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Friday, August 31, 2012

With Romney Nominated, Campaign Milks Choice




“Middle-class American students who attend well-funded schools rank at the top of the world on international tests.” Stephen Krashen, professor emeritus of the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California August 12, 2012 


Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 1600 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors, administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers, 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


Keystone Exams: During the 2011-2012 school year, PSSA training, testing and retesting impacted 45 instructional days in my school district.  That was just under 25% of the school calendar.  For 2012-2013 we anticipate that 106 instructional days, or 57% of the academic calendar will be impacted.
Pennsylvania Department of Education – Standards Aligned Systems website
Pennsylvania’s State Assessment System Proposed Transition to Keystone Exams July 2012
More info from PDE on Keystone Exams:

Education Budget Cuts From Sequestration Could Be Devastating, Duncan Says

Huffinton Post 07/25/2012 5:07 pm
Schools, HIV testing, childcare and unemployment programs are all "under threat" as across-the-board cuts, known as sequestration, are scheduled to strike in January 2013, according to a new U.S. Senate report released Wednesday.
But Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), who chairs the senate appropriations subcommittee that oversees nonmilitary spending, chose to center a Wednesday hearing on these cuts specifically to examine how the billions lost could affect America's schools. "Education will provide an instructive example of the kinds of arbitrary cuts [that kick in] ... if sequestration goes into effect," Harkin said.

We must avoid sequestration: Savage cuts in education funding would cripple our schools

Post-Gazette Opinion By Jamie Baxter May 3, 2012 4:15 am
Jamie Baxter, director of legislative policy and advocacy for the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, is president of the Committee for Education Funding, a coalition of more than 90 education organizations.
In Washington and in Harrisburg the theme seems to be cut, cut, cut. The question is ... when will the cuts end?  They surely will not end early next year when a huge reduction in federal funding is scheduled to take place. "Sequestration" is set to occur Jan. 2. This means that, unless Congress acts, all federal discretionary spending, including education, will be cut by as much as 9.1 percent

With Romney Nominated, Campaign Milks Choice

Education Week By Alyson Klein on August 31, 2012 2:08 AM
Tampa, Fla.
Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and his campaign used the night of his acceptancespeech to make the case that he was an advocate for education as governor of Massachusetts—and would make expanding school choice a K-12 priority if he wins the White House.   "When it comes to the school your child should attend, every parent should have a choice, and every child should have a chance," Romney told the crowd here. But although his 39-minute speech included pointed attacks on President Barack Obama's performance on the economy, defense, and health care, he was silent on the president's K-12 record.

Posted at 12:31 PM ET, 08/30/2012

Who might be Romney’s education secretary?

Washington Post Answer Sheet Blog By Valerie Strauss
So who might Mitt Romney pick as his education secretary should he win the November presidential election?
Here’s a list of some of the probable candidates, based on the people that Romney chose to be on his Education Policy Advisory Group, or that his campaign has used as “surrogates” to speak on education, or that are beloved by Republicans as important education reformers. In the latter category would be people such as Michelle Rhee and former Florida governor Jeb Bush and even Joel Klein.

Posted at 09:55 PM ET, 08/30/2012

Jeb Bush’s ed speech at GOP convention — text

Washington Post Answer Sheet Blog By Valerie Strauss
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush addressed the Republican Convention on Thursday night, giving a speech about education reform that is likely to fuel talk that he could be Mitt Romney’s education secretary should   Here's the speech by Bush — who predictably attacks President Obama and teachers union — as well as remarks by a Florida teacher and student:

Common Core State Standards Dividing GOP

Education Week By Alyson Klein on August 30, 2012 1:53 PM
Tampa, Fla.
The Common Core State Standards: A state-led effort to help improve learning outcomes throughout the nation—or "Obama Core?" It's clear here at the Republican convention that there's a major split emerging in the party on that question.
On the one hand, there's Jeb Bush, a key Romney surrogate and the former GOP governor of Florida. He points out that a majority of GOP governors haveembraced the standards. And then you've got Gayle Ruzeicka, president of the Utah Eagle Forum, and a delegate to the Republican National Convention.
"We call it Obama Core," she told me in an interview on the convention floor Monday, an obvious play on "Obamacare," GOP activists' name for the president's landmark health care law. "It's been co-opted by the Obama administration. They've done everything they can to tie us into these standards. We're Republicans and we're letting Obama take over our education system."

