Daily postings from the Keystone State
Education Coalition now reach more than 3150 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?
Keystone State Education Coalition
Pennsylvania Education Policy Roundup
for March 20, 2014:
Congressional hearings on testing needed now! Please RT to
your Senators and Congressmen.
Congressional
hearings on testing needed now! Please RT to your Senators and Congressmen. #testhearingsnow
"At the Philadelphia
Education Fund, we are committed to three simple things: excellent teachers
in the classroom; retaining students in school until graduation; and ensuring
all students have the opportunity to access college and career. And we continue
to support them once they start their postsecondary education; we grant one
million dollars per year in last dollar scholarships to low-income students
from Philadelphia
Helping first-generation college students get through that tough first
year
Darren
Spielman is president/CEO Philadelphia
Anyone
paying attention is familiar with the flux in Philadelphia K-12 education: How
do we adequately fund our schools so that students have the chance to succeed
and become contributing members of the economy?
How do we prepare and support our teachers, as well as recruit and
retain them, so that all young people benefit from excellent teachers in the
classroom? How do we assess performance? How do we improve instruction?
District vs. charter schools. Autonomy vs central control, and on and on. In the midst of the controversy, it can be
hard to know how to get involved.
By Karen Langley /
Post-Gazette Harrisburg
Bureau March
19, 2014 11:36 PM
HARRISBURG -- The state House of Representatives is preparing
to take up legislation aimed at ensuring schools know if prospective employees
have been investigated or disciplined for sexual misconduct. A bill requiring schools to review the work
histories of applicants who would work with children cleared the House
Education Committee unanimously on Wednesday. The legislation also would prohibit
schools from entering into agreements that would keep confidential an
investigation into suspected abuse or sexual misconduct by an employee.
Senate OKs bill for school
rescheduling due to snow days
Delco Times by John Kopp
POSTED: 03/19/14, 10:42 PM EDT
The state Senate unanimously passed a bill Wednesday that gives
school districts flexibility to make up instruction time lost to snow
days. Senate Bill 1281 enables school
districts calculate their school days based on instructional hours without
seeking approval from the Pennsylvania Department of Education. It also enables
districts to reschedule instructional days on one Saturday per month.
"Without charter schools, the district's current budget
would have an $8 million surplus, Roy Bethlehem Roy
Maximum tax increase possible
for Bethlehem Area School District
School district faces $12.1 million deficit. Superintendent
blames charter schools.
By Adam Clark,
Of The Morning Call 10:52 p.m. EDT, March 19, 2014
Bethlehem Area school directors agreed Wednesday that raising
taxes as high as possible may be the most viable solution to the district's
budget woes. Facing a $12.1 million
deficit and the possibility of reducing students' academic opportunities, each
of the six school directors who attended Wednesday's budget workshop said they
support Superintendent Joseph Roy's recommendation to raise taxes beyond the
2.6 percent state index. District Chief
Financial Officer Stacy Gober wouldn't specify the highest possible tax
increase because the district has yet to receive confirmation from the state
that it qualifies for exceptions to exceed the index. But the district believes
it qualifies for as much as $3.9 million through the exceptions, which would
more than double the $3.7 million it would get from a 2.6 percent increase,
Gober said.
KIPP: Making the most of
extra time
thenotebook by Paul
Jablow on Mar 19 2014
Posted in Latest news
It’s 3 p.m. on a Monday, and all around the city – or the country for
that matter – kids are filing out of school, headed for waiting parents or the
bus. Not, however, at the KIPP West
Philadelphia Preparatory
Charter School
Elsewhere, other teachers convene a documentary film club, tutor math,
prepare students for the upcoming state standardized tests, drill the step
team, and preside over a study hall for students who have been acting out and
need a “quiet space.” The students will stay until about 4:45.
KIPP West Philadelphia is one of
a small but growing number of schools around the country to use “extended learning
time,” expanding both the regular school day and the school calendar beyond the
traditional framework of 180 days that start between 8 and 9 a.m. and end
around 2:30 or 3 p.m.
Charter school challenges court ruling,
says 2011 vote in its favor should stand
By Jenna Ebersole Pocono Record Writer March 18, 2014
The
court fight is not over yet.
The
Pocono Mountain Charter School has filed an application for reargument with an
appellate court, arguing the court should recognize the validity of an original
state board's vote in its favor in 2011.
The school filed the application with the Commonwealth Court last week,
following the court's ruling in late February that sent the charter revocation
case back to the state board with instructions to vote again by the end of the
school year. Pocono Mountain School District has battled with the charter
through years of litigation seeking to shut the school down.
Superintendent was lone
schools official to take promised pay cut
WHEN TALK of massive
layoffs swirled around the Philadelphia
School District
Audit report showed Coatesville School District
MICHAELLE BOND, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER LAST UPDATED: Wednesday, March 19, 2014, 1:08 AM
POSTED: Tuesday, March 18, 2014,
5:46 PM
COATESVILLE While the Coatesville Area School District
Common Core Creates
Opportunities For Publishers
NPR Morning Edition by LYNN NEARY March 19, 2014 5:00 AM
Listen to the Story runtime: 5
min 39 sec
New education standards called Common Core are being adopted in
45 states and Washington, D.C. That has
created an opportunity for trade publishers.
