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Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Sen. Jeffrey Piccola says if voucher bill isn't passed in 2 weeks, it might get ignored in an election year

Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 1000 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors, administrators, legislators and members of the press via emails, website, Facebook and Twitter.

Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg

 

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2011

Philadelphia Inquirer Commonwealth Confidential Blog Posted by Amy Worden

Pittsburgh Diocese: Blurring the lines between church and state?

Lobby for school vouchers or lose your financial aid.

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/harrisburg_politics/Pittsburgh-Diocese-Blurring-the-lines-between-church-and-state.html?c=0.2368520377697516&posted=y&viewAll=y#comments

 

Sen. Jeffrey Piccola says if voucher bill isn't passed in 2 weeks, it might get ignored in an election year

Published: Tuesday, November 29, 2011, 1:58
By JAN MURPHY, The Patriot-News 

Sen. Jeffrey Piccola, R-Dauphin County, didn't say it's now or never for school vouchers, but he clearly expressed a view that the time to enact a school choice plan in Pennsylvania is now or not until after next year's election at the earliest.

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/11/sen_jeffrey_piccola_says_his_3.html

 

PO EDITORIAL: Vouchers may delay other education reforms

Public Opinion Online By Matthew Major
If anyone still harbored doubts about the bedrock intent of Gov. Tom Corbett's education reform package, recent developments should clarify things.
Lawmakers last week began talking about how it didn't appear that the General Assembly would pass a tax-funded education entitlement in the form of school vouchers this year.

http://www.publicopiniononline.com/opinion/ci_19419548

 

Have We Gotten It Wrong on School Reform?
Jack Jennings' November 23, 2011
Huffington Post blog highlights a recent study of the education systems in Shanghai (China), Finland, Japan, Singapore, and Ontario (Canada), and discusses what lessons can be learned from these countries to help improve public education in the United States.

 

Line Grows Long for Free Meals at U.S. Schools

New York Times By SAM DILLON, Published: November 29, 2011

Millions of American schoolchildren are receiving free or low-cost meals for the first time as their parents, many once solidly middle class, have lost jobs or homes during the economic crisis, qualifying their families for the decades-old safety-net program.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/30/education/surge-in-free-school-lunches-reflects-economic-crisis.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=education

 

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 11/30/2011

'Broader, bolder' strategy to ending poverty's influence on education

Washington Post Answer Sheet Blog By Valerie Strauss
This was written by Pedro Noguera, Peter L. Agnew professor of education at New York University.
By Pedro Noguera
While it might seem encouraging for education and civil rights leaders to assert that poverty isn't an obstacle to higher student achievement, the evidence does not support such claims. Over 50 years, numerous studies have documented how poverty and related social conditions — such as lack of access to health care, early childhood education and stable housing — affect child development and student achievement.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/broader-bolder-strategy-to-ending-povertys-influence-on-education/2011/11/29/gIQAtTvaAO_blog.html

 

Franklin and Cumberland County Legislative Forum on Public Education

Thursday, December 1, 2011 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM (ET), Shippensburg, PA

Co-sponsored by The Shippensburg University Teacher Education Department and Education Matters in the Cumberland Valley.

RSVP here: http://franklinandcumberlandcountylegislativeforum.eventbrite.com/

 


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Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Statewide Call to Action: Please make a call on December 5th in support of public education

Dear Friend of Education,

Education Voters, joined by several allies, is organizing our first statewide "Call" to Action for Public Education next week on Monday, December 5th.  Thousands of people will set aside 5 minutes to call the Governor and local State Representatives and Senators with a short message about education being our highest priority as taxpayers and voters. Click here for everything you will need. 

  • Last year, the budget suffered about $900 million in cuts.
  • Class sizes are increasing in many communities.
  • Kindergarten, tutoring, arts, sports …. all being cut.
  • We keep reducing education to the point where someday soon, we could be teaching only subjects that will be on standardized tests. 
  • We are raising taxes at the community level, putting more pressure on property taxes instead of  having a statewide funding formula that is aligned to learning standards, fiscally responsible, fair and both Constitutional and ethical.

Want to fight back?  PLEDGE RIGHT NOW to join the Statewide "Call" to Action for Public Education in December.   For the Call Guide, click here.   Below are helpful tips and links to help you with your call.
  • Get your legislator’s contact phone number. 
  • Call them with a couple of comments.  For the Call Guide, CLICK HERE.
  • Tell us you made the call and what the response was.  This part is very important; help us close the loop and get the biggest impact out of your call.
  • Spread the word – double, triple, quadruple your impact. For a Statewide "Call" to Action for Public Education flyer, click HERE.

