Many of us are involved in the Chess World either as a player or as a chess teacher. To date, Chess has never been mentioned in any Federal legislation. Goals 2000 was an attempt, but the Conference Committee wrote out the word CHESS during its mark ups in 1994. Do not despair though, CHESS may still be funded through Goals 2000 for those who are interested. GOALS 2000 allows for innovative teaching strategies and creative programming by Local Educational Agencies (LEAs). Therefore, those who teach in a school are eligible for funding to set up a chess program in your school. For more information, phone your State Goals 2000 officer below:

ALABAMA Feagin Johnson 334-242-9716

ALASKA Peggy Cowan 907-465-2826

ALASKA FEDERATION Dorothy Larson 907-274-3611

AMERICAN SAMOA Lui Tuitele 684-633-1246

ARIZONA Jane Hunt 602-542-5138

ARKANSAS Charles Watson 501-682-4474

CALIFORNIA Merrill Vargo 916-657-2516

COLORADO Jan Silverstein 303-866-6635

CONNECTICUT Benjamin Dixon 203-566-4185

DELAWARE Lisa Hicks 302-739-4601

DIST. OF COLUMBIA Bethe Topps 202-724-4222

FLORIDA Wayne Largent 904-488-6547

GEORGIA Jeanne Jones 404-656-4059

GUAM Nenssa Shafer 671-472-2241

HAWAII Patrina Sasaki 808-586-3285

IDAHO Darall Loosle 208-334-2111

ILLINOIS Thomas Kerins 217-782-0322

INDIANA Linda Cornwell 317-232-9177

IOWA Maxus Haack 515-281-8141

KANSAS Ken Gentry 913-296-2306

KENTUCKY Joe Clark 502-564-3141

LOUISIANA Bill Miller 504-342-3603

MAINE Robert Kautz 207-287-5928

MARSHALL ISLANDS Hilda Heine 692-625-3861

MARYLAND Phyllis Bailey 410-767-0520

MASSACHUSETTS Carole Thomson 617-388-3300 ext.201

MICHIGAN Theresa Staten 517-373-3354

MICRONESIA Catalino Cantero 691-320-2609

MINNESOTA Linda Powell 612-296-2358

MISSISSIPPI Suzanne Ulmer 601-359-2561

MISSOURI Steve Coffman 314-526-3232

MONTANA Nancy Coppersmith 406-444-5541

NEBRASKA Polly Feis 402-471-5025

NEVADA Roy Casey 702-687-3187

NEW JERSEY Eileen Avis 609-984-5176

NEW MEXICO Denise Johnston 505-827-1230

NEW YORK Kathy Rutherford 518-486-5856

NORTH CAROLINA Carolyn Cobb 919-715-1351

NORTH DAKOTA Ron Stastney 701-255-4373

NORTH MARIANA ISLANDS William Matson 9-011-670-322-6405

OHIO Gene Harris 614-728-5865

OKLAHOMA Clarita Goodwin 405-521-4513

OREGON Jeanne Flint 503-378-8004

PALAU Masa-Aki Emesiochl 9-011-680-488-1003

PENNSYLVANIA Gene Heyman 717-787-7372

PUERTO RICO Ahnet Santana 809-753-1123

RHODE ISLAND Lareto Gandara 401-277-3124 ext. 3

SOUTH CAROLINA Pamela Pritchett 803-734-8277

SOUTH DAKOTA John Bonaiuto 605-773-3134

TENNESSEE Susan Hudson 615-532-4712

TEXAS Chriss Cloudt 512-463-9701

UTAH Bruce Griffin 801-538-7762

VIRGIN ISLANDS Hugh Smith, Jr. 809-774-8315

VERMONT Robert McNamara 802-828-2752

WASHINGTON Hugh Walkup 306-753-3223

WEST VIRGINIA Teddi Cox 304-558-2699

WISCONSIN Pauline Nikolay 608-266-3361

Following are two letters for an amendment to Goals 2000 Legislation, to include the word CHESS. The first memo was sent to sent to Senator Carl Levin on behalf of the Association of Chess and Teachers. The second letter should be sent by all teachers/practitioners of chess, in order to strengthen our request for an amendment. Feel free to adapt the letter to meet your needs to lobby at the State Level as well.

THE FOLLOWING LETTER WAS SENT TO SENATOR CARL LEVIN, D-MI, BY THE ASSOCIATION OF CHESS AND TEACHERS, TO OFFER AN AMENDMENT TO GOALS 2000 WHICH WOULD INCLUDE CHESS.

NOTE TO : File of Senator Carl Levin

(Through Ms. Jackie Parker, Legislative Assistant on Education)

FROM : Jayne Bertovich, Vice President

RE : Chess as a Teaching Strategy

DATE : August 1, 1995


Chess, a very effective classroom tool, should be offered and encouraged in the education system to students of all ages in order to enhance their reasoning and critical thinking skills. It is particularly important to heighten awareness at the National, State, and local levels, as to the benefits that Chess can contribute in preparing students for higher education and responsible decision-making from adolescence through adulthood. Specifically, Chess should be cited in legislation at the National and State levels to

Chess is not just a game, but a brillant academic achievement aid, cognitive and metacognitive developer, discipline builder, analysis and problem-solving enricher.

