Daily postings from the Keystone State
Education Coalition now reach more than 3250 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 27, 2014:
Principal of the Year: Slay the testing
beast
State gives school districts more time for spring Keystone exams
By Barbara Miller |
bmiller@pennlive.com on March 26, 2014 at 2:00 PM
Pennsylvania
school districts are getting an extension
on when they can give Keystone exams this spring, due to the unusual number
of snow days this winter. The state
Department of Education announced Tuesday it is extending the testing window
for Keystones, just as it did for PSSA tests. Keystone tests are given in
algebra I, literature and biology. After
a survey of school districts, the state said it will add a week to the Keystone
testing window, which will now be May 12-30.
The state previously added a week to the PSSA testing window. For math
and reading, it had been March 17-28, and is now March 17-April 4, with a
makeup period April 7-11.
The
writing testing period is now March 31-April 11, extended a week from the
previous April 4 deadline. The make-up period will be April 14-25. The changes mean School Performance Profiles
will now be released to the public Sept. 24.
PSSA tests: Schools aim to
stay positive, reduce anxiety
Weather had an effect on
test preparations, schedules
York Daily Record By
Angie Mason amason@ydr.com @angiemason1 on Twitter 03/25/2014 09:17:06 PM EDT
On Monday, students at Northeastern Middle School
Slay the testing beast
Standardized tests are out of control; let's stand together
to fight them off
Post-Gazette Opinion by GREG
TARANTO March 26, 2014 12:00 AM
I am the principal of an
award-winning middle school in Canonsburg. We have been designated as one of
350 “schools to watch” nationwide, not for our test scores, which are very
good, but instead for the ways in which we engage the “whole child.” This means
we surround strong core academics with quality arts programs, technology
education, physical fitness, wellness and extracurricular opportunities such as
athletics and jazz band. Normally my
school is alive with student-work displays, posters, inspirational sayings and
images. My seventh-grade teams recently completed a cross disciplinary unit on
mythology and the rooms were proudly filled with student work. This included
material from Investigation of a Mythological Character (research in English
and social studies), Student-Created Myths and Movie Proposal PowerPoints and
Prezis (creative writing in language arts) and Hypothetical Future Offspring of
the Gods Projects (genetics in science).
But not this week — because one of the many ugly heads of the
student-testing monster is test security. Pennsylvania System of School
Assessment testing security requires that “… all materials on the walls that
relate to tested content, including motivational posters” are to be covered. So
this week, a testing week, all of these amazing projects are hidden or removed.
Even a poster that says, “Expect the Best” has been covered because testing
rules say such a poster might “spark” a student’s imagination during testing.
More
Susquehanna Valley families choosing to opt out of PSSA testing
Parents: “Standardized tests not accurate picture of
child’s potential”
WGAL UPDATED 6:28 PM EDT
Mar 25, 2014 (video runtime 2:34)
Lancaster County Opt Out
Lancaster County Opt Out was
designed with parents in mind. No one knows what’s best for a child
moreso than a parent, and we are embarking to teach each and every parent what
their options are when it comes to education. What if we told you that
the entire standardized test industry is making money off of your child’s
scores? What if we told you that the teachers can’t teach how they know
best? What if we told you that your child’s teacher could be evaluated
based on your child’s performance? All of these claims are true.
Now, what if we told you that it’s your right to opt your child out of these
tests… to show the government that we won’t let our children be pawns in this
governmental game? Well, that is also true. Read more on our
website to find out how!
"Hughes said the money set aside for
education would include reinstating the charter-school-reimbursement line item
eliminated by the Corbett administration and provide money for a new
basic-education funding formula."
