Daily
postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 1900
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.
The Keystone State Education Coalition is
pleased to be listed among the friends and allies of The Network for Public
Education. Are you a
member?
These daily
emails are archived at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg
Take action today for public
education; ask your friends and colleagues to do the same.
Monday: Education Voters PA Statewide Call to
Action for Public Education
Pennsylvania’s 1.76 million public school kids don’t care whether Rendell backfilled or Corbett cut stimulus money; they now have 20,000 fewer adults trying to maintain their constitutionally mandated “thorough and efficient system of public education” than they did a couple years ago.
Pennsylvania’s 1.76 million public school kids don’t care whether Rendell backfilled or Corbett cut stimulus money; they now have 20,000 fewer adults trying to maintain their constitutionally mandated “thorough and efficient system of public education” than they did a couple years ago.
Monday, June 10th –
remember it just takes 10 minutes to do three things to make a difference!
Send an email to Harrisburg
Education Voters PA
In the event
that you have a few minutes more to spare, please consider contacting the legislative
leadership listed below; here’s part of their job description:
PA Constitution - Public School System Section 14.
“The General Assembly shall
provide for the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of
public education to serve the needs of the Commonwealth.”
PA Legislature Republican Leadership 2013
Senate Majority Leader Dominic
Pileggi
717-787-4712
Senate Appropriations Committee
Chairman Jake Corman
717-787-1377
Senate President Pro Tempore Joseph
Scarnati
717-787-7084
House Majority Leader Mike Turzai
717-772-9943
House Appropriation Committee
Chairman William Adolph
717-787-1248
House Speaker Sam Smith
717-787-6564
Governor
Tom Corbett
717-787-2500, Fax: 717-772-8284
Email: governor@state.pa.us
Missed our
weekend postings?
Pennsylvania Education Policy Roundup
for June 8, 2013 :
Philly to layoff 3800 more; Three of four school districts in state say they'll
cut programs to help balance budgets; Madonna poll says only 1% give Corbett
Admin. an “A” for improving public education; Q Poll says 52% don’t think Gov
should be reelected…. Think these items are related?
Corbett focusing on 3 key pieces of legislation
Along with budget, sets sights on
transit, pension, liquor laws
By Ed
Blazina / Pittsburgh June
8, 2013 12:04 am
Gov. Tom
Corbett has been steadfast that he wants the state Legislature to finish three
important pieces of legislation along with a new budget by June 30:
transportation funding, liquor privatization and pension reform. But in response to a question at a news
conference in Pittsburgh
“After approving 97
percent of the 368 alteration/curtailment requests received over the past five
years, according to information provided by the Department of Education, the
state decided to make the process easier for school districts this budget
season. As long as a district can list one of four allowable reasons for
program cuts, it can lay off teachers without any state review.
Approved by the state
Legislature last summer, the change was among Gov. Tom Corbett's recommendations to update the Public
School Code, said Tim Eller, Department of Education spokesman.”
Districts have more
freedom to cut teachers
The
state says the change eliminates a burdensome layer of bureaucracy.
By Adam Clark, Of The Morning Call 12:06
a.m. EDT, June 10, 2013
When
Superintendent Susan McGinley was asked last spring to explain Easton Area
School District
Over the
next six minutes, McGinley read to the school board word for word from a
document the district planned to send to the state secretary of education to
gain approval for making the cuts.
Instead of
telling the state what she told the community — that the district was forced to
make painful layoffs because of financial woes — McGinley said slashing the
jobs was part of an "alteration or curtailment of programs." Laying off teachers just to save money is a
violation of Pennsylvania School Code, but laying them off because the district
is eliminating its middle school team-teaching model, for example, is fair.
“These are just the
latest issues facing a district that has struggled for more than 20 years. In
1994, it brought in a private, for-profit company to run Turner Elementary,
making it the first school district in the nation to privatize a public school.