That’s it!  It is really, really easy –we set it up so even the busiest people can participate and make a difference.  Make the PLEDGE now to make the call, or if you have any questions, check out ourCall Guide or visit Education Voters PA.

Across Pennsylvania, parents, community members, small business owners and community leaders have been meeting and talking about the impact that all these drastic budgets cuts have had on our students and our communities, and what has (and hasn’t) been happening in Harrisburg.  A number of communities have joined together to hold local forums, inviting elected officials to come and talk about what is happening. Some elected officials have shown up, some haven’t.  It has become increasingly clear that we need to send a stronger message to Harrisburg about what matters to us. 
The reality is that genuine education reform (not just gimmicks billed as reform) won’t be a priority for the Governor and the state legislature unless we make it one -- until they think that people are “mad as [heck] and aren’t going to take it anymore."  
Please take a few minutes to participate in this call to action. 
Thank you for continuing with us in this important  campaign for our communities…our economic prosperity – a quality public education throughout the Commonwealth.

Sincerely,
Susan Gobreski
Executive Director

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Pitt. Diocese letter to parents: lobby for vouchers or lose tuition aid. Whoops.

Visit us on Facebook at KeystoneStateEducationCoalition
Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg

 

 

Pitt. Diocese letter to parents: lobby for vouchers or lose tuition aid.  Whoops.

Asst. Superintendent. Bowes' email began by saying "we must be relentless in our efforts to help pass school choice this year.  I am asking you to inform parents that have received tuition assistance that they must contact their legislators and return the contact form attached to you in order to receive a grant next year. I then want you to return these contact forms to me. This way we can insure that a solid effort is being carried out by our diocese."
Pittsburgh Diocese 'corrects' tuition letter

Assistance not contingent on lobbying of legislators
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
By Mackenzie Carpenter, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Principals in the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh were told last month that parents who received tuition assistance had to lobby state legislators to pass a school voucher bill -- and document it -- or lose their funding.
Whoops. Nevermind.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11333/1193297-298.stm#ixzz1f5S8aQAb

 

A September 29, 1995 Post Gazette notice recognized Dr. Bowes as the diocesan spokesperson for then Governor Ridge's voucher plan and a board member of the. REACH Foundation, a leading proponent of school choice.  He still serves on the REACH board of directors.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19950929&id=5ttRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=pW4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=2208,9745788

  

Not even WPIAL's elite can elude state's ax

By Jeremy Boren, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW, November 26, 2011
No matter which high school wins Saturday night's WPIAL Class AAAA football championship at Heinz Field, neither one looks much like a loser.  Upper St. Clair and North Allegheny are at the top of Pennsylvania's academically elite public school districts with dominant standardized math, reading, science and writing test scores, comfortable class sizes, negligible dropout rates and affluent communities.
But school board members from the two Allegheny County districts worry that maintaining or deepening cuts to state education subsidies could jeopardize their off-field statistics, make property tax increases unavoidable and endanger extracurricular activities.

Read more: Not even WPIAL's elite can elude state's ax - Pittsburgh Tribune-Reviewhttp://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/highschool/s_769133.html#ixzz1f1WBP6G2


"The Philadelphia students said they liked Harriton's library - some of them have no libraries at their schools - and the fact that every student gets his or her own laptop. They liked all the languages, all the AP courses, all the activities and creative outlets offered at Harriton."
City students visit a suburban high school
By Kristen A. Graham, Inquirer Staff Writer, Posted: Mon, Nov. 28, 2011, 3:01 AM
To five teenagers from Philadelphia high schools, Harriton High looked like something from a movie, a school from a world very far away from theirs.

"The Supreme Court, in reversing a 2009 Commonwealth Court order, ruled that school districts do not have to reimburse cyber charter schools for 4-year-old kindergarten pupils if the district doesn't offer kindergarten education for 4-year-olds."

