentage of children ready to learn when they start school
will increase each year until it nears 100 percent.
3. The percentage of children graduating from high school will
increase each year until it nears 100 percent.
4. The percentage of students demonstrating academic competency
and the ability to apply their knowledge to lifelike situations
will increase each year until it nears 100 percent.
5. The percentage of adult literacy, including civic knowledge,
will increase each year until it nears 100 percent.
6. Every school will strive to increase the percentage of drug-free
school children and decrease the exposure to violence on school
grounds each year.
However, if I were a politician they would probably look very similar to how they were originally written. After all, a politician has to please the public, not necessarily educators.
Web sites used as sources:
U.S. Department of Education, Goals 2000 Legislation and Related
Items http://www.ed.gov/G2K/
The National Education Goals Panel http://www.negp.gov/
Washington Education Homepage (OSPI) http://www.k12.wa.us/
CISL:OSPI - Assessment Reports http://assessment.ospi.wednet.edu/
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