The teacher union objected and the case drew national attention. In 1997, the
program was defeated in the courts. The issues that made headlines then -- low
test scores, high millage rates and poverty -- haven't gone away.”
For at least 20 years, interlocking problems have
plagued Wilkinsburg schools
By Alex
Zimmerman / Pittsburgh June
10, 2013 12:13 am
In the Wilkinsburg School District
A third of
students have been involved in incidents that threatened school safety. On
state tests, 86.4 percent of 11th graders aren't proficient in math and 68.3
percent aren't proficient in reading.
The
district is hemorrhaging students to charter schools. It borrowed $3 million
for general operating expenses and has furloughed about 80 teachers in the past
three years.
School nurses are an
essential part of a student's life
WHYY
Newsworks Opinion by By Nancy Henry June 7, 2013
I've been a
school nurse for 14 years, and I have developed long-term relationships with my
students and their families. Some former students now have children of their
own who come to my school. School nurses do so much more than provide
basic first aid or vision, hearing, weight and height screenings.
To keep young, fix
schools
The city
has drawn new people. They can leave.
Philly.com
opinion by Jim Saksa POSTED: Sunday,
June 9, 2013 ,
3:01 AM
Jim Saksa is
a board member of Young Involved Philadelphia
We chose Philadelphia
Read more
at http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20130609_To_keep_young__fix_schools.html#KKdPRoGOEXI40Idq.99
Magnet schools in Pittsburgh
Choice now drives the city's program
By Eleanor
Chute / Pittsburgh June
9, 2013 12:22 am
While
magnet schools in Pittsburgh Public Schools historically ensured racial
balance, city magnet schools now operate as schools of choice without any
guarantees or deliberate measures racially balancing them.
Some
magnets have become less racially balanced than they were two decades ago. Some
essentially are feeder schools where as many as 95 percent of students are black.
Most of the
city's magnet programs started in the late 1970s and 1980s as a way to
desegregate schools by offering attractive, specialized programs and allotting
spaces by race.
"In Philadelphia
Common Core: Standardized
testing to change for Pennsylvania
MEGAN ROGERS, INQUIRER
STAFF WRITER Published Saturday, June 8, 2013 , 3:01
AM
Diane
Ravitch’s Blog By dianerav June 9, 2013 //
Public
officials in Pennsylvania
“But the
work that would ensure that students can read well by the third grade must
start long before a child steps into a classroom, panel members said.”
Governors, state
education chiefs discuss improving child literacy
Governors
and education chiefs from nine states said Tuesday that a focus on
early-childhood education, the changing dynamic of families and supporting
low-income students could help improve literacy across the country. Discussing the nation’s literacy crisis at a
Washington Post policy forum in the District, the panel of political and
education leaders said states need to do more to help children learn to read by
the third grade, a key educational milestone at which children shift to
“reading to learn.” Those who can’t read proficiently by third grade are more
likely to struggle in later grades.
Who’s Minding the Schools?
New York
Times By ANDREW HACKER and CLAUDIA DREIFUS Published: June 8, 2013
IN April,
some 1.2 million New York
Students
were charged with analyzing both fiction and nonfiction, not only through
multiple-choice answers but also short essays. The mathematics portion of the
test included complex equations and word problems not always included in
students’ classroom curriculums. Indeed, the first wave of exams was so
overwhelming for these young New Yorkers that some parents refused
to let their children take the test.
Stephen
Krashen’s Blog Sunday, June 9, 2013
Letter Submitted
to the New York Times
Re: Who's
minding the schools? June 9. (Andrew Hacker and Claudia Drefus)
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/09/opinion/sunday/the-common-core-whos-minding-the-schools.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Hacker and
Drefus' statement that attacks on the Common Core come "mainly from the
right" ignores or dismisses serious criticisms from well-respected
experts.