PA Supreme Court limits 4-year-old cyber tuition payments

Posted: Sunday, November 27, 2011 10:00 pm
Beaver County Times By Bill Utterback butterback@timesonline.com
A state Supreme Court decision issued this week could save area school districts some money by reducing kindergarten tuition costs to cyber charter schools.
The Supreme Court, in reversing a 2009 Commonwealth Court order, ruled that school districts do not have to reimburse cyber charter schools for 4-year-old kindergarten pupils if the district doesn't offer kindergarten education for 4-year-olds.
Slippery Rock Area challenged the state Department of Education over a $1,716 payment to Midland-based Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School for a 4-year-old kindergarten student in 2006.

Many cyber schools fail to meet state standards

ANDREW SHAW The York Dispatch
Updated: 11/28/2011 11:00:22 AM EST
Fewer of the most popular cyber charter schools in York County met state standards on the PSSAs last year than the year before, even as they collectively fared better on their reading and math scores.

Published Online: November 23, 2011
Funding a Problem for Va. Virtual Schools
Education Week By Chelyen Davis, The Free Lance-Star, Va. (MCT)
Last year, Virginia legislators passed a law allowing private companies and school districts to run virtual school programs.
But how to fund those virtual schools remains a thorny issue.
A study released last week says Virginia should develop a different method of funding virtual schools, rather than using the existing model in which funding goes to school districts.

Older towns beset with 'brutal' property-tax rates
By Anthony R. Wood, Inquirer Staff Writer Posted: Mon, Nov. 28, 2011, 3:01 AM
The $2,400 annual property-tax bill on the house that Howard Blackson Jr. and his daughter own on Mulberry Lane in Darby Borough, Delaware County, would be typical of a $200,000 house in Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County.

Finland puts bar high for teachers, kids' well-being

By Erin Richards of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Nov. 26, 2011

Over the past decade, students in Finland have soared on international measures of achievement. They've continued to post some of the best scores in the developed world in reading, math and science, according to a respected international exam. The country has one of the narrowest gaps in achievement between its highest and lowest-performing schools, and on average spends less per pupil than the United States.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/education/finland-puts-bar-high-for-teachers-kids-wellbeing-qa2tbfr-134546548.html

 

Here's the national voucher agenda – get the camel's nose under the tent; sell them as "a lifeline for poor kids in failing schools" and then expand them to everyone….think it won't happen here?

Ohio Lawmakers Devise New Way to Screw Public Schools

Cleveland scene magazine

POSTED BY ANASTASIA PANTSIOS ON WED, NOV 23, 2011

Grumpy voters who defeated more than half of all school levies on the ballot in Ohio earlier this month aren't going to be happy to learn about the legislature's latest gimmick to yank school funding and necessitate — yes! — still more levies.
It recently introduced HB 136, which would make vouchers to attend private schools — currently promoted as a lifeline for poor kids in failing school systems — available in all Ohio school districts to families with incomes up to $95,000. The amount of each voucher, ranging from $3,500 to nearly $5,800, would be subtracted from the home district's state funding.

http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2011/11/23/ohio-lawmakers-devise-new-way-to-screw-public-schools

 

Franklin and Cumberland County Legislative Forum on Public Education

Thursday, December 1, 2011 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM (ET), Shippensburg, PA

Co-sponsored by The Shippensburg University Teacher Education Department and Education Matters in the Cumberland Valley.

RSVP here: http://franklinandcumberlandcountylegislativeforum.eventbrite.com/

 


Lawrence A. Feinberg
Keystone State Education Coalition
Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg
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Monday, November 28, 2011

No un-cola expected for PA lawmakers

Visit us on Facebook at KeystoneStateEducationCoalition
Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg

 

 

The PA House and Senate are scheduled to reconvene at 1:00 pm today, Monday December 5th.  There are two education bills slated for second consideration in the House:

HB 1454, which would provide for value added assessment

SB 612, which provides for suspension of professional employees for economic reasons as part of a plan to reduce or control school district costs.

 

In Chester County, about 44 percent of the 95,300 votes cast for West Chester school board were for pro-public education write-in candidates

Posted: Sat, Nov. 26, 2011, 3:01 AM

As West Chester school board write-in counted, at least one challenger may have a chance

By Dan Hardy, Inquirer Staff Writer

With 80 percent of the voting precincts tallied, members of a slate of West Chester School District write-in candidates have a shot at winning at least one seat on the board, their supporters say.

http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20111126_As_West_Chester_school_board_write-in_counted__at_least_one_challenger_may_have_a_chance.html

 

Automatic COLA raises average PA legislator's salary to just over $82,000

By Michael Hasch, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW, Saturday, November 26, 2011
Fred Danchenko doesn't think it's fair that state legislators receive automatic cost-of-living pay increases — the latest boosts the average lawmaker's salary to $82,000 — when so many Pennsylvanians are out of work or have not seen a raise for some time.

