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
Happy Charter School
Blogger
Commentary: Happy Charter
School
Thursday night for the first time in 14
years as a school director I voted not to approve a check register during our
public board meeting. I voted no because
the register included over $22,000 in cyber charter tuition payments to three
cyber charter schools. I am fortunate to
live in a well funded, high-performing suburban school district. We offer a blended schools program for
students who would like all or some of their coursework as cyber courses.
Our high school PA School
Performance Profile (SPP) score last year was 96.4;
our middle school SPP score
was 94.0. When the School
Performance Profiles were announced the acting Secretary of Education indicated
that a score of 70 was considered passing.
Here
are the SPP scores for the cybers:
PA
Cyber School
PA
Leadership Cyber School
PA
Virtual Cyber School
If
you were responsible for levying taxes on your neighbors to fund schools how
would you vote?
So what did the Pa.
By Jeff Frantz |
jfrantz@pennlive.com on May 09, 2014 at 2:46 PM, updated May 10,
2014 at 3:09 AM
It's the time of year when legislators leave Harrisburg and turn their
attention to winning an election, in hopes of winning another election, so
they'll be able return in January. They
hit the road after two weeks of sessions during which the big issues -- pension
reform, a possible liquor privatization plan -- never made it to the main
stage. But they're due back June 2, with less than a month to finish a budget
that could have a $1 billion shortfall. So
what did lawmakers do in May? And what still has to be done? Here are five
takeaways:
Corbett pledges school
funding amid state deficit
Trib Live By Megan
Harris Published: Saturday, May 10, 2014, 12:01 a.m.
On a swing through Western Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Corbett made substantial promises for pre-K, special education and across-the-board school grants, though state leaders say he has a long road ahead if he hopes to repair his reputation as no friend to education. InPittsburgh on Thursday and Friday, the
governor touted millions to the three “Ready” arms of his budget proposal — Ready
to Learn, Ready to Grow and Ready to Succeed — each designed to target
different age-appropriate needs.
On a swing through Western Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Corbett made substantial promises for pre-K, special education and across-the-board school grants, though state leaders say he has a long road ahead if he hopes to repair his reputation as no friend to education. In
Learn from high-performing Pa.
As Democratic chairman of the House Education Committee, I
recently released a new report showing that about one in six charter schools in
Pennsylvania
is high-performing. The report – available at http://is.gd/DkaV8Q -- also
addresses other hot topics about charter schools. I would like the number of high performers
among charter schools to be larger, but it's important to ask what these
schools have in common and what we can learn for use in other tax-funded
schools, including traditional public ones.
State of flux: Pa.
thenotebook by Adam Schott and Jessica
Beaver on May 09 2014 Posted in Commentary
Whatever the race, whatever the candidate’s party, when it
comes to government agencies, modern campaign platforms have time-honored
goals: cutting red tape, doing more with less, and streamlining programs. In this year's race for governor, though,
those goals would be short-sighted.
With education front and center in the looming contest, every candidate
— Democratic and Republican alike — is advancing an ambitious set of
proposals. Yet the agency that will be charged with implementing these
plans, whatever the result on Nov. 5, lacks the capacity to provide any meaningful
level of support to the state’s 500 school districts and more than 3,000 public
schools. In the same way that school
districts have faced pressure to reduce operational expenses and central office
staffing, the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s staffing levels have
steadily declined over the past decade. A 2011 survey of state education agencies found
that Pennsylvania has one of the smallest relative to student population,
and as of April 1, more than a quarter of the most senior positions in the
agency are either vacant or filled by temporary employees.
Education Policy and Leadership Center
EPLC EDUCATION NOTEBOOK May 9, 2014
Hundreds of Perkiomen Valley
By Caroline Sweeney, The Mercury POSTED: 05/09/14,
11:36 AM EDT |
COLLEGEVILLE — Hundreds of students streamed out of the front
doors of the school in a quiet wave around 8:30 a.m. More than 550 Perkiomen Valley High School
“After listening to
what was said at this evening’s meeting, I can understand that many of you have
doubts and concerns,” one student wrote on the Facebook event page that was set
up earlier this week. “But think about the big picture, this issue is greater
than just us: this is the education of future students possibly being harmed as
a result of certain cuts; and most schools across Pennsylvania
By Frank Otto, The Mercury POSTED: 05/08/14,
6:44 PM EDT | UPDATED: 4 HRS AGO
PERKIOMEN — In a meeting after school Thursday at Perkiomen Valley High School
In response, students were reportedly told there would be
“undetermined consequences” with a maxium punishment of three detentions for
walking out. Some students were also saying Thursday that there were rumors
circulating that members of the track team would not be allowed to participate
in the PAC-10 championship Friday evening if they walked out of school.
Student organizers said Thursday night that administrators also
threatened to possibly cancel the school’s prom.
Education Week District
Dossier Blog By on May 8, 2014 10:16 AM
Five Philadelphia
educators, including an elementary school principal, face multiple felony
charges for their alleged role in cheating on Pennsylvania state exams over a period of
five years, the state's top prosecutor announced this morning. Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen G.
