Daily
postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 1800
Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors, administrators,
legislators, legislative and congressional staffers, PTO/PTA officers, parent
advocates, teacher leaders, education professors, members of the press and a
broad array of P-16 education advocacy organizations via emails, website,
Facebook and Twitter.
These daily
emails are archived at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
Follow us
on Twitter at @lfeinberg
For January
23, 2013
Ex-workers claim K12,
Inc., operator of cyber-charters played games with enrollment figures
WHYY Newsworks By Benjamin Herold January 21, 2013
Dozens of former
employees claim that K12 Inc, a for-profit education company, used dubious and
sometimes fraudulent tactics to mask astronomical rates of student turnover in
its national network of cyber charter schools.
K12 manages Agora, the
second largest cyber charter in Pennsylvania
The former employees
allege that K12-managed schools aggressively recruited children who were
ill-suited for the company's model of online education. They say the schools
then manipulated enrollment, attendance and performance data to maximize
tax-subsidized per-pupil funding.
These claims by
anonymous "confidential witnesses" are spelled out in court documents
filed last June as part of a class-action lawsuit by the company's investors.
Allegations touch upon Agora
Many of the allegations come from people who worked for theAgora
Cyber Charter
School , based in Wayne , Pa. Pennsylvania
Many of the allegations come from people who worked for the
Related prior posting
from yesterday: “What we are having now is private control of public schools…”
Charter schools now big business nationwide
….Charter schools are public
schools that have their own boards and are chartered by a local school district
in the case of a bricks-and-mortar charter or by the state for a cyber charter.
School districts pay a fee set by the state for their residents to attend.
Increasingly, locally elected
school officials are finding their districts competing against charter schools
allied with big organizations with big money and their own ideas for students.
“It’s had a large impact on the
growth of charter school reform,” said Gary Miron, an education professor
at Western Michigan University
Related prior posting: Your
Tax Dollars: It’s All About the Kids…..
K12 Inc. chief executive Ron Packard paid
$5 million compensation package in 2011
Ronald J. Packard, the chief
executive of Herndon-based education company K12 Inc., earned a total
compensation package worth $5 million in fiscal 2011, according to an amended annual report filed Thursday with the
Securities and Exchange Commission.
That’s nearly twice the $2.67
million Packard earned in 2010. It includes $551,000 in cash, $4.2 million in
stock awards and about $290,000 in other compensation.
Related prior posting: Charles
Zogby, PA's Budget Secretary and Former Secretary of Education under Governor
Ridge, served as K12's Senior Vice President of Education and Policy prior
to being recruited to serve in the Corbett Administration.
“According to disclosures
reported in Business Week, Pennsylvania’s Agora Cyber Charter School—K12 Inc.’s
online school generated $31.6 million for K12 Inc. in the past academic
year."
Federal government says state had used grading
system that was too lenient.
By Steve Esack and Eugene Tauber, Of The Morning
Call 9:12 p.m. EST, January 22, 2013
The number of charter schools
hitting testing benchmarks plummeted after the federal government said the
state Education Department graded them too leniently.
At first, nearly half of the
state's 156 charter schools whose students took the 2012 PSSA math and reading
tests made so-called Adequate Yearly Progress under a new grading system
Education Secretary Ron Tomalis implemented last summer.
The new system, which Tomalis
initiated without federal approval and at the behest of a charter school
lobbying group, made it easier for charter schools to reach federal standards
than traditional public schools. It classified charters, no matter their size,
as school districts, which are measured on a broader scale than individual
schools.
PDE Recalculation of Charter School
PSBA’s website January 22, 2013
As required by the U.S
Department of Education (U.S. DOE), the Pennsylvania Department of Education
(PDE) has recalculated the academic performance of charter schools for 2011-12,
with the data showing a marked decline in the number of schools that met
targets for Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and an increase in those charter
schools that are in warning, improvement or corrective action status.The
recalculations show that only 28% of all charter schools met AYP, as compared
to 49% determined under the calculations made last fall.
