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?
Livin’ On Prayers and Passion: A
South Philly school makes music despite obstacles
NSBAC’s Friends of Public Education: New
national grassroots public education network launches (are you a member?)
Friends of Public
Education, a new national grassroots network launched by the National School
Boards Action
Center
“But in the end, it will
be parents, speaking with each other and with their local school boards and
legislators, who will insist that sanity prevail and local control and reason
be restored. It will be parents who insist that school not be a place of the
continual measurement of deficits, instead standing as places that allow
students to show what they know beyond a standardized test. Parents won’t
“buy the bunk” and they will tire of data driven, rather than student
driven, instruction. Then the “Hard Times for These Times” will end.”
What big drop in new
standardized test scores really means
New
standardized test scores are out today in New York New York New York
Gov. Tom Corbett's shadow
hangs over PASSHE chancellor vote
Morning
Call Capitol Ideas Blog By Steve
Esack August
6, 2013
Yo!
The veil of
secrecy will be lifted Wednesday.
Will we see
Gov. Tom Corbett’s face behind it?
The
governing board of Pennsylvania System of Higher Education is scheduled to vote
on a new chancellor to serve as sort of superintendent of the 14 state-owned
universities.
The names
of all job applicants, including the final three finalists, have been kept
secret under a policy that calls for confidentiality the board adopted in January.
That is different the board’s prior practice of publicizing the names of the
three finalists.
However, at
least one finalists’ name is known, and he is Ron Tomalis, Gov. Tom Corbett’s
ex-education secretary. Tomalis -- coincidently or not -- voted to implement
the confidentiality policy prior to him stepping down from his sis secretary
gig and becoming a stay-at-home-bureaucrat because Corbett named him special
adviser to the governor on higher education – a newly created position with no
office hours and a $139,931 salary.
As
this Morning Call story shows, there is speculation Tomalis has
used inside knowledge and/or political influence to get thisclose to being
named chancellor since he his bachelor's degree would disqualify him from
serving as an adjunct professor at most state-owned universities.
Secrecy surrounds the
hiring process
By Bill
Schackner / Pittsburgh August
7, 2013 12:02 am
The next
chancellor of Pennsylvania
New Pittsburgh
By Eleanor
Chute / Pittsburgh August
6, 2013 12:10 am
If a new
teacher evaluation system had been in effect this past school year, more
Pittsburgh Public Schools teachers would have received unsatisfactory ratings
than actually received them.
A dry run
shows that 9.3 percent of city classroom teachers would have received failing
-- the new term for unsatisfactory -- ratings, compared to the roughly 3
percent who actually received unsatisfactory ratings in June.
The new
system doesn't take effect until this coming school year.
Philly finance director
says Council should move on sales tax; Clarke: Council will OK it
WHYY
Newsworks By Holly Otterbein, @hollyotterbein August 5, 2013
Philadelphia
City Council President Darrell Clarke's office said Monday that legislators
will make permanent a 1 percent sales tax that was due to expire next budget
year.
"Council
will pass an extension of the sales tax," said Jane Roh, a spokeswoman for
Clarke. "There is just disagreement at the moment about what the final
sales-tax extension will look like."
Lawmaker's bill sparks Creationism debate: Tuesday
Morning Coffee
By John L. Micek | jmicek@pennlive.com
on August 06,
2013 at 8:23 AM
Good Tuesday Morning, Fellow Seekers.
Rep. Steve Bloom, is circulating a cosponsorship memo for legislation that would allow public school students to question or critique "the scientific strengths and weaknesses of existing scientific theories." TheCarlisle
lawmaker says the bill isn't intended to supplant currently taught material on
evolution or global warming, but to encourage debate if a student
disagrees, The Inquirer reports.
Rep. Steve Bloom, is circulating a cosponsorship memo for legislation that would allow public school students to question or critique "the scientific strengths and weaknesses of existing scientific theories." The
By
Angela Couloumbis and Amy Worden, Inquirer Harrisburg August 04, 2013
Science-education
advocates claim it's nothing but a backdoor attempt to allow public schools to
discuss Bible-based creationism. Rep.
Stephen Bloom (R., Cumberland
PA Representative Stephen Bloom’s “Academic Freedom”
Co-sponsorship Memoranda
PA House
website August 1,
2013 10:32 AM
Academic
freedom in the classroom is an essential educational value treasured by
generations of teachers, students, and parents in Pennsylvania
Dealing With Common Core
Standards in PA
PA House
GOP Blog August 6, 2013 / admin / No comments
On Monday,
the PA House Education Committee held a hearing with several PA Department of
Education officials for an update on several changes being made regarding
Common Core standards. Watch the hearing here.
