Daily postings
from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 1000
Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors, administrators,
legislators, members of the press and a broad array of education advocacy
organizations via emails, website, Facebook and Twitter.
Follow us
on Twitter at @lfeinberg
With
the apparent exception of presidential hopeful Rick Santorum, just about
everybody acknowledges the importance and value of high quality early childhood
education programs, both in terms of the long term payback and the critical
aspect of having kids on grade level by third grade.
“If you exclude state funding for a federally mandated early
intervention initiative, Corbett has cut early childhood education by $90
million overall in his first two budgets — a nearly 20 percent reduction”
WHAT WORKS: Early Childhood
Education
Pennsylvania
Allentown February 25, 2012
Joan L. Benso is
president and CEO of PA
Partnerships for Children
In the coming weeks, Lehigh
Valley
Corbett responded with an unconditional yes. "We are going to find
the money," he declared.
Two years and
two budgets later, Pennsylvanians are still waiting for the governor to act on
this campaign pledge.
Corbett's
latest budget proposal cuts early childhood education by $30 million. If you
exclude state funding for a federally mandated early intervention initiative,
Corbett has cut early childhood education by $90 million overall in his first
two budgets — a nearly 20 percent reduction.
http://www.mcall.com/opinion/yourview/mc-corbett-pa.-budget-children-benso-yv-20120225,0,851762.story
WHAT WORKS: Community Involvement
Greater involvement by community and
staff fills gaps at Phila. school
By Kristen A. Graham Inquirer Staff Writer Posted: Mon, Feb. 27, 2012 , 12:05 AM
Tilden Middle School
But the school at 66th and Elmwood in Southwest
Philadelphia picked up a grief-counseling program. It maintained
extracurriculars, mentoring and truancy-prevention programs, tutors, and a host
of other "extras" that help teachers focus on instruction and keep
students coming to school.
http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20120227_Greater_involvement_by_community_and_staff_fills_gaps_at_Phila__school.html?page=1&c=y
Here it comes again: Chaput, Pileggi, Williams: disregard PA
Constitution; taxpayers should bailout financially struggling parochial schools
with vouchers
During Friday’s press
conference, joined by Senator Piccola and Senator Williams, Archbishop Chaput
repeatedly called for vouchers that would have taxpayers bailout financially
struggling parochial schools, ignoring
the PA Constitution’s explicit provisions stating otherwise.
"Enrollments have to
increase and we need school vouchers approved by the commonwealth in order to
ensure success over the long term," Chaput said during the press
conference.
Philadelphia Feb 24, 2012
Archbishop Chaput
Uses Catholic
School Savings to Push School
Four Philadelphia-area Catholic schools previously targeted for
closure—Bonner-Prendie, Saint Huberts, West Catholic and Conwell-Egan—were
saved today, due to large anonymous donations and the creation of an
independent foundation to help raise money. The announcement came early this
afternoon and a press conference was held at 3 p.m. to discuss what was widely
heralded as good news for the Archdiocese.
Archbishop Charles Chaput, who made the announcement, acknowledged early
that the decision to keep the schools open was a risky one, and that there is
essentially no long-term plan. Chaput said without a voucher system, the school
system will end up exactly where it was a month ago. “We need expanded EITC
(education-incentive tax credits) funds and opportunity scholarships to help
our schools survive,” he said.
http://blogs.philadelphiaweekly.com/phillynow/2012/02/24/archbishop-chaput-uses-catholic-school-savings-to-push-school-vouchers/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=archbishop-chaput-uses-catholic-school-savings-to-push-school-vouchers
“As the PA
Auditor General has stated on numerous occasions, millions of dollars could be
saved if the flawed funding formula for charter schools was corrected. For
example, online schools in Colorado are funded
at a flat rate of $ 6,228 annually, significantly less than Pennsylvania
Corbett turns his back on education
Pottstown Mercury Opinion by George
Bonekemper Posted: 02/25/12
12:01 am
The proposed Commonwealth 2012-13 budget continues Gov. Tom Corbett’s
radical approach toward the funding of public and higher education as the
administration turns its back on families who depend upon good schools and
affordable college tuition. Every school district has started a slow, steady
dismantling of its education system and a student’s opportunity for a college
education becomes more challenging.
http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20120225/OPINION02/120229669/-1/opinion/corbett-turns-his-back-on-education
Sen. Hughes to School Parents: 'Make
Some Noise'
State senator talks
education at Cook-Wissahickon School
Roxborough-Manayunk Patch By Sam Fran Scavuzzo Feb 24, 2012
In front of a mural that read "It takes a village to a raise a
child," state Sen. Vincent Hughes posed for a photo with the
Cook-Wissahickon Elementary School Village.
