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policymakers – school directors, administrators, legislators, legislative and
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Keystone State Education Coalition
The district would spend an extra $3,000 to $4,000 next year
per student if the schools become charter schools. But if parents vote to remain
in traditional public schools, there would likely be no additional investment
Hundreds of school building projects on long waiting list for state
funding
By John
Finnerty Meadville Tribune March
31, 2014
HARRISBURG
— More than 200 school building projects are awaiting money from the state — in
some cases months and years after they cleared all other hurdles of the state’s
approval process. The state lists 347
projects — worth more than $1.7 billion — somewhere in the planning stages. In
204 cases local officials have cleared each step of the process, except for the
final one in which the Department of Education calculates exactly how much it
will spend. Among the projects, one is
in Titusville , two are In Mercer County and four
are in Erie County Central Cambria
School District Central Cambria
School District
Two years later, the Legislature has yet to come up with a solution, and schools are still waiting to get paid.
Two years later, the Legislature has yet to come up with a solution, and schools are still waiting to get paid.
By KENDAL GAPINSKI, kgapinski@dailylocal.com 04/01/14, 8:40 AM EDT |
After union members approved the agreement on Friday at an
after-school meeting, the school board scheduled a special meeting Monday night
at East High School
The contract will be retroactive to the 2012-13 school year and
will last until the summer of 2017, according to school officials.
"McGarrigle is holding a press conference this afternoon
to lay out his plan to use a severance tax on natural gas, with those funds
earmarked entirely for education funding in the state."
The Heron's Nest: Tom McGarrigle:
We Shale Overcome
By Phil
Heron, Editor, Delaware County Daily
For some reason, I don’t think Gov. Tom Corbett will be on hand
for Tom McGarrigle’s press conference today.
McGarrigle is the Republican chairman of County Council who is running
for the 26th District state Senate seat being vacated by Ted Erickson. McGarrigle raised a few eyebrows when he
kicked off his campaign by saying he was in favor of a tax on extraction of
natural gas from the state’s booming Marcellus Shale region. That is something
that Gov. Corbett has opposed. In fact, the governor has gone out of his way to
push the idea that the lack of that tax - the state instead instituted a fee -
played a role in the state’s economic turnaround.
"That creates a tough choice
for families: The district would spend an extra $3,000 to $4,000 next year per
student if the schools become charter schools. But if parents vote to remain in
traditional public schools, there would likely be no additional investment,
officials said."
"….It feels like the district
is basically giving up on itself," Gym said. "They don't see
themselves as a viable option."
2 Philly schools may become
charters, if parents agree
KRISTEN A. GRAHAM, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER LAST UPDATED: Wednesday, April 2, 2014, 1:08 AM
POSTED: Tuesday, April 1, 2014,
5:15 PM
PHILADELPHIA Two public
elementary schools in North Philadelphia
singled out for their struggling academics are on track to become charter
schools in the fall. Muñoz Marín could
be taken over by ASPIRA of Pennsylvania, and Steel Elementary School Philadelphia School
District
"Mastery and ASPIRA, which were among three Renaissance
charter operators who responded to a request for qualifications, were chosen
based on their proven track records in other district turnarounds, Kihn said.
In Mastery's seven Renaissance charters, the percentage of students scoring
advanced or proficient on standardized tests in reading and math has increased
at least 9 percent. The two Renaissance schools run by ASPIRA have seen test
scores rise at least 7.5 percent."
…. Steel, she noted,
is Nicetown's only remaining noncharter elementary school. She called it
"an injustice" for Steel to be considered low-performing given the
school's lack of resources.
"They're taking teachers away, we don't have enough support staff,
we don't have enough supplies," she said.
Charter operators slated to
take over 2 district schools
SOLOMON LEACH, DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER LEACHS@PHILLYNEWS.COM,
215-854-5903 POSTED: Wednesday, April 2, 2014,
12:16 AM
TO BE a charter school
or not to be: That is the question facing parents in two North
Philadelphia neighborhoods during the next month. As part of an ongoing effort to turn around
its lowest-performing schools, the School District
of Philadelphia yesterday recommended
placing Edward T. Steel Elementary and Luis Munoz-Marin Elementary into the
hands of Mastery Charter Schools
"The SAC will vote to make a
recommendation during the last week in April, and the parent “elections” on
whether to convert each school to a charter will occur on May 1, Kihn said.