Obama vs. Romney: 5 Ways They Differ On Education

Care2 News Network by Judy Molland August 29, 2012
Who knows where President Obama and Mitt Romney stand on education? Hard to say, since the topic has not been taken center stage in election coverage so far. In case you’re wondering, here’s a primer on some of their most important positions on educational policy.
Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/obama-vs-romney-5-ways-they-differ-on-education.html#ixzz255CVLFQl

If you have received an absentee ballot it must be postmarked by September 10th
Bios of candidates slated for 2013 PSBA offices 8/15/2012
At its May 19 meeting at PSBA Conference Center, the PSBA Nominating Committee interviewed and selected a slate of candidates for officers of the association in 2013.

Upcoming PSBA Professional Development Opportunities
To register or to learn more about PSBA professional development programs please visit:  www.psba.org/workshops/

2012 PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference Oct. 16-19, 2012
Registration is Now Open!  Hershey Lodge & Convention Center, Hershey, PA
www.psba.org/workshops/school-leadership-conference/

EPLC’s 2012 Arts and Education Symposium: Save the Date, Thursday, October 11

Education Policy and Leadership Center

Please mark your calendars and plan on joining EPLC, our partners, and guests on October 11 in Harrisburg for a full day of events.  Stay tuned to aei-pa.org for information about our 2nd Arts and Education Symposium.  Scholarships and Act 48 Credit will be available.  Outstanding speakers and panelists from Pennsylvania and beyond will once again come together to address key topics in the arts and arts education and related public policy advocacy initiatives.  This is a networking and learning opportunity not to be missed!

http://www.aei-pa.org/


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 grass roots 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., FRN membership is a good place to start. 
Click here for more information.
at No comments:

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Jamie Vollmer: Nostesia - a perfect example of the declining quality of our schools




“Middle-class American students who attend well-funded schools rank at the top of the world on international tests.” Stephen Krashen, professor emeritus of the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California August 12, 2012 


Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 1600 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors, administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers, 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


Early email blast today – we’re off to join a group of about 40 PA education leaders invited to a White House Education forum….

School year in Pittsburgh starts with shuffling of employees
August 30, 2012 12:25 am
By Eleanor Chute / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Students in Pittsburgh Public Schools will see a lot of new faces when classes begin this week.
About a third of last year's school-based workforce in city school district has been furloughed, reassigned to a different school, retired or resigned.  The school board last week approved the latest changes that call for transferring 611 salaried school-based employees from one position or school to another, including more than 400 K-12 teachers.
The transfers also include social workers, counselors, adjunct teachers, secretaries and data specialists, technical-clerical staff, paraprofessionals, pre-K staff and school-based administrators.  Overall, the transfers amount to about 1 in 5 of all remaining school-based employees.

Parkland's Roberta Marcus Feted for Advocacy

South Whitehall Patch by Mary Youtz August 29, 2012
The Pennsylvania School Boards Association is honoring Parkland School Board member Roberta Marcus with the Timothy M. Allwein Advocacy Award.
A fellow school board member, Robert Bold, announced the news of the award during the Parkland School Board meeting on Tuesday night. Marcus said she was “tremendously humbled” to learn that she will be receiving the award.

The Notebook receives a big grant to revamp online publishing
by Dale Mezzacappa on Aug 29 2012 Posted in Latest news
The Notebook will be revamping its publishing and implementing new digital strategies for reaching parents and other core audiences, thanks to a two-year, $202,000 grant just awarded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
The grant, through Knight's Community Information Challenge, will help theNotebook build its audience by producing more multimedia content, expanding its use of social media, and making its content more accessible via mobile devices.
The main goal of this project is to do a better job of informing and serving Philadelphia public school parents, many of whom do not have broadband Internet access at home.

Dialogue with the Gates Foundation: What is the Purpose of K-12 Education?

