European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - October 10, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 the stars and stripes monday october 10,1988 education news added principal oversight of teachers considered Washington 1  Mould he required to spi in Amide rally More time in the classroom under a revised i value term process under consideration by the in pan Cru of def Gnu dependents schools. The in member staff development committee headed by Deputy doim5s director ban Lagomarsino has assembled to begin revising stuff development guidelines. The current proc am is disjointed and needs direction a school spokesman said the primary emphasis of he new program will be classroom Insl Ruc Linn und tie evaluation process i principals will be trained o evaluate teachers and will be required to spend considerably More Lime in Lyle classroom observing and conferencing with teachers than is currently inc  the committee is scheduled to hold 10 Days of for Mal meetings in Jurt Nim oct. 9. Teachers principals District superintendents and Dodds Washington staff members Are on the committee. Two consultants Agnes d ally Sandra of the Penta gon s personnel office and Jean Hall Din Dor of staff development for the Fairfax county school District will join the committee. A source said the two were included 10 enable Dodds to proceed with a plan for master teachers. Under the proposal top teachers would help colleagues enhance their skills. Yearly performance ratings for master teachers would he waived. Seminar to help students develop science projects wies Lauen West Germany at least 23 High schools in West Germany will Send students to Mil science research seminar tuesday through thursday Al i in youth Hii Secl in Frankfurt thirty teachers Aho will attend the seminar to help an estimated 100 Suderm develop science research skills. The seminar h aimed As helping students with to lifer project in be entered in the Junior science and humanities symposium at the  youth Hostel and inc Heidelberg University medical Center on March 31 to april 1. For More information Call Earl Morse Al German civilian om21.8h2b9. Conference will inform students about journalism wish attn West Germany Germany Junior ii hand High school students Are invited to Allenl the third annual journalism conference nov. 29 to dec. 1 at the Nurnberg youth Hostel. Students will attend courses on news writing feature writing and photography. I Rov Sionil journalists will help provide instruction. School newspapers ii so will be evaluated. Bob Bur Cher at German civilian 06121-88242 has More info Malion. Pat in Hanau will hold College night thursday Hanau West Germany the Hanau High school Parent teacher association will hold its annual College night from 7 . To 9 . Thursday at the school. Representatives i rom sore Shan 90 . Colleges and universities will provide information. Speakers on Roth financial Aid and Colic be Entrance exams will give Short seminars. All interested High school students and their parents Are Welcome. Cull ets j22-8s68/h225 for More info Iii icon. Videotape on councils to be available this month Wiesbaden. West Germany a two hour v Ideo tape about school advisory councils Wuh be available to Germany Region schools by he end of he month a Region spokesman says. The tape featuring educational consultant Howard Mickey of Michigan state University is designed to help the councils handle local issues. Call German civilian 06i2i-s82s8 for More information. Young voyagers kindergarten students at Vlahn elementary school in Maria begin their voyage. Teacher s Ilde Gloria Brad West Germany set sail Friday for Columbus by. Ford in Hucker Dimind helps another group let a Sill Here teacher Janet Cook pots a newspaper hat on ing toward monday s Federal Holiday honouring the nun Prince Morales 5, As the i Ina n a and the suit who discovered the new world students Low understanding of science called threat to . By Joseph Mercer new York times american students1 understanding of science has improved slightly but it remains distressingly Low and threatens american economic and social Progress a major new educational study concludes. The study released last week warned in limiting opportunities for True science learning our nation is producing a generation of students who Lack the intellectual skills necessary to assess inc Validity of evidence or the logic  set related Story on Page 9. Tilled the science report card elements of risk of recovery the study was part of a 20-year educational assessment program sponsored by Congress. Us findings were based on tests Given to 122,000 Elemen tary and High school students in 1986. The tests were administered by the National assessment of educational Progress also called the nation s report card. The report said thai most 17-year-Olds were poorly prepared to handle jobs requiring technical skills and that Only 7 percent could handle College level science courses. It s a National disgrace said Bassam Shakhashiri assistant director for science and engineering Educa Tion of the National science foundation. We Are fall of behind other Industrial nations quite quickly and this situation is far More critical and consequential than we faced in the Post sputnik  one of the few encouraging findings was that Black and hispanic student had made sizable gains in Sci ence proficiency since 1982, narrowing the Gap with while students. The report attributed the gains to a concentrated Effort by schools. But the Gap remains quite Large. The average score of 13-year-old Black and hispanic students was below thai of 9-year-old Whites and the average proficiency of Black and hispanic 17-year-Olds was below that of White 13-year-Olds. There was another wide difference in the scores of girls and boys. Only one third of the girls tested were Able to Analyse scientific procedures and data. That figure compared with one half of he boys. Over All. The Small gains recorded in the study gave Little Comfort to Survey officials because the improvements came on questions that tested Basic scientific knowledge or understanding of simple scientific principles. Students showed virtually no gains in higher order thinking skills those that require the ability to apply information understand the design of experiments Analyse data and integrate information. Officials who spoke at a news conference in Washington blamed not Only the nation s schools but also what they said was a society wide devaluation of Sci ence and an unwilling ass of american parents to press their children to work harder at science. Carl Sagan the astronomer and Multi scr prize win Ning author told of a recent visit to a Large new York toy store to buy a chemistry set for rns a year old daughter. He said he found neither chemistry sets nor microscopes but mostly kits that pictured scientists As men who work with aliens and monsters. The science tests have been Given nationally five limes since inc 1969-1970 school year to 9-year-Olds, 13-year-Olds and 17-year-Olds. Similar tests have been Given regularly in Reading and mathematics