Lawmaker to propose Marcellus Shale tax to raise $ for schools
Lawmaker to propose Marcellus Shale tax to raise $ for schools
SOLOMON LEACH, DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER LEACHS@PHILLYNEWS.COM,
215-854-5903 POSTED: Thursday, March 27, 2014, 3:01 AM
A STATE lawmaker from Philadelphia
said he has a plan to generate $375 million for local school districts without
costing taxpayers a dime. Sen. Vincent
Hughes, minority chairman of the Appropriations Committee, said yesterday that
he would introduce legislation to impose a 5-percent severance tax on
natural-gas drilling in the state's Marcellus Shale region. By 2020, Hughes
said, the tax would generate more than $1 billion for education. "Given the status of what's going on in
our schools, we need a much more aggressive funding plan put in place,"
Hughes told the Daily News. He is scheduled to announce the legislation
today at a rally outside the Philadelphia
School District
More taxes for schools? Philly's unlikely champion
WHYY Newsworks by KIMBERLY HAAS MARCH 26, 2014 (audio
runtime 4:50)
The importance of funding for
public education is not lost on the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce,
the eleven-county region’s business advocacy organization that promotes growth
and economic development. Its president
and CEO Rob Wonderling spoke with WHYY’s Dave Heller on the chamber’s efforts
to improve public education in the region, and the Philadelpha School District
in particular, including a surprising support of more taxes for schools.
By Eleanor Chute / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette March 26, 2014 11:19 PM
Pittsburgh Public Schools ended 2013 with an operating surplus
of $20.8 million, official year-end figures showed Wednesday night. A $9.86 million operating deficit had been
forecast when the calendar year budget was approved. When this year's budget was being put
together, a surplus of $2.38 million was anticipated, but the final amount
turned out to be significantly larger. The surplus was large enough to leave a
nearly $103.2 million unreserved fund balance at the end of 2013. One of the reasons the district is in better
financial shape than expected a year ago is the earned income tax collections --
they were about $14 million higher than budgeted in 2013. The amount collected
was $9.3 million more than in 2012, an increase of 9.2 percent. In addition, real estate transfer tax
collections were up about $3.9 million over the budgeted amount. The transfer
taxes, which totaled $10.9 million, were higher than they have ever been.
"The
teaching cuts, a cost-saving measure, are officially being attributed to a
decline in enrollment, one of the reasons Pennsylvania
School
board to vote Thursday night on cuts; 26 other jobs at risk.
By Adam Clark, Of The Morning Call 9:31
p.m. EDT, March 26, 2014
The Allentown School Board is
scheduled to vote Thursday night on the district's proposal to eliminate 74
teaching positions. If approved, the
teaching cuts, along with 26 other job cuts introduced earlier this month,
would push the total jobs slashed to more than 450 over the past five years. By
eliminating 100 positions, the district would save more than $5 million,
helping offset a $13.2 million deficit in its preliminary budget. Under the Pennsylvania School Code, a school
board resolution is required for eliminating teachers, district spokeswoman
Kimberly Golden Benner said. The other positions — 12 clerical workers, 10
paraprofessionals and four administrators — can be eliminated without a formal
resolution, according to the district. The
teaching cuts, a cost-saving measure, are officially being attributed to a
decline in enrollment, one of the reasons Pennsylvania school districts can legally
lay off teachers. The district says its
enrollment has dropped from 18,504 in 2006-07 to 17,006. District projections
show a further decline to 15,577 by 2018-19.
Adding a 13th grade could
help students prepare better for their next steps, postsecondary commission
chairman Rob Wonderling says
By on
March 26, 2014 at 6:24 PM
For some high school
students, the thought of attending a 13th grade may make them cringe.
But Gov. Tom Corbett's
appointed commission
that studied the future of postsecondary educationin Pennsylvania spent
time mulling over the value of adding that extra grade.
Granted that notion
would break from tradition, but Rob Wonderling, the president and CEO of the
Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce who chaired that commission in 2012,
said it could be time for Pennsylvania to consider this change.
Giving Up on 4-Year-Olds
New York Times By THE EDITORIAL BOARD MARCH 26,
2014
A new report released by the Department of
Education’s Office for Civil Rights,
examining the disciplinary practices of the country’s 97,000 public schools,
shows that excessively punitive policies are being used at every level of the
public school system — even against 4-year-olds in preschool. This should shame
the nation and force it to re-evaluate the destructive measures that schools
are using against their most vulnerable children.
Black students, for example,
are suspended at
three times the rate of white students. Minority children with disabilities
fair worst of all; the race effect is amplified when disability comes into the
picture. More than one in four minority boys with a disability — and nearly one
in five minority girls — receive an out-of-school suspension. Students with
disabilities make up 12 percent of the student population, but 25 percent of
those are either arrested or have their disciplinary cases referred to the
police.