Read more: Automatic adjustment raises average salary to just over $82,000 - Pittsburgh Tribune-Reviewhttp://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/regional/s_769148.html#ixzz1eoGC3XTR

 

Pennsylvania lawmakers unlikely to repeal law that awards automatic pay raises

Published: Sunday, November 27, 2011, 12:35 PM

BY JAN MURPHY AND CHARLES THOMPSON, The Patriot-News
On Thursday, Pennsylvania's state lawmakers will receive what many of their constituents would surely appreciate: their annual pay raise.

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/11/pennsylvania_lawmakers_unlikel.html

 

Philly school district readies next round of cuts

Posted: Thu, Nov. 24, 2011, 3:01 AM

By Kristen A. Graham, Inquirer Staff Writer

The Philadelphia School District will begin making $14 million in new budget cuts next week, chief financial officer Michael Masch said Wednesday.

http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20111124_Philly_school_district_readies_next_round_of_cuts.html

 

Should Value-Added Teacher Ratings Be Adjusted for Poverty?

Posted by EducationViews.org on November 22, 2011
Education news by Sarah Garland -
In Washington, D.C., one of the first places in the country to use value-added teacher ratings to fire teachers, teacher-union president Nathan Saunders likes to point to the following statistic as proof that the ratings are flawed: Ward 8, one of the poorest areas of the city, has only five percent of the teachers defined as effective under the new evaluation system known as IMPACT, but more than a quarter of the ineffective ones. Ward 3, encompassing some of the city's more affluent neighborhoods, has nearly a quarter of the best teachers, but only eight percent of the worst.
The discrepancy highlights an ongoing debate about the value-added test scores that an increasing number of states are using to evaluate teachers. Are the best, most experienced D.C. teachers concentrated in the wealthiest schools, while the worst are concentrated in the poorest schools? Or does the statistical model ignore the possibility that it's more difficult to teach a room full of impoverished children?

http://educationviews.org/2011/11/22/should-value-added-teacher-ratings-be-adjusted-for-poverty/

 

Virtual schools are multiplying, but some question their educational value

Washington Post By Lyndsey Layton and Emma Brown, Published: November 26

A Virginia company leading a national movement to replace classrooms with computers — in which children as young as 5 can learn at home at taxpayer expense — is facing a backlash from critics who are questioning its funding, quality and oversight.
K12 Inc. of Herndon has become the country's largest provider of full-time public virtual schools, upending the traditional American notion that learning occurs in a schoolhouse where students share the experience. In K12's virtual schools, learning is largely solitary, with lessons delivered online to a child who progresses at her own pace.

 

Published Online: November 23, 2011

Virtual Ed. Advocates Respond to Wave of Criticism

Education Week By Ian Quillen
It's been a rough couple of months for the public image of K-12 virtual education.
Studies in Colorado and Minnesota have suggested that full-time online students in those states were struggling to match the achievement levels of their peers in brick-and-mortar schools. Articles in The New York Times have questioned not only the academic results for students in virtual schools, but also the propriety of business practices surrounding the use of public dollars for such programs.

EPLC School Choices Forum on 11/29 in Harrisburg

Sponsored by The Education Policy and Leadership Center

Tuesday, November 29, 2011, Hilton Harrisburg Hotel
http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs043/1103584053062/archive/1108649292598.html

 

Franklin and Cumberland County Legislative Forum on Public Education

Thursday, December 1, 2011 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM (ET), Shippensburg, PA

Co-sponsored by The Shippensburg University Teacher Education Department and Education Matters in the Cumberland Valley.

RSVP here: http://franklinandcumberlandcountylegislativeforum.eventbrite.com/

 


 

Use Education Voters PA website to contact your PA State Representatives today asking them to oppose taxpayer funded vouchers:

For more info/background -  PSBA's Tuition Voucher Issue Page
http://www.psba.org/issues-advocacy/issues-research/vouchers/index.asp

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Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Stand Up for Public Education

Visit us on Facebook at KeystoneStateEducationCoalition
Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg

 

I have been waiting for a slow news day to send this out. 
Here's a recap of some of the public education advocacy work that has been unfolding throughout Pennsylvania.  Planning efforts are underway in several additional counties.  What are you doing in your district?

