The Council of Chief State School Officers
Statement of Principles
The basic principles of the Council are dictated by the Constitution of the United States. First, education is the responsibility of the individual states. Education should perpetuate and renew the ideals and values of American democracy by educating all persons in the knowledge, attitudes and skills of that democracy. The schools reflect the views of society as a whole while stimulating creative change.
Within this system, each person has a right to a free public education. It shall not be denied to anyone regardless of age, sex, race, color, creed, place of residence, socioeconomic status, or mental or physical variance from the norm. Each human being possesses dignity and worth which must be affirmed and enhanced through the education process.
The purpose of education is to provide all persons with the necessary skills to live a fulfilling and satisfying life. Education should lead to the mastery of academic basics, effective home and community participation, ethical behavior, satisfying career objectives, and constructive use of leisure time.
Representative of the chief educational officers of our various states, the Council of Chief State School Officers holds these principles:
1. Effective participation in American democracy requires the greatest possible scope and quality of educational opportunity for citizens of all ages.
2. A literate and thoughtful citizenry is the key to the achievement of national ideas and purposes. Such a citizenry must be guaranteed by preserving and improving the systems of public and non-public education.
3. Values underlying American democracy and its pluralistic cultural heritage are vitally important to the preservation of the Republic and can only be achieved through the systematic education of all people.
4. Each level of government has appropriate roles and responsibilities which are complementary to one another. Thus, each level of government must provide strong leadership in its educational efforts. While states and communities pay major costs of education, the federal government should provide a proportional share of education's financial support.
5. If special national educational goals are developed, federal programs to achieve them must allow states to have some flexibility in put-ting them into practice.
6. Decisions on education at the local, state and national level should provide for the widest possible citizen involvement.
7. A wide range of lifelong educational opportunities must be made available to all citizens of this nation so that the fundamental rights and responsibilities of free choice may be learned and exercised by each individual.
8. Each level or part of government that has educational responsibilities is accountable for its effort to its citizens.
This publication is arranged according to statements which address policy issues and those which address programs. Policy issues discuss leadership in education, partnership, state and federal relations, reporting responsibilities, discrimination, the financial support of education and community education. Statements which address programs include items of instruction, special populations and staff development.
Policy
I. Leadership in Education
A. A New Reliance on Education
The states have been at the forefront of education leadership and change during the past decade. America now has a new reliance on education. The states must continue initiatives for change with increases in standards and expansion of success for virtually all students.
The new reliance on education is essential to strengthening America's economic capacity and international competitiveness. It is essential to helping persons move from welfare to productive independence. It is essential to improving health, safety and the creative life.
Council policy is to advocate a stronger nationwide commitment to education and to assure education serves the social, economic, cultural and civic goals of the nation.
B. Assuring School Success for Students at Risk
An imperative for Americas 21st Century is high school graduation for virtually all students. This imperative demands unprecedented and bold actions by the states. The states together must express a will to succeed. The expression must become manifest in actions to authorize assurances and education guarantees. Other actions also must be taken.
Principles
The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) holds these principles:
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In each state there must be an equitable opportunity for each person to earn a high school diploma at public expense.
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Each person, with the rare exceptions of some who have severe disabilities, has the capacity to meet the standards for a high school diploma.
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Recognizing that different individuals learn in different ways, how students are successfully taught should vary; what each student learns, however, must include a challenging and common curriculum.
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As the nation s chief education officers, our obligation is to provide education programs and to assure other necessary related services so that this nation enters She 21st Century with virtually all students graduating from high school.
State Government Assurance
The laws of each state should provide for an elementary and secondary education program of high quality for all students. State law should provide the supporting health, social welfare, employment, housing, safety, transportation, and other human services which, together with the educational programs, are reasonably calculated to enable all persons to graduate from high school. These supporting services are essential for educational success. Recognizing their special needs, children and youth at risk of failure to graduate from high school should be guaranteed the following:
Guarantees
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An education program of the quality available to students who attend schools with high rates of secondary school graduates. The program should be supplemented by education services that are integrated with the regular program and are necessary for the student to make progress toward high school graduation and to graduate.
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Enrollment in a school which demonstrates substantial and sustained student progress which leads at least to graduation from high school.
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Enrollment in a school with an appropriately certified staff which has continuous professional development.
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Enrollment in a school with systematically designed and delivered instruction of demonstrable effectiveness, and with adequate and up-to-date learning technologies and materials of proven value.
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Enrollment in a school with safe and functional facilities.
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A parent and early childhood development program beginning ideally for children by age three, but no later than age four.
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A written guide for teaching and learning for each student, prepared with and approved by the student and parents, which maps the path to high school graduation.
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A program for participation of families as partners in learning at home and at school as their children proceed toward high school graduation.
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Effective supporting health and social services to overcome conditions which put the student at risk of failing to graduate from high school.
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Education information about students, schools, school districts and the states to enable identification of students at risk and to report on school conditions and performance. The information must be sufficient to let one know whether the above guarantees are being met and to provide a basis for local and state policies to improve student and school performance.
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Procedures by which students and parents or their representatives can be assured these guarantees are met.
Implementation
The assurances and guarantees in state education law will likely take different form in the several states. State laws vary in their format, definition, existent substantive provisions, assignment or authority to either state or local jurisdictions, funding provisions or obligations, and implementation dates. The Council advocates that the state government assurances and guarantees be authorized by each state through specific statutory provisions appropriate to each state.
C. Leadership and Accountability
Support of education depends on the capacity of the schools to anticipate need and perform effectively. The Council is committed to informing the public and policy makers about the conditions and results of American education so that judgments can be made about school performance. The Council believes state and nationwide systems of assessment should be refined and expanded. The Council is committed to providing timely and pertinent data which will be used to establish accountability for performance throughout the education system.
