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Pennsylvania Education Policy Roundup for March 7, 2013 : Accuracy, Fairness,
Transparency - funding formula on the left; funding formula on the
right; how about a funding formula?
“because the closings would create education deserts in
areas of the city with the highest concentration of minority and
low-income residents….Who would stay or move into a neighborhood that doesn’t
even have a school in which parents and community members can invest their
energies?”
thenotebook by
Elaine Simon on Mar 04 2013
PA House Education Committee Public
Hearing:
Cyber Charter Funding Reform
Thursday, March
14, 2013 10:00 AM
Room 140 Main Capitol
Here’s some background on these two bills:
Charter and Cyber Charter Funding Reforms Proposed
Charter and Cyber Charter Funding Reforms Proposed
House Majority Leader Mike Turzai’s website 1/25/2013
“If the SRC endorses even most of
the proposals, the result would be among the largest mass school closings in
the country, with one in eight city schools shutting its doors permanently in
June.”
Philly SRC set to vote on 27 planned
school closings
Kristen A. Graham, Inquirer
Staff Writer POSTED: Thursday, March 7, 2013 , 3:01 AM
The Philadelphia
Thursday is decision day, as the five members of the School Reform
Commission will meet to vote on 27 of the proposed closures and dozens more
program shifts and grade changes. (Votes for two closures, proposed more
recently, will be taken later.)
How high are the stakes? The president of the American Federation of
Teachers is expected to be in town for a pre-vote, anti-closing rally that
could draw hundreds outside the School District 's
headquarters on North Broad Street
Philly officials vote tonight on
controversial plan to close 27 schools
By KATHY MATHESON, Associated Press Published: Thursday, March 07, 2013
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Education officials in the city will vote Thursday on
whether to close more than 10 percent of the district's schools, a
potentially money-saving move that opponents contend will irreparably damage
dozens of neighborhoods. Many of the 27
buildings are in poor condition and have too many empty seats because of the
district's 23 percent enrollment drop over the past decade. The downsizing
would save the cash-strapped system about $24.5 million per year, officials
said.
But activists have held countless rallies and demonstrations against the plan, even camping outside Mayor Michael Nutter's office for several hours Tuesday. They contend that the closures will harm already struggling neighborhoods by fueling the exodus from the district. "(Schools) are hubs of community life," said Ron Whitehorne, a retired middle-school science teacher. "We ought to be ... investing in these schools and developing them, not only for improved educational outcomes but for the whole community."
But activists have held countless rallies and demonstrations against the plan, even camping outside Mayor Michael Nutter's office for several hours Tuesday. They contend that the closures will harm already struggling neighborhoods by fueling the exodus from the district. "(Schools) are hubs of community life," said Ron Whitehorne, a retired middle-school science teacher. "We ought to be ... investing in these schools and developing them, not only for improved educational outcomes but for the whole community."
Dungee Glenn: The real issue is
equity
by thenotebook on Mar 06 2013 Posted in Commentary
Thursday's School Reform Commission vote on the recommended closure of
nearly 30 schools will undoubtedly have a major impact on the future of the
city's public school system. In advance of the vote, the Notebook asked prominent
Philadelphians to offer their thoughts, using new
data and maps on school attendance patterns in the city as a
starting point.
by Sandra Dungee Glenn
At the heart of school closings and school choice in Philadelphia
As urban districts around the country, including Philadelphia Philadelphia
Why wouldn’t parents seek alternatives?
Debate over school closings asks the
wrong questions
by thenotebook on Mar 06 2013 Posted in Commentary
Thursday's School Reform Commission vote on the recommended closure of
nearly 30 schools will undoubtedly have a major impact on the future of the
city's public school system. In advance of the vote,
the Notebook asked prominent Philadelphians to offer their
thoughts, using new
data and maps on school attendance patterns in the city as a
starting point.
by Mark Gleason and Mike
Wang
Far more important than the question of whether schools should close is
why some neighborhood schools work -- even when serving the same students
with the same funding -- and others don’t. We don’t need to look far
to answer this question and don’t need to engage in some hypothetical debate
over models, governance, theories, or systems. We need only to look at the
dozens of successful neighborhood schools in Philadelphia
Funding
formula on the left…
Fix PA State Education Funding
Formula
Keystone Politics Posted on March 6, 2013 by Jon #
We’ve covered how the current state funding distribution perpetuates
racial inequality, and how Tom Corbett made a conscious choice to go back
to distributing the money this way, quietly rolling back Rendell-era reforms. I would also add that the “hold harmless” law
leads to perverse land use and development choices. Growing districts are
punished by the current approach and shrinking districts are rewarded.