Kane outlined the charges—which include perjury, tampering with public records,
forgery, and criminal conspiracy—against four teachers and one principal who
worked in the Philadelphia
school district. A grand jury recommended the charges after state prosecutors
presented evidence of the educators' role in the cheating.
POWER throws mock funeral for
Philly schools
JENNY DEHUFF, DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER DEHUFFJ@PHILLYNEWS.COM,
215-854-5218 POSTED: Sunday, May 11, 2014, 3:01 AM
LUGGING A coffin down
the middle of Broad Street
isn't something you see every day, but it happened Friday afternoon in a dramatic
demonstration heralding the death of Philly's public schools. Philadelphians Organized to Witness, Empower
and Rebuild (POWER) organized a mock funeral procession that started in the
courtyard at City Hall and made its way to Gov. Corbett's office at the
Bellevue Hotel, on Broad Street
near Locust. Chanting, "No
education-No Life!" about 100 interfaith leaders, students, parents and
teachers joined in the march along Broad Street to signify the death of young
people's futures if more funding is not provided to the school district.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20140511_POWER_throws_mock_funeral_for_Philly_schools.html#473Yyu1SVlsFDTFT.99
Inquirer Editorial: Teachers
can't be cheaters
POSTED: Friday, May 9, 2014, 1:08 AM
Arguably, it has never
been tougher to be a teacher in America
- especially in poor, urban, crime-infested neighborhoods such as Philadelphia 's Hunting
Park
Last year, 25 hedge fund
managers earned more than double every kindergarten teacher combined
Vox.com Updated
by Matthew Yglesias on
May 6, 2014 matt@vox.com
Alpha magazine is out with its annual "rich list"
detailing the successes of the highest earning hedge fund managers in America . The
news once again is that it's
good to be a successful hedge fund manager: the top 25 earned a
collective $21.1 billion this year. Even
within that group there's considerable inequality. The top earner, David Tepper,
took home $3.5 billion which is about five times as much as either of the two
men tied for the tenth slot. How does
that look in context? Well, it's about 0.13 percent of total national income
for 2013 being earned by something like 0.00000008 percent of the American
population. Another way of looking at it is that this is about
2.5 times the income of every kindergarten teacher in the country combined.
All but one of Pennsylvania
Roll Call Vote by GovTrack on
H.R. 10: Success and Opportunity through
Quality Charter Schools Act
On Passage of the Bill
in the House
Number: House Vote #217
[primary source: house.gov]
Date: May 09, 2014 (113th Congress)
Result: Passed This was a vote to pass a bill.
Bill: H.R. 10: Success and
Opportunity through Quality Charter Schools Act
Introduced by Rep. John Kline [R-MN2] on April 1, 2014
Introduced by Rep. John Kline [R-MN2] on April 1, 2014
HR10: School boards
disapprove of Congress’s attempt to expand charter schools
NSBA School Board News Today by Alexis Rice|May 8th, 2014
The National School Boards Association (NSBA), the leading
advocate for public education representing more than 90,000 local school board
members, is opposed to H.R. 10, the Success and Opportunity
through Quality Charter Schools Act, which is scheduled for a floor vote this
week. Decisions regarding charter
schools should rest with the state and the local school board, not federal
lawmakers, NSBA contends. The legislation also fails to recognize that to
protect student outcomes, charter schools should be authorized exclusively by
the local school board.
“Charter schools absent school board oversight have far less
accountability for student achievement than traditional public schools,” said
Thomas J. Gentzel, NSBA Executive Director. “The school board governance
model protects student outcomes for the many, not the few, and strives to
resolve inequities in educational delivery and service.”
HR10: House Poised to Pass
Bipartisan Charter Legislation, But Senate Future Uncertain
Education Week By Alyson Klein on May
9, 2014 7:16 AM
Bipartisan legislation aimed at helping charter schools with a
track record of success expand their reach is expected to sail through the U.S.
House of Representatives tomorrow. But the path for the legislation in the
Senate—where lawmakers recently introduced a nearly
identical bill this week—remains unclear. The House measure was written by Rep. John
Kline, R-Minn., the chairman of the House education committee, and Rep. George
Miller, D-Calif. It's also gotten high-profile backing from Rep. Eric Cantor,
R-Va., the House Majority Leader, a huge proponent of school choice.
PA Business-Education Partnership
Featuring:
Welcome By Governor Tom Corbett (invited)
Remarks Acting Secretary of Education Carolyn Dumaresq
(confirmed)
Perceptions & comments of business leaders, educators,
college presidents, and advocacy groups
Full agenda here: http://www.bipac.net/pbc/2014-PA-Education-Summit-Agenda.pdf
Registration: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/pennsylvania-education-summit-tickets-11529363637?aff=eorgf
“How Public School Funding
Works in Pennsylvania—Or Doesn’t: What You Need to Know” When: Friday, May
30, 2014, 9 am to 12 pm Where: Marriott Hotel in Conshohocken, PA
Session I: "Funding Schools: What Pennsylvania Can Learn from Other States"
Key Pennsylvania legislators and public officials will respond to a presentation by Professor Robert C. Knoeppel of Clemson University, an expert on emerging trends and ideas in public school finance.