Republican governors wrestle with unpopular Common Core education
standards
PBS Newshour BY BILL
BARROW, ASSOCIATED PRESS March
24, 2014 at 10:44 AM EDT
The lost opportunity of the Common Core
State
Kappan Magazine By Kevin G. Welner
Phi Delta Kappan April 2014 vol. 95 no. 7 39-40
Until we focus on closing opportunity
gaps, the Common Core will be part of the problem, and its potential benefits
will never be realized.
Does School Board Leadership Matter?
The Thomas B. Fordham Institute by
Arnold F. Shober and Michael T. Hartney
Foreword by Dara Zeehandelaar and
Amber M. Northern
NSBA comments
on Fordham Institute’s new school leadership report
NSBA School Board News Today by Lawrence Hardy March
26th, 2014
A new report by the Thomas B.
Fordham Institute concludes that school districts whose school board members
are focused on student achievement are more likely than others to “beat the
odds” academically — that is, to perform better than the demographics and
financial conditions of their students would suggest. The report, “Does School Board Leadership
Matter?” is a follow-up to the 2010 report “School Boards Circa 2010:
Governance in the Accountability Era,” a joint project of Fordham Institute, the National School Boards Association (NSBA), and
the Iowa School Boards Association. As with the earlier report, NSBA says that
— while the new study makes a valuable contribution to the field of school
board research — some of its findings are based on questionable
assumptions.
The Pennsylvania PTA 105th annual statewide convention April 4-6, 2014,
at the Radisson Valley Forge/King of Prussia.
Pennsylvania PTA Harrisburg,
Pa. March 21, 2014
Delegates from local PTA
units, councils, and regions throughout the state will gather to give direction
to the State PTA on issues of resolutions, bylaws, and timely topics being
addressed around education and child advocacy. The convention format will include a Diversity
Leadership Conference, a Town Hall Meeting on Suicide Awareness and Prevention,
twenty (20) workshops on timely issues, networking time with other delegates,
an exhibit hall, a Reflections Gallery showcasing student artwork, and the
opportunity to hear keynote speakers and representatives from the National PTA
and other statewide partnering organizations from Pennsylvania. Complete
details for registration may be obtained at the Pennsylvania PTA website at
www.papta.org.
Education Debate - Pittsburgh, April 8
by Yinzercation
March 20, 2014
Please mark your calendars now
and plan to be a part of this event:
Democratic candidates for
Governor of Pennsylvania
Tuesday, April 8th atPittsburgh 6-12 515 N. Highland Ave. , Pittsburgh
PA 15206
Tuesday, April 8th at
Sign up for weekly Testing
Resistance & Reform News and Updates!
Fairtest - The National Center for Fair and Open Testing
PSBA
nominations for offices now open!
Deadline April 30th
PSBA Leadership Development Committee seeks strong leaders for the association
Members interested in becoming the next leaders of PSBA are encouraged to complete an Application for Nomination no later than April 30. As a member-driven association, the Leadership Development Committee (LDC) is seeking nominees with strong skills in leadership and communication, and who have vision for PSBA. Complete details on the nomination process, links to the Application for Nomination form, and scheduled dates for nominee interviews can be found online by clicking here.
PSBA Leadership Development Committee seeks strong leaders for the association
Members interested in becoming the next leaders of PSBA are encouraged to complete an Application for Nomination no later than April 30. As a member-driven association, the Leadership Development Committee (LDC) is seeking nominees with strong skills in leadership and communication, and who have vision for PSBA. Complete details on the nomination process, links to the Application for Nomination form, and scheduled dates for nominee interviews can be found online by clicking here.
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, April 29th,
12-4 p.m.
Wednesday, May 14th,
1-5 p.m. and 6-8 p.m.
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.
Network for Public Education's Pennsylvania Friends and Allies:
@the chalkface http://atthechalkface.com
Angie Villa Art & Education http://www.angievillaartwork.blogspot.com
Keystone State Education Coalition http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.blogspot.com/
Parents United for Public
Education http://www.parentsunitedphila.com
Pennsylvania Alliance for Arts
Education http://www.kennedy-center.org/education/kcaaen/statealliance/home.cfm
Philly Teacherman http://phillyteacherman.blogspot.com/
Raging Chicken Press http://www.ragingchickenpress.org/
Yinzercation http://yinzercation.wordpress.com
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