Kihn said that each school is in
the middle of its own improvement planning, and that those proposals will also
be presented before a vote. It is not yet clear whether the schools will get
any more resources to implement their own plans if they vote against the
charter conversion."
Steel, Muñoz-Marin
elementaries chosen for possible Renaissance charter conversion
the notebook by Dale
Mezzacappa on Apr 01 2014
Posted in Latest news
The Philadelphia School
District
If the school
communities approve, the two will be the 21st and 22nd low-performing District
schools to be converted to charters under the Renaissance turnaround
initiative.
This year, for the first
time, parents at the schools will decide whether to go through with the charter
conversion process. In the past, the District designated which schools would be
converted, and the community's role was to decide on a charter provider.
In
the past 4 years the Walton Family Foundation has invested well over half a
billion dollars to privatize democratically run American public schools,
including $2.6 million in 2011 and $1.65 million in 2012 to 50CAN, the parent
company of PennCAN, the "think tank" cited in this article.
SCHOOL LEADERS TRY TO KEEP
BETTER TABS ON CHARTERS
Philly Trib Live Written by Wilford
Shamlin III April 1, 2014
As school leaders take steps to become a stronger authorizer of
independently run charter schools, a think tank on Monday commended the effort,
but cast doubt on its long-term success.
“They’re having the conversation they should be having,” said
Jonathan Cetel, executive director of the Pennsylvania Campaign for Achievement
Now (Penn CAN). “They’re thinking about quality and how they can become a
better authorizer. And I respect the process that they’re using to move this
forward.” A quality charter school
authorizer supports and monitors existing schools, closes low-performing
charter schools, and considers applications for new charter schools that have
potential for becoming high performers. Cetel said it’s been four years since
the school district accepted the last application for a new charter school.
PIAA plan would limit
athletics at charter schools
POSTED: 04/01/14, 5:38 PM EDT |
http://www.delcotimes.com/social-affairs/20140401/piaa-plan-would-limit-athletics-at-charter-schools
Study shows pre-kindergarten attendance
creates healthier adults
WHYY
Newsworks BY TAUNYA ENGLISH MARCH 31, 2014
Advocates
for pre-kindergarten programs have some new evidence to sell the importance of
early education. A new study from
researchers at the University
of North Carolina
Gemmell
works for Public Citizens for Children and Youth in Philadelphia , which has received funding from
the William Penn Foundation and other groups to raise awareness about pre-K
programs.
Special Education Funding Commission
Bill HB2138 (O'Neill) introduced in the PA House
Instead of closing neighborhood schools, 'community schools'
utilize existing schools as a hub, partnering with non-profits to provide a
wide range of remediation, enrichment and health services.
By Eleanor Chute / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette April 1, 2014 11:22 PM
Pittsburgh Federation of
Teachers president Nina Esposito-Visgitis said she feels "jealous"
when she hears of the progress made at community learning schools in Cincinnati . Next week, about 30 people from Pittsburgh -- including teacher union members, city
residents and leaders -- will go to a community schools conference in Cincinnati to see whether
ideas from there can be brought here.
Community schools -- called community learning schools in Cincinnati -- use the
public schools as a hub for a variety of services for students, families and
the community.
Community Schools: The Engine of Opportunity
Join
the Coalition for Community Schools in partnership with the Cincinnati Public Schools
Our theme reflects the Coalition's commitment to equal opportunity for all students. We believe that community schools, with their deep and sustained partnerships between schools and community resources, are the “engine” that will prepare our young people to succeed.
This Forum comes at a key moment in time. There is a growing awareness and discussion of the importance of student engagement in learning, and the influence of out-of-school factors, including poverty on student achievement.
Our theme reflects the Coalition's commitment to equal opportunity for all students. We believe that community schools, with their deep and sustained partnerships between schools and community resources, are the “engine” that will prepare our young people to succeed.
This Forum comes at a key moment in time. There is a growing awareness and discussion of the importance of student engagement in learning, and the influence of out-of-school factors, including poverty on student achievement.