Session I: "Funding Schools: What Pennsylvania Can Learn from Other States"
Key Pennsylvania legislators and public officials will respond to a presentation by Professor Robert C. Knoeppel of Clemson University, an expert on emerging trends and ideas in public school finance.
Introduction: Representative Steve Santarsiero
Moderator: Rob Wonderling, President and CEO, GreaterPhiladelphia Chamber of Commerce
Panel:
Charles Zogby, Secretary of the Budget, Commonwealth of PA, Senator Patrick Browne, Senator Anthony Williams, Representative Bernie O'Neill, Representative James Roebuck
Session II: "Why Smart Investments in Public Schools Are Critical toPennsylvania
Moderator: Rob Wonderling, President and CEO, Greater
Panel:
Charles Zogby, Secretary of the Budget, Commonwealth of PA, Senator Patrick Browne, Senator Anthony Williams, Representative Bernie O'Neill, Representative James Roebuck
Session II: "Why Smart Investments in Public Schools Are Critical to
A discussion with a panel of CEOs who are major employers in
the region.
Introduction: Rob Loughery, Chair, Bucks County Commissioners
Panel (confirmed to date):
Michael Pearson, President and CEO, Union Packaging, Philip Rinaldi, CEO, Philadelphia Energy Solutions, Bryan Hancock, Principal, McKinsey & Company, and author: "The Economic Impact of the Achievement Gap in America's Schools"
You can register for this free event here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/how-public-school-funding-works-in-pennsylvania-or-doesnt-what-you-need-to-know-tickets-11527064761?ref=ebtnebregn
Introduction: Rob Loughery, Chair, Bucks County Commissioners
Panel (confirmed to date):
Michael Pearson, President and CEO, Union Packaging, Philip Rinaldi, CEO, Philadelphia Energy Solutions, Bryan Hancock, Principal, McKinsey & Company, and author: "The Economic Impact of the Achievement Gap in America's Schools"
You can register for this free event here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/how-public-school-funding-works-in-pennsylvania-or-doesnt-what-you-need-to-know-tickets-11527064761?ref=ebtnebregn
PA Charter Schools: Opportunities and Questions -
EPLC "Focus on Education" TV Program on PCN - May 11 at 3:00 p.m.
EPLC "Focus on Education" TV Program on PCN - May 11 at 3:00 p.m.
The next EPLC "Focus on
Education" episode will air this coming Sunday, May 11 at 3:00
p.m. on PCN television. This May 11 panel will discuss
what charter schools are, where they're located, what parents need to know when
considering a charter school, how charter schools are funded, how they
are held accountable for student performance, who charter students are, what
charter school "reform" efforts are being considered by state
legislators, why charters are so controversial in some places, and other issues
related to charter schools.
The panel will include:
- Ron Cowell, President of The Education Policy and Leadership Center
(EPLC) and Host of the "Focus on Education"
programs;
- Rep. James R. Roebuck, Jr., Democratic Chairman, PA House Education
Committee;
- Maurice "Reese" Flurie, Ed.D., CEO,
- Nathan G. Mains, Executive Director,
Visit the EPLC web site for resources on charter schools.
PILCOP Know Your Child’s Rights
Seminars
Join us on May 15th for one of three training
sessions on Assistive Technology and Settlements.
Public Interest Law Center
of Philadelphia
This
training series on special education law teaches parents, attorneys and
advocates how to secure education rights and services for students with special
needs. These seminars aim to bring together a diverse community of
advocates including parents, special education advocates, educators, attorneys,
and community members. Each session focuses on a different legal topic, service
or disability. Many sessions are co-led with guest speakers.
Next Trainings: Thursday May 15,
2014: Assistive Technology and Other Related Services; Settlements; Settlements
(Abbreviated Session)
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.
2014 CONFERENCE ON THE STATE OF EDUCATION IN PENNSYLVANIA
60 YEARS AFTER BROWN HOW ARE THE CHILDREN? WHAT ARE THE
ISSUES?
Saturday, May 31, 2014 - 9:00 AM
– 3:00 PM (8:30 Registration)
MARCUS FOSTER STUDENT UNION 2ND
FLR. CHEYNEY UNIVERSITY
Keynote
Speaker: Dan Hardy – Retired Reporter -Philadelphia
Inquirer
Distressed Schools: How Did it
Come to This?
PANELS:
- The State of
- Keystones and Graduation: Cut the
Connection
- How Harrisburg Cut District Funding,
Poured on the Keystones, and Connected them to Graduation
- Financing Our Schools: What Does it Cost
to Educate a Child in 2014 and How Should We Fund It?
- Effective Advocacy – How to be
Heard in
For
more info and registration: http://www.naacpmediabranch.org/#
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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