D. Equal Educational Opportunity
Equal access and opportunity are basic principles in American education. The Council is committed to equalizing educational opportunities for all children, regardless of where they live, and to ensure non-discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion and handicap.
The Council believes equal educational opportunity means student access to a level and quality of programs and experiences which provide each child with the means to achieve a commonly de-fined standard of an educated citizen. This goal will require resource allocations based upon individual student needs and sufficient resources to provide each child with opportunities for developing his or her intellectual abilities and special talents to the fullest. Evidence of equal educational opportunity is defined as the participation of each student in programs appropriate to his or her needs and exists where a child s race or sex, or the wealth and town of residence of his/her parents are not the primary determinants of his/her achievements and lifetime successes.
While equal educational opportunity is a dynamic concept, seven critical determinants continue to be of importance to schools and students
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Access to educational opportunities
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Staff and material resources
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Program offerings
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Assessment of student outcomes
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Remedial education
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School facilities and environment
These elements interact in systematic ways to ensure equal educational opportunity. In a broad sense, progress in achieving equal educational opportunity can be measured by the reduction of inter-state, interdistrict, intra-district, and inter-pupil disparities in educational opportunities and outcomes. Equity in this sense does not mean an equal distribution of resources; rather, it implies that those who need more must receive more in order to achieve the standards that define an educated citizen. The fundamental standard is one of literacy -- each and every student is ended to become literate.
The Council believes access and opportunity can be assured through:
1. Right to Due Process
Each state must provide the right to due process to everyone in the education system. Individual rights are guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and must be recognized and protected.
2. School Desegregation
The Council believes it must continue the pursuit of the integration of schools for the benefit of all students.
3. Affirmative Action and Non-Discrimination
Affirmative Action is defined as those special and positive steps undertaken with the conviction and effort necessary to overcome the present effects of past practices, policies, or barriers to equal employment opportunity and to achieve the full and fair participation of women, blacks, Hispanics and any other protected group found to be under-represented in the work force or affected by policies or practices having an adverse impact.
State and local education agencies are encouraged to actively carry out affirmative action programs by placing an increasing number of qualified women, minorities and handicapped persons in positions of responsibility.
II. Partnerships in Education
State and Local Cooperation
The governance of education has been and should remain a matter for states to decide. The interests of children, youth and adults are best served when state and local agencies work together.
The Council calls upon its members and those of other interested organizations to cooperatively develop the best combination of state and local management responsibilities for education in each state.
B. Extra-state Jurisdictions
A special working relationship between the federal government and the extra-state jurisdictions makes communication easier. There is a need to maintain and improve that relationship through the cooperative efforts of chief education officers.
The Council reaffirms its commitment to assist the extra-state jurisdictions of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands to overcome any special problems caused by political under-representation, lack of resources, distance, or culture in developing and supporting relevant education systems.
C. Coalitions of Educational Organizations
It is important that all organizations work together to increase public and private support for education. In these state and nationwide coalition efforts, groups must put aside professional and political differences whenever consensus can be reached for the broader purposes of increasing public interest in the education of children and public financial support of education.
The Council calls on all organizations in the education community and private sector to engage in cooperative partnerships for education.
D. The Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Association of State Boards of Education
A unique relationship exists between the chief state school officer and the state board of education in each state. Common duties, trusts and concerns of chief state school officers and state boards of education make it desirable for the two to work closely together to benefit children, youth and adults.
The Council believes in and supports the principle of lay governance of public education at state and local levels. The Council also believes the mutual interests of state boards of education and chief state school officers within each state are best served by maintenance of a common state. Since the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Association of State Boards of Education represent the interests of these Individuals, the Council supports the development of a coordinated, cooperative working relationship with the National Association of State Boards of Education.
III. State and Federal Relations
A. State Participation in Federal Policy Making
To increase education's effectiveness and efficiency, the role of state education agencies in federal policy and goal development should be expanded. Federal resources can best be used if state education agencies are responsible for planning and administering services to meet federal and state objectives. In this way, federal funds are used in conjunction with state and local funds.
The Council encourages state and federal efforts to increase regular state participation in decision making on national goals and policies. Federal leaders should reaffirm recognition of state responsibility and control in educational matters.
The states have responsibility for and control of public education. States and localities set standards for education. The federal government s role is a supportive one with a major responsibility to provide states with the resources to meet both current and developing needs. The Council supports the simplification and coordination of existing federal programs.
The Council will develop relationships with Congress and the Administration to enable state education officials active participation in formulation of federal statutes and regulations. It is the intent of the Council that policies and regulations recognize state responsibility for education and reflect state and local education priorities.
B. The United States Department of Education
The U.S. Department of Education should provide coherent policy, efficient administration of federal programs, and services to support the states in their efforts to provide education of quality.
A cabinet-level Department of Education can integrate the needs and coordinate the contributions of the educational system as they relate to our nations economic stability and security. Therefore, the Council strongly supports retention of the U.S. Department of Education as a cabinet-level agency. Moreover, the Council believes the Department of Education should continue to have principal responsibility for the administration of federally supported education programs.
IV. Assessment, Reporting and Dissemination
A. Assessing the Education System: Shared Accountability
Communication of clearly stated goals and regular progress reports are essential to establishing education's credibility to the public. Accountability requires that state and local education agencies evaluate student success over time. Information used to make accountability judgments must be relevant, timely and accurate.
Accountability processes used by each state and educational institution must clearly define the roles of students, teachers, parents, administrators, school boards, legislatures, state education agencies and governors. No single element or agency in the education system should be held accountable in isolation .
1. Goals as a Basis for Accountability
The Council believes the primary purpose of accountability is to strengthen and improve the education students receive. It urges adoption of a set of goals to serve as a basis for all other phases of assessment, planning, budgeting and evaluation.