When: Wednesday, April 9 -
Friday, April 11, 2014
Where: Duke Energy
Convention Center 525 Elm St , Cincinnati ,
Ohio
Residents want Mars Area
school board members to continue fighting gas well
Even though members of
the Mars Area School Board voted not to allow drilling under district schools,
their roles are not done, residents told board members Tuesday. Residents who are fighting the permit for a
gas well on a farm near the campus urged board members to join them.
“The issue is far from over. There is a large group of very
dedicated individuals doing everything they can to prevent this from being
beside our school,” said Jackie Smathers. “If we had the school board behind
us, supporting us, that would be very powerful.” The school board last month unanimously
rejected an agreement to allow Rex Energy to drill under a portion of district
property. Rex has applied to put a gas well on property belonging to Kim Geyer,
a former school board president. The well will be 0.52 miles from the Mars Area
campus.
"Easton has 169 students enrolled in cyber charter
schools, DiVietro said. It costs the district about $10,000 for each
regular-education student who attends a cyberschool and about $20,000 per
special-education student. … VLN has a $16,750 upfront fee and then costs
$5,000 a year per full-time student."
By April
01, 2014 at 10:11 PM
Easton
Area School District administrators
want the district to revive its efforts to establish its own cyberschool. The Easton
Area School
District Cyber Academy opened
Jan. 28, 2013, through a partnership with VLN Partners, a consortium of
schools that Bangor , Bethlehemand
Northampton
area school districts have joined. About
28 Easton
students enrolled in the cyberschool but officials opted to close it over the
summer, said Angie DiVietro, director of teaching and learning.
"We had some
complications that we felt we were not able to address so we had to end that,"
Superintendent John
Reinhart said. "We had
to regroup." Officials are again
recommending going with VLN for a third- through 12th-grade program. But this
time they'd bring in Colonial Intermediate Unit 20 to administer the program in
its early years at a cost of $500 a student per semester. Eventually, IU-20
would help transition the school to district control.
Catasauqua to provide
students with laptops
By Bill Landauer, Of The Morning Call 11:57 p.m.
EDT, April 1, 2014
Members worried about costs, insurance liabilities for parents
– even eye strain. But in the end,
the Catasauqua Area school board voted 5-4 at Tuesday's
board meeting to move forward with a plan to provide every student and teacher
in the high school with a laptop. Districts
such as Salisbury
already rent laptops through Apple Financial Services. Catasauqua will lease
581 Macbook Airs for $155,563.52 for four years. Catasauqua parents who want their child to
take a laptop home will pay a $50 fee. Even if they don't pay, students will
still have access to a laptop at the school.
Maj. Gen. Daniel J. O'Neill, U.S. Army (Ret.), who lives in Honesdale, Wayne County ,
is a former superintendent of the Wayne
Highlands School
District U.S. Army (Ret.), who lives in Pittsburgh ,
is a former commander of the Walter Reed Healthcare System and is a professor
of medicine at University of Pittsburgh School of
Medicine. Both are members of the Executive Advisory Council for Mission
O'Neill and Dunn: Quality pre-K education puts children on path to success
O'Neill and Dunn: Quality pre-K education puts children on path to success
Morning Call Opinion BY DANIEL J. O'NEILL AND MICHAEL A. DUNN 5:53
a.m. EDT, April 2, 2014
As we all know, 2014 is a major election year in Pennsylvania . On the
ballot will be races for the entire state House, half of the state Senate seats
and our governor's office. As voters, we have a responsibility to help guide
the election debate to those issues that we see as critical to our
commonwealth's and our country's future.
As retired Army generals, we believe our candidates for public office
must focus on better preparing our youth to be citizen-ready — healthy,
educated, law-abiding contributors who are able to serve their nation either in
uniform or in the civilian sector.
Why We Need School
The key to fixing what
ails our education system is more democracy, not less.