Washington Post Answer Sheet Blog BY VALERIE STRAUSS March 18 at 10:00 pm
Gilded Crusade for Charters Rolls
Onward
New
York Times By MICHAEL POWELL MARCH 12, 2014
To
call Eva S. Moskowitz a
walking lightning rod is to deeply understate the matter. Electricity all but
arcs and leaps off her scalp. Years ago,
she ran the City Council’s Education Committee with a dynamic, if unyielding,
hand. She accused school officials of retreating on their standards, and she
was often right. Her battles with the
former teachers’ union president, Randi Weingarten, called to mind Mothra and
Godzilla. Now she is the proprietor of
the Success Academy
Governors’ Top Education Issues:
State-of-the-States 2014
Education
Commission of the States By Jennifer Thomsen March 2014
Education
issues were again at the forefront when the leaders of 42 states and the District of Columbia
outlined their priorities in their 2014 state-of-the-state addresses. Governors
outlined their plans for increasing the quality and availability of education –
from preschool through postsecondary – to spur economic growth and enhance the
quality of life of each state’s citizens. This brief highlights the most
frequently cited education priorities of the nation’s governors:
"At the end of the last semester, the Lawrence
Lawrence
prepares for full takeover of troubled K12 Inc. virtual high school
The Lawrence school district is preparing to take full control
of Lawrence Virtual High School, a charter school that until recently had been
run by a private company. The move comes
as district officials begin to question the effectiveness of virtual schools
generally. The future of the Lawrence program will depend on whether it can
improve its academic performance.
“If we can do it well, we plan to continue,” Lawrence
Superintendent Rick Doll said. “It's all about quality for me. There is a need
across Kansas, as evidenced by the enrollment we have, but we've got to do it
well.”
Education Forum: No Child
Left Behind - The Law that Instituted High-Stakes Testing
Thursday, March 20th at 7pm in the East Penn School
District Board Room, 800 Pine St. Emmaus , PA.
Presented by East Penn Invested Citizens
You are invited! The No Child Left Behind Law that
instituted standardized testing was passed more than 10 years ago and has
radically changed the educational landscape across the nation. EPIC is
proud to host an Education Forum regarding high-stakes, standardized testing.
Muhlenberg Education Professors will be sharing cutting-edge
research that explores how standardized tests have impacted students, teachers,
schools, and outcomes. Please attend and spread the word by sharing this
post. The event is open to ALL school districts.
Please feel free to share this invitation with your friends and
neighbors and help us to spread the word about this event!
PA School Board Members
interested in running for PSBA officer positions must file applications no
Later than April 30th
PSBA's website Electing PSBA Officers
All persons seeking nomination for elected positions of the
Association shall send applications to the attention of the chair of the
Leadership Development Committee during the month of April, an Application for Nomination on a form to be provided by the
Association expressing interest in the office sought. "The
Application for nomination shall be marked received at PSBA Headquarters or
mailed first class and postmarked by April 30 to be considered and timely
filed. If said date falls on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday, then the
Application for Nomination shall be considered timely filed if marked received
at PSBA headquarters or mailed and postmarked on the next business day."
(PSBA Bylaws, Article IV, Section 5.E.).
Details and position descriptions: https://www.psba.org/elections/index.asp
Live Chat with PA's Major Education Leadership Organizations on Twitter
Tuesday March 25th at 8:00 p.m.
PSBA
website 3/11/2014
On Tuesday,
March 25 at 8 p.m., Pennsylvania's major education leadership organizations
will host a live chat on Twitter to share the opinions of school leaders from
throughout the state and invite feedback.
Join the conversation using hashtag #PAEdFunding and
lurk, learn or let us know what you think about the state of support for public
schools. If you've never tweeted before,
join us. It's a simple, free and fast-paced way to communicate and share
information. Here are directions and a few tips:
- See
more at: http://www.psba.org/news-publications/headlines/details.asp?id=7286#sthash.OGonknCO.dpuf
How the Business Community Can Lead on
Early Education
Economy
League of Greater Philadelphia
Join
business and community leaders to learn about how you can help make sure every
child arrives in kindergarten ready to succeed. On April 29th, the Economy
League of Greater Philadelphia and the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and
Southern New Jersey will host a forum featuring business leaders from around
the country talking about why they’re focused on early childhood education and
how they have moved the needle on improving quality and access in their states.
Featured
Speakers
- Jack Brennan, Chairman Emeritus of The
Vanguard Group
- Phil Peterson, Partner, Aon Hewitt and
Co-Chair of America’s Edge/Ready Nation
- And more to be announced!
- Date & Time Tuesday, April
29, 2014 | 5-7 PM
Registration begins at 5 PM;
program from 5:30 to 7:00 PM
- Location Federal Reserve Bank of
Philadelphia
10 North Independence Mall West Philadelphia,
PA 19106
Registration:
http://worldclassgreaterphila.org/worldclasscouncilforum
PILCOP Special Education Seminars 2014
Schedule
Public
Interest Law Center of Philadelphia
Tuesday, March 25th,
12-4 p.m.
Tuesday, April 29th,
12-4 p.m.
Wednesday, May 14th,
1-5 p.m. and 6-8 p.m.
Register Now! EPLC’s 2014 Education Issues
Workshops for Legislative Candidates, Campaign Staff, and Interested Voters
EPLC’s Education
Issue Workshops Register Now! – Space is Limited!
A Non-Partisan One-Day Program forPennsylvania
A Non-Partisan One-Day Program for
Wednesday, March 19, 2014 in Monroeville ,
PA
Thursday, March 27, 2014 inPhiladelphia ,PA
Thursday, March 27, 2014 in
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. This list will be updated, as more
information becomes available.
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