2. Assessment Data for Evaluating Education
The Council supports the development of a practical, economical and controllable system to obtain reliable data on student achievement, educational policies and practices, and the context within which education takes place. These data should be used to determine means for improving education.
3. Coordinating Assessment in Education
The Council affirms its responsibility to lead in the development, use, and interpretation of assessment and evaluation procedures and results, including leadership in the coordination of assessment efforts among states and between states, the federal government, localities, and international organizations.
B. Federal Programs
Federal legislation has created programs that restrict or redirect state and local funds. It has also required states to increase programs without providing additional financial support or allowing reasonable implementation schedules.
Assistance and resources provided by the federal government to the states should recognize each state s prior and current efforts and allow for these differences. Federal administrative regulations must not exceed the intent of the laws from which they are derived. Accountability in federal programming should include coordinated federal, state and local evaluation efforts.
1. Data and Information Requirements
The Council recognizes the need for the collection of reliable and adequate data whether statistical or narrative in nature. However, the Council is unequivocally opposed to requests for redundant or unnecessary data.
The Council urges Congress, the Department of Education and other federal agencies to work together with state and local education agencies to: (a) implement data standards and systems, in coordination with state education agencies, so the burden of data requirements will be minimized; (b) consolidate, simplify and reduce total data requirements; (c) fully involve state and local education agency personnel, including the Council's Committee on Evaluation and Information Systems (CEIS), in planning a realistic and achievable schedule for timely and reliable reports; and (d) analyze current capacity and proposed funding to ensure that enough funds are provided to state and local agencies to meet federal data demands.
The Council urges aggressive state participation with the U.S. Department of Education s Center for Education Statistics through the Committee on Evaluation and Information Systems to bring order to the gathering of information and the making of statistical reports. This should result in reduced paperwork and more efficient and effective data collection.
2. Office of Education Research and Improvement (OERI), U.S. Department of Education
The Council commends the increased cooperation between OERI and state education agencies demonstrated by more OERI focus on state programs.
The Council encourages OERI to continue to recognize the unique legal and leadership role of the state education agency in supervising education. It also encourages OERI to work with state education agencies and to involve them in OERI's planning processes. The Council also encourages OERI to assist state education agencies in assessing information and research needs, developing improved education programs and building dissemination networks with local education agencies. The Council asks for a continuing dialogue between OERI and the Councils Committee on Coordinating Educational Information and Research (CEIR) as OERI and state education agency programs are developed.
C. Research, Development, Evaluation and Dissemination
Federal resources can support research, development, evaluation and dissemination activities that would be too costly or unwieldy for one state or even a combination of states to undertake. The federal government has become a leader in funding and administering these educational research activities.
1. Research and Evaluation
The Council affirms the important role of the federal government in: (1) administering and funding research projects relevant to federal programs which have been or may be developed; (2) researching the general needs of several states; and (3) studying sensitive issues among states.
At the same time, the Council asserts that state officials must be included in the decision making about use of funds and the design and administration of federal education research, development, evaluation and dissemination efforts.
2. Dissemination
Proven educational practices are now available while others are being developed through research and development efforts and local school initiatives. An effective system for disseminating successful practices to potential users in view of their own identified needs is indispensable in the effort to improve education.
The Council urges each chief state school officer to promote a coordinated and integrated dissemination system within his or her agency. The Council also urges Congress and federal education agencies to reduce fragmentation of federal dissemination efforts. And finally, it advocates joint action by state and federal agencies to set up a nationwide system for sharing knowledge about education.
D. Federal Agency Compliance Activities
The governance of education is a state responsibility. Federal education efforts must be designed to support and encourage state efforts and to produce coordinated education programs.
The Council calls upon federal agencies, including the Office of Civil Rights, to coordinate compliance advises with state education agencies.
V. Financial Support of Education
Education requires a substantial investment of the financial resources of the nation in order to assure productivity in a rapidly changing economy with intense international competition.
B. State Fiscal and Budget Policy-- Budget Limitations
All children are entitled to equal educational opportunities. This requires state financing systems that give public education high priority.
The Council is committed to providing educational equity through a coordinated system of support for public education, in both the allocation and distribution of state financial resources.
The Council believes that neither schools nor children should become victims of arbitrary fiscal actions. State boards and chief state school officers should lead in proposing sound school support and revenue systems by these methods:
1. Proposing changes in tax structure which take into account the special and emergency needs of school districts;
2. Improving state education aid programs based on the needs of children; and
3. Ensuring that education operations are evident and that unnecessary costs and duplication are prevented.
C. Federal Program Requirements and Assistance
The need for an educated public requires that all levels of government work together. Local, state and federal governments must recognize the need for accountability at all levels and yet be concerned about the most efficient means of such accountability.
Overregulation is ineffective, inefficient and in-creases the amount of work without significantly improving a program. Effective administration requires enough lead time for program planning and the development of a system for reporting data in a manner that minimizes paperwork and the cost of collecting data.
The Council believes the distribution of federal funds can help equalize opportunity among school districts within a state by allowing federal, state and local resources to be combined.
Federal education funds for each state should be received and distributed by the state education agency. State and local agencies should be given some freedom in their efforts to achieve federal objectives.
The Council believes that added costs to state and local systems, as a result of federal mandates, should be borne by the federal government. It asks Congress to appropriate sufficient funding to carry out programs authorized by Congress. To make planning and management of federal programs easier on the state and local level, they should include a minimum three-year authorization, and funds should be appropriated one year in advance. Both the funds and rules and regulations to clarify public programs should be distributed on time.
The Council urges the federal government to allocate resources based on an equalization for nula which takes into account the differences among states in wealth, ability, effort, cost of the delivery system and demographic factors. Federal programs should recognize prior state and local effort rather than penalize such effort in the distribution of funds.
The Council pledges its efforts to reduce reporting and paperwork requirements for accountability and asks the federal government to participate in this effort.
