Daily
postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 1850
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 regulatory agencies, professional associations and 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 February 23, 2013
Pennsylvanians for Charter
School
Fix Broken Charter School Funding -
Reform PA Charter Schools
Read more: http://reformpacharterschools.wordpress.com/
Resources from the Pennsylvania
Budget Summit
PA Budget and Policy
Center February 22, 2013
The Pennsylvania Budget and Policy
Center hosted its annual Budget Summit
in Harrisburg on February 21, providing an
in-depth look at the state and federal budgets and what they mean for
communities and families across Pennsylvania
EPLC Education Notebook- Friday, February 22, 2013
Education Policy and Leadership
Center
School District of Philadelphia School
Prepared by Research for Action February 21, 2013
9 Philly schools to undergo
Renaissance overhaul
The notebook by David Limm on Feb 22 2013
Nine struggling schools in Philadelphia
Two high schools and seven elementary schools will be transformed under
the now three-year-old initiative, a signature program of former Superintendent
Arlene Ackerman that seeks to turn around the District's worst-performing
schools.
Prepared for the Accountability Review Council by Research for Action
Authors Eva Gold, Ph.D., Michael H. Norton, Deborah Good, M.S.W., Stephanie
Levin, Ph.D.
By Emily
Previti | PennLive.com on February 21, 2013 at 8:00 PM
School officials are expected to address the very academic and financial
issues that prompted the state Department of Education to deem Harrisburg
“Herr attributed the dramatic turnaround to the district’s $31 million
settlement with the Pennsylvania Department of Education last August. That
settlement emanated from the district suing PDE when it ran out of funding in
January 2012.”
Delco Times by John Kopp Published: Friday, February 22, 2013
Chris Herr, an accountant for Maillie, Falconiero and Co, said the district the district’s accumulated fund balance showed about a $2 million surplus. According to its last audit, Herr said, Chester Upland had about a $15.5 million deficit in its accumulated fund balance at the end of the 2010-11 fiscal year.
Published: Friday, February 22, 2013
Delco Times By JOHN KOPP jkopp@delcotimes.com
@DT_JohnKopp
In an 8-0 vote Feb. 11, the Perkiomen Valley School Board approved a
preliminary general fund budget for 2013-14 that would see spending rise to
$94.6 million, an increase of $4.4 million, or 4.9 percent, over the current
year’s budget. It would be “one of our
higher growths” in recent years, district Business Administrator Jim Weaver
told the board. Revenues under the
budget proposal were projected to be just shy of $91.4 million, up $2.1
million, or about 2.45 percent, over 2012-13, Weaver said.
Delco Times By LOIS PUGLIONESI Times Correspondent February 21, 2013
HAVERFORD — School directors voted unanimously to adopt a $97 million
preliminary budget for 2013-14, which includes a 3.49 percent property tax rate
increase, raising millage from 26.7306 to 27.664 mills. The increase would add $2.94 million to local
revenue sources, for a total $80.77 million.
It would also cost residents an additional $150 in annual taxes on a
property assessed at $160,000, for a total of about $4,426.
Fleetwood owed $238,000 since '09 for
construction project
Reading Eagle by David Mekeel Originally Published: 2/21/2013
The idea was to avoid accruing interest until the borrowed money was
needed, said Dr. Paul B. Eaken, superintendent.
Equity and Excellence
Equity and excellence: those are two words you hear thrown around by
education reformers of all stripes these days. Even the U.S. Department of
Education just released the report of its “Equity and Excellence Commission,”
with recommendations for improving public schools. So let’s consider those two
words for a moment.
When I teach women’s history, we talk a lot about equity versus equality.
And my students often struggle with the distinction. We’re accustomed to
thinking about equality as the gold standard of liberty: equal pay, equal
access, equal rights. But often it’s equity that we are after. In women and girls’
sports, for instance, Title IV protections have helped to level the playing
field by providing more equitable access to sports opportunities and coaches,
not by mandating equal spots on the football team. Equality implies
sameness or equivalence. Equity, on the other hand, implies
fairness and a sense of justice. There is an ethical consideration to the term.
The government’s new report acknowledges this point by emphasizing equitable funding
for public education. Equitable, not equal. That means sometimes the poorest
students need to get more. They deserve their fair share, not the same share.
