Daily postings from the Keystone State Education
Coalition now reach more than 3050 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?
Report:
Chinese Third-Graders Falling Behind U.S.
SB1085: On Monday December 23rd
10-11 am, WHYY’s Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane will be featuring a
conversation on SB1085, the charter school reform bill. Scheduled guests are school choice advocate State
Senator Anthony Williams and school board member/public education advocate Lawrence
EPLC Education Notebook
Education Policy and Leadership Center December 17, 2013
Do
26 state senators really support property tax elimination bill?: Tuesday
Morning Coffee
By John L. Micek |
jmicek@pennlive.com on December 17, 2013 at 8:18 AM ,
Good Tuesday Morning, Fellow Seekers.
This will likely shock you, we know, but we
were never much good at algebra in school. Quadratic equations and solving for
X frankly paled alongside the lure of literature, the study of history and
deciphering the lyrics to the third R.E.M. album. But after 14 or so years covering Pennsylvania Fair Commonwealth
Thus we were surprised to metaphorically open
the pages of The Citizens-Voice of Wilkes-Barre
“The two bills now move to the Senate, where a source close to the
body said that the bills have nearly no chance of passage and will likely not
leave committee.
Attempts to reduce the size of the General Assembly have persisted
since the late 1960s, but all have failed.”
PA
House Passes Bills to Reduce Legislature
Politics PA Written by Brittany Foster, Deputy
Editor, December 17.2013
After lengthy floor debate, the Pennsylvania
House of Representatives passed bills that would reduce both the size of the
House and the Senate.
House Bill 1234 reduces the size of the House
from 203 to 153 members, and House Bill 1716 reduces the Senate from 50 to 38
members. Both are sponsored by Speaker Sam Smith (R-Armstrong).
HB 1234 passed with 148 yea’s to 50 nay’s; HB
1716 passed with 150 yea’s and 48 nay’s.
Audiotapes
could roll on school buses
House
wiretap bill, which Senate must approve, would let school boards use audio
recordings.
By Steve Esack, Call Harrisburg
That would happen under a two-part wiretap
bill state House members approved Monday to stop physical bouts and nasty
shouts. But school officials think the
idea may not be that sound.
The 193-4 House vote amends the state's
wiretap law, considered one of the most restrictive in the country, to give
school boards the ability to use audio recordings on school buses, which are
already equipped with soundless video cameras.
Before audiotapes start rolling, school boards would have to vote on a
local policy outlining audiotaping rules, send parents written warnings at the
beginning of each school year about audio bus recordings, and post warning
placards on buses that audiotaping is in process, according to the bill.
However, the bill is a long way from becoming
law because of the way the legislative process goes 'round and 'round with amendments
before a final bill is sent to Gov. Tom Corbett for his signature.
Letter:
Judge all metrics of schools' success
Intelligencer Journal Lancaster Dec 17, 2013 08:58
By
Dr. Stacey Marten, School Board President and Pedro A. Rivera, Superintendent, School District of Lancaster
In sorting public schools into categories of
"best" and "worst," the Intelligencer/New Era painted an
incomplete picture of school performance in the School District of Lancaster
To be clear, we believe all students can learn
and achieve at high levels. It is also true that SDL possesses characteristics
that are unique among the 500 school districts statewide. Our district
includes nearly 1,900 English Language Learners -- over 600 of whom are new to
this country. More than 400 of these students come with a refugee status, and
many have had no formal schooling. Our
students come from 71 countries and speak 38 languages. Eighty-three percent of
families fall below the poverty line, and we provide education and vital
services to more than 900 homeless children. Our rigorous special education
offerings serve nearly 2,000 IEP students, including many who require specific
life skills services.
We are privileged to serve these students -- many
of whom will require additional time and support to reach the ambitious
academic targets that guide our work.
Its not just test scores: Upper Darby serves a population similar
to Lancaster
Letter:
Upper Darby music program is one of best in
the nation
By JOSEPH BATORY, Former Superintendent of Schools Upper Darby School District
Delco Times POSTED: 12/17/13, 11:37 PM EST |
To the Times:
I have been privileged to attend more than 30 consecutive annual Winter Concerts atUpper Darby
High School
I have been privileged to attend more than 30 consecutive annual Winter Concerts at
By Marijon Shearer |
Special to PennLive on December 16, 2013 at 11:40 PM ,
The contract with Source 4 Teachers includes
two one-year renewal options when the initial contract period ends on June 23, 2016 . Karen McConnell, assistant superintendent for
finance and administrative operations, said cost was not the main reason for
the administration's recommendation to outsource, although she estimated the
change will save Central
Dauphin School
District
Coming
full circle: Lessons of a Promise
Academy
thenotebook by
Sydney Coffin on Dec
17 2013 Posted in Commentary
Seven years ago, I began teaching at a high
school that was dangerous, chaotic, and, some said, “failing.” By the time I
left, it had become a welcoming, effective school, where I was pleased to teach
and honored to be friends with students and staff. That school closed, so this year I started at
another, and I feel I’ve come full circle. Crowded classrooms, disruptive
behavior, chaos in the hallways, low academic achievement, a lack of sufficient
counselors and other supports – the very same things I found when I walked into
University City High in 2006 were present in Edison High in 2013.
