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Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Tell me that part again about how state authorization of charters will improve accountability..........




How do we, as a nation, create scalable, sustainable models for effective public schools in high poverty communities?


Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 1650 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

Philly School District seeks testimony to decide Truebright charter school's fate
By Martha Woodall Inquirer Staff Writer Tue, Sep. 18, 2012, 3:01 AM
The Philadelphia School District is trying to compel a former administrator from the Truebright Science Academy Charter School to testify during a hearing on whether the school should remain open.  The district filed documents last week in Common Pleas Court seeking a subpoena to force Susan Farley-Ellison, who had been a high-ranking administrator, to testify about the school's operations at a charter-renewal hearing.
The North Philadelphia charter school, which is linked to a controversial Turkish imam, is fighting to remain open. In April, the School Reform Commission said it would not grant the school a new operating charter on 18 grounds, including poor academic performance and lack of certified teachers.

State auditor general calls for criminal probe of Vitalistic charter school
Auditor general wants Lehigh DA to conduct criminal probe.
By Steve Esack, Of The Morning Call 11:50 p.m. EDT, September 17, 2012
Vitalistic Therapeutic Charter School made improper payments to the families of employees and trustees, illegal loans and improper lease reimbursements totaling more than $630,000, according to a state audit report released Monday.
Pennsylvania Auditor General Jack Wagner said those deals may have violated state ethics and conflict-of-interest laws and he will ask the Lehigh County district attorney's office to conduct a criminal investigation.

PA Charter Schools: $4 billion taxpayer dollars with no real oversight

You’re Invited to a Private Screening
Yinzercation Blog by YinzerThing September 17, 2012
Are you in an ethical quandary about seeing the new “Won’t Back Down” movie? Perhaps you are angry about the film’s parent-trigger agenda and that it’s set in Pittsburgh claiming to be inspired by true events – that never actually happened here – but you still want to see the movie so you can be fully informed without contributing to these ultra-right filmmakers’ box office receipts? [See “We Won’t Back Down, Either” for the gory details about who made this movie and why.] Here’s the solution to your dilemma:
The Pittsburgh Public School district, the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers, and A+ Schools are hosting a private screening of “Won’t Back Down” on Wednesday, October 3, 2012 at 6:00 PM.

What Would You Do for Students in Poverty if you had Billions?

By Anthony Cody on September 17, 2012 10:17 AM
Though our dialogue with the Gates Foundation has ended, some interesting questions continue to stir things up. In the comments that follow the Gates Foundation's last post in the series, a reader named JT posed this question:
You might be right, but if you were giving away your money, how would you fix poverty? I would invest in education. What are the alternatives? We have deep divides in our society about the role of individual responsibilities and government which have been going on basically forever. To think a family foundation should focus its resources there is not practical.

OP-ED COLUMNIST

How to Fix the Schools

New York Times By JOE NOCERA Published: September 17, 2012
No matter how quickly the Chicago teachers’ strike ends, whether it is this afternoon or two months from now, it’s not going to end well for the city’s public school students. Yes, I know; that’s the hoariest of clichés. But that doesn’t mean it’s not true.
It’s not just the school days that are being lost. Far more important, the animosity between the Chicago Teachers Union and Mayor Rahm Emanuel and his administration will undoubtedly linger long after the strike ends. The battle will end, but the war between education reformers and urban public schoolteachers will go on.
Teachers — many of them — will continue to resent efforts to use standardized tests to measure their ability to teach. Their leaders — some of them — will denounce the “billionaire hedge fund managers” who are financing many of the reform efforts. Reformers will continue to view teachers’ unions as the greatest roadblock to higher student achievement.

Rhee's StudentsFirst Names New, High-Profile Board

Education Week Teacher Beat Blog By Stephen Sawchuk on September 17, 2012 10:11 AM
At long last, the education advocacy group begun by former D.C. Chancellor Michelle Rhee has named a new, permanent board of directors.


Education Voters PA Statewide Advocate Leadership Session Sept. 22nd
Added by Ian Moran
Time: September 22, 2012 from 8:30am to 4:30pm
Location: Temple University Harrisburg, 234 Strawberry Square
Education Voters of Pennsylvania will be holding a day-long summit for public education advocates across the state on Saturday September 22 in Harrisburg, PA. 
With public education coming under attack on multiple levels, the goal of this event is to bring together community members who are standing up for public schools in their own communities for training, planning and coordinating statewide efforts to maximize the impact that we all have.  We'll have a chance to brush up on and learn more about key policy issues, get training on effective advocacy tools and techniques and share stories and idea about local effort and how we bring this work together in a unified way.  Breakfast and lunch will be provided.
Click HERE for more details on parking, directions, etc.

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/

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