Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Schools in disarray, with poison bubbling beneath

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Yesterday we faxed copies of this editorial on voucher legislation to all members of the General Assembly.  Use these links for contact info to call your State Senator or State Rep. and ask them if they have seen it. 

Schools in disarray, with poison bubbling beneath

WHYY Newsworks Opinion By Chris Satullo August 14, 2011
I've been covering education in Pennsylvania since 1976.
And in all that time, I've never seen the school scene in more disarray, even back when lawmakers were trading punches on the statehouse floor school aid formulas.

http://www.newsworks.org/index.php?option=com_flexicontent&view=items&id=24876:schools-in-disarray-with-poison-bubbling-beneath


Private School Voucher Hearings This Week in Pennsylvania
August 15, 2011 Americans United for Separation of Church and State
"Taxpayer-funded school vouchers are unaffordable, unaccountable, unpopular, unproven, and unconstitutional."
The battle over the proposed Pennsylvania private school voucher program continues this week as the House Education Committee holds additional hearings on the issue in Harrisburg.  The Committee will hear testimony regarding the proposal on Wednesday, August 17, and Thursday, August 18. We strongly encourage you to attend and support those speaking out against private school vouchers.

http://www.au.org/what-we-do/legislative/legislative-blog/archives/2011/08/private-school-voucher-hearings-this-week-in-pennsylvania.html

 

Demands of Aid to Religion Endanger Schools, Anger Moderates

Posted: 8/12/11 11:43 AM ET
Huffington Post By Hans Johnson, President, Progressive Victory

Religious conservatives in Washington and state capitols, following gains in the 2010 elections, are exploiting a tentative hold on political power to try to divert public money to religious school vouchers. In addition to siphoning millions from already strained taxpayer funds, voucher backers are taking aim at provisions of 38 state constitutions that prohibit aid to religious schools in order to advance their schemes. Call it adding more ouch to voucher schemes.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hans-johnson/demands-of-aid-to-religio_b_925011.html?ref=email_share

 

Sign a petition to The United States House of Representatives, The United States Senate and President Barack Obama: Change the U.S. Department of Education from a dictator of school policy to that of a research, advisory and resource organization.

http://signon.org/sign/change-the-role-of-the?source=s.tw&r_by=473411

 

Published Online: August 15, 2011

Judge Blocks Colorado District's Voucher Program

Education Week By Nancy Mitchell, Education News Colorado
Premium article access courtesy of Edweek.org.
A Denver judge has granted a motion to halt the Douglas County voucher pilot pending further court action, a ruling that could send hundreds of students back to district schools.
"This court is not prepared to mandate that Colorado taxpayers fund private religious education," the judge wrote, noting the voucher plan "violates both financial and religious provisions" of the Colorado Constitution.

PhilaDELPHIA Inquirer MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2011
By Kristen Graham
Of the 28 schools the district was directed to analyze, 13 schools bear further investigation because they have big jumps in test scores and flags for erasures on exams.  The district declined to name the schools, and said it hopes the state helps conduct those investigations when the time comes.  The rest of the schools do not merit further investigation, officials said.

Most schools flagged for possible cheating likely to be cleared

By Jodi Weigand, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Most of the 90 Pennsylvania schools whose results raised red flags for possible cheating on the 2009 state assessment test probably did nothing wrong, and the Department of Education likely will clear them, a department spokesman said.


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