Education Week Living in Dialogue Blog By Anthony Cody on August 29, 2012 10:26 AM
This week, our exchange is focused on these questions: What is the purpose of K-12 education? How do we think about college and career readiness? How do the Common Core Standards fit in? This post is a response to one posted yesterday, authored by Irvin Scott of the Gates Foundation. This post can also be viewed and commented upon at theGates Foundation's Impatient Optimists blog.
Irvin Scott of the Gates Foundation has given us some vivid images of the students he taught, and sincerely described the fervent desire that motivates every teacher - that we help those children entrusted to us reach their fullest potential. That is a drive that transcends this debate. And there we have common ground as educators.
However, when it comes to the broader strategy of the Gates Foundation, there remain some tough questions. The thrust of the Gates Foundation's approach is captured in this paragraph from Irvin Scott:
But we need all hands on deck when it comes to addressing poverty: we need there to be efforts laser focused on fixing the root causes of inequality that happen outside of school and we need efforts to focus on creating opportunity for all students in the classroom. By focusing on graduating college-ready students, we are empowering kids to have choices and opportunities that they otherwise would not have.
Thus far in our dialogue with the Gates Foundation, I have not seen much evidence of a "laser focus on fixing the root causes of inequality that happens outside of school." I have seen the laser focus on improving teacher quality through the use of evaluations that include test scores. And in this latest post we see their additional focus on college readiness as an antidote to social inequity.

Published Online: August 28, 2012

Catholic Schools Feeling Squeeze From Charters

Education Week By Sean Cavanagh
The nation's Roman Catholic schools have labored for decades under increasingly adverse economic and demographic conditions, which have undermined their finances and sapped their enrollment. Today, researchers and supporters say those schools face one of their most complex challenges yet: the continued growth of charter schools.
Since they first opened two decades ago, charter schools have emerged as competitors to Catholic schools for reasons connected to school systems' missions, their academic models, and the populations they serve.

New Laws, Programs Expand E-Learning Options
Several states now require districts to give students more choices
Education Week By Michelle R. Davis August 27, 2012
Premium article access courtesy of Edweek.org.
Lawmakers in Utah recently mandated that school districts allow high school students to take online courses from state-approved providers. In Florida, large districts must give students online-course options from at least three different providers. Recent legislation in Georgia altered the funding structure for students who take virtual courses; the action provides an incentive for districts to encourage students to try online classes.
In recent years, several states have enacted laws that require more choices for students who want to try taking courses online, outside the offerings of brick-and-mortar school districts. In some cases, such legislation—as in Florida and Utah—is a companion to requirements that students take at least one online course before graduating from high school.
The new reality of such requirements, however, means that districts are often facing a significant change in the way they provide options to students. In some places, the legislation has even introduced a level of competition among providers—which sometimes are the districts themselves—in an effort to boost the quality of offerings. At times, the measures have spawned new methods of cooperation and collaboration.

“I know of no college or university in the country that doesn’t have to offer most or all of its freshmen courses in remedial English, beginning mathematics, beginning science and beginning foreign languages. Consequently, we give two or three years of college [courses] and the rest is high school work.”  Professor Theodore M. Greene of Princeton University, March 1946
Nostesia
Jamie Vollmer’s Blog
Today, one of the hot button issues of the “back-to-the-past” contingent is the seemingly large number of college freshmen who require remediation. This subject receives a lot of press, and is offered as positive proof of failing schools. In this context, I offer the following quote. It appeared in the Los Angeles Times attributed to Professor Theodore M. Greene of Princeton University.
I know of no college or university in the country that doesn’t have to offer most or all of its freshmen courses in remedial English, beginning mathematics, beginning science and beginning foreign languages. Consequently, we give two or three years of college [courses] and the rest is high school work.
Most people agree that this is a perfect example of the declining quality of our schools. The problem with the argument, however, is that Professor Greene uttered this statement about the poor quality of high school graduates in March 1946.

The Corporate Invasion of Schools

Education Week By Walt Gardner on August 29, 2012 7:15 AM
When I warned before that public schools are succumbing to sales pitches made by corporations, I was taken to task by a handful of readers for exaggerating the magnitude of the problem ("Be Wary of Corporate Inroads Into Education," Dec. 17, 2010; "Are Public Schools Supermarkets?" May 6, 2011). Perhaps the latest evidence will help change their minds ("Pearson's plan to control education, Report to the B.C. Teachers' Federation," Jun. 30).


If you have received an absentee ballot it must be postmarked by September 10th
Bios of candidates slated for 2013 PSBA offices 8/15/2012
At its May 19 meeting at PSBA Conference Center, the PSBA Nominating Committee interviewed and selected a slate of candidates for officers of the association in 2013.

