Daily postings from the Keystone State Education
Coalition now reach more than 3000 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school
directors, administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers,
Governor's staff, current/former PA Secretaries of Education, 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 and searchable 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?
55 of 62 suburban Philly
superintendents and 4 IU directors urge PA not to adopt Keystones as graduation
requirement
61% of low-income families have no age
appropriate books at home.
About
First Book: http://www.firstbook.org/
EPLC
Education Notebook Friday, November 8, 2013
Education
Policy and Leadership
Center
Many regional school leaders argue against Keystone exams
KATHY BOCCELLA, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER Saturday, November 9, 2013 , 2:02 AM
Fifty-five
school superintendents and the heads of four intermediate units in the region
are urging state officials not to adopt a plan requiring students to pass
proficiency tests in order to graduate from high school. In a letter sent Tuesday to the state's
Independent Regulatory Review Commission, the educators raised several issues
with the proposed Keystone Exams, from higher dropout rates to added costs for
districts. As there are 62 school chiefs
in the Pennsylvania suburbs, the
superintendents represent nearly all of the districts in Bucks, Chester , Delaware , and Montgomery Counties
Read the letter sent to IRRC by Bucks,
Chester, Delaware and Montgomery County
PA Independent
Regulatory Review Commission website
To
view the pdf of the letter click on the link the says BUCKS CHESTER DELAWARE
MONTGOMERY COUNTIES dated November 6, 2013
When the
IRRC considered the Keystone Exams in 2009, school districts all over PA passed
resolutions in opposition; was your district one of them?
School
Board Resolutions Opposing Keystone Exams Submitted to IRRC - 2009
Common
Core/Keystone Exams: The PA State Board of Education (Board) has submitted the
final-form regulation entitled “Academic Standards and Assessment."
The Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) plans to meet
and act on this regulation at our public meeting at 10:00 a.m. on
Thursday, November 21, 2013.
Regulation #6 – 326: Academic Standards
and Assessment
Amends existing regulations to
reflect Pennsylvania
The agenda and any changes to the time or date of
the meeting will be posted on IRRC’s Web site at www.irrc.state.pa.us.
Please note that any comments should be submitted to the Board prior to the
48-hour blackout period, which begins at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday,November
19, 2013. Please provide IRRC with a copy of any comments submitted, as
well. Please note that all correspondence and documents relating to a
regulation submitted to IRRC are a matter of public record and appear on IRRC’s
Web site.
For a copy of the regulation or if you have any
substantive questions regarding the regulation, please contact the Board
at (717) 787-3787.
You can also download the final-form regulation from IRRC’s Web site using the
following link:
By
Eleanor Chute / Pittsburgh November
9, 2013 12:05 AM
Pittsburgh
Public Schools superintendent Linda
Lane America
Hiring
teachers through the alternative certification program would be a first for the
district, which has faced teacher furloughs in recent years.
“…bringing their (Waltons) total support for TFA to over $100
million since 1993.”
As WalMart
Writes Checks, Critics Blast Teach for America
Critics blast non-profit
as 'pipeline' for pro-corporate policies like charter schools and privatization
Published
on Monday, August 5, 2013 by Common Dreams - Lauren McCauley,
staff writer
The
education non-profit Teach for America has been under increasing fire recently
as critics and alumni accuse the organization of misappropriating their
original mission by backing the policies of the "corporate education
agenda" that promote privatization, the expansion of charter schools and
the undermining of teachers unions.
These
criticisms come amidst news last week that Wal-Mart owners, the Walton
Family—key backers of charter school expansion and the effort to end teacher
protections—donated $20 million to the nonprofit for "recruitment, training
and professional development," bringing their total support for TFA to
over $100 million since 1993.
Special
Report: KD Investigators Question Spending At Pittsburgh
Urban Pathways Charter School
CBS
Pittsburgh November 7, 2013
6:30 PM
PITTSBURGH
(KDKA) — It’s the mission of the Urban
Pathways Charter
School
“Part
of my job as the chief executive officer is to make up that gap,” Clautti said.
But
a KDKA investigation found that Clautti might start by tightening her own belt.