The recalculations affected 144 brick and mortar charter schools, and 12 cyber charter schools. According to the recalculations released in January:
The recalculations affected 144 brick and mortar charter schools, and 12 cyber charter schools. According to the recalculations released in January:
- There are 34 fewer charter schools in total met AYP,
dropping from 77 (49%) to 43 (28%).
- No cyber charter schools met AYP.
- There are 7 fewer charter schools that received a
“Making Progress” designation.
- There are 27 more charter schools that received a
“Warning” designation.
- There are 9 more charter schools in either “Corrective
Action I or II” under the recalculations.
Read more: http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.blogspot.com/2013/01/pde-recalculation-of-charter-school.html
What Works: University Affiliation and
Additional Funding
District studies options for Penn Alexander
kindergarten sign-ups
Kristen
A. Graham, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER January 22, 2013 , 9:59 PM
For now, a lottery is still in
place for next year's kindergarten classes at Penn Alexander, a public school
in West Philadelphia so well regarded that 70
parents were prepared to camp outside for four days and nights to secure spots
for their children.
But after a meeting with more
than 100 parents and interested community members Tuesday, Philadelphia School
District Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. said he was willing to work with
the community to explore alternative solutions.
"Serving every student in
the catchment area is the desire of individuals, and that's what we would like
to do," Hite said, adding that he was "not guaranteeing" that
goal.
“…the efforts of the school
district should be directed toward using this publicity to aggressively call
upon all the colleges and universities in Philadelphia
Inquirer Letter to
the Editor by Dom Giordano
I WAS RECENTLY on the website
City-data.com and came upon this question: "We are considering moving to
West Philadelphia from Lansdowne so our daughters can attend the Penn Alexander
School Baltimore Avenue Philadelphia
More charges for Philadelphia
Martha
Woodall, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER POSTED: Tuesday, January 22, 2013 ,
5:22 PM
The U.S. Attorney's office this
afternoon announced five additional criminal charges against charter school
founder Dorothy June Brown and three former charter administrators.
The superseding indictment
charges Brown 75, of Haverford, and Joan Woods Chalker, 74, of Springfield , Delaware King of Prussia , was charged with two more counts of
obstruction of justice. Michael A. Slade Jr., 31, of Philadelphia
The grand jury alleged that the
wire fraud and obstruction of justice occurred as part of schemes to defraud
three charter schools Brown had she founded of $214,095.
Duquesne recovery plan may call for closing elementary school
By Mary Niederberger / Pittsburgh January 22, 2013
10:15 pm
The chief recovery
officer of the Duquesne
City School
District
New York Times By SHARON OTTERMAN Published: January 22, 2013
The New
York Roman Catholic Archdiocese announced Tuesday that it would close
22 elementary schools and 2 high schools, saying it could no longer afford to
spend millions each year supporting schools that were not economically
self-sufficient.
Because finances were the most
significant factor in the decisions, schools filled with children from poor
and immigrant families will be hit hard.
Education Committee Revs Back Up In 113th
Congress
It's back to school for Congress.
By Joy
Resmovits Huffington Post Education Reporter Posted: 01/22/2013 2:27 pm
Today, Rep. John Kline
(R-Minn.), chair of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, held his
first organizational meeting with the 113th Congress's iteration of his
committee. In his opening remarks, Kline said reauthorizing No Child Left
Behind will remain a "top priority." NCLB, the sweeping law that
governs public K-12 education, expired in 2007.
As we've previously reported,
it will be hard for Kline to push a bill to the floor that is similar enough to
the Senate's approach that it can be conferenced, and eventually signed into
law. And besides, the White House is unlikely to get involved -- the Education
Department is in the process of implementing the waivers most states have
signed up for in an attempt to ditch the huge George W. Bush law.
US House of Representatives
Education
and the Workforce finalized subcommittee assignments.