Finally, the Council believes the federal government should establish a goal to increase its support for public education to one-third of the total cost of elementary and secondary education.
D. Public Aid to Non-public Education
Legislative and judicial decisions, at both federal and state levels, have directed or permitted public funds to be used to provide benefits to children or parents of children in Non-public schools. Public support of Non-public education must be sufficient to maintain a pluralistic, economical system of high quality, but not so excessive as to jeopardize the independence of the Non-public school or to dry up sources of private support. Differences among state laws and constitutions make it impossible to provide equal benefits to children in Non-public schools throughout the country.
The Council encourages each state to provide education benefits to all children to the full extent allowed within the state. A program to aid children in Non-public schools should reinforce and not jeopardize the welfare, stability and adequacy of support for public school or redistribute funds needed for public schools.
The Council believes such a program should:
1) require accountability for public funds received;
(2) contain safeguards against racial and social class isolation in the Non-public schools;
(3) forbid the use of public funds for any sectarial purpose or function; and
(4) require admission policies to be nondiscriminatory except where permitted by law on the basis of creed.
The Council opposes tax credits for tuition in nonpublic schools. Such tax credits can only result in reduced financial support to public elementary and secondary schools. Moreover, tax credits, vouchers and other tax avoidance plans can only result in reducing diversity and pluralism by inducing the splintering of our school population along ethnic, class and ideological lines. The Council reiterates its belief in a strong, free public school system as an important basis for our society.
Finally, the Council believes such a program must conform to the principles of constitutionality, state and federal, as already defined and which may be defined by the courts.
VI. Community Education
Community Education should be viewed as a process of involving the public in addressing educational issues. Schools belong to the community. Schools must be in partnership with community groups, parents, business and social organizations to achieve mutual goals.
A. Business/Industry/Community Partnerships
Education reform efforts have encouraged greater community involvement in education and the initiation and expansion of school business partnerships. There is a need for greater involvement of the private sector in education to build a support base, increase public confidence in education, and share business experience to strengthen the schools.
The Council supports the concept of School/Business/Industry Partnerships and encourages members to promote partnerships at the state and local levels. The Council also believes that these partnerships should be of mutual benefit to both parties and carefully planned to ensure long-range participation and results.
B. Parent and Community Involvement
Parents and community members must work closely with the schools if students are to reach their full potential.
The Council urges parent and community participation in educating children. Parents should help children develop positive attitudes, desirable work and study habits and viable career objectives. They should also assist academic progress especially in areas of basic learning such as reading, writing and mathematics.
Many community groups are involved in the education of children, youth and adults. Communication and cooperation with these groups are vital in the development of high-quality education.
The Council encourages its members to take positive and direct steps to allow community groups to share in decision making. The Council urges state education agencies to aid local education agencies in the improvement of practices to involve parents and community in the education of children. However, to make lay participation meaningful, Congress and state legislatures must understand that (1) use of advisory panels in every program area adds severe administrative burdens of time, statiing and budget and (2) establishment of new lay policy groups outside the existing structure of local and state boards of education has the potential to fragment accountability.
C. Community Schools
Greater community access to school facilities and programs meets important community needs and increases public confidence and support of school systems.
The Council encourages state education agencies to work together with local schools and communities to make full use of all resources of the community. Resources both in and out of the school facilities can be used to supplement and improve the K-12 program, aid in the growth and development of other age groups and increase cooperation among agencies which provide education related services. The Council urges state and local education agencies to increase availability of school facilities to community groups.
D. Parent Education
The relationship between parent and child is one of the most important factors influencing student performance in school. Better parent education programs have a strong impact on the development and achievement of children. All parents should have information about effective child development practices.
The Council supports the expansion of parent education programs and encourages state education agencies to take a leadership role in this effort. All parents and potential parents should have access to programs that teach:
E. Early Childhood Family Services and School Age Child Care
The quality of early childhood experiences is critical in the development of children.
The Council urges federal, state and local governments to provide the following support services for families needing help: (1) prenatal care; (2) education and day care programs for preschool-age children; (3) medical and nutrition aid; and (4) classes on child-development practices. Parents should be involved in decision making for these programs.
The Council believes school-age child care should be made available before and after school and urges states to provide efficient use of school facilities and development of high-quality programs for school-age child care.
The Council believes federal funds for the support of these programs should be allocated through state agencies for the coordination of multiple services to local areas. Both state and federal funds for the education programs should be administered by state education agencies, in cooperation with other state agencies, so that duplication will be avoided at the local level.
F. Youth Training and Employment
Effective youth training and employment is essential to a healthy economy. Public education's traditional role in preparing young people for work must be extended to include coordination and cooperation among education, labor, government and community agencies.
Special attention must be given to the problems of students who are at risk of failing school; special emphasis must be placed on young men and women making the transition from the schools to the market place.
Furthermore, the current vocational-technical Adult Education Act (Carl Perkins' Act) provides an excellent transition for youth to prepare for work. Congress should increase funding for vocational cooperative education and/or work experience programs in an effort to enhance these opportunities.
The Council believe the following experiences must be included in the elementary schools of the nation:
(1) Career awareness for student at the earliest level of schooling;
(2) Career information systems which are automated and appropriate for elementary age students;
(3) Career and personal counseling services which are responsive to the individual needs of elementary students.
The Council believes that at the secondary level students should have opportunities for:
(1) Community services for which they receive a Carnegie unit;
(2) Automated career information system services appropriate to the secondary level;
(3) Counseling services which are responsive to the individual needs of secondary students;
(4) Paid work experience which systematically links the private sector with the schools in the form of partnerships;
(5) Appropriate in-school instruction which will prepare secondary students to meet the entry- level job skill requirements of those occupations for which business and industry does not provide training.