Ethics
panel clears foundation in lobbying probe
KRISTEN A. GRAHAM, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
POSTED: Wednesday, December 18, 2013 , 2:02 AM
The city's Board of Ethics has rejected a
claim that William Penn Foundation-funded work that a consulting firm completed
for the Philadelphia
School District
A 2012 complaint alleged that William Penn -
which paid the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) more than $1 million to study
district operations and recommend cost-cutting measures - essentially hired BCG
to lobby the district on a pro-charter school agenda and target dozens of
schools for closure. The complaint was
filed by Parents United for Public Education, the Philadelphia Home and School
Council, and the Philadelphia
School
directors: superintendents need to be paid to attract 'quality'
By CHERYL R. CLARKE Williamsport December 15, 2013
Superintendents of school districts are like
the CEOs of businesses and, as such, need to be paid well for districts to
attract the kind of "quality" people needed for the job, say school
board members in the three districts in Tioga County
New York Times Roll Call Vote December 17, 2013
School
boards urge the U.S.
NSBA School Board News Today December 17,2013
posted by Alexis Rice
The National School Boards Association (NSBA)
Executive Director Thomas J. Gentzel urged the U.S. Senate to pass the plan
known as the Bipartisan Budget Act that would restore many of the cuts to
prek-12 education in this statement:
Why
Other Countries Teach Better
Why
Students Do Better Overseas
The New York Times By THE EDITORIAL BOARD Published:
December 17,
2013
Millions of laid-off American factory workers
were the first to realize that they were competing against job seekers around
the globe with comparable skills but far smaller paychecks. But a similar fate
also awaits workers who aspire to high-skilled, high-paying jobs in engineering
and technical fields unless this country learns to prepare them to compete for
the challenging work that the new global economy requires. The American work force has some of weakest
mathematical and problem-solving skills in the developed world. In
a recent survey by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development, a global policy organization, adults in the United States scored far below average and
better than only two of 12 other developed comparison countries, Italy and Spain United States is losing ground in worker
training to countries in Europe and Asia whose
schools are not just superior to ours but getting steadily better. The lessons from those high-performing
countries can no longer be ignored by the United States
Rupert
Murdoch: “When it comes to K-12 education, we see a $500 billion sector in the U.S.
The
dangerous rise of for-profit public education
EducationViews.org Dec 17, 2013 by Staff
The Pearson
Foundation has agreed to pay $7.7 million to settle allegations that
the nonprofit broke New York
This XMAS,
save more, live better, dismantle democratically-governed American public
education. Where do you shop?
Walton
Family Foundation Invests to Double the Number of Students Enrolled in Private
School with Public Scholarships by 2017
Walton Family Foundation Press Release
December 17,2013
Bipartisan support fuels private school choice
expansion; former Republican Governor and
Democratic U.S. Senator validate efforts
equal opportunity in education and is ASC’s
largest donor.
“To date, the foundation has invested more than $1 billion in
initiatives that expand parental choice and equal opportunity in education,
according to the announcement.”
Walton
Foundation Invests to Double Number of Voucher Students
Education Week Marketplace K-12 Blog By Michele Molnar on December
17, 2013 2:43 PM
The Walton Family Foundation, based in Bentonville , Ark. U.S.
Study:
4 in 10 finish college where they start
WASHINGTON — Fewer than half of all students
who entered college in 2007 finished school where they started, and almost a
third are no longer taking classes toward a degree anywhere, according to
review released Monday.
The dire numbers underscore the challenges
that colleges confront as they look to bring in more students and send them out
into the world as graduates. The numbers also could complicate matters for
students at schools with low graduation rates; the U.S. Department of
Education’s still-emerging college rating system is considering linking
colleges’ performances with federal financial aid.
Report:
Chinese Third-Graders Falling Behind U.S.
The Onion NEWS • High School • ISSUE 49•09 • Feb 27,
2013
The study, based on exam scores from thousands
of students in 63 participating countries, confirmed that in mathematical and
scientific literacy, American students from the ages of 14 to 18 have now
actually pulled slightly ahead of their 8-year-old Chinese counterparts.
2014
PA Gubernatorial Candidate Plans for Education and Arts/Culture in PA
Education
Policy and Leadership
Center
Below is an alphabetical list of the 2014 Gubernatorial Candidates and
links to information about their plans, if elected, for education and
arts/culture in Pennsylvania
FEBRUARY 1ST, 2014
The DCIU Google Symposium is an opportunity for teachers,
administrators, technology directors, and other school stakeholders to come
together and explore the power of Google Apps for Education. The
Symposium will be held at the Delaware County Intermediate Unit. The
Delaware County Intermediate Unit is one of Pennsylvania
NPE National Conference
2014
The Network for Public Education November 24, 2013
The Network for Public Education is pleased to announce our
first National Conference. The event will take place on March 1 & 2, 2014
(the weekend prior to the world-famous South by Southwest Festival) at The University of Texas
at Austin
In the coming weeks, we
will release more details. In the meantime, make your travel plans and click
this link and submit your email address to receive updates about the NPE
National Conference 2014.
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
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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