Upcoming PSBA Professional Development Opportunities
To register or to learn more about PSBA professional development programs please visit:  www.psba.org/workshops/

2012 PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference Oct. 16-19, 2012
Registration is Now Open!  Hershey Lodge & Convention Center, Hershey, PA
www.psba.org/workshops/school-leadership-conference/

EPLC’s 2012 Arts and Education Symposium: Save the Date, Thursday, October 11

Education Policy and Leadership Center

Please mark your calendars and plan on joining EPLC, our partners, and guests on October 11 in Harrisburg for a full day of events.  Stay tuned to aei-pa.org for information about our 2nd Arts and Education Symposium.  Scholarships and Act 48 Credit will be available.  Outstanding speakers and panelists from Pennsylvania and beyond will once again come together to address key topics in the arts and arts education and related public policy advocacy initiatives.  This is a networking and learning opportunity not to be missed!

http://www.aei-pa.org/


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 grass roots 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., FRN membership is a good place to start. 
Click here for more information.
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Wednesday, August 29, 2012

“…those who are uncomfortable with the hijacking of public schools are going to have to organize quickly, find voice, and propose realistic options.”



“Middle-class American students who attend well-funded schools rank at the top of the world on international tests.” Stephen Krashen, professor emeritus of the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California August 12, 2012 


Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 1600 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors, administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers, 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

“…those who are uncomfortable with the hijacking of public schools are going to have to organize quickly, find voice, and propose realistic options.”
Commentary: Making sense of what's happening in the School District
by thenotebook on Aug 28 2012 Posted in Blogger commentary
This week's guest commentary about changes in the Philadelphia school landscape is from James M. "Torch" Lytle, a former Philadelphia administrator and Trenton superintendent, now a professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education. The Notebook invites guest blog posts on current topics in Philadelphia education from its readers. Contact us at notebook@thenotebook.org to make a submission.
As the School District of Philadelphia deals with a leadership transition, budget cuts,  funding shortfalls, declining enrollment, school closings, charter school waiting lists, and the most turbulent period in its history, it’s easy to get focused on the turmoil and lose sight of the big picture.  I am a longtime District administrator and former superintendent in Trenton who has watched with dismay the development of policies, starting in 2001 in the Bush administration, that have been designed not so much to raise standards and improve student achievement, but to promote privatization.

Posted at 07:37 PM ET, 08/28/2012

What GOP platform says on education

Washington Post Answer Sheet Blog By Valerie Strauss
Here’s what the 2012 Republican Party platform calls for regarding education:

Teachers Unions, Federal Spending Slammed at GOP Convention

Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Mark Bomster on August 29, 2012 3:07 AM
Tampa
The Republicans offered up a hurricane of tough talk Tuesday night—including battering President Barack Obama and teachers unions—as they hailed Mitt Romney as their newly nominated candidate for president.

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 08/29/2012

GOP platform’s contempt for public education

Washington Post Answer Sheet Blog By Valerie Strauss
It was obviously too difficult for the authors of the 2012 Republican Party platform to hide their contempt for public education, because it is evident throughout the section on schooling.
What’s more, the education section is used to promote the party’s cultural values, going on at some length about support for abstinence education and its opposition to using federal funds in “mandatory or universal mental health, psychiatric, or socio-emotional screening program.” The message appears to be that schools should teach kids not to have sex but shouldn’t use federal funds to screen students who may be so mentally ill that they are dangerous in a classroom.
The platform says that school choice is “the most important driving force for renewing our schools,” and proceeds to hail homeschooling, private school vouchers and private higher education.

“At (Harrisburg’s) Cougar Academy, Trostle said, the cost per student to the district is $3,000…..By contrast, the district pays (cyber charter schools) $9,000 per traditionally schooled student, $20,000 per student in special education.”

Harrisburg School District starts cyberschool to save money, lure students back

By CATE MCKISSICK, For The Patriot-News  August 28, 2012, 7:17 PM
In an effort to save money and be competitive, the Harrisburg School District has opened its own online school in an effort to lure former students away from other cyber charter schools and back to the district.  The Harrisburg School District is offering its cyberschool, Cougar Academy, for students in the ninth through 12th grades, in hopes of winning back those students they’ve lost to charter cyberschools.
Harrisburg isn’t alone; the Bethlehem Area and Conemaugh Twp. (Somerset County) school districts have also established cyberschools to bring back students. 

