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Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Voucher-leery legislators could opt for expanding tax credits


Voucher-leery legislators could opt for expanding tax credits

By Brad Bumsted, TRIBUNE-REVIEW. Wednesday, May 4, 2011
HARRISBURG — Expanding the state's 10-year-old education scholarship program seems a better alternative to many lawmakers than voting for taxpayer-funded school vouchers, House members said yesterday.

Read more: Voucher-leery legislators could opt for expanding tax credits - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/regional/s_735288.html#ixzz1LNRELIc4

 

No Accountability in Existing State Program Funneling Tax Credits to Private Schools

Stephen Herzenberg, PhD, Executive Director of the Keystone Research Center
HARRISBURG, PA (April 7, 2011) — Despite receiving roughly a third of a billion dollars in taxpayer funds over the past decade, a state program that funds scholarships for students attending private and religious schools lacks fundamental accountability measures.
The Keystone Research Center made this finding in a new report assessing the state's decade-old Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) Program. 

http://keystoneresearch.org/media-center/press-releases/no-accountability-existing-state-program-funneling-tax-credits-private-s

 

Groups converge on Capitol seeking 'fairness' in budget cuts, school-choice vouchers

Published: Wednesday, May 04, 2011, 12:00 AM
BY JAN MURPHY and KARI ANDREN, The Patriot-News
A sign hoisted above the crowd of thousands gathered at the front of the state Capitol on Tuesday summed up the mood.
"WTF: Where's the Fairness?" 

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/05/groups_converge_on_capitol_to.html

 

Posted on Wed, May. 4, 2011

Norristown, Pottsgrove teachers agree to freeze wages

By Dan Hardy, Inquirer Staff Writer

Teachers in Montgomery County's Norristown and Pottsgrove School Districts have agreed to wage freezes for next school year, joining two other area districts.

http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20110504_Norristown__Pottsgrove_teachers_agree_to_freeze_wages.html

 

School Voucher Q & A: Senate Bill 1 Impact on Students Left Behind
Join the PA School Talk live discussion today from 1-2 p.m.
Today (Wednesday, May 4), we will hold another PA School Talk live discussion, this time on "School Voucher Q & A: Senate Bill 1 Impact on Students Left Behind."
Join us from 1 - 2 p.m. EST, as our co-hosts Win Cleland, former longtime superintendent of the West Perry School District, and Beth Olanoff, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania League of Urban Schools (PLUS), field your questions about how the proposed voucher bill would affect the students who do not utilize vouchers.
You can jump in the conversation here -- http://paschooltalk.org/forum/topics/school-voucher-q-a-senate-3 -- and submit a question by replying to the thread, either in advance or when the chat is live.
A quick heads-up: we will hold a few more live discussions in the coming weeks. Topics and exact dates to be announced this Friday.
If you have any questions, contact Brett Schaeffer at the Education Law Center -- bschaeffer@elc-pa.org<mailto:bschaeffer@elc-pa.org> or 215-238-6970 ext. 334

 

Posted at 01:12 PM ET, 05/03/2011

Ravitch: 'Way past time to get mad'

By Valerie Strauss
This was written by education historian Diane Ravitch for her Bridging Differences blog, which she co-authors with Deborah Meier on the Education Week website. Ravitch and Meier exchange letters about what matters most in education. Ravitch, a research professor at New York University, is the author of the bestselling "The Death and Life of the Great American School System," an important critique of the flaws in the modern school reform movement.
Dear Deborah,
It is way past time to get mad. Each week, it is hard to know which of the latest outrages against American public education is the worst.
Perhaps it was the agreement between the Gates Foundation and the Pearson Foundation to write the nation's curriculum. When did we vote to hand over American education to them? Why would we outsource the nation's curriculum to a for-profit publishing and test-making corporation based in London? Does Bill Gates get to write the national curriculum because he is the richest man in America?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/ravitch-way-past-time-to-get-mad/2011/05/03/AF1Jw0gF_blog.html?referrer=emaillink

 

AASA 2011 NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON EDUCATION
Denver, Colorado  •  February 18, 2011
Diane Ravitch Keynote Address

Concerned about the Education Budget? Let Governor Corbett Know
Governor Tom Corbett Phone: 717-787-2500, Fax: 717-772-8284, Email: governor@state.pa.us




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