PA Gov. Tom
Corbett officially kicks off re-election bid
Governor's low approval numbers make his quest for a second term
tough, experts say.
By Steve Esack, Call Harrisburg
The
city of three rivers. The city of six Super Bowl rings. The city that launched
Corbett from local prosecutor to the governor's mansion he hopes to occupy for
another four years despite historically low public approval ratings.
"I
stand here with a sense of determination," Corbett said Wednesday, sharing
the stage with his wife, Susan, and Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley at the John Heinz History Center. "We are
running for re-election. We are seeking a second term for governor and
lieutenant governor. ... Why? Because we are not done." It looks to be a harrowing journey — and not
because Corbett plans a dozen stops over the coming days, including in Allentown
Gov. Tom Corbett visits Lehigh Valley
By Colin McEvoy | The Express-Times
on November 08,
2013 at 6:53 PM
Facing
an extremely crowded field of Democratic opponents, incumbent Republican
Gov. Tom Corbett stopped today in
the Lehigh Valley
During
the visit to B. Braun Medical Inc. in Hanover Township, Lehigh County,
he said he delivered on his campaign promises four years ago of cutting
wasteful spending, eliminating taxes and creating more jobs. "With your help, we're going to win,
aren't we?" Corbett told a crowd of cheering supporters. "With your
help, we're going to be able to continue to look forward, not for this
generation but for generations to come."
Pennsylvania
Gov. Tom Corbett announces re-election campaign at Willow
By Caitlin Burns, cburns@21st-centurymedia.com POSTED: 11/07/13, 8:25 PM
WILLOW
GROVE — Campaign season has begun again.
Gov.
Tom Corbett announced his campaign for another term at the Willow Grove VFW
Post 3612 Nov. 7. It was the second day of his 10-day campaign announcement
trip.
“This
is what we’re really campaigning for. It’s for the families, our parents and
our grandparents, for our children and our grandchildren. It’s about
Pennsylvanians,” Corbett said. “I hope with your support we’re going to be
elected the next governor of Pennsylvania
Corbett
visits Northeast Philly in kickoff of re-election campaign
WHYY
Newsworks BY EMMA JACOBS NOVEMBER 7, 2013
Gov.
Tom Corbett stopped in Northeast Philadelphia
as part of a statewide tour to kick off his re-election campaign. "We don't need to make a change at the
end of my term and go back to the policies of let's tax and let's tax and let's
spend. We need to have strict discipline in our spending. And to allow you to
keep the money in your pockets," he told a room of supporters at the
American Legion Post in Fox Chase. While
not all were enthusiastic, they seemed willing to give the Republican governor,
who has struggled in the polls even among members of his own party, the benefit
of the doubt.
Corbett to
Philly: Schools crisis not my fault
Citypaper
By Daniel Denvir Published:
11/07/2013
Republican
Gov. Tom Corbett chose an American Legion hall in Northeast
Philadelphia to launch his troubled reelection campaign this
morning. He drew a crowd of supporters — and a louder group of protesters
outside. Corbett's campaign slogan is
"Promises Kept. More Jobs. Less Taxes." On some signs, it's,
"Less Taxes. More Jobs." Either way, the Corbett campaign has decided
to focus on a simple message in an effort to cut through widespread criticism
of his cuts to funding for education and services for the poor, as well as his
reluctance to regulate or tax his donors in the natural gas drilling industry,
and the failure to pass his "big three" legislative priorities:
transportation funding, liquor-sales privatization and pension reform.
Deal rejected by Saucon Valley
By Nick Falsone | The Express-Times
on November 08,
2013 at 12:31 PM
A
four-year contract deal rejected last month by Saucon Valley School Districtteachers
includes a one-year salary freeze, consecutive years of about 2.5 percent
raises and a one-time bonus of $1,500 next year for all teachers, according to
a report made public this morning by state officials.
The
deal, which would be retroactive to last school year, also includes full
reimbursement for approved graduate courses taken by teachers with only a bachelor’s
degree and increases of between $10 and $75 per month in the teachers’
contributions to their health care plans, depending on the year of the contract
and type of plan. The details of the
deal were released this morning by the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board. A
fact-finder crafted the deal at the request of the teachers and the district.