The Council believes the training and employment needs of students at risk of failing in school should be addressed specifically by providing specially designed classroom and work experience that will allow them to remain in school while also learning basic job skills.
Finally, the Council believes it is crucial for the elementary/ secondary education community to establish working relationships with (1) the JobTraining Partnership Act (JTPA) community, (2) the national, state and local levels of business and Industry representatives, (3) the community colleges, and (4) vocational-technical centers.
These relations should be formal and should produce demonstrable, specific results in relationship to youth training and employment.
G. Student Involvement
Student organizations complement, extend and reinforce the educational program by providing opportunities for the application of knowledge and skills learned. Students can also enhance the K-12 program through peer tutoring and community service.
The Council encourages student participation and involvement in school and community activities and organizations which complement and support the goals and objectives of a comprehensive education program.
H. School-Volunteer Partnership Development
Volunteers provide vital assistance to educators and students in the reinforcement and enrichment of instruction and in the provision of related support services. Organized volunteer programs promote the involvement of a wide spectrum of the population including parents, business and industry personnel, community organization members, retirees and students.
The Council encourages state education agencies to provide leadership in working with local schools and communities to promote the statewide development of partnerships between professional educators and citizen volunteers to im-prove school effectiveness and student performance.
Programs
I. Instruction
>During the past decade, state education officials, working with local education agencies, have taken the lead in identifying the competencies for which citizens must be educated and in guiding curriculum development. Particular attention has been given to the following priority curriculum areas which are summarized in two parts--common and specific learning.
1. Common Learning
a. Foundation Capacities
The Council believes mastery of the basic capacities of communication and computation is essential to live productively in our complex society. The capacities are a prerequisite for subsequent learning They include the skills of language--listening, speaking, writing, and reading --and qualification. Combined with critical and logical thinking these skills are the basic ingredients of education. Their mastery is first priority. The use of federal, state and local resources should reflect this priority.
b. Social Studies, Values and Civic Responsibility
The Council of Chief State School Officers considers it a primary obligation of the nation's schools to teach fundamental civic values to students in grades K-12. During the 200th anniversary year of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, the Council reaffirms the essential need to prepare students for the role of responsible citizens in a democratic society, in a government based on the consent of the governed.
Our political and religious leaders who advocated and instituted a system of public education believed that the schools would abet family, church, religious practice and society in inculcating basic American values such as honesty, thoughtfulness, kindness, loyalty, creativity, discipline, the dignity of work, and respect for self, for others, and for legitimate authority. In pursuing these goals, educators must strike a balance between respect for individual rights and concern for the common good. We cannot work to the benefit of each individual if we consistently ignore the good of society as a whole. We must teach students to become effective and caring members of their families and their communities, and good citizens of their country.
The Council believes that public schools must teach and develop in our students a shared belief in the essential nature of a democratic society based on the freedom and ability of the citizens to think about problems in an informed way, to listen and consider varying sides of issues and to make individual decisions and commitments.
(1) Citizenship Education
Citizenship Education should provide students an opportunity to acquire the knowledge, skills and attitudes to understand and to function in a democratic society. This education should encourage schools to provide a program that teaches students their rights and responsibilities, the legal foundations and judicial processes, and the political process upon which our system works. Students must learn to act intelligently and responsibly toward self and others as they become productive members of our society.
The Council urges schools to renew emphasis on citizenship education. Members should further their roles to promote citizenship education so as to encourage commitment to democratic values, participation in the democratic process and a reasoned review of the political system.
(2) United States History and Government
There is a need for a clear understanding of the nation's past and of the operation of its government to provide a solid foundation for students to evaluate current political, social and economic trends.
The Council asks Its members to encourage the teaching of American history and government and to further the recognition of their central role in producing thoughtful and knowledgeable citizens.
(3) Economics
An understanding of the United States economic system and the role of individuals in it as producers, consumers, entrepreneurs, regulators and citizens is a necessary component of secondary education. Students need to become skilled in making and evaluating economic decisions and in reasoning regarding economic issues.
The Council takes the position that the school curriculum provide experiences for students to examine, analyze and evaluate the nature and goals of the economic system. It should also prepare them to contribute to the economy and help them understand the relationship between education and economic systems. The Council encourages programs to develop economic literacy through materials and media developed by state and national networks, including the Joint Council on Economic Education.
(4) International Dimensions of Education
Programs for students to learn the relationship of their own culture to other cultures in a worldwide perspective are vitally important to the international welfare and economic soundness of the United States. This education should encompass the capability of communicating in languages in addition to English; knowledge about and understanding of other nations, cultures and people, as well as appreciation of other cultural background within this country; and awareness of the vital international forces which affect our social, political and economic progress.
The Council urges state education agencies to establish, maintain and coordinate programs improving and expanding the international dimensions of education. These programs should pursue the goal of assuring an informed citizenry aware of the political, social, economic and environmental issues of the world important to our national future. Efforts should aim toward promoting knowledge and insights into the cultures and achievements of diverse peoples of the world. Programs should Include study of foreign languages and disciplines such as world history and geography; educational exchanges of students, teachers and administrators; and participation in cross-cultural activities.
c. Humanities and Arts
The humanities encourage insight, perspective, critical understanding, discrimination and creativity. The humanities are defined in broad outline; at their most basic, they are the study of languages, literature, history, philosophy, music and art. For the elementary level, these areas would normally be taught within the following subjects: language arts, reading, social studies, music and art. At the secondary level, they would be a part of English, social studies, foreign languages, music and art. The humanities focus on the culture, understanding and feelings of human experience, for which they provide a rich sense of questions and possibilities.
The Council supports the fundamental importance of the humanities in the core of common learning. The humanities significance ties in their enriching student's lives through awareness of past civilizations and through the thought and art, music and literature by which people give meaning and form to human experience.
d. Mathematics
Mathematics is a fundamental skill essential to people living in a high technology society. The Council believes that each student must have opportunity to develop mathematical skills to the highest level possible.