Consequently, any time local politicians are inclined to make pro-growth land
use and development choices that would grow the local population, there’s
inevitable pushback from people understandably worried that more growth will
lead to more families moving in, sending their school taxes soaring.
This is nuts. The state needs to reward local governments who want to
grow their populations, not punish them.
and
funding formula on the right…..
Report: Find better way to fund
education
By Eric Boehm | PA Independent March 5, 2013
The new report calls for Pennsylvania
So how
about a funding formula?
No accuracy, fairness, or transparency possible without sound formula
The statewide, non-profit organization examined how each of the 50 states calculates and distributes education dollars. The report shows that
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey wants to expand
access to preschool through a state-federal partnership
By Jan
Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com on March 06, 2013 at 2:02 PM
Hearing President Obama call for expanding access to high-quality
preschool education in his State
of the Union address was music to the ears of U.S. Sen. Bob Casey,
D-Pa.
Casey has been pushing
that idea since arriving in the Senate in 2007. In fact, legislation
to accomplish that goal was one of the first bills he introduced after taking
office that year.
"It's an interesting choice
... more booze, less school," the Philadelphia
Senators call for scrutiny of Pa.
Delco Times By PETER JACKSON, Associated Press Published: Tuesday, March 05, 2013
Senators took turns quizzing state Education Secretary Ronald Tomalis on wide-ranging topics at an Appropriations Committee hearing that focused mostly on his department's programs and its $11.3 billion budget request for the fiscal year that starts July 1.
As I See It: State government should
honor pension promises
By Patriot-News
Op-Ed By Rick Bloomingdale on March 07, 2013 at 12:00 AM ,
Rick Bloomingdale is the president of the
Pennsylvania AFL-CIO
Public pensions recently have been unfairly attacked by Gov. Tom Corbett
and his right-wing conservative friends in Harrisburg Main Street
Proposals for a new Philadelphia
WHYY Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane March 5, 2013
GUESTS: WILLIAM HITE, RON WHITESTONE, ANDREW ROTHERHAM
Proposals
for a new Philadelphia Federation of Teachers contract Audio Runtime: 52.01
A threatened school gets a good
report
Notebook by Paul Socolar on Mar 06 2013 Posted in Latest news
In a just-released list of graduation rates for District high schools,
there is a new name among the leaders: Paul Robeson
High School
"Is it fair for a small
number of really rich people to take over educational policy-making?" said
Kenneth Saltman, an education professor at DePaul
University in Chicago
Parents United for Public Education
Files Ethics Complaints Against William Penn Foundation And Boston
Huffington Post By KATHY MATHESON, AP 03/06/13 11:42 AM ET EST
Their ethics complaint says the two private groups that helped fund and
develop the plan should have registered as lobbyists, which would have
compelled public disclosure of donors and meetings with public officials.
And while nothing illegal is alleged, the complaint highlights an issue
that has become increasingly relevant as cash-strapped schools nationwide seek
money from nonpublic sources to offset budget cuts. Supporters say private
money funds badly needed innovations, yet critics say there is not enough
transparency.
School Boards Matter
Schools shift from
textbooks to tablets
Philly.com by PHILIP ELLIOTT , The Associated Press Wednesday, March 6, 2013 , 12:49 PM
Welcome to the new digital bookcase, where traditional ink-and-paper textbooks
have given way to iPads and book bags are getting lighter. Publishers update
students' books almost instantly with the latest events or research. Schools
are increasingly looking to the hand-held tablets as a way to sustain students'
interest, reward their achievements and, in some cases, actually keep
per-student costs down.