“Senate Bill 225 would significantly reduce the number of state standardized tests
students must pass to graduate — from 15 to five in reading, writing, biology,
Algebra I and U.S. history. It would also leave whether to count the state
exams toward anything besides graduation requirements up to local school
boards. “
State Sen. Kel Seliger, the
Amarillo Republican who chairs the Senate Higher Education Committee, filed a
bill Tuesday offering broad changes to student assessment and high school graduation
requirements in Texas.
National High
School
The national high school graduation rate has
improved notably, with 78.2 percent of public school students receiving a
diploma in 2009-10, up from 75.5 percent the year before, according to the
newest figures released from the National
Center for Education Statistics Tuesday.
In 2005-06, the rate was 73.4 percent, and in
2000-01, it was 71.7 percent.
There were 38 states with an increase of one
percentage point or more, in the most recent analysis. Overall, 3.1 million
students received a diploma in 2009-10, the report, "Public School
Graduates and Dropouts from the Common Core of Data: School Year 2009-10"
finds.
If you are
a Pennsylvania
To what extent should teachers
be involved in determining what an effective teacher is?
OnJun 30, 2012 ,
Pa Governor Corbett signed HB1901 (3885), a law that requires teachers
to be evaluated by multiple measures including student achievement, graduation
rates and locally-designed rubrics.
Teachers Lead Philly would like to know what you think about teacher evaluation. TAKE THE SURVEY, and share it with a friend!
On
Teachers Lead Philly would like to know what you think about teacher evaluation. TAKE THE SURVEY, and share it with a friend!
SAVE THE DATE: 2013 Pennsylvania
Budget Summit
Many Pennsylvanians have
sent a clear message to Harrisburg Policy Center
for an in-depth look at the Governor's proposal and an update on the federal
budget -- and what they mean for communities and families across Pennsylvania
2013 Pennsylvania
Budget Summit
Thursday, February 21, 2013 ,
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
HiltonHarrisburg , 1 North Second Street, Harrisburg , PA
Hilton
EPLC 2013 REGIONAL WORKSHOPS
FOR SCHOOL
The Education Policy and Leadership Center, with the Cooperation
of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) and Pennsylvania
Association of School Business Officials (PASBO), will conduct A Series of Regional Full-Day
Workshops for 2013
Pennsylvania School Board Candidates. Registration is $45 and includes
coffee/donuts, lunch, and materials.
Philadelphia Region Saturday, February 2, 2013
– 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Montgomery County Intermediate Unit, 1605 W. Main Street, Norristown, PA 19403
Montgomery County Intermediate Unit, 1605 W. Main Street, Norristown, PA 19403
Harrisburg Region Saturday, February 9,
2013– 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Pennsylvania School Boards Association Headquarters, 400 Bent Creek Boulevard, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050
Pennsylvania School Boards Association Headquarters, 400 Bent Creek Boulevard, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050
Pittsburgh Region Saturday, February 23, 2013 – 8:30
a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Doubletree Hotel Pittsburgh/Monroeville, 101 Mall Blvd., Monroeville, PA 15146
Doubletree Hotel Pittsburgh/Monroeville, 101 Mall Blvd., Monroeville, PA 15146
2013 PSBA Leadership Symposium on
Advocacy and Issues
April 6, 2013 The Penn Stater Convention Center Hotel; State College, PA
Strategic leadership, school budgeting and advocacy are key issues facing today's school district leaders. For your school district to truly thrive, leaders must maintain a solid understanding of these three functions. Attend the 2013 PSBA Leadership Symposium on Advocacy and Issues to ensure you have the skills you need to take your district to the next level.
April 6, 2013 The Penn Stater Convention Center Hotel; State College, PA
Strategic leadership, school budgeting and advocacy are key issues facing today's school district leaders. For your school district to truly thrive, leaders must maintain a solid understanding of these three functions. Attend the 2013 PSBA Leadership Symposium on Advocacy and Issues to ensure you have the skills you need to take your district to the next level.
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