Changes
discussed were part of House Resolution 338, passed on June 18, which
encouraged PDE to make several changes to state academic standards for K-12
education. As a result of that resolution, the following changes have been
implemented:
Trombetta's sister faces
hearing in tax case
Tax Dollars for Private School Tuition Gain in States
Stateline
by Pew Charitable Trusts By Elaine
S. Povich, Staff Writer
Opponents
called it a “bombshell” and “sleaziness.” Backers said it was “historic”
and would free low-income students from failing public schools. Hyperbole
aside, the Alabama Legislature’s last-minute move to create a $3,500 state tax
credit for private school tuition is emblematic of a growing movement in the
states. Thirteen states created or
expanded tuition tax credits, private school scholarships or traditional
vouchers in 2013, according to the National
Conference of State Legislatures. Eight states did so in 2012 and seven
states in 2011, according to the group.
ALEC Has a Stranglehold
on Pennsylvania
Diane
Ravitch’s Blog By dianerav August
6, 2013 //
Jodi Hirsh
of Pittsburgh writes
that ALEC has forty members in the Pennsylvania legislature, and many
hold key positions. ALEC is the voice of major corporations, who oppose any
sort of government regulations.
So Mr.
Amazon is buying the Washington Post - gosh, I
haven't been this excited since Kate named the baby...Honestly, who cares?
Newspapers are dying, and everyone knows it. Why should we give a flying fig? Oh, yeah - that:
There's
one area where Bezos has been hyper-active, but largely unknown to the general
public: education reform. A look at the Bezos
Family Foundation, which was founded by Jackie and Mike Bezos but is
financed primarily by Jeff Bezos, reveals a fairly aggressive effort in recent
years to press forward with a neoliberal education agenda:
“He and other educators
say that the new school building is an opportunity to show that a large, urban
public high school can be a viable alternative to the rising tide of charter schools, voucher
systems and private education.”
A $147 Million Signal of Faith in Atlanta
New York
Times By KIM SEVERSON Published: August 6, 2013
“Kaplan points out that
people should also consider the larger implications of the citywide bare bones
budget cutting: “Schools make neighborhoods viable, so we need to ask, what is
the position of Philadelphia
This summer, Kaplan and
Argerakis awaited June 30 fiscal deadline with strained nerves;
unfortunately, their fears were confirmed, more staff members were let go and
after-school programs will be entirely slashed.”
Livin’ On Prayers and Passion: A South Philly school
makes music despite obstacles
WXPN The Key August
2, 2013 | 11:15 AM |
By Madeleine
Kruhly
Located in
a high-need section of South Philadelphia, the Andrew Jackson
Public School
That was,
until the arrival of Chris Argerakis. He has since introduced drumsticks and
guitar picks, rooting rock in Andrew
Jackson’s curriculum. Joining
the teaching staff five years ago, Argerakis has acted to build a program to
provide a practical music education. He does so in spite of a shoestring budget
from the School District : $100 for the year.
Documenting Coltrane's
Philly years, before he was a star
WHYY
Newsworks By Peter Crimmins, @petercrimmins August 6, 2013
Video by
Charlie Kaier
“The
film paints mid-century Philadelphia as a vibrant jazz scene, where clubs such
as the Showboat and the Zanzibar regularly drew major talents, including Miles
Davis and Dizzy Gillespie, and fostered ambitious young musicians who could
play out almost every night of the week.”
A new
documentary film about John Coltrane proposes that Philadelphia Philadelphia
"Coltrane's
Philadephia," a 28-minute documentary produced by the Preservation
Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, will premiere Wednesday evening at the
International House in University City
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 on September 16th at 6:00 pm at Temple Sinai
The lecture is
being hosted by Great Public Schools (GPS) Pittsburgh, which is a new coalition
of community, faith, and labor organizations consisting of Action United, One
Pittsburgh, PA Interfaith Impact Network, Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers,
SEIU, and Yinzercation. Co-sponsors for
the event include the University of Pittsburgh School of Education, the PA State
Education Association, Temple Sinai , and First
Unitarian Church
of Pittsburgh
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
PILCOP 2013 Symposium on Equality: Privatization
This year’s
day-long Symposium will be held on Thursday, September 12th and will explore
the debate over privatizing government services such as healthcare, land
management and education. The Symposium
on Equality annually convenes thought leaders and outstanding advocates
to engage in meaningful discussion and exploration of the day’s most
pressing civil rights and social issues. This year’s event will foster
conversation, collaboration and exploration of the debate over privatizing
government services such as healthcare, land management and education.
PILCOP 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:
Electing PSBA Officers:
2014 PSBA Slate of Candidates
Details on each candidate, including
bios, statements, photos and video are online now
PSBA Website Posted 8/5/2013
The 2014 PSBA Slate of Candidates is being officially published to the
members of the association. Details on each candidate, including bios,
statements, photos and video are online at http://www.psba.org/elections/.
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).
"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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