Daily postings from the Keystone State Education
Coalition now reach more than 2650 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school
directors, administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers,
Governor's staff, 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
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?
No,
they’re not on drugs: Business leaders who embrace early childhood education
Congratulations
to Mark B Miller, school director in Centennial School District, Co-Chair of
Keystone State Education Coalition and Vice President of Pennsylvania School
Boards Association on his appointment to the Board of Directors of the Network
for Public Education
No, they’re not on drugs:
Business leaders who embrace early childhood education
The United States
Brian Maher
stood at a podium in front of a sold-out crowd at the august U.S. Chamber of
Commerce building across from the White House Wednesday morning and started in
on a big speech on: early childhood education.
That’s right. In front of the nation’s most powerful business group, the
retired chairman and CEO of Maher Terminals, one of the biggest port terminals
on the East Coast, and former chairman of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce
wanted to talk about embracing preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds. And high
quality “Birth to Five” learning — in other words, good child care.
70% Of Americans Support
Universal Preschool
And half
strongly support it, according to Public Opinion Strategies and Hart
Research.
The
proposal, which as described to those surveyed would spend $10 billion a year
for a decade to help states and local communities provide preschool through an
increase on the cigarette tax, also gets bipartisan support. More than 80
percent of Democrats and 60 percent of Republicans were in favor. The plan also
gets support from those who might not immediately be impacted by it: nearly 70
percent of those without children (and three-quarters of parents) and 65
percent of seniors (with nearly 80 percent support from those under 35).
The disturbing shift underway
in early childhood classrooms
Increasingly we
hear that academic work, including test prep, is reaching down into
the lowest grades, even preschool. Here’s a post with teacher concerns on the
issue, written by Geralyn Bywater McLaughlin, Nancy Carlsson-Paige, and Diane
E. Levin. They run the nonprofit called Defending the Early Years, which seeks
to rally educators to take action on policies that affect the education of
young children. DEY is a non-profit project of the Survival Education Fund, a
501(c)(3) tax-exempt educational organization based in Watertown , Massachusetts
“PERC
recently advised lawmakers that forcing new public workers into a 401(k)-type
retirement plan would cost
the taxpayers the
additional $42.4 billion. Cheiron also reviewed the work submitted by the
Corbett administration's actuary to develop the governor's proposal. Cheiron's
conclusion: The actuary did not use a proper measure of the pension systems'
liquidity and inappropriately deferred costs associated with closing the
pension funds.”
the taxpayers the
additional $42.4 billion. Cheiron also reviewed the work submitted by the
Corbett administration's actuary to develop the governor's proposal. Cheiron's
conclusion: The actuary did not use a proper measure of the pension systems'
liquidity and inappropriately deferred costs associated with closing the
pension funds.”
Morning
Call Letter to the Editor by Timothy Kearney July 31, 2013
Although
the Commonwealth Foundation promotes itself as an advocate for fiscal
conservatism, its president, Matthew Brouillette, in a Your
View actually promotes changes to public employee pensions that would
increase costs to Pennsylvania taxpayers
by at least $42.4 billion over the next 30 or so years. That's according to two major national
actuarial consulting firms. These numbers were then reviewed and determined to
be reasonable by Cheiron, a Virginia
to Pennsylvania taxpayers
by at least $42.4 billion over the next 30 or so years. That's according to two major national
actuarial consulting firms. These numbers were then reviewed and determined to
be reasonable by Cheiron, a
Philly Countdown, Day 39:
Hite says staffing levels 'nowhere near sufficient'
The
notebook by Dale Mezzacappa on Aug 01 2013 Posted in Countdown to calamity?
Superintendent
William Hite said that his voice might stay calm, but he is definitely not calm
about whether he will be able to open schools on time. He was expecting at
least to have access by now to $50 million in new funds from the city -- and he
still doesn't have it as Mayor Nutter and Council are still at odds over the
best way to make it available.
"I
will not be irresponsible in putting students into environments that are not
able to serve their needs," Hite said in an interview Wednesday. "At
the moment, a principal and a secretary in a 3,000-student high school is not
sufficient to serve the needs of students there." Northeast High School
When does Philly schools crisis become A CRISIS?!!!
Philly
daily News Attytood Blog by Will Bunch POSTED: Thursday, August 1, 2013 , 3:47 PM The head of Philadelphia
schools just said he may not have enough money to open the school doors in
early September...39 days from now.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/attytood/Yo-Philadelphia-When-does-this-become-A-CRISIS.html#ywqgzgS7ExS0Bys2.99
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/attytood/Yo-Philadelphia-When-does-this-become-A-CRISIS.html#ywqgzgS7ExS0Bys2.99
On The Latest Report Card Scheme, the District Gets
an “F” for Fairness
Taking away resources and programs from schools, then grading them? That's a recipe for failure.