ANNOUNCING THE LAUNCH OF THE NETWORK
FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION
NATIONAL GROUP LED BY DIANE RAVITCH LAUNCHES; WILL SUPPORT CANDIDATES
WORKING TO PRESERVE AND STRENGTHEN PUBLIC SCHOOLS MARCH 6, 2013
Today marks the public launch of a new network devoted to the defense and
improvement of public education in the US
Become a member: http://www.networkforpubliceducation.org/network-membership/
Subscribe to our
newsletter: http://www.networkforpubliceducation.org/subscribe/
Diane Ravitch’s Blog By dianerav March 6, 2013 //
According to the results
posted in the Los Angeles Times, with 100% of the vote counted but not
certified, Steve Zimmer won by 52-48%! Assuming
that no one discovers a precinct with thousands of uncounted votes, this is a
stunning upset!
Zimmer faced the combined opposition of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa,
billionaire Eli Broad, billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch, billionaire
Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City ,
Michelle Rhee’s teacher-bashing StudentsFirst, the editorial board of the Los
Angeles Times, and an assortment of Hollywood
elite executives.
Millions of dollars were amassed to knock Zimmer off the school board.
Voters send mixed signals to school
reformers in L.A.
Voters keep sending signals that they have very mixed feelings about
corporate-based school reform. The latest signs come from Los Angeles
The reason it matters is that Los
Angeles
Broad Prize 2012: Houston
Posted by or
from a variety of publications on EducationViews.org on March 5, 2013
Broad Foundation releases research on best practices of Houston’s YES
Prep Public Schools, winner of Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools
LOS ANGELES – A report detailing the practices behind the 2012 Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools winner’s success in eliminating achievement gaps and reaching 100 percent college admission for all its students was released today by The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation.
LOS ANGELES – A report detailing the practices behind the 2012 Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools winner’s success in eliminating achievement gaps and reaching 100 percent college admission for all its students was released today by The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation.
Among the strategies researchers found likely to be contributing to YES
Prep’s outstanding results with low-income and minority students:
- Challenging curriculum
back-mapped from objectives measured by Advanced Placement exams
- Longer school days and
a longer school year
- Talented teachers and
administrators carefully selected based on qualities exhibited by YES
Prep’s most successful teachers and administrators
- Regular teacher
professional development, coaching and individualized support
- Character building and
community service integrated into the academic curriculum
- Preparation for
students to thrive in a “college culture,” including travel opportunities
to colleges and other trips, as well as assistance with college and
financial aid applications, so students can envision themselves as
successful college students
- Critical academic and
social-emotional support for students even after high school on their
college campuses
- Continuous improvement
loops built into strategies
Music: Just for Rich Kids?
Huffington Post by Ben Niles, Documentary Filmmaker Posted: 03/06/2013 1:03 pm
Today, thanks to state-by-state budget cuts, music education is rapidly
disappearing -- down about 20 percent since 2001, according to MENC (the
National Association for Music Education). No longer able to provide all the
"perks" of a liberal arts education, our public schools are
abandoning arts education, starting with music. Music is expensive (instruments
aren't free). Music is non-essential (they can listen at home, right?). And
most of all, music isn't on "the test" to which we teach. This alarming trend ignores the immense value
of music training on a child's development. Children who study music
consistently perform better on standardized tests in both math and reading and
earn higher grades. Through music study they learn vital life skills: problem
solving, self-discipline, frustration tolerance, creativity, empathy,
compassion, and the value of hard work.
Honoring Valor: National History Day
Student Competition
Letters of intent due by April 1, 2013
The Pennsylvania Department of Education, the Army Heritage Center
Foundation, and the Pennsylvania
State Museum
High School to demonstrate how and why societies honor valor. Inspired by
the valor exemplified by Soldiers at Gettysburg September
11, 2001 , and the responses of individuals battling disease or
injustice, the competition will recognize students who demonstrate
excellence in identifying and describing how and why societies honor
their valiant men and women.
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:
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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