The Council supports offering sequential programs of study in mathematics from elementary through the secondary school level, including but not limited to general mathematics, algebra, geometry, and advanced mathematics.
e. Sciences
The study of science is an integral part of the core curriculum. Students should master scientific skills to enable them to function objectively in a technological/scientific society. Students must understand scientific method as the foundation for all scientific instruction, enabling the student to think logically and rationally, to analyze empirical data and to understand the possibilities and limits of the natural universe.
The Council supports offering comprehensive programs of study in science, culminating in but not limited to the study of biology, chemistry and physics at the secondary level.
2. Special Learning
a. Vocational Education
The Council believes comprehensive instructional programs in vocational education are needed and work-study programs should be expanded.
The Council advocates broadly-based state-level planning in vocational education. Further, all federal funds for vocational education, including advisory council funds, should be channeled through the state education agency. The Council believes vocational education should be the responsibility of a single state board of education in each state.
b. Career Education
The Council believes career education can be used to improve educational outcomes by relating teaching and learning activities to the development of career objectives and helping children learn the dignity of work. Career education, which links the academic world to the tasks of work, should occur throughout education, beginning with early child-hood and continuing through the individuals productive life.
The Council endorses the concept of career education and supports the planning, development and implementation of career education programs.
c. Computer Literacy
Within a few years the capacity to use computers will be as basic as being able to read, write, type, drive an automobile or use the telephone.
The Council urges schools to provide Instructional programs which enable students to under-stand and use computers in their study, work and leisure.
d. Health and Physical Education
Physical education and recreational/athletic activities should be integral parts of every student's health education experience. Improving the nation s health depends more on increased investment in prevention than on increased expenditures on medical care and treatment. The education system must strongly support good health care and programs in nutrition, immunization and early identification of health problems. Schools should also offer guidance programs that provide the emotional security and developmental programs that show the national as well as individual benefits of good physical and mental health.
The scope of health issues and concerns is extensive, ranging from family life education to teenage pregnancy; from good health habits to AIDS; from smoking to nutrition.
The Council supports the development of comprehensive health education programs in the schools. Comprehensive programs from pre-school to graduation are essential to prepare young people to make informed decisions important to their own lives. It advises schools to reach out to health organizations and community agencies for help in health and family life education, in counseling families and in treating or preventing mental health problems. The causes, prevention and cures of national health problems (including drug and alcohol abuse, malnutrition and sexually transmitted diseases) should be stressed.
The particular urgency of the AIDS epidemic requires that each state should offer effective AIDS education that is scientifically accurate, age appropriate, and reflective of community values to every child in grades K-12.
e. Environmental Education
There is a need for greater citizen understanding of why valuable natural resources, such as water, air, land, energy, minerals, food and fiber must be maintained and conserved. Citizens must also understand their relationship to pressing environ-mental problems and the need for ecological balance.
The Council asks its members to provide leadership and assistance to local school systems to encourage environmental education which will ensure a proper balance between conservation and use of all our natural resources.
f. Energy Education
Energy resources, distribution and conservation are critical in our efforts to maintain and improve the quality of life in the United States and the world. Students need to know about traditional and new sources of energy, their use and conservation.
The Council encourages all local, state and federal leaders, as well as all education agencies, to develop and implement energy education and conservation programs. The Council believes schools should be given a high priority in the allocation of energy resources and should not be expected to assume a disproportionate share of the energy-saving responsibility. The Council also calls upon federal, state and local officials to require similar cooperation from all public and private organizations, including commercial interests.
3. Legislated Curriculum
The changing needs of today's society dictate flexibility in local school curriculum if each child is to have an educational program that will best meet his or her needs and those of a democratic society. Legislative response to special interest groups can result in inflexibility and impede a well-balanced curriculum designated to meet individual needs.
The Council believes curricula should be determined by local school boards and state boards of education with the help of lay Citizens and professional educators. The Council calls upon each state education agency to resist any attempt by state legislatures or Congress to enact curriculum requirements into law.
II. Special Populations
A. Education for Special Populations
The opportunity for an appropriate education has not been fully provided to all children or adults with special instructional needs. Schools must identify children with special needs, including those of pre-school age who are at risk, and offer services to meet those needs. The state education agency is responsible for coordinating and providing leadership in the use of federal, state, and local resources for this purpose.
The Council believes that learning programs offered to students with special instructional needs should consist of five phases: (1) identifying student needs, (2) developing programs which are an integral part of the overall instructional program to meet the needs, (3) providing appropriate learning activities, (4) objectively evaluating student progress and the appropriateness of the program and (5) revising programs when necessary. Public schools must meet the special needs of the following groups of students.
1. Handicapped
Education programs must meet the educational and related services needs of handicapped individuals. They must be taught in an educational setting that does not restrict their educational, emotional and social development. They must have the opportunity to be involved with their nonhandicapped peers to the maximum extent that is possible. This setting must include opportunities for participation, when appropriate, in academic, non-academic and other school advises with their nonhandicapped peers. Handicapped individuals and their parents must be provided due process in evaluation and programming decisions. Adequate state and federal funding is necessary for the success of this program.
Postsecondary education or sustained employment is the goal for the vast majority of handicapped students completing secondary school, just as it is for nonhandicapped students. Schools should work with postsecondary education institutions, other social service providers and potential employers to ensure that handicapped students make a smooth transition from secondary school to additional education or work and are provided with necessary temporary or permanent supportive services.
2. Gifted and Talented
Students with superior ability, aptitude or creativity should be given special opportunities to help them develop their capabilities. Appropriate identification using multiple criteria must be utilized, and programs must be provided which also meet the needs of culturally different students. It is in the best interest of the student and the nation that the potential of a gifted and talented child be maximized.