If your legislators have been friends of public education please let them know that their commitment is sincerely appreciated.

 

Have a great Thanksgiving.

Best, LAF

 

Stand Up for Public Education

PSBA Video "Stand Up for Public Education" runtime 7:07

Fast facts: The success story of Pennsylvania Public Education




How to start a movement - Video runtime 3:10


In May, Eight Hundred Chester County School Parents met with their Legislators to discuss public education funding.




Three Hundred Delaware County School Parents Met to Discuss Education Issues with Legislator 10/13/11





EPLC School Choices Forum on 11/29 in Harrisburg

Sponsored by The Education Policy and Leadership Center

Tuesday, November 29, 2011, Hilton Harrisburg Hotel
http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs043/1103584053062/archive/1108649292598.html

 

Franklin and Cumberland County Legislative Forum on Public Education

Thursday, December 1, 2011 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM (ET), Shippensburg, PA

Co-sponsored by The Shippensburg University Teacher Education Department and Education Matters in the Cumberland Valley.

RSVP here: http://franklinandcumberlandcountylegislativeforum.eventbrite.com/

 


 

Use Education Voters PA website to contact your PA State Representatives today asking them to oppose taxpayer funded vouchers:

For more info/background -  PSBA's Tuition Voucher Issue Page
http://www.psba.org/issues-advocacy/issues-research/vouchers/index.asp


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Tuesday, November 22, 2011

“There is no reliable evidence that for-profit (cyber) operators provide education that is effective, but there is no question that they are highly effective at turning public tax dollars into private gain."

Visit us on Facebook at KeystoneStateEducationCoalition
Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg

 

"There is no reliable evidence that for-profit (cyber) operators provide education that is effective, but there is no question that they are highly effective at turning public tax dollars into private gain.  For example, K12, Inc.'s CEO, during the recent recession, received compensation from "cyber" schools totaling over $2,400,000 per year in 2008, 2009 and 2010.  According to K12, Inc.'s own filings, other executives with the company managed to obtain annual compensation in 2010 ranging from $471,649 to $1,782,614 from their "cyber" school operation.
K12, Inc. can generate such outsized salaries for its executives because it and other operators have convinced some other states (Blogger's note: like Pennsylvania) to pay "cyber" schools the full per-student allotment of public money that is set aside for actual public schools.  Thus, in some states "cyber" school operators get thousands of tax dollars per student even though they do not have to pay for buildings, ball fields, actual classroom teachers, etc.  K12, Inc's student to teacher ratio is 50 to 1, one third the 15.7 to 1 ratio in Tenessee's public schools, yet K12, Inc. and other "cyber" schools often pass on no savings to school systems."

Tennessee Legislature Memo Regarding Cyber Schools

http://ftpcontent.worldnow.com/wtvf/PDF/MikeStewartlettertolawmakers.pdf

 

"However, the cost to the state is about five times higher (around $5000) than the cost for a parent enrolling a child outside a charter school. Obviously, there's much more money to be made by marketing through charter schools rather than directly to individual homeschooling families."

Cathy Duffy Reviews Blog

K12 online computer-based curriculum

Publisher: K12, Inc., Review last updated: course prices updated 2009

K12, Inc. was formed with an initial $10 million investment. To recoup that investment, K12, Inc. seems to have pinned its financial hopes on tapping into government funding through charter schools and vouchers. (Goldsborough, Margaret W., "A New Enterprise Joins Growing Community of Online Schools," New York Times on the Web, January 24, 2001 <http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/24/technology/24EDUCATION.html>). It's much easier to sell families on K12 if the state pays all the cost and families pay nothing. So K12 has already begun to tap into the charter school funding stream with contracts in Pennsylvania, California, Colorado, and Alaska. Charter schools offering K12 curriculum typically offer additional teacher supervision and computer equipment. However, the cost to the state is about five times higher (around $5000) than the cost for a parent enrolling a child outside a charter school. Obviously, there's much more money to be made by marketing through charter schools rather than directly to individual homeschooling families.

http://cathyduffyreviews.com/umbrella-programs/k12.htm#homeschool_price

 

PA Voters Show Powerful Support for Public Education; Majority Believe Public Education is Key to a Strong State Economy.  Poll shows voters believe state should provide more funding for public schools