That village supplied its student with paper.
That village paid for two lunchroom aides out of its own pocket.
That village has had enough.
http://roxborough.patch.com/articles/sen-hughes-to-school-parents-make-some-noise
Could government leaders be as
accountable as public schools?
Published: Sunday, February 26, 2012 , 1:10
AM
Patriot-News Op-Ed BY DON BELL
DON BELL is superintendent of Northern Lebanon School District
We constantly hear “public schools must be more accountable.”
I agree, but just for fun, what if Pennsylvania
http://www.pennlive.com/editorials/index.ssf/2012/02/could_government_leaders_be_as.html
FROM PENNSYLVANIA Feb. 23, 2012
PBS Newshour: Online Public Schools
Gain Popularity, but Quality Questions Persist
Full-time public cyber schools are now an option in 30 states, allowing
some 250,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade to press buttons to
raise their hands and message their teachers. John Tulenko of Learning Matters
Television reports from Pennsylvania
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/education/jan-june12/cyberschools_02-23.html
“Online schools were popular in small rural
districts, which typically get higher per-pupil funding. That changed in 2007
and online students are now funded at a flat rate of $6,228, slightly less than
average per-pupil funding statewide.
Schools get that set amount of per-pupil funding
based on student counts taken at the beginning of October each year. This year,
Colorado
In Colorado
The result: While
online students fall further behind academically, their counterparts in the
state’s traditional public schools are suffering too – because those schools
must absorb former online students while the virtual schools and their parent
companies get to keep the state funding.
http://www.ednewscolorado.org/2011/10/04/25310-analysis-shows-half-of-online-students-leave-programs-within-a-year-but-funding-stays
Of 12 PA cyber charters only 2 made
AYP for 2011, while 8 were in corrective action status.
http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.blogspot.com/2011/11/pa-cyber-charter-pssa-ayp-2007-2011.html
Video of Senator Dinniman’s February 9, 2012
Chester Co. Coalition for Public Education Meeting
Video from this public meeting which was held at Downingtown East
High School
Part 1 - Video Runtime 51:16: http://www.senatordinniman.com/contusvideo?vid=42
Part 2 - Video Runtime 52:21: http://www.senatordinniman.com/contusvideo?vid=41
NCLB Reauthorization:
Advocates Have Long Wish List for House Panel on
ESEA Bills
It's official: On Tuesday, the House education
committee will consider a pair of bills aimed at remaking key
elements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
If this sounds a little anticlimatic, that's
because it is. Right now, few Capitol Hill observers seem to think the
legislation will go to the floor of the House anytime soon. And even fewer
folks expect that ESEA reauthorization will actually make it to prime time (get
passed) this year. So most advocates see next week as a dress rehersal, not the
final performance.
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2012/02/theres_not_a_lot_of.html
NYC Teacher Quality Widely Diffused,
Ratings Indicate
New York Times By FERNANDA SANTOS
Published: February
24, 2012
The controversial ratings of roughly 18,000 New York City teachers
released on Friday showed that teachers who were most and least successful in
improving their students’ test scores could be found all around — in the
poorest corners of the Bronx, like Tremont and Soundview, and in middle-class
neighborhoods of Queens, like Bayside and Forest Hills. …….“The purpose of these reports is not to
look at any individual score in isolation, ever,” Shael Polakow-Suransky, the
No. 2 official in the city’s Education
Department, said Friday. “No principal would ever make a decision on this
score alone, and we would never invite anyone — parents, reporters, principals,
teachers — to draw a conclusion based on this score alone.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/25/education/teacher-quality-widely-diffused-nyc-ratings-indicate.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=education
NYC releases teachers’
value-added scores — unfortunately
This takes some kind of
special nerve: New York City
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/nyc-releases-teachers-value-added-scores--unfortunately/2012/02/24/gIQAtbVXYR_blog.html
In
Teacher Ratings, Good Test Scores Are Sometimes Not Good Enough
New York Times By SHARON OTTERMAN and ROBERT GEBELOFF
Published: February 25, 2012
The New
York City Education Department on Friday released
the ratings of some 18,000 teachers in elementary and middle schools based on how much they
helped their students succeed on standardized tests. The ratings have high
margins of error, are now nearly two years out of date and are based on tests
that the state has acknowledged became too predictable and easy to pass over
time.