The Association of Chess and Teachers (ACT), a nonprofit corporation, was developed to bring nationwide attention to the educational benefits of the game of Chess and encourage the promotion of Chess at every institutional level of the American educational experience.

The Mission of the Association of Chess and Teachers is: To foster support for the game of chess in education as a valuable learning and skill-building tool. The Association seeks to provide structure to the daily curricular programs of students, promoting Chess in the classroom through the creation and dissemination of teaching instructions and Chess curriculum, lesson preparations for the beginner Chess teacher (through all levels), and multimedia Chess promotion materials. The Association works very closely with other Chess organizations in the United States and Canada.

PLEASE SEND THE FOLLOWING LETTER TO:

THE HONORABLE CARL LEVIN

United States Senate

Washington, DC 20510

YOUR NAME

ADDRESS

DATE

The Honorable Carl Levin

U.S. Senate

Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Senator Levin:

I am an educator in the public school system and for many years I have had the pleasure of using the game of chess as an instructional tool to improve the cognitive and problem-solving skills of my students. Chess is not just a game, but a valuable tool which develops critical thinking skills as well as logic and analysis. Many of the intellectual benefits of chess become transferrable in the daily lives of my students because the parameters that the game of chess teaches result in good lessons on the value of patience and concentration as well as the merits of considering the consequences of an action.

In addition, it is a proven fact that students performance in the classroom improves after systematic exposure to the game. Several studies are noted for their amazing results among students exposed to chess. "The Effect of Chess on Reading Score: District Nine Chess Program Second Year Report," by Dr. Stuart Margulies, is one such report in which students in a New York City Chess program improved reading scores more than a control group.

The gains made by chess players were compared to national performance and district performance and it was found that chessplayers outperformed the average student in the country and the average student in the district. The results of the study, which were statistically significant, suggest that chess participation enhances reading performance and the report details several theories of how chess play and reading skills processes may be similar.

In another study, "The Development of Reasoning and Memory through Chess", Dr. Robert Ferguson concludes based on a statistically sound approach that chess has a definite impact on developing both memory and verbal reasoning skills.

In my own experiences in the classroom, I have seen improvements in my students performance. (CITE EXAMPLES HERE, both performance gains or behavior improvements of students)

Clearly, children must be given every advantage possible so that each and every child may have the opportunity to benefit from a high quality education. Chess is one strategy which must be recognize on both National, State, and Local levels in order to be effectively integrated in the school systems. While you are considering legislation, please consider sponsoring legislation which would bring about heightened awareness to the benefits of chess in the classroom. Currently the Congress is considering cuts to programs, such as GOALS 2000, which encourage innovative teaching strategies and creative programming at the local educational agency level.

On behalf of teachers, students, and parents, I support an Amendment to Sec. 308 (b) (2) (E) of Public Law 103-227 Goals 2000: Educate America Act, modifying the language to include the word "Chess." In this way, Chess will gain the National, State, and Local level attention it needs to become a part of the academic development of students in primary and secondary education.

Thank you for your time. I look forward to hearing from you.


Yours sincerely,

NAME

STATE LEGISLATION

On the state level, Chess has been included in one (1) legislative bill in the State of New Jersey. The legislation was passed and signed into law on December, 1992.

BILL #S452 --CHESS IN THE SCHOOLS

This act concerning instruction in chess supplemented Chapter 35 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes:

BE IT ENACTED by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. The Legislature finds and declares that:

a. chess increases strategic thinking skills, stimulates intellectual creativity, and improved problem-solving ability while raising self-esteem;

b. when youngsters play chess they must call upon higher-order thinking skills, analyze actions and consequences, and visualize future possibilities;

c. in countries where chess is offered widely in schools, students exhibit excellence in the ability to recognized complex patterns and consequently excel in math and science; and

d. instruction in chess during the second grade will enable pupils to learn skills which will serve them throughout their lives.

2. Each board of education may offer instruction in chess during the second grade for pupils in gifted and talented and special education programs. The Department of Education may establish guidelines to be used by boards of education which offer chess instruction in those programs.

3. This act shall take effect immediately.

Chess organizations at the state level must work to do the same in their own states. If you are willing to volunteer for similar efforts, please contact Jayne Bertovich. I am currently working to secure contacts through State Chess Associations, but would welcome any additional persons in order to build a successful chess network in each state that could assist in passing chess legislation.

If you have any additional questions on Chess and Legislation, please contact Jayne Bertovich at:

Association of Chess and Teachers

4743 Bradley Blvd. #105

Chevy Chase, MD 20815

(301) 654-6580