Both sides had reached an impasse on negotiations for a new contract. The
teachers’ last contract expired June 30, 2012 .
By Colin McEvoy | The Express-Times
on November 08,
2013 at 7:00 AM
A
group seeking to establish an engineering charter school in Allentown has repeatedly denied any links to a movement inspired
by the Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gulen.
But
one of the Allentown Engineering Academy Charter School applicantspublished a book recently
called "Beginnings and Endings: Fethullah Gulen's Vision for Today's
World."
That
has some members of the Allentown School Board, which
has rejected the charter school four times in the
past eight years, questioning the honesty of the applicants.
Phila. tax
initiatives bogged down in Harrisburg
By Troy Graham,
Inquirer Staff Writer POSTED: November 06, 2013
Three
of the bills seemed tame and technical, designed to smooth the rough edges of a
recent property-tax revolution in Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia
Then
politics got in the way - a blend of Harrisburg 's
traditional town-and-country animus, a letter from a guy named Norquist, and,
of all things, an impassioned speech from one of Philadelphia
Cheltenham
School Board president honored with Pennsylvania
When
Cheltenham School Board President Tina Viletto speaks about education, one can
hear the passion in her voice. “I get
very upset when I hear people say children can’t succeed [in public schools]
because [in some cases], if they haven’t been provided the tools, you don’t
even know how they can blossom,” she said.
Because of her zeal for public education, there seemed to be little surprise among her colleagues on the school board that she was the 2013 recipient of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association Timothy M. Allwein Advocacy Award, which was bestowed upon her at the PSBA School Leadership Conference inHershey , Pa.
Because of her zeal for public education, there seemed to be little surprise among her colleagues on the school board that she was the 2013 recipient of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association Timothy M. Allwein Advocacy Award, which was bestowed upon her at the PSBA School Leadership Conference in
The Timothy
M. Allwein Advocacy Award
The Timothy M. Allwein Advocacy Award was
established in 2011 by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association and may be
presented annually to the individual school director or entire school board to
recognize outstanding leadership in legislative advocacy efforts on behalf of
public education and students that are consistent with the positions in PSBA’s
Legislative Platform.
Congratulations! Getting
elected to the school board was the easy part…..
PSBA New
Board Member Training: Great Governance, Great Schools
November 2013-April 2014
November 2013-April 2014
Announcing School Board
Academy ’s New Board Member Training:
Great Governance, Great
Schools
You will need a wealth of information quickly as you
jump out of the starting block and hit the ground running as a newly elected
member of the board of school directors. New board members, as well as veterans
who might like a refresher, will want to make the most of the opportunity to
attend PSBA's New Board Member Training Program: Great Governance, Great Schools
Where 4th
graders are forced to take 33 standardized tests a year
Washington Post Answer Sheet blog BY VALERIE STRAUSS November
8 at 9:35 am
When you hear people talk about the explosion of
standardized testing in public education in the No Child Left Behind/Race to
the Top era, it may be hard to understand just what that means to a student
sitting in a classroom. This may help explain: Fourth graders in the Pittsburgh
Public Schools will take 33 standardized tests mandated by the district or
state this year — 10 fewer than last year. In fact, K-12 students take
more than 270 required exams.
Changes Afoot
for Pa. 's Charter School
Education Week Charters and Choice blog By Katie Ash on November
7, 2013 4:47 PM
Lawmakers in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania
“In the Sunshine
State
Group Urges
Overhaul on Funding of Full-Time Virtual Schools
Education Week Digital Education blog By Benjamin
Herold on November 8, 2013 1:22
PM
States' current systems for funding full-time online
and virtual schools need to be overhauled to better account for the actual cost
of providing online education and to better account for student outcomes, argue
the authors of a report released last month by the National Education
Policy Center
House Democrats
to Field Bipartisan Preschool Bill
Education
Week Campaign K-12 By Alyson Klein on November
8, 2013 7:05 AM
Congress
can't seem to do much that's bipartisan these days, but a forthcoming bill on
early-childhood education by Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., and Rep. Richard
Hanna, R-N.Y., will be a key exception. Miller
announced his intentions earlier this year to craft legislation based in part
on President Barack Obama's plan to entice states to
expand preschool programs to more 4-year-olds. And Hanna's spokeswoman, Renee
Gamela, confirmed that he will be the co-sponsor when the bill is released.