Clout: Williams declares
'affectionate' feeling for undeclared Schwartz
Philly.com by Chris Brennan Friday, February 22, 2013 , 3:01 AM
STATE SEN. Anthony Hardy Williams stopped just short this week
of endorsing U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz if she challenges Gov. Corbett
next year.
After all, Schwartz isn't even a declared candidate yet.
"I told her she could use my name in a fond and affectionate
way," Williams told us.
“Pennsylvania
ALEC POLICIES SELL 'SNAKE OIL TO THE
STATES'
Third and State Blog Posted by Sharon Ward on February 19, 2013 9:35 am
Three national organizations offered a scathing criticism of policies
endorsed by the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, in a conference
call with reporters last week. Their findings strike a stake in the heart of
ALEC claims that its view of the world — lower taxes, fewer workplace protections,
and diminished public investments — is good for the public.
With baby boomers retiring, tests, tests and
more tests and the terrible public perception of teachers fostered by the Obama
administration, privatizers, profiteers and reformers, we are losing an entire
generation of teachers. You’d have to be
nuts to want to go into teaching these days, and that is a disaster….JMHO
“Unfortunately, current federal policy focuses on identifying teacher
deficits, rather than building up a vibrant, highly qualified and competent
teaching corps.”
Next steps toward achieving equity
in education
I reported earlier this week on
a new report on equity in education that was released by a
congressionally mandated commission, and noted that it had some important
points as well as some flaws. Here is a piece by two people who were involved
with the commission in different ways, Rep. Michael Honda of California
Schools Matter Blog by Jim Horn Thursday, February 21, 2013
It is hard to understand why teachers’ satisfaction has dropped to an
all-time low during the Obama Administration. Yes, Secretary of Education
Arne Duncan has doubled-down on the bubble-in madness of NCLB. Duncan
Better Charter Schools in New York City
New York Times Editorial Published: February 22, 2013 3
Comments
From a national standpoint, the 20-year-oldcharter school movement
has been a disappointment. More than a third of these independently run,
publicly funded schools are actually worse than the traditional public schools
they were meant to replace. Abysmal charter schools remain open for years, even
though the original deal was that they would be shut down when they failed to
perform. New York City
The bill targeting education standards in 45 states has been temporarily
put aside.
The bill's author, Sen. Scott Schneider halts implementation of Common
Core standards until public hearings are conducted. Indiana
The bill’s author, Indianapolis Republican Senator Scott Schneider, says
he was initially approached by two parents concerned about the Common Core. His
legislation originally eliminated the education standards; now, it halts
implementation until the state Board of Education conducts public hearings in
each of the state’s nine congressional districts.
“Given that standardized tests provide only one indicator of student
achievement, and that their high-stakes uses produce ever-increasing incentives
to teach to the test, narrow the curriculum, or even to cheat, we call on the
BESE [Board of Elementary and Secondary Education] to stop using standardized
tests in high-stakes decisions affecting students, teachers, and schools.”
A coalition
of more than 130 Massachusetts professors and researchers from some 20
schools — including Harvard, Tufts,
Boston and Brandeis universities — signed a new public
statement that urges officials to stop overusing high-stakes
standardized tests to assess students, teachers and schools. The statement — also signed by academics
from the University of Massachusetts , Clark
University , Boston
College , Lesley College
Kids Lose Billions With Sequester
FACT SHEETS
FACT SHEETS
First Focus Campaign for Children By Jared Solomon February 11, 2013
In a matter of weeks on March 1, 2013 , if across the board cuts known as
sequestration take effect federal funding for kids will be cut by an additional
$4.2 billion in Fiscal Year 2013. With the recently passed American Tax Relief
Act, this fact sheet explores the updated impact of sequestration on America
NSBA’s Center for Public Education The Edifier by Patti Barth February 22, 2013
Understanding the president’s pre-k
plan
A jaw-dropping moment in President
Obama’s state of the union address was his call for universal pre-k.
It was a welcome surprise to us at CPE because we — along with many, many
school and child advocates — have long promoted the short- and long-term
benefits of high-quality pre-k. But the SOTU raises the profile of pre-k
to levels we could only dream of, which also brings out the skeptics.