“You have a role to play
in getting more of our babies prepared for school and life. Right now, email or call your representative. Tell them
what it's like to be a teacher, when kids show up for kindergarten not knowing
how to sit in a chair. Tell them what it's like to be a mom, when your choices
are to pay an exorbitant sum for private preschool or to quit your own job to
teach and care for your young children. Tell them what it's like to be a
taxpayer, and to see your money go into the criminal justice system and high
school dropout prevention instead of into far cheaper early intervention. Contact your
Congressperson and senators today.”
The Pressing Need for
Preschool
Huffington Post by Jonah
Edelman Co-founder
and CEO, Stand for Children 06/03/2013 3:28 pm
I've
written about the need for universal early childhood education before and I'll write about it again. This time I'll
assume that you, like 70 percent of Americans, support increasing access to
high quality preschool. My goal, then, is to arm you with the facts so you can
contact your Congressperson and senators about supporting President Obama's
preschool plan today.
Haverford
7th grade students just published their annual eZine.
Everything in this
online literary magazine is created by the students: the writing, music,
photography and artwork. Everything.
The product and the
process of the eZine showcases many skills we as educators wish for our
students: high intellect, probing insights, and varied communication skills,
along with a lot of grit.
PCAPS Forum on Community Schools Saturday June 15, 9 am – 1:30 pm
The Philadelphia
Over the
past year, in forums, workshops, listening sessions, and through surveys,
thousands of students, parents, community members and school staff voiced their
desire for an educational system that provides a well-rounded education
parallel to what affluent districts offer, but that also addresses the
challenges that come with poverty. We understand that all of our schools must
provide:
- A rigorous academic
curriculum
- Enrichment activities
such as sports, art, music, drama
- Coordinated supports and
services that address the social-emotional as well as the academic needs
of students and their families.
The
Philadelphia Coalition Advocating for Public Schools (PCAPS) has done our
research! After meeting with experts from around the country, we have
concluded that the most equitable, effective, financially sound strategy for
our city is one that embraces community schools for all children.
Please join
us on Saturday, June 15th for the Community Schools Conference
(9am-2pm) at Kensington CAPA High School (Front & Berks St.) to learn more
from national experts and work with others on a strategy to make this a reality
for our city.
Please
encourage your networks to attend and feel free to bring a friend! Lunch will
be provided. Please RSVP at www.eventbrite.com/event/6815949689
EPLC Education Policy Fellowship Program –
Apply Now
Applications are
available now for the 2013-2014 Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP). The Education Policy
Fellowship Program is sponsored in Pennsylvania
With more than 350
graduates in its first fourteen years, this Program is a premier professional
development opportunity for educators, state and local policymakers, advocates,
and community leaders. State Board of Accountancy (SBA) credits are
available to certified public accountants.
Past participants
include state policymakers, district superintendents and principals, school
business officers, school board members, education deans/chairs, statewide
association leaders, parent leaders, education advocates, and other education
and community leaders. Fellows are typically sponsored by their employer
or another organization.
The Fellowship Program
begins with a two-day retreat on September 12-13, 2013 and
continues to graduation in June 2014.
Turning the Page for Change
celebration, June
11, 2013
Please join us for the Notebook’s annual Turning the Page for
Change celebration on June 11, 2013 , from 4:30 - 7 p.m. at the University of The Arts 320 S. Broad Street
Building One America 2013 National Summit July 18-19, 2013 Washington , DC
Brookings Institution to present
findings of their “Confronting Suburban Poverty” report
Building One America’s Second National Summit for
Inclusive Suburbs and Sustainable Regions will involve local leaders and
federal policy makers to seek bipartisan solutions to the unique but common
challenges around housing, schools and infrastructure facing America America
Lineup of speakers: https://buildingoneamerica.org/summit/speakers
Information and registration: https://buildingoneamerica.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=1
PA Charter Schools: $4 billion taxpayer dollars with no real oversight
Keystone State May 2,
2013 )
Charter schools - public funding without public scrutiny; Proposed
statewide authorization and direct payment would further diminish
accountability and oversight for public tax dollars
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