District Administration - April 2006 - (Page 44)

RIGOROUS PROGRAMS agencies to discuss what works in leg i slat ion specifies that students their regions, Smith says. enrolled for the fi rst time in their Texas Tested? No one has criticized the objec- fi rst year of college, or who have tives of the program. The interest in been accepted for enrollment, must Although there is no direct link with encouraging more students especially have completed a rigorous second- President George W. Bush, the new Aca- low-income students to take rigorous a r y school program of study estab- demic Competitiveness Grant program courses in high school is clear and l i shed by a state or local education appears to have roots in Texas, where unambiguous. So is the desirability agency and recognized as such by Bush was governor for six years before of encouraging more American-born the U.S. Secretary of Education, cur- being elected president in 2000. students to major in math, science and rent ly Margaret Spellings. In 1993, a year before Bush was engineering, says Ward. Undefined so far, however, is what a elected governor for the first time, the This is an important and welcome rigorous program of study will be or Texas state Board of Education estab- development. The central concern is what will be required so that the edu- lished a Recommended High School that it is hard to imagine a more com- cation secretary will recognize it. The Program that spelled out a rigorous plicated way to go about it, adds Terry law creating this initiative provides few course of study including math and sci- Hartle, ACE's senior vice president for details to guide implementation, and ence. The board acted with involvement government and public affairs. there is almost no legislative history and support from the Texas Business and Education Coalition, an organization of state business and education leaders What we have to question is why they jammed that had been founded four years ear- lier and in 1992 adopted a Texas Schol- this in at the last minute. Was it to give the ars program as its primary community administration effective control of the outreach activity. The rigorous course of study the country's high schools? That's what it does state Board of Education approved was based on the coalition's requirement and we think it's an awful mistake. for Texas Scholar recognition. Today, Texas Scholars programs have been Bruce Hunter, associate executive director, implemented in more than 350 school American Association of School Administrators districts and communities represent- ing more than 60 percent of the state's students. Since 1999, the Texas Scholars T hey can implement something to help the Department of Education initiative has increased the percentage the day after tomorrow if they have write the regulations necessary to of students who completed the recom- to, but it will be like an airplane tak- turn the statute into an operational mended high school program from 15 i ng off with all the overhead bins program, David Ward, president of the percent to more than 64 percent. open. Stuff will be flying all over the American Council of Education, wrote Beginning in 2004, by an act of place, Hartle says. There are going to the presidents of other education the Texas Legislature, all ninth-grade to be hundreds of questions that have associations in Washington. students in Texas were automatically to be addressed through the regula- enrolled in the Recommended High A COMPLICATED CHALLENGE tor y process because they weren't School Program unless their parents touched on in the legislative process How a new program will work in chose a different curriculum for them. and there is no legislative record to practice is usually spelled out in The Texas program gained national rely on. It's the most complicated a formal rulemaking process that attention in 2002 when then-U.S. Educa- challenge to implement a new pro- federal agencies conduct to write tion Secretary Rod Paige spearheaded g ra m that I have seen in 25 years. regulations to implement legislation. the creation of the Center for State This is going to be a wonderful case That will begin later, but Yvonne Scholars. At the National Governors study in public administration. Smith, a DOE spokeswoman, says the Association conference in February Ma ny Washington education department will not have time to do 2005, the scholars' initiative was fea- advocates, caught by surprise, are it before July 1, when the program tured as one of the 10 most promising troubled by how the program got begins. Instead, we're beginning to ideas for high school improvement. into the 774-page deficit reduction sit down with governors, state chiefs bill in the fi rst place as well as what of education and local education 44 April 2006 District Administration highperforming.w.indd 44 3/20/06 10:50:10 AM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - April 2006

Contents
Editor's Letter
Letters
Update
Inside the Law
Curriculum Update
Administrator Profile
District Profile
Measuring Value
Budget Talk
Underfunded
Are Your Schools Competitive?
Back from the Brink
Rigorous Expectations
Getting Connected
How to Get Your Bond Passed
The Online Edge/Odvard Egil Dyrli
Speaking Out/Gary Stager
Research Corner
Problem/Solution
Leadership Books
New Products
By the Numbers

District Administration - April 2006