By now, nearly everyone has read or heard the president’s pre-k argument:
“In states that make it a priority to educate our youngest children —
like Georgia or Oklahoma — studies show students grow up more likely to read
and do math at grade level, graduate high school, hold a job, form more stable
families of their own.”
The fact-checkers have been all over this statement. The Washington
Post’s Glenn
Kessler gave it 2 Pinocchios which on his accuracy scales translates
to “significant omissions and/or exaggerations.” The analysts at factcheck.org likewise
characterized the president’s claims as “misleading.”
Annenberg Institute for Social Reform
DAILY NEWS DIGEST February 22, 2013
The Daily News Digest presents highlights of education and education reform news, chosen from a wide variety of media outlets and differing perspectives to reflect potentially high-impact events and ideas. The inclusion of any news item should not be construed as an implied endorsement by the Annenberg Institute for School Reform.
The Daily News Digest presents highlights of education and education reform news, chosen from a wide variety of media outlets and differing perspectives to reflect potentially high-impact events and ideas. The inclusion of any news item should not be construed as an implied endorsement by the Annenberg Institute for School Reform.
Ensuring Safe Schools for LGBT Youth
US Department of Education Homeroom Blog
Posted on February 20, 2013 by Michael Yudin
Michael Yudin is acting assistant secretary for ED’s Office of Special
Education and Rehabilitative Services
Safe schools are not only free from overt forms of physical violence or
substance abuse, but work proactively to support, engage, and include all
students. Unfortunately, too many schools are not safe for LGBT youth.
According to GLSEN’s National
School Climate Survey, nearly 8 out of 10 LGBT youth were harassed at
school.
Dan Rather's interview with Linda
Darling-Hammond on Finland
StanfordSCOPE·YouTube
video runtime 9:55 Uploaded on Jan 30, 2012
In just 30 years, Finland Stanford University ,
is excerpted from Dan Rather Reports' show on Finland United States learn from Finland
More information about Linda Darling-Hammond is available at http://edpolicy.stanford.edu. The full episodes of Finnish First are available for download from iTunes at http://itunes.apple.com/us/tv-season/....
More information about Linda Darling-Hammond is available at http://edpolicy.stanford.edu. The full episodes of Finnish First are available for download from iTunes at http://itunes.apple.com/us/tv-season/....
PSBA officer applications due April
30
PSBA’s website 2/15/2013
Candidates seeking election to PSBA officer posts in 2014 must file an
expression of interest for the office desired to be interviewed by the PSBA
Leadership Development Committee.
This new committee replaces the former Nominations Committee. Deadline
for filing is April 30. The application shall be marked received at
PSBA headquarters or mailed first class and postmarked by the deadline to be
considered timely filed. Expression of interest forms can be found online
at www.psba.org/about/psba/board-of-directors/officers/electing-officers.asp.
Edcamp Philly 2013 at UPENN
May 18th, 2013
For those of you who have never gone to an
Edcamp before, please make a note of the unusual part of the morning where we
will build the schedule. Edcamp doesn’t believe in paying fancy people to come
and talk at you about teaching! At an Edcamp, the people attending – the participants
- facilitate sessions on teaching and learning! So Edcamp won’t
succeed without a whole bunch of you wanting to run a session of some kind!
What kinds of sessions might you run?
What: Edcamp Philly is an"unconference" devoted
to K-12 Education issues and ideas.
Where:University
of Pennsylvania
Where:
Education Policy and Leadership
Center
SUBJECT: Governor Corbett's Proposed
Education Budget for 2013-2014
"Southeastern Region Breakfast Series" Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Continental Breakfast - 8:00 a.m. Program - 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown Hotel - 201 North 17th St. , Philadelphia ,
PA 19103
SPEAKERS: An Overview of the Proposed 2013-2014 State Budget
and Education Issues Will Be Provided By:
Sharon Ward, The Pennsylvania Budget and
Policy Center
Ron Cowell, The Education Policy and Leadership
Center
State and Regional
Perspectives Will Be Provided By:
Mark B. Miller, School Director,Centennial School District
Mark B. Miller, School Director,
Joe Otto, Chief Operations Officer, William Penn
School District
Michael Churchill, Of Counsel, Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia
Dr. Stephen D. Butz , Superintendent, Southeast Delco
School District
Dr. Stephen D. Butz
While there is no
registration fee, seating is limited and an RSVP is required.
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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