Harrisburg, PA—(November 21, 2011)—The Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC) has released poll results that show Pennsylvania voters overwhelmingly value public education, support an increase in state funding for the 500 school districts statewide, and support public school choices, while opposing the use of taxpayer funds for private school tuition. The polling, commissioned by EPLC, was conducted by Susquehanna Polling and Research, which is based in Harrisburg.

http://www.eplc.org/2011/11/pa-voters-show-powerful-support-for-public-education-majority-believe-public-education-is-key-to-a-strong-state-economy/

 

Districts will try ads to win students

By Daveen Rae Kurutz, MURRYSVILLE STAR
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Public school districts in Western Pennsylvania could start advertising to bring students back after more than a decade of losing them -- and millions of state tax dollars -- to charter schools.
Taxpayer money hasn't paid for advertising for traditional public schools, but cyber charter schools spend some taxpayer money to sponsor events and buy ads, Hippert said.
At PA Leadership Charter School -- a West Chester-based online public school with an office in Pittsburgh -- officials spend about $500,000 each year on advertising that ranges from direct mailings to TV commercials. The school, which enrolls about 2,300, courts students who wouldn't know it existed without advertising, said CEO James Hanak.

Read more: Districts will try ads to win students - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_768512.html#ixzz1eQULWm00

 

Bristol TownshipCharter school denied

Posted: Tuesday, November 22, 2011 12:00 am
Phillyburbs.com By Chris English Staff Writer |
The Bristol Township school board Monday night voted 7-0 to deny a proposed charter school in the township.  The Excel Academy Charter School would have started as a kindergarten through fourth grade institution and would have gradually included all grades, said its two main advocates, James Jones and the Rev. Melvin Howard.

http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/courier_times_news/charter-school-denied/article_ab37c295-dae7-5318-a304-59513cdd960e.html

 

OP-ED COLUMNIST

How About Better Parents?

New York Times By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN, Published: November 19, 2011
IN recent years, we've been treated to reams of op-ed articles about how we need better teachers in our public schools and, if only the teachers' unions would go away, our kids would score like Singapore's on the big international tests. There's no question that a great teacher can make a huge difference in a student's achievement, and we need to recruit, train and reward more such teachers. But here's what some new studies are also showing: We need better parents. Parents more focused on their children's education can also make a huge difference in a student's achievement.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/20/opinion/sunday/friedman-how-about-better-parents.html?src=me&ref=general

 

 

THE EDUCATED REPORTER

COMMENTARY ON EDUCATION COVERAGE, WRITING AND A FEW OTHER THINGS

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2011

Private Money for Public Schools: A Good Read From the New Yorker

We hear a lot about the need for more community involvement in schools, and theNew Yorker has a thoughtful blog post on the influence of private money in public education. Writer Matthew McKnight looks at the support the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) charter school network receives from private donors such as the Walton Family Foundation.

http://www.educatedreporter.com/2011/11/private-money-for-public-schools-good.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

 

 

EPLC School Choices Forum on 11/29 in Harrisburg

Sponsored by The Education Policy and Leadership Center

Tuesday, November 29, 2011, Hilton Harrisburg Hotel
http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs043/1103584053062/archive/1108649292598.html

 

Franklin and Cumberland County Legislative Forum on Public Education

Thursday, December 1, 2011 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM (ET), Shippensburg, PA

Co-sponsored by The Shippensburg University Teacher Education Department and Education Matters in the Cumberland Valley.

RSVP here: http://franklinandcumberlandcountylegislativeforum.eventbrite.com/

 

Video: School Vouchers and a Financial Literacy Update on Terry Madonna's Pennsylvania Newsmakers
LancasterOnline.com; Education segment runs from 4:27 to 13:00 of the video
This week's Pennsylvania Newsmakers with Terry Madonna features Scott Detrow of StateImpact PA, with a Marcellus Shale update, and Tom Gentzel, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, who discusses school reforms and school choice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4zrw3Olv2U

 

"our failing public schools"

Fast Facts: The success story of Pennsylvania public education

Written on October 6, 2011 by PSBA

http://standupforpubliceducation.org/2011/10/06/the-success-story-of-pennsylvania-public-education/

 


 

Use Education Voters PA website to contact your PA State Representatives today asking them to oppose taxpayer funded vouchers:

For more info/background -  PSBA's Tuition Voucher Issue Page
http://www.psba.org/issues-advocacy/issues-research/vouchers/index.asp

Lawrence A. Feinberg
Keystone State Education Coalition
Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg
at No comments: