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 April 18, 2014:
David L. Cohen: Pa.
PSBA
members in Bucks, Montgomery, Chester and Delaware Counties
PSBA
Buxmont Region 11 and Penns Grant Region 15 Combined Region/Legislative Meeting
-- Thursday, May 15, at William Tennent High School
- Buffet dinner/registration, 6 p.m. ($8 charge for
dinner) - Program, 7:30 p.m. -- Minority Senate Education Committee Chair
Hon. Andy Dinniman will introduce guest speaker Diane Ravitch, author and
education historian, and former Assistant Secretary of Education. Retiring House Education Committee Chairman
Paul Clymer will also be honored for his long time (1981) public service.
David L. Cohen: Pa.
By
David L. Cohen Friday, April 18, 2014, 1:08 AM
David L. Cohen is executive vice
president of Comcast Corp.
It's not always the case that the business and education sectors are in full agreement on what's needed to improve the quality of education and skills of our students. But when it comes to prekindergarten, the stars are fully aligned. One of our nation's most respected business leaders, John Pepper of Procter & Gamble, says it best: "Being ready for kindergarten affects everything that follows. The connections from preschool to third-grade reading proficiency to high-school completion - a bare-minimum requirement in today's economy - could not be clearer." He's so right. Consider the following two simple examples that prove his point:
It's not always the case that the business and education sectors are in full agreement on what's needed to improve the quality of education and skills of our students. But when it comes to prekindergarten, the stars are fully aligned. One of our nation's most respected business leaders, John Pepper of Procter & Gamble, says it best: "Being ready for kindergarten affects everything that follows. The connections from preschool to third-grade reading proficiency to high-school completion - a bare-minimum requirement in today's economy - could not be clearer." He's so right. Consider the following two simple examples that prove his point:
In Maryland , children who
were assessed as not "fully ready" for kindergarten were five times
more likely to fail third-grade reading and math standards.
Children
in Cincinnati
who weren't ready for kindergarten were half as likely as those who were ready
to later meet third-grade reading standards.
Read
more at http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/inquirer/20140418_Pa__needs_quality_pre-K.html#KD7PjcT2IofPTbCl.99
The haves vs. the have nots
Axis
Philly by Julia Bergman, Apr. 15, 2014
Ask the
average Philadelphian what their top concern is and they’re likely to say
education.
The
city has become a battleground for debates over fair and sufficient funding for
public schools. At the forefront of that debate is what many consider
debilitating cuts to education made by Gov. Tom Corbett. In 2011, Corbett’s first year in office, the
governor cut $1 billion from state aid to public education. In Philadelphia,
the result was fewer teachers, counselors and aides, increased class sizes and
schools stripped of extracurricular programs like music and art.
But,
education is a statewide issue as well.
More 'amicus' briefs:
Activists and gubernatorial candidate back union's stance
the notebook by Dale
Mezzacappa on Apr 17 2014
Posted in Latest news
Two friend-of-the-court
briefs filed this week with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court support the position
of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers that the School Reform Commission does
not have the power to impose contract terms in areas that traditionally
have been negotiated.
One was filed by the
advocacy group the Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools (APPS) and the
other by Rob McCord, a candidate for the Democratic gubernatorial
nomination. McCord's brief was written by the PFT's attorneys. The SRC has asked
the court to rule quickly and
affirm its right to impose work-rule changes on the union as negotiations
have stalled. With the teacher-hiring and transfer process already underway,
Superintendent William Hite has announced his intention to weaken the role that
seniority plays in making assignments and deciding on layoffs.
The APPS brief, written
by attorney and former District teacher and administrator Rich
Migliore, says that parents and other advocates -- the District's primary
stakeholders -- have not been heard in this issue.
DN Editorial: Help wanted
Philly Daily News
Editorial POSTED: Friday, April
18, 2014, 3:01 AM
THOUGH it's hard to
believe, the Philadelphia
School District
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20140418_DN_Editorial__Help_wanted.html#Jw37hfBheqT2ZjZ7.99
Charter schools targeted by PIAA
By Mike
White / Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette April 17, 2014 11:10 PM
Bob
Lombardi has nothing against charter schools, but as the executive director of
the PIAA, he says his job is to be the voice of many schools around the
commonwealth of Pennsylvania that are screaming foul against the charter school
effect on athletics, particularly basketball.
"There
are loud and clear complaints from our membership," Lombardi said.
That's
why Lombardi is pushing an idea that would effectively eliminate sports at
charter schools.
"We
have asked at our annual meetings [with school representatives] if there are
any issues," Lombardi said. "They say, 'Yes, charter schools.' Our
schools are not happy."
In the
past few weeks, Lombardi has met twice with the PIAA Legislative Oversight
Committee in the Legislature and asked the committee to craft a proposal that
would force charter-school students to play sports for the public school
district in which they live, and not the charter school.
The Poorest, Most Charter-Rich Cities
in the U.S.
