European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 23, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Of education reports on schools by Christopher con Nell associated press Secretary of education William j. Bennett says his annual report card ranking the states shows the Pace of school improvement slowed in 1985-86. College Entrance lest scores were unchanged or up Only slightly while the High school dropout Rale look a very Small urn for the works. Ii was he fourth year in a Row that the department of education has produced a Wall Chart ranking states of College Entrance lest scores graduation rates teachers salaries class size and other measures. This year alter Lour years of improvement we have basically held steady Bennett said in 39 of he 50 Stales College Entrance test scores improved Over the previous year. But the graduation Rale a declined slightly. In Short some gain a Little slippage. We have to do better. Our children deserve better he said. We must redouble our efforts if we Are to attain our  the Wall Chart also ranked Stales on their minority and handicapped enrolments youngsters living in poverty and other characteristics. It also provided a checklist of which slates have enacted such reforms As Merit pay minimum competency tests and mechanisms to take Over academically bankrupt schools. Sine its inception in 1984 under Bennett s predecessor . Betl the Wall Chart has evoked outrage Over what some educators have charged was a simplistic and misleading approach to feeding the Public appetite for school rankings. Fai Frost. A Cambridge mass., advocacy group often critical of standardized tests said Bennett s new Wall Chart should Bear the legend warning Gross misuse of test scores is dangerous to the nation s educational  but the Wall Chart Aleo has forced state superintendents and others to search for ways to give parents politicians school personnel and other citizens More feedback on How schools Are performing. Several states have installed their own reporting systems and the Council of chief slate school officers is trying to devise a better set of statistics. A recent report by the Center for policy research in education a joint undertaking of Rutgers University the Rand corp. And the University of Wisconsin Madison said the Chart has been greeted with charges of unfair comparisons inappropriate measures and too Little information to accurately portray or compare education. Nevertheless each year the Wall Chart statistics make headlines and policymakers have been pressured to  Bennett actually issued two Wall charts one comparing the 1984-65 school year with 1985-86, and the other comparing 1981 -82 with 1985-86. The 1981-82 year was chosen As a Benchmark because it was the year before a Reagan advisory panel report a nation at risk rocked the schools into raising standards Scholastic aptitude test scores for the class of 1986, As reported last All were unchanged at 906. The lest is scored on a 400 to 1,600 scale. American College test scores on a scale of 1 to 35, Rose from 18.6 to 18.8. Only one state Alaska saw its College test scores drop from 1982 to 1986. The Public High school graduation rate Lor 1985 the Lales year available was 7d.e percent Down trom Pip work on a Book project at Mark Tanto element Wen not included in the Secretary at Adak Tot � report above Tho National average in Alt categories 70s percent in 1984. The education department said it adjusted each state s figure to Lake migration into i account but did not include dropouts who obtained i High school equivalency diplomas. I the average teacher s salary based on statistics gathered by the National education association was i $25.313 for 1985-66, up from $23,595 the year Belore. The average class size Al to 17.9 pupils per Leacher Down irom 18.1. The average expenditure per Pupil in 1985 was $3,449. Up s276 irom 1984,teachers salaries on the Rise by Dirk Johnson new York times eachers Are winning significant salary increases in the United states As beat and slate governments move to improve the Quality of Public education. This year for the fifth year in a Row the average raise Lor american teachers will Lar exceed inflation and the trend is Likely to continue for several years. Everybody is on the bandwagon that says there ought to be excellence in education said Ralph Vatalaro executive director of the new York state Public employment relations Board which oversees labor relations Between local governments and employees the politicians Are All trying to outdo each other to give the most id  in new York Vatalaro said raises so far this year Aro ranging from 6 percent to 10 percent. In new Jersey and Connecticut increases have been As High As 21 percent officials in those Stales said. Legislatures in All three states have designated millions of dollars to raise minimum salaries and improve pay at the upper end of the scale. Connecticut for example is awarding Grants to help local districts achieve a minimum Leacher salary of $20,000, and new Jersey has provided incentives Lor districts to establish a minimum of $18,000. In Rural Preston conn., salaries will Rise an average of 21 percent next fall when the minimum in the District jumps to $20,000, from $14,800, and the maximum rises to $39,200, from $34,200. In Greenwich where salaries already exceed the state minimum teachers agreed to a three year contract that provides an average increase of 68 percent next fall 7.7 percent in 1988 and 7.8 percent in 1989. In new Jersey teachers in East Rutherford will receive an average increase of 15 percent next fall teachers in Boonton 12 percent and teachers in Randolph 10.3 percent. The result is an increasing number of districts where teachers can aim for a lop salary of $40,000 or More although to reach the top generally requires a dozen or More years of experience As Well As advanced degrees. In Middletown. N.y., the salary Range for the next school year will be $19,565 to $40,000 in new York City Public school teachers this year Are paid irom s20.000 to $42,100. Nationally teachers in Savannah a. Have a salary Range of $18,126 to $36.973, while next year the salary scale in Evans Lon iii., will run from $20,300 to $45,878. In the three years ending with the 1985-66 school year teachers salaries nationally have increased by 7.8 percent 8.4 percent and 7 percent. Last year the i inflation rate was 1,9 percent and the average wage increase for All Union workers was 2.3 percent. According to Federal labor department figures. Teachers unions and school administrators believe that last year s increases nol yet tabulated will Lar exceed both those figures along with raises teachers Are enjoying a new measure of appreciation education experts said. To re seeing a somewhat embarrassed recognition by the Public thai teachers should be better paid said Jonas f. Soltis a professor of philosophy and education Al teachers College of Columbia University As pay and status Are increasing he said More Young people Are considering leaching As a career among College freshmen this year about 9 percent said they were considering entering leaching a year ago fewer irian 6 percent considered teaching still. Leaching is nol the at Irac Tivo career 11 was 25 years ago. When about 25 percent of College freshmen said they wore considering it. While they Hail the recent increases teachers unions contend that Gams in recent years Nave merely recaptured ground lost in highly inflationary times especially in the late 1970s, when salaries did nol keep Page 14 the stars and stripes monday i