Wednesday, January 4, 2012

WHAT WORKS: High-Performing and Low-Spending Pennsylvania School Districts: Best Practices and Other Factors


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.

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If you have a couple minutes to spare take a look at the conclusions section on pages 47 – 51 of this December 2010 report conducted by the Joint State Government Commission of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
WHAT WORKS:
High-Performing and Low-Spending Pennsylvania School Districts: Best Practices and Other Factors
A Report Pursuant to Senate Resolution 243 of 2010, December 2010
On March 22, 2010, the Senate of Pennsylvania adopted Senate Resolution 243 “[d]irecting the Joint State Government Commission to conduct a study of efficiency in public school funding….” More specifically, the Senate directed “the Joint State Government Commission to conduct a study of the 82 school districts found to be successful schools in the APA costing-out study and to issue a report … of their best practices and other factors that are believed to help contribute to this recognized efficiency and success.”

Posted at 08:00 AM ET, 01/03/2012

Whose children have been left behind? Framing the 2012 ed debate

The battles over education policy that marked 2011 will continue, ever more heated, in the new year. As a starting point, and in honor of this Sunday’s 10th anniversary of the day when president George W. Bush signed No Child Left Behind into law, here is a speech written by education historian Diane Ravitch that addresses what is really at stake in the fight over how to fix troubled public schools.

Posted at 04:00 AM ET, 01/04/2012

Three quick reads

This was written by George Wood, superintendent and secondary school principal at the Federal Hocking Local School District in Stewart, Ohio.  He is also the executive director of the Forum for Education and Democracy and chair of the board for the Coalition of Essential Schools.
By George Wood
When I left the university ranks some20 years ago to become principal, one of the first things I missed about my old job was having the time to read. Now, as both superintendent and principal, reading time seems even more precious but even more important. So I find myself grabbing quick reads, and three of them hit my desk over the holiday break.

No, The School Nurse Is Not In
NPR.org by Michael Tomsic January 3, 2012
More than half of American public schools don't have a full-time nurse, and the situation is getting worse as school systems further cut budgets. This year, 51 were laid off in Philadelphia's public schools, 20 in a Houston suburb, 15 in San Diego and dozens more in other school systems nationwide.

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