BY BILL BRADLEY | NEXT CITY
| APRIL 17, 2014
tudents
at Alice Harte Elementary Charter in New
Orleans . Credit: AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Charter
schools are a lightning rod in education circles. Are they bastions of
achievement-for-all-oriented reform or a symbol of inching towards the
privatization of education? One thing that is agreed upon:
Their DNA is largely rooted in cities. While charter school students are still a
miniscule percentage of America’s student body at 4.2 percent, the numbers in
our cities are much larger. Fifty-five percent of the nation’s roughly 5,700
charter schools are in cities, where they make up 12 percent of public schools.
And when you look at some of America’s most troubled urban enclaves, the
percentage of students in public charter schools increases dramatically from
that 4.2 percent. Take, for example, New Orleans, which has the highest
percentage of charter school students in the country at 79 percent. Detroit
clocks in second at 51 percent. Cleveland (29 percent) and Philadelphia (28
percent) are also in the top 10. Starting to see the trend here?
The Common Core – Why Isn't Public Support More Robust?
Public Agenda Blog by Jean Johnson THURSDAY, APRIL
17TH, 2014
Bill Gates and the U.S. Army back it, along with a whole slew of educational associations, business leaders and think tanks. And despite the
partisanship we often see in politics today, the development and adoption of
the new, voluntary Common
Core learning standards in literacy and math got off to an amazing
start. Set in motion in 2009 by an alliance of Republican and Democratic
governors, Common Core standards were quickly adopted by 45 states and the District
of Columbia. So how did an idea that
started off with such impressive support become so controversial? A wide range of critics, including some parents, teachers, education experts, Tea Party activists and liberal groups have begun pushing back against the
Common Core — or at least the way it’s being implemented. One state, Indiana, has already dropped the standards, and other states are considering doing so as well.
People keep asking us what they can do to
help with the public education funding crisis. Next Thursday, Philadelphia
attorneys can help by simply taking their lunch break at City Hall.
LAWYERS DAY OF ACTION FOR EDUCATION Thursday, April 24th
co-hosted
with the Education
Law Center
Join your fellow attorneys at City Hall on Thursday, April 24 to
tell City Council that Philadelphia cannot function without good public
schools, and high-quality public schools require adequate funding. We will ask
City Council to extend the sales tax to provide $120 million in recurring
annual revenue to Philadelphia's public schools.
We will hold an optional webinar on
Wednesday, April 23 at 4:00 p.m. to prepare you with talking points and more
background information. RSVP for the webinar or day of action here.
Please RSVP, forward this email to your colleagues and
join us on the 24th in sending a unified message to City Council members that
the legal community supports public education.
Public Citizens for Children and Youth
(PCCY) will Host an Education Funding Forum in Delaware County
On May
7th, PCCY will host a forum that discusses the state of school
funding in Delaware
County 501 Bywood Avenue ,
Upper Darby PA 19082 from 6:30pm-8pm.
Attendees will get a budget update from Sharon Ward of the Pennsylvania
Budget and Policy Center , hear from School Board members representing
Upper Darby, William Penn, and Haverford
School Districts
Please
RSVP by clicking here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1OjFpJwTHnZwRqh0Q5Tdp0KHYaI1Jg0XNvGpmeYMmIyA/viewform
PSBA Advocacy Forum and Day on the Hill
May 5-6, Mechanicsburg & Harrisburg
Make an impact on the legislative process by attending PSBA’s Advocacy Forum and Day on the Hill, May 5-6. Day one will provide legislative insights on pensions, training on being an effective advocate, and media relations. Dr. G. Terry Madonna, leading Pennsylvania political analyst, will discuss the legislative landscape in his usual lively and informative style. How to Be an Effective Advocate -- Hear from former Allwein Advocacy Award winners Larry Feinberg, Roberta Marcus and Tina Viletto on how to successfully support your issues. At noon, Rep. Dave Reed, Majority Policy Chairman, will address participants.
On day two, participants will start with a breakfast at the Harrisburg Hilton with Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley as guest speaker and then hit the ground running with visits to legislative offices in the State CapitolSpace is limited so register early. Click here for more details and to register online.
May 5-6, Mechanicsburg & Harrisburg
Make an impact on the legislative process by attending PSBA’s Advocacy Forum and Day on the Hill, May 5-6. Day one will provide legislative insights on pensions, training on being an effective advocate, and media relations. Dr. G. Terry Madonna, leading Pennsylvania political analyst, will discuss the legislative landscape in his usual lively and informative style. How to Be an Effective Advocate -- Hear from former Allwein Advocacy Award winners Larry Feinberg, Roberta Marcus and Tina Viletto on how to successfully support your issues. At noon, Rep. Dave Reed, Majority Policy Chairman, will address participants.
On day two, participants will start with a breakfast at the Harrisburg Hilton with Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley as guest speaker and then hit the ground running with visits to legislative offices in the State CapitolSpace is limited so register early. Click here for more details and to register online.
Registration
fee of $50 includes lunch and dinner on May 5 and breakfast on May
6.
Educating the Voter: A Forum on Public
Education featuring Democratic gubernatorial candidates - April 30th 6:00 pm
Phila Central Library
Presented by Committee of Seventy, Congresso and
Philadelphia Education Fund
Wednesday,
April 30, 2014 at 6:00PM
Join Democratic gubernatorial candidates Katie McGinty, Tom Wolf, Allyson Schwartz and Rob McCord for a discussion on public education.
Please
click here to
register.
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.
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