Philadelphia Federation of Teachers8/1/2013
Faced with an unprecedented financial crisis that has led to the closing of 27 schools, the evisceration of school programs and the layoff of over 3,859 school employees, the school district has picked now to explore re-instating a “school report card” to measure the quality of our neighborhood schools. These report cards, of course, would be used to determine which schools are recommended for closure or conversion to charter schools in the future.
Taking away resources and programs from schools, then grading them? That's a recipe for failure.
Philadelphia Federation of Teachers
Faced with an unprecedented financial crisis that has led to the closing of 27 schools, the evisceration of school programs and the layoff of over 3,859 school employees, the school district has picked now to explore re-instating a “school report card” to measure the quality of our neighborhood schools. These report cards, of course, would be used to determine which schools are recommended for closure or conversion to charter schools in the future.
You don’t
have to be psychic or an expert on education policy to know how most schools
will perform under these conditions—you only need to be awake. Anyone who has
been paying attention can see that the SRC is no longer even pretending to want
to improve public education in Philadelphia
"We're
using consultants to grade schools instead of spending more time fixing
them," said school activist Helen Gym.
Several saw the report card as little more than a thinly veiled effort
to use consultants to justify closing more schools or turning them over to
charter operators.”
Parents angered,
frustrated over new school report card
by thenotebook by
Paul Jablow on Jul
30 2013 Posted in Latest news
The
folded-paper signs sprouted on tables across the meeting room, and the messages
were anything but subtle:
"Resources
for classrooms before report cards." "Report cards are a
distraction from real efforts to improve." "Data can be shaped
to any political purpose." "Support schools, don't shame
them." "Evaluating climate minus counselors and aides?
Crazy." "Invest in teachers, not tallies."
About 75
people came Monday night to the first of six District meetings seeking public
input on a new school report card to replace both the School Performance Index
(SPI) and the school annual reports. The District has used theseperformance
measures in decisions such as which schools to close and which to convert into
charters.
But the
sentiment in the meeting room at District headquarters was overwhelming:
Please. Just forget about it.
Appeals panel backs Coatesville in closing charter
Aubrey
Whelan, Inquirer Staff Writer LAST UPDATED: Friday, August 2, 2013 , 1:08 AM POSTED: Thursday, August 1, 2013 , 6:24 PM The state Charter Appeals
Board has upheld the Coatesville Area School District's decision to close
Graystone Academy - a 200-student charter school that has had an acrimonious
relationship with the district. Officials at Graystone say they are preparing
to appeal the decision in Commonwealth
Court
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20130802_Appeals_panel_backs_Coatesville_in_closing_charter.html#lShQxkIHdF7gEL7S.99
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20130802_Appeals_panel_backs_Coatesville_in_closing_charter.html#lShQxkIHdF7gEL7S.99
Pittsburgh Public Schools launches online forum to
solicit ideas to improve
By Mary
Niederberger / Pittsburgh August
2, 2013 12:35 am
An online
forum provided by the Pittsburgh Public Schools is giving parents, community
members and teachers a chance to offer their ideas on how to create high
quality schools.
The Voices
Ideas Vision Action (VIVA) Idea Exchange was created as part of the district's
"envisioning" process that was announced in January, with a goal of
creating a 21st century educational delivery model.
Centre
Daily By Britney Milazzo — bmilazzo@centredaily.com
Published: August
1, 2013
But the
second time, the mast wasn’t sturdy enough, and it tipped, filling the sailboat
with water on a man-made race course. Though
a trial-and-error process to consistently get their sailboats to float, about
eight summer campers, ages 6 to 9, worked with Penn State
Read more
here: http://www.centredaily.com/2013/08/01/3714836/children-learn-engineering-through.html#storylink=cpy
“The recently, and
temporarily, restored staff positions within Philadelphia
WHYY
Newsworks By Aja Beech August 1, 2013
The
following is a work of opinion submitted by the author.
Nearly 90
percent of all disabled children in any major metropolitan area require public
schooling. The number of children being labeled as 'disabled' is
increasing, but the Philadelphia School District has flat lined funding to the
Special Education programs, despite
not meeting annual yearly progress last year. Why is the Philadelphia
Network for Public Education Newsletter Volume 1,
Issue #7 August 1, 2013
Bennett resignation; Chicago ALEC
protest; InBloom Privacy Issues; Welcome new NPE Board Members, Ravitch book tour
New York Times By MOTOKO RICH
Published: August
1, 2013
“Charter Schools USA
earlier this year hired Tony Bennett’s wife, Tina, as a regional director based
in Florida Indiana
Matthew Tully: Tony
Bennett's wife now works at for-profit corporation he picked to run IPS schools
Indystar.com
Written by Matthew Tully Aug. 1, 2013 11:35 AM |
In June of
2011, Tony Bennett, then Indiana ’s
superintendent of public instruction, picked a for-profit education company in Florida to run a group of Indianapolis
The
company, Charter Schools USA , set up operations in Indianapolis
soon after the announcement and officially began running Manual
High School , T.C. Howe High School Indiana
tax dollars have since flowed to the company, which has received many good
reviews for its work in Indianapolis
But a
recent hiring decision by Charter Schools USA is sure to raise eyebrows and
questions about conflicts of interest, particularly now that Bennett is
embroiled in a massive controversy centering on special treatment given to
certain Indiana schools during his tenure.