Change could be the buzzword for Class of 2025
TribLive By Bill Vidonic and Bill Zlatos Monday, August 27, 2012
Predictions for the shape of American’s educational system by 2025:
Read more: http://triblive.com/news/2410025-74/class-classes-kindergarten-schools-students-elementary-2025-education-north-review#ixzz24vcnk0a7 

Harrisburg Patriot News will print three days of the week and expand 24/7 digital coverage starting in January

Letter to readers from Patriot-News Publisher John Kirkpatrick

Published: Tuesday, August 28, 2012, 10:15 AM     Updated: Tuesday, August 28, 2012, 1:00 PM
 By JOHN KIRKPATRICK, The Patriot-News 
Dear Patriot-News and PennLive readers,
The way we all get our news is changing, and changing quickly. In response, we are about to change in a bold and dramatic way.
You have made it clear to us in our ongoing conversations and in your use of both The Patriot-News and PennLive, that the world today is very different than what we all knew just a few years ago. Our advertisers have done the same. You have also made it clear that you want us to continue to be a leader in providing central Pennsylvania with the news and information you've come to expect from us – whether in print or online.
So, in January we will be changing The Patriot-News print schedule to the three days of the week that our readers and our advertisers value the most. We will be including features and section from other days into the new print schedule.
At the same time, we will be expanding our 24-hour, 7-day-a-week news efforts. Our 24-7 digital focus is aimed at serving the ever-evolving needs of our readers, our advertisers, and this community we care about so much.

If you have received an absentee ballot it must be postmarked by September 10th
Bios of candidates slated for 2013 PSBA offices 8/15/2012
At its May 19 meeting at PSBA Conference Center, the PSBA Nominating Committee interviewed and selected a slate of candidates for officers of the association in 2013.

Upcoming PSBA Professional Development Opportunities
To register or to learn more about PSBA professional development programs please visit:  www.psba.org/workshops/

2012 PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference Oct. 16-19, 2012
Registration is Now Open!  Hershey Lodge & Convention Center, Hershey, PA
www.psba.org/workshops/school-leadership-conference/

EPLC’s 2012 Arts and Education Symposium: Save the Date, Thursday, October 11

Education Policy and Leadership Center

Please mark your calendars and plan on joining EPLC, our partners, and guests on October 11 in Harrisburg for a full day of events.  Stay tuned to aei-pa.org for information about our 2nd Arts and Education Symposium.  Scholarships and Act 48 Credit will be available.  Outstanding speakers and panelists from Pennsylvania and beyond will once again come together to address key topics in the arts and arts education and related public policy advocacy initiatives.  This is a networking and learning opportunity not to be missed!

http://www.aei-pa.org/


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 grass roots 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., FRN membership is a good place to start. 
Click here for more information.
at 1 comment:

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

EITC 2.0 is just what the private and religious schools were looking for in a voucher program: diverted public tax dollars for students who were already attending their schools - with no strings attached.




“Middle-class American students who attend well-funded schools rank at the top of the world on international tests.” Stephen Krashen, professor emeritus of the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California August 12, 2012 


Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 1600 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors, administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers, 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


EITC 2.0 is just what the private and religious schools were looking for in a voucher program: diverted public tax dollars for students who were already attending their schools - with no strings attached.  No accountability for dollars or student performance, no messy or inconvenient Gumint rules or regulations, no sunshine laws, no state meddling with curriculum, no annoying state tests; no requirements to accept any students – just the money, free and clear.
“Mike Shaker, director of development for Shalom, said the school has received the most inquiries from families who live within the geographic areas of the "low-achieving" schools and already have students attending Shalom.  The purpose of the school remains the same.
"Our mission is to prepare students for a life of consequence in the kingdom of God," said Shaker. "That's the hard thing. You have to be a good fit. It's about offering parents a certain type of education. The Bible is the main textbook from which we do all of our teaching.
"We try to make people aware the goal is not to add students to enrollment, but to find students who fit and want a Shalom-type education."

EITC 2.0 Voucher Lite: Franklin County area students from lower-achieving schools look into private schools

Chambersburg Public Opinion Online By BRIAN HALL @bkhallPO
FRANKLIN COUNTY - Area private schools have reported some interest in the new Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit program after it was passed by the state earlier this summer.
The program will provide students who live within the boundaries of determined "low-achieving" schools a chance to apply for funding to attend a school approved by Pennsylvania Department of Education.
Representatives from Shalom Christian Academy, Cumberland Valley Christian School and the Montessori Academy said their schools have been specifically contacted about the new program.