That could happen as soon as next week.
On
the other side of the Capitol, Sens. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, the chairman of the
panels that oversee K-12 education policy and spending, and Patty Murray,
D-Wash., another big fan of education legislation, are also working on
preschool legislation that's likely to be similar to Miller's. Harkin, in fact,
has called preschool his number one education priority during his very last
year in Congress.
But,
even though all of those lawmakers are hoping for GOP support on their preschool
proposals, the Obama administration's plan has a high pricetag, $75 billion
over 10 years. That is a tall order for GOP lawmakers bent on reining in
spending.
The November 13 episode of EPLC/PCN
"Focus on Education"
will discuss Special Education:
Student Rights and Services.
The hour long program produced by EPLC and PCN is broadcast on PCN
at 9:00 p.m. on the 2nd Wednesday of every month. PCN also typically
repeats the episode at later times each month.
Previous episodes can be viewed online here. Topics we have covered thus far in 2013 are school
violence, student testing, the work of school boards, how schools are funded,
the dropout crisis, parents as advocates, and arts education. To learn more, visit PCN's "Focus on Education" web page. Information
about sponsorships available for the show can be obtained by contacting Ron
Cowell at 717-260-9900 or atcowell@eplc.org.
EPLC is recruiting current undergraduate or graduate students to
serve as part-time interns
EPLC
is recruiting current undergraduate or graduate students to serve as
part-time interns beginning January or May of 2014 in the downtown Harrisburg Pennsylvania School Pennsylvania
Mark B. Miller to speak
at Nov. 12th conference on school violence
Congratulations to PSBA First Vice President Mark B. Miller for presenting at an upcoming conference related to school violence. Miller will offer a presentation titled “Breaking the Circle of Violence: Bullying, Duty of Care, and Deliberate Indifference” inLinthicum Heights , MD
Congratulations to PSBA First Vice President Mark B. Miller for presenting at an upcoming conference related to school violence. Miller will offer a presentation titled “Breaking the Circle of Violence: Bullying, Duty of Care, and Deliberate Indifference” in
The University
of Pittsburgh School
Pedro A. Noguera, PhD; Friday, November 15, 2013 ;
3:30 – 5:00 p.m.
David
Lawrence Hall, Room 121; 3942
Forbes Avenue , Pittsburgh
The event
is free and open to the public
Join us as we celebrate their accomplishments!
Tuesday,November
19, 2013 5:30 pm
- 8:30 pm WHYY, 150 North 6th Street , Philadelphia
Invitations coming soon!
Tuesday,
Invitations coming soon!
Register: http://tinyurl.com/m8emc4m
Building
One Pennsylvania November
21, 2013 6:00-8:00 PM
IBEW Local 380 3900 Ridge Pike Collegeville, PA
19426
Building One Pennsylvania is an emerging
statewide non-partisan organization of leaders from diverse sectors -
municipal, school, faith, business, labor and civic - who are joining together
to stabilize and revitalize their communities, revitalize local economies and
promote regional opportunity and sustainability. BuildingOnePa.org
The National School Boards Association 74th Annual
Conference & Exposition April 5-7, 2014 New Orleans
The
National School Boards Association 74th Annual Conference &
Exposition will be held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans , LA. New Orleans
General Session speakers include education advocates
Thomas L. Friedman, Sir Ken Robinson, as well as education innovators Nikhil
Goyal and Angela Maiers.
We have
more than 200 sessions planned! Colleagues from across the country will present
workshops on key topics with strategies and ideas to help your district. View
our Conference Brochure for highlights on sessions
and focus presentations.
- Register now! – Register for both the conference
and housing using our online system.
- Conference Information– Visit the NSBA conference
website for up-to-date information
- Hotel List and Map - Official NSBA Housing Block
- Exposition Campus – View new products and
services and interactive trade show floor
Questions? Contact NSBA at 800-950-6722 (NSBA) between
the hours of 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. EST.
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
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