In Missouri
New York
Times By JOHN ELIGON Published: July 31, 2013 65
Comments
No moon: Perseid meteor
shower set to put on a great show before dawn August 12
You can expect to see up to 100 “shooting stars” per hour when 2013’s
best meteor shower peaks before dawn August 12.
Astronomy By Richard Talcott — Published: May 27, 2013
SPECIAL EDUCATION FUNDING FORMULA COMMISSION MEETING
(Cost Categories in Special Education Funding)
Wednesday, August 7, 2013 9:30 AM
William Pitt Union Ballroom, University of Pittsburgh
Save the Date: Diane Ravitch will be
speaking in Philly at the Main Branch of the Philadelphia 7:30
pm ..
Diane Ravitch | Reign
of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America's
Public Schools
When: Tuesday,September 17,
2013 at 7:30PM
Where: Central Library
Cost: $15 General Admission, $7 Students
Ticket and Subscription Packages
Tickets on sale here at 10:00 a.m. onAugust 23, 2013
When: Tuesday,
Where: Central Library
Cost: $15 General Admission, $7 Students
Ticket and Subscription Packages
Tickets on sale here at 10:00 a.m. on
Yinzers - Save the Date: Diane
Ravitch will be speaking in Pittsburgh 6:00
pm . Location and details to
come.
Join the National School Boards
Action Center
Participate
in a voluntary network to urge your U.S.
Representatives and Senators to support federal legislation on Capitol Hill
that is critical to providing high quality education to America
Know Your Child’s Rights! 2013-2014 Special Education
Seminars
The Law Center Law Center
This year’s
topics include Tips for Going Back to School; Psychological Testing, IEEs and
Evaluations; School Records; Children with Autism; Transition Services;
Children with Emotional Needs; Discipline and Bullying; Charter Schools;
Children with Dyslexia; Extended School Year; Assistive Technology;
Discrimination and Compensatory Education; and, Settlements. See below for
descriptions and schedules of each session.
PSBA is accepting applications to fill vacancies in NSBA's grassroots
advocacy program. Deadline to apply is Sept. 6.
PSBA members: Influence
public education policy at the federal level; join NSBA's Federal Relations
Network
The
National School Boards Association is seeking school directors interested in
filling vacancies for the remainder of the 2013-14 term of the Federal
Relations Network. The FRN is NSBA's grassroots advocacy program that provides
the opportunity for school board members from every congressional district in
the country who are committed to public education to get involved in federal
advocacy. For more than 40 years, school board members have been lobbying for
public education on Capitol Hill as one unified voice through this program. If
you are a school director and willing to carry the public education message to Washington , D.C.
PSBA members will elect
officers electronically for the first time in 2013
PSBA 7/8/2013
Beginning
in 2013, PSBA members will follow a completely new election process which will
be done electronically during the month of September. The changes will have
several benefits, including greater membership engagement and no more absentee
ballot process.
Below is a
quick Q&A related to the voting process this year, with more details to
come in future issues of School Leader News and at
www.psba.org. More information on the overall governance changes can be found
in the February 2013 issue of the PSBA Bulletin:
2014 PSBA Officer Slate
of Candidates
PSBA website 7/24/2013
The 2014
PSBA Slate of Candidates is being officially published to the members of the
association. More details on each candidate, including bios, statements, photos
and video will be available soon online.
See more
at: http://www.psba.org/news-publications/headlines/details.asp?id=5861#sthash.uyC3nC24.dpuf
October 15-18, 2013 | Hershey Lodge & Convention Center
Important change this year: Delegate Assembly (replaces the
Legislative Policy Council) will be Tuesday Oct. 15 from 1 – 4:30 p.m.
The
PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference is the largest gathering of elected
officials in Pennsylvania
Registration:
https://www.psba.org/workshops/?workshop=17
The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, State College , PA
The state
conference is PAESSP’s premier professional development event for principals,
assistant principals and other educational leaders. Attending will enable you
to connect with fellow educators while learning from speakers and presenters
who are respected experts in educational leadership.
Featuring
Keynote Speakers: Charlotte Danielson, Dr. Todd Whitaker, Will Richardson &
David Andrews, Esq. (Legal Update).
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.
"They
don't feel they should be subject to this law, or, candidly, subject to
you," Mutchler told senators on the state government committee, which is
considering legislation to amend the five-year-old law. "They are a cancer
on the otherwise healthy right-to- know-law."
By Amy Worden, Inquirer Harrisburg
PA Charter Schools: $4
billion taxpayer dollars with no real oversight
Charter schools - public funding without public scrutiny
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