“In just under two years, the nonprofit partnership has raised an impressive $51.9 million. The funds are to be split among traditional public schools, charters, and private schools. But so far, no regular schools have received grants through the program.”
Posted: Tue, Aug. 28, 2012, 3:01 AM
Inquirer Editorial: Good to see foundations trying to help schools
The Philadelphia School Partnership is well on its way toward a $100 million fund-raising goal for Philadelphia schools. That type of effort in the aftermath of a crippling recession deserves loud applause.  But the fund-raising drive also should raise questions about the future of public schools if their survival must depend on the goodwill of charitable sponsors because government funding has become woefully inadequate.
In just under two years, the nonprofit partnership has raised an impressive $51.9 million. The funds are to be split among traditional public schools, charters, and private schools. But so far, no regular schools have received grants through the program.

“….Ask a parent who can’t dream of paying a $26,100 tuition bill from Penn Charter whether a high-quality, free public elementary school in their neighborhood is a matter of meaningless, “esoteric debate.”
Commentary: Mayor missed the meaning of "public" in public ed
The Notebook by Helen Gym on Aug 27 2012
It probably wouldn’t surprise you to hear a Pennsylvania politician questioning the very definition and premise of public education. It may surprise you that Philadelphia’s leading Democrat is on record saying public vs. private ought to be meaningless when it comes to education.
….Ask a parent who can’t dream of paying a $26,100 tuition bill from Penn Charter whether a high-quality, free public elementary school in their neighborhood is a matter of meaningless, “esoteric debate.”
Philadelphia public schools are 85 percent students of color and 80 percent economically disadvantaged. We have 20,000 children classified as having special needs and almost 12,000 English language learners. Is it “meaningless” that private and religious institutions hold the right to discriminate against and exclude those whom they choose not to serve? There’s no mandate for private schools to provide language services for new immigrants, serve special-needs students, or take recently adjudicated youth. They have the right to promote religious scripture and denounce same-sex orientation. They have the right to deny collective bargaining and employ non-certified teachers.

Contracts still unresolved in Clairton, Duquesne, East Allegheny, Steel Valley
McKeesport Daily News By Patrick Cloonan Published: Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Contracts remain unresolved in four area districts as a new school year begins.
“As long as we’re talking anywhere, it is a plus,” said Butch Santicola, field director and communications specialist for the Pennsylvania State Education Association.
Easton Area tries to maintain education after budget cuts
Easton Area administrators say district is doing more with less. Others aren't so sure.
By Adam Clark, Of The Morning Call  10:14 p.m. EDT, August 26, 2012
The hope in the Easton Area School District is that the kids won't notice.
If all goes as planned when students start class Monday, they will receive plenty of individual attention even though kindergarten through eighth-grade classes are almost universally larger.
Middle-school team teachers will be just as effective despite losing their daily period to strategize with colleagues, and the cafeteria tables will be spotless even though the district has cut eight custodians.  In the wake of massive budget cuts that slashed 135 jobs, including 72 teachers, the district's line is that it's "doing the same with less." But Easton will have to prove that to parents, teachers and experts who question whether it can maintain its educational standards.

Upper Darby officials discuss controversial NCLB elementary school choice plan
Delco Times By LINDA REILLY Times Correspondent Published: Tuesday, August 28, 2012
UPPER DARBY — School district officials met with parents of five elementary schools for an hour on Monday night to discuss transferring eligible students to meet the federal No Child Left Behind rulings……“In the past, Upper Darby has asked for a waiver,” McGarry said. “This past year, we wrote to the Pennsylvania Department of Education (for another waiver) and they informed us we must offer school choice. The PDE did provide a waiver for use of Aronimink.”

Editorial: Watkins: Man with a mission of choice?

Delco Times Editorial Published: Tuesday, August 28, 2012
So Joe Watkins has 30 days to come up with a plan to save the Chester Upland School District.
The joke around the city is: After he comes up with his plan, what’s he going to for the next 29 days?
Watkins, a University of Pennsylvania-trained educator, has a record of not only being very supportive of charter schools, but also of being employed by them and their owners.
He has been appointed by the Corbett administration, which has also very supportive of the charter school movement.
So will anyone be very surprised if Watkins’ plan to save the Chester Upland School District involves the closing of more of the old public schools and opening even more charters?

