Daily postings
from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 1500
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.
These daily
emails are archived at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
Follow us
on Twitter at @lfeinberg
"In an April 2011 study (PDF), the Center for Research
on Education Outcomes (CREDO) at Stanford
University reviewed the academic
performance in Pennsylvania
The virtual-school
students started out with higher test scores than their counterparts in regular
charters. But according to the study, they ended up with learning gains that
were "significantly worse" than kids in traditional charters and
public schools. Says CREDO research manager Devora Davis, "What we can say right now is that whatever
they're doing in Pennsylvania
PA Cyber Charter PSSA
AYP 2007 - 2011 from PDE
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
State approves 4 new cyber charter schools
By Eleanor
Chute / Pittsburgh July
9, 2012 11:53 pm
This fall,
students will be able to choose from four new cyber charter schools, bringing
the statewide total to 16, thanks to approvals by the state Department of
Education.
The
newcomers are ACT Academy Cyber
Charter School ,
Education Plus
Academy Cyber
Charter School ,
Esperanza Cyber
Charter School
and Solomon World Civilization
Cyber Charter
School Philadelphia
PA DEPT. OF EDUCATION PRESS RELEASE:July
09, 2012
Four More PA Cyber Charter Schools to Open in the 2012-13 School Year
Four More PA Cyber Charter Schools to Open in the 2012-13 School Year
This 2009
19 page report provides a look at the workings of the EITC program….
PA Legislative Budget
and Finance Committee
A JOINT COMMITTEE OF
THE PENNSYLVANIA GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Preliminary Report on Pennsylvania
Conducted Pursuant to
Senate Resolution 2009-20 and House Resolution 2009-127
Here are
details on the new EITC Supervoucher program
PSBA: Key Provisions of New EITC 2.0 Scholarship Program
This
posting includes lists of all PA EITC recipients for 2011
What is Pennsylvania
The biggest waste of $249,660 in Pa.
Daniel Denvir of the
City Paper -- one of the best journalists in Philadelphia who doesn't have the
words "Daily News" under his byline -- has what I think is something
of a scoop today. Remember that ridiculous voter ID law we were
talking about earlier today? Comes now Denvir, with a story that goes
something like this:
Government reform advocates slam Pa.
By JAN MURPHY, The
Patriot-News Published: Monday, July 09, 2012 , 12:34 PM
More than a dozen
lawmakers who took the 2005
legislative pay raise that was later declared unconstitutional by
the courts are now reaping the reward of the pay bump they accepted through
their pensions, according to a report
issued by Rock the Capital. "That's
a gift that keeps in giving," said Eric Epstein, founder of the government
reform group, at a Capitol news conference.
….Another example
offered by Tim Potts of Democracy
Rising PA was a last-minute insertion in a charter school reform
bill that was taking shape on the night of June 30, when lawmakers were moving
state budget bills. That provision, which he called stealth legislation, would
have exempted charter school operators from complying with the state's open
records law.
"Nothing's
changed. We've got new rules, but rules are still made to be broken," Epstein
said.
Behind the scenes, Boston Consulting Group has been a driving
force on labor talks, school closings, and charters
by Benjamin Herold for
the Notebook and WHYY/Newsworks Jul 09 2012
The Boston Consulting Group has
identified up to 60 Philadelphia school
buildings as potential candidates for closure and helped line up private
vendors willing to replace the School District ’s
unionized blue-collar workforce at a $50 million discount.
These steps are just
part of the blue-chip consulting firm’s far-ranging behind-the-scenes effort to
help the beleaguered city school system rethink how it does business.
The broad scope of
BCG’s efforts this spring are detailed in previously unreleased “statements of
work” obtained by the Notebook/NewsWorks under Pennsylvania
Pa.
More cuts
may be needed in upcoming state spending plan
By Laura Olson and Karen
Langley / Post-Gazette Harrisburg
Viewing public education
as the main victim in last year's leaner $27.14 billion state spending plan,
the Pennsylvania State Education Association proclaimed that the deep cuts
would jeopardize student progress.
See what PSERs projections through 2016 might look like for
Tredyffrin/Eastown School District , one of the
state’s wealthiest districts.
Community Matters Blog
by Patteye Benson, July
8, 2012
Former T/E School
Board member Andrea Felkins created the following graphs with descriptions
below each graph for Community Matters readers. When we discuss the
benefits, salary and pension costs of the District, it is difficult for some
(myself included) to fully grasp the magnitude of the situation.
Through the use of the graphs, the data is more organized and easier
to understand. When you view the data through Andrea’s graphs, it is much
clearer the role that each of the three components play in the budget,
especially as the School District moves
forward. It should be noted that these graphs assume no salary increases.
The Common Bore
This was
written by Arnold Dodge, chair of the Department
of Educational Leadership and Administration at Long Island University/C.W.
Post Campus and a former New York
By Arnold
Only connect the prose and the passion and both
will be exalted . — E.M. Forster
I would argue that the three words to best
describe an effective classroom are engagement, engagement,
engagement. Those who make policy would disagree, it seems, since policy
promulgated at the national and state level has less to do with engagement and
more to do with obedience. My experiences as a public school teacher and
administrator were in sharp contrast to the standard-focused juggernaut that
now passes for educational leadership.
Tax-Exempt Groups Shield Political Gifts of Businesses
New York Times By MIKE McINTIRE and NICHOLAS
CONFESSORE
Published:
July 7, 2012
Two years after the Supreme
Court’s Citizens United decision opened the door for corporate spending on
elections, relatively little money has flowed from company treasuries into “super PACs,” which can accept unlimited
contributions but must also disclose donors. Instead, there is growing evidence
that large corporations are trying to influence campaigns by donating money to
tax-exempt organizations that can spend millions of dollars without being
subject to the disclosure requirements that apply to candidates, parties and
PACs.
The secrecy shrouding these groups
makes a full accounting of corporate influence on the electoral process
impossible. But glimpses of their donors emerged in a New York Times review of corporate
governance reports, tax returns of nonprofit organizations and regulatory
filings by insurers and labor unions.
NSBA
Federal Relations Network seeking new members for 2013-14
School directors are invited to
advocate for public education at the federal level through the National School
Boards Association’s Federal Relations Network. The National School Boards Association is
seeking school directors interested in serving on the Federal Relations Network
(FRN), its grassroots advocacy program that brings local board members on the
front line of pending issues before Congress. If you are a school director and
willing to carry the public education message to Washington , D.C.
Click here for more information.
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