3. Educationally Disadvantaged
Programs must be devised to aid students who are educationally, economically and socially dis- advantaged. These programs, designed to meet the special needs of disadvantaged children, must help them reach their individual learning potentials and participate successfully in American society. There must be a coordination of federal, state and local efforts in providing programs for the disadvantaged student. There must be a continuing commitment from the federal government to provide substantial funds via Chapter 1, ECIA, to help states improve educational opportunities for these students.
4. Limited English Language Proficiency
Transitional programs must be developed to help children whose home or first language is not English learn on an equitable basis in the education system. The focus of these programs should be on helping the students learn English as quickly as possible and on further preparing them to survive and prosper in an English-speaking society.
In addition, the federal government should continue its commitment to helping limited English proficient individuals by continuing to fund such programs as the Transition Program for Refugee Children, Bilingual, and National Origins. It is important that such programs be continued. For immigrants, help must be provided not only in learning English, but also in the areas of general adjustment and orientation to productive life in a new society.
5. American Indians
American Indians have the right to be involved in the development of special Indian education programs and the administration of Indian schools. Adequate state and federal funding is necessary for the success of this program. State education agencies in states with an Indian population should adopt objectives to improve the delivery of services to American Indian children in all educational fields. Indian education programs should recognize the special heritage of this group and generate pride in that heritage.
6. Other Native Americans
Other native Americans such as Alaskan Eskimos, Aleuts, native Hawaiians, Samoans, native Chamorros and residents of the Pacific Island chain need assistance to become actively involved in the design, development and administration of appropriate education programs for their children. The programs should recognize the special cultural heritage of these groups and generate pride in that heritage. Sufficient federal funding should be available to supplement state and local efforts in developing programs and services for these native Americans.
7. Migrants
Educational programs must be offered for children whose education has been disrupted by a migrant pattern of living. The programs enhanced by interdistrict and interstate cooperative efforts are necessary if these children are to have an equal opportunity to learn.
To meet the need for continuity of educational services for migrant children states must ensure that local educational agencies submit to and maintain both academic and health data on all migrant children in the Migrant Student Record Transfer System. This will have the most current academic and health information on these migrant children.
8. Children Residing on Federal Property
Educational programs must be available for those students residing on federal property and these programs may be provided in a number of different ways. However in a situation where LEAs are providing education for the group the federal government must assume its responsibility in providing appropriate funding to the locality.
9. Pre-school For Children At Risk
Significant developmental differences exist among children requiring that particular attention be given to the Identification and provision of services for those differences. A disproportionate share of children at risk come from poor families, families where English is not spoken as the primary language in the home or have parent(s) who either are teenagers or have not yet completed high school. Children at risk may be developmentally delayed neurologically but not physically disabled.
As future academic success in school is strongly influenced by the character of early experiences children identified as being at risk of academic failure should be provided improved chances for success through their early identification and participation In early childhood education programs. A parent and early childhood development program should begin ideally for children by age three but no later than age four.
B. Abused and Neglected Children
There is growing concern over the number of abused and neglected children and society's inability to protect children from abuse.
The Council calls upon each state to review and revise statutes for the mandatory reporting of suspected abuse and neglect of children so that legislation: (1) expands the definition of abuse to include emotional and sexual abuse as well as physical abuse; (2) includes provision for preventive and remedial measures rather than past punitive ones; and (3) increases the categories of persons requited to report suspected child abuse to include teachers social workers and other professionals who come in contact with children.
State education agencies should actively cooperate and coordinate the services of other agencies that have responsibility for abused and neglected children. State education agencies must ensure that teachers and administrators receive training in the recognition of abuse, legal reporting requirements and methods of working with abused children and child abusers.
C. Delinquency Prevention and Correction Education
Education cannot solve all crime-related problems in the United States. However the education system should share in the effort to combat underlying causes of crime such as illiteracy and lack of job skills.
The Council urges the cooperation of state and local education agencies and local communities to help reduce juvenile delinquency and juvenile contact with the courts by examining suspension and expulsion rules. The schools should continue to assume responsibility for delinquent students in normal or alternative learning settings. State and federal funds should be increased for this purpose.
The Council asks state education agencies to provide strong leadership in correction education by offering more basic skills and vocational programs in the juvenile and adult correctional institutions. The Council strongly recommends increased state and federal funding of these efforts.
D. Urban Education
Chief state school officers are committed to achieving and maintaining high quality education in the schools of the major cities. Language and cultural barriers, changing employment patterns, poverty and city fiscal problems require aggressive leadership on the part of state education agencies.
The Council believes chief state school officers should assign state education agency staff and re-sources, attempt new programs and seek more state and federal funds to aid city schools.
E. Rural Education
Schools in rural areas face problems associated with distance, sparse population, poverty and staffing.
The Council believes chief state school officers should assign state education agency staff and resources, attempt new programs and organization, use all available technology and seek added state and federal funds to aid rural schools.
F. Adult and Continuing Education
Many adults have family, work and other responsibilities that prevent full-time attendance in secondary or postsecondary institutions. Institutions should be more receptive to recognizing and awarding credit for competencies learned through life experiences.
The Council supports expansion of adult education programs. It suggests that these programs should award formal academic credit for comparable life experiences and, where appropriate, provide other means of recognition for educational and skill achievement outside of school. Adult programs for parents of non-English speaking students should also be expanded.
III. Leadership and Staff Development
A. School District Leadership Development
The nature and rate of change in our society requires that persons involved in the governance of education must possess unusual knowledge and skill. Local school boards must display a keen awareness of legal requirements and have a sense of the future to ensure consideration of long-range policy matters. It is their responsibility to establish policy-making procedures and decision-making processes as well as to exercise leadership and direction for school district programs.