But even with those
caveats, the scores still provide the first glimpse to the public of what is
going on within individual classrooms in schools. And one of the most striking
findings is how much variation there can be even within what are widely
considered the city’s best schools, the ones that each September face a crush
of eager parents.
Budget Hearing -
Department of Education
Monday, February 27, 2012 9:30
AM Hearing Room 1 North
Office Bldg.
February 29th: Partners for Public
Education at 6PM in the
South Fayette High School Theater
Statewide
kickoff meeting of PSEA's Partners for Public Education (PPE) Program
PPE is all about connecting
parents, community leaders, elected officials, and teachers together for one
goal - the support of public education. State
Senator Wayne Fontana, State Representative Jesse White, State Representative
Nick Kotik, Education Policy & Leadership Center Director Ron Cowell, PSEA
President Mike Crossey,
along with members of the SFEA Representative Council, SF School Board, SF
Administration, and SF Student Government will stand together to recruit
parents and other interested parties add their voices to the chorus of those
who care about public education.
http://partnersforpubliced.org/
http://www.facebook.com/SouthFayettePPE
BUDGET HEARINGS:
EDUCATION
Monday, March 5, 2012 10:00 AM
Room 140 Main Capitol
March 8, 7 pm Lehigh County
Thursday, March 8th,
7:00 pm at Lehigh Carbon
Community College , Community Services
Center
All public education stakeholders are
invited to this special event. Join us on Thursday, March 8th at Lehigh Carbon
Community College at 7PM for an evening with several key
state legislators from Lehigh
County
State Representatives and Senators
representing surrounding school districts have been invited to attend and
discuss their positions on public education as they head into negotiations over
next year’s budget. This event will be
moderated by the League of Women Voters.
The
Education Committee of the League of Women Voters of Chester County
March 19th LWV Chester
County
PA Auditor
General Jack Wagner
Monday
March 19th 6:30 pm
at Stetson Middle
School , West Chester
Location: Stetson Middle School Auditorium
The Auditor General will speak to the public followed by Q & A Session.
The Auditor General will speak to the public followed by Q & A Session.
THIS EVENT IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
March 26th: Last day to register to vote in the
April 24th PA Primary Election
You do have the power to change the direction of
education policy in Pennsylvania
The
last day to REGISTER before the primary is March 26 , 2012. Make sure that you, your family, friends,
neighbors and co-workers are all registered to vote in the April 24th
Pennsylvania Primary. Ask your incumbent
state representative and state senator for their positions on public
education. Let them know how important
these issues are to you. Forward this
reminder to any and all public education stakeholders.
Education Voters PA –
Take action on the Governor’s Budget
The Governor’s proposal starts the process,
but it isn’t all decided: our legislators can play an important role in
standing up for our priorities. Last year, public outcry helped prevent
nearly $300 million in additional cuts. We heard from the Governor, and
we know where he stands. Now,
we need to ask our legislators: what is your position on supporting our schools?
At The Chalk Face - Education Talk
Radio – Listen Anytime
Educated Educators Talking Education.
A new one hour talk show dedicated to education. Hosts Tim Slekar and Shaun Johnson cover the
biggest issues in education. From
standardized testing to No Child Left Behind.
PA House Democratic
Caucus Website
UPDATED DAILY –
STATEWIDE PRESS COVERAGE OF SCHOOL DISTRICT
BUDGETS
As districts consider their preliminary budgets and we await the
Governor’s February 7th budget
announcement, the PA House Democratic Caucus has begun daily tracking of press
coverage on school district budgets statewide:
http://www.pahouse.com/school_funding_2011cuts.asp?utm_source=Listrak&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=http%3a%2f%2fwww.pahouse.com%2fschool_funding_2011cuts.asp&utm_campaign=Crisis+in+Public+Education
Latest Updates on Chester
Upland February 22, 2012
District is
slated to lose an additional $980,000 under the Governor’s proposed 2012-2013
budget
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