EITC 2.0 ‘Voucher lite’ program won’t help high school students who scored poorly
By Evan Brandt ebrandt@pottsmerc.com Posted: 08/26/12 10:15 pm
Second of Two Parts
POTTSTOWN — A state scholarship program designed to help rescue students from failing schools cannot easily rescue the students from Pottstown High School who put it on a “under-achieving” list because they have already completed their senior year.
It all comes down to timing, and the delay between the time a student takes the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment test (PSSA) and when the results are known.
Last month, as the result of the new Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit program, Pottstown High School was   declared as an “under-achieving” school    on the basis of the result of a standardized test taken by students two school years ago.
This year’s list was, by law, released on Aug. 1, but subsequent lists will be released on Feb. 1, Tim Eller, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of Education wrote in an email response to questions posed by The Mercury.

School Finance 101 Blog by Bruce Baker Posted on June 5, 2012
Data and thoughts on public and private school funding in the U.S.
The Commonwealth Triple-Screw: Special Education Funding & Charter School Payments in Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has among the least equitable state school finance systems in the country. Pennsylvania operates a school funding system that on average provides systematically less state and local revenue per pupil to the state’s highest need large and mid-size city districts. Among the nation’s most “screwed” city districts are Philadelphia, Reading and Allentown.  But amazingly, in Pennsylvania, the pain doesn’t end there. Pennsylvania also has one of the least fair, least logical approaches to special education funding, both in terms of the way in which special education aid is distributed to local public school districts and in the calculations for determining how much should be paid by local public school districts to charter schools for serving special education students.

At the Chalk Face Blog Talk Radio August 26, 2012
"What is Michelle Rhee famous for? Firing people." Diane Ravitch
Discusses school reform, common core on blog talk radio; runtime 29:47

“Beating up on public education is practically our national sport. I often do it myself. But overlooked in the ongoing assault is strong evidence that U.S. schools actually are worldbeaters -- except for the problem of poverty.”

Newsday: Poverty, not bad teachers, is what plagues our schools

Newsday August 26, 2012 5:21 PM By DANIEL AKST
Are American schools the best in the world? The answer is a resounding maybe -- which is good news indeed for this back-to-school season.  Beating up on public education is practically our national sport. I often do it myself. But overlooked in the ongoing assault is strong evidence that U.S. schools actually are worldbeaters -- except for the problem of poverty.
When it comes to reading, in fact, our schools may well be the best in the world. As Stanford University education professor Linda Darling-Hammond points out, U.S. 15-year olds in schools with fewer than 10 percent of kids eligible for free or cut-rate lunch "score first in the world in reading, outperforming even the famously excellent Finns."
This 10 percent threshold is significant because, in high achieving countries such as Finland, few schools have more poor kids than that. In other words, if you look at American schools that compare socioeconomically, we're doing great.
But wait, it gets better. U.S. schools where fewer than 25 percent are impoverished (by the same lunch measure) beat all 34 of the relatively affluent countries studied except South Korea and Finland. U.S. schools where 25 to 50 percent of students were poor still beat most other countries.

Bios of candidates slated for 2013 PSBA offices 8/15/2012
At its May 19 meeting at PSBA Conference Center, the PSBA Nominating Committee interviewed and selected a slate of candidates for officers of the association in 2013.

Upcoming PSBA Professional Development Opportunities
To register or to learn more about PSBA professional development programs please visit:  www.psba.org/workshops/

2012 PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference Oct. 16-19, 2012
Registration is Now Open!  Hershey Lodge & Convention Center, Hershey, PA
www.psba.org/workshops/school-leadership-conference/

EPLC’s 2012 Arts and Education Symposium: Save the Date, Thursday, October 11

Education Policy and Leadership Center

Please mark your calendars and plan on joining EPLC, our partners, and guests on October 11 in Harrisburg for a full day of events.  Stay tuned to aei-pa.org for information about our 2nd Arts and Education Symposium.  Scholarships and Act 48 Credit will be available.  Outstanding speakers and panelists from Pennsylvania and beyond will once again come together to address key topics in the arts and arts education and related public policy advocacy initiatives.  This is a networking and learning opportunity not to be missed!

http://www.aei-pa.org/


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 grass roots 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., FRN membership is a good place to start. 
Click here for more information.
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