School administrators, likewise, must provide leadership in the development of goals in curriculum, the management of a system to reach those goals and the evaluation of the efficiency and effectiveness of the system.
The Council believes school programs will reach the highest quality with top leadership from local boards of education and school administrators. School district leadership development is crucial if the complex problems of public education are to be resolved. The Council calls upon state and federal governments to provide direction and funding to develop and carry out leadership programs for local education agencies. The Council calls upon the federal government to assist in funding state leadership development programs to meet national priorities.
B. Staffing Our Schools
The quality of education is directly related to the quality of persons who are attracted to and retained in the teaching profession, the quality of teacher education provided before and during the teaching career, and the quality of the professional environment in which teaching occurs. As economic, social and demographic conditions create even greater demands on the schools, it is increasingly clear that state education boards and agencies, which have final authority to establish and administer standards for the preparation, certification and continuing education of professional personnel, must give priority attention to the questions of who becomes a teacher and how, who remains a teacher and why, and how teachers continue to grow and develop within the profession. It is also increasingly clear that if schools are to meet public demands for quality education, there must be significant changes in state standards and activities for attracting, preparing, licensing and retaining teachers.
The Council urges each state board of education and state education agency to provide leadership in improving the teaching profession by:
l. Attracting desired candidates (e.g., outstanding high school students, minority students, students interested in teaching in areas of shortage) through the provision of substantial financial assistance during the teacher preparation program;
2. Increasing the number of minority teachers- and thereby assuring that the teaching force is representative of the diversity of the American population-by enhancing the participation and academic achievement of minority students in preschool, elementary, secondary and higher education programs;
3. Defining what prospective teachers are expected to know and be able to do by the time they enter the profession and requiring that the length and content of teacher preparation programs be based on these expectations;
4. Defining what personal characteristics teachers are expected to exhibit (e g, self-motivated, intellectually curious) and encouraging use of this as a template for screening prospective teachers throughout the teacher education program;
5. Requiring that teachers be broadly educated, with specialized knowledge of the subjects they teach and of the methods of teaching, to wit:
a. A broad and deep liberal arts education for all teachers;
b. For secondary teachers of academic subjects, the equivalent of an academic major or specialization in the arts and sciences;
c. For elementary teachers, concentration in at least three of the subject areas commonly taught in the elementary schools;
d. For middle school teachers, experiences in managing the learning environment of pre- and early-adolescents.
e. For all teachers, methods courses incorporating the findings of research on teaching and lecturing; and
f. For all teachers, early, coordinated and sequential clinical experiences, including at least a one-semester student teaching experience
6. Identifying qualified elementary and secondary schools as clinical schools (analogous to teaching hospitals) which can provide an optimum professional development experience to student teachers;
7. Encouraging the development of teacher education programs which assure the development of the expected knowledge and skills but which respond to the non-traditional student and/or experiment with unique approaches to the preparation of teachers;
8. Supporting efforts to strengthen the national accreditation of teacher education programs;
9. Establishing relevant and well-defined minimum standards for state certification and allowing no exceptions to respond to circum-stances such as teacher shortages;
10. Supporting interstate reciprocity in certification when based on comparable standards;
11. Providing formal induction programs for all beginning teachers;
12. Requiring that all teachers and administrators participate in professional development experiences designed to extend and update their subject matter knowledge and teaching or administrative skills;
13. Giving high priority to staff development programs which reflect teacher and school needs and which reflect opportunities for practice, reinforcement and coaching;
14 Requiring that teachers returning to active service after an extended absence participate in experiences which will update their knowledge and renew their teaching skills;
15.Encouraging that teachers be provided with time for planning, work with individual students, curriculum development, meetings with other teachers, and participation in staff development activities;
16. Supporting local adoption of the conditions known to contribute to effective teaching and learning, especially teacher participation in educational decision making;
17. Supporting efforts to make teacher compensation competitive with that of other professions, at the entry level and throughout the teaching career;
18. Encouraging efforts to restructure the workplace by providing new roles for teachers; and
19. Supporting the involvement of teachers, as well as other interested groups, in the development of policies related to improvement of the teaching profession.
C. SEA Personnel and Professional Development
State education agencies must have competent personnel to effectively carry out their varied and complex functions.
The Council will assist chief state school officers in objectively identifying needs for professional development among their staffs. It also will help identify and publicize existing training opportunities as well as develop programs in targeted areas where no training opportunities exist. The Council recognizes that salaries and working conditions must be adequate to attract and retain competent personnel.
D. Reciprocal Service Credit
Educators, like other members of society, are increasingly mobile. Equitable retirement benefit provisions are necessary to give them freedom to accept assignments in different locations.
The Council urges the states, the United States jurisdictions and the federal agencies that operate school programs to arrange reciprocal, actuarially-sound retirement plans and to support appropriate enabling legislation and funding for all educators, including all state education agency staff. The Council also suggests that credit for service abroad by teachers and administrators serving in American-sponsored overseas schools should be treated as if it were service in another state.
E. Collective Bargaining
Responsibilities for collective bargaining on salaries and conditions of employment for local and state education personnel clearly belong to the states.
The Council opposes any attempt by Congress to mandate collective bargaining laws which interfere in the processes of local and state education bargaining.
It is the policy of the Council of Chief State School Officers not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex or handicap and to comply with the provisions of federal nondiscrimination laws. The Council of Chief State School Officers is an equal opportunity employer.
The Council of Chief State School Officers is a non-profit organization comprised of the public officials responsible for education in each state. State superintendents and commissioners of education in the states, the District of Columbia, and extra-state jurisdictions (American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands) are the sole members of the Council.
Recognizing the responsibility of the states for leadership in education, the Council of Chief State School Officers exists to help its members and their agencies fulfill their responsibilities as leaders in education. To accomplish this: The Council provides service and a means of cooperative action among its members to strengthen education through the work of state education agencies.