Alternet.org March 25, 2014 Campaign
for America's Future / By Jeff Bryant
For
people who like to think of themselves as being “exceptional,” Americans can
sometimes abandon the very principles their exceptionality is founded on. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the
current debate of education policy. A
feature that has long made America ’s
public school system exceptional for sure is its governance through
democratically elected local school boards. The way this has been working,
according to the National
School Boards Association, is that your local school board “represents the
public’s voice in public education, providing citizen governance for what the
public schools need and what the community wants.” Any power a school board has is generated
through the exercise of democracy. When you don’t agree with decisions made by
your board members, “it is your right as a voter to select new board members
who will see to it that your students and your schools succeed.” How American is that?
But
now, many of the loudest voices in the nation’s education debate tell us that
is completely and utterly wrong.
Some High-profilers Gunning
for Common Core
deutsch29 Mercedes
Schneider's EduBlog April 1, 2014
The Common Core State
Standards (CCSS) surely are causing quite a stir. That is what happens when
non-teachers try to impose their wills upon the American classroom. (I have written extensively on CCSS,
including its creation, promotion and funding. For hours of enlightening CCSS
reading, click
here. To read about the contract between states and the federal government
regarding CCSS, click
here. For a crash course in CCSS lies versus truths, click
here. For a CCSS comparison with state standards and NAEP scores, click
here.) Legislatures across the
nation are
wrestling with the CCSS
Question: Dump, modify, or keep as is?
Of particular interest to me are the handful of high-profile individuals
who are pushing hard to Keep the Core.
They are not current classroom teachers. They were never career
classroom teachers.
In this post, I
highlight some such “power people.” I haven’t space enough to write about all
persons of influence who are campaigning for the Core. What I aim to capture
are those I believe exert the most influence.
New Virginia
The man
that Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe tapped to be the state’s new superintendent
of public instruction has been a vocal advocate for reducing the amount of
testing required of students as well as creating a new accountability system
for teachers and schools. Steve Staples,
a former superintendent of York County schools and faculty member at the College of William
American
Students Test Well in Problem Solving, but Trail Foreign Counterparts
New York Times By MOTOKO RICH APRIL 1, 2014
Fifteen-year-olds in the United
States scored above the average of those in the developed
world on exams assessing problem-solving skills, but they trailed several
countries in Asia and Europe as well as Canada , according to international
standardized tests results released on Tuesday.
The American students who took the problem-solving tests in
2012, the first time they were administered, did better on these exams than
on reading,
math and science tests, suggesting that students in the United States are
better able to apply knowledge to real-life situations than perform
straightforward academic tasks. Still,
students who took the problem-solving tests in countries including Singapore,
South Korea, Japan, several provinces of China, Canada, Australia, Finland and
Britain all outperformed American students.
NPE is going old-school -
April mail-in campaign; write your letter to Congress now
On March 2, 2014, The
Network for Public Education issued a call for congressional hearings into the
overuse and abuse of tests in our schools.
Together, we have managed to catch the attention of Congress,
we created a Twitter Storm that sent out over 20K tweets and reached 400K
people via social media while trending #1, and the offices of Congress members
were flooded with phone calls from concerned constituents. We continue to bring
attention to the plague of over-testing and the media is beginning to take
notice!
For the next part of our campaign, we’re going old school.
During the month of April, we are asking our Friends & Allies to print out
and mail a copy of this
letter to the offices of our friends at Campaign for America ’s Future in Washington D.C.
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.
The PA PTA is inviting you to attend
the Diversity Leadership Conference on Friday, April 4, 2014, at the Radisson
Hotel Valley
Forge, King of Prussia , PA.
Registration
for this event is free and open to those caring about diversity in leadership
for today’s public schools. Registration is at 8:30 AM and the session will run from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM.
Contact Sandy Zelno, PA PTA Consultant for Media, at sandyzelno@comcast.net or 412-370-6141 for further details. Why not
join your colleagues to hear about programs operating that promote diversity
and leadership in today’s schools? In conjunction with this
diversity leadership conference, you will find a host of other activities in conjunction
with the PTA’s 105th Annual
PTA Convention. This link not only
includes information about the Diversity Leadership Conference and it’s
nationally lauded speakers, but about the convention which will deal with
issues of Youth Suicide, Military Families in Today’s Schools, School Finance,
School Libraries, Testing and Assessment in PA Schools, Advocacy, and Arts in
Education--among many other workshops and keynote speakers being
featured.
Education Debate - Pittsburgh
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.
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