Keystone State Education Coalition

Established in 2006, the Keystone State Education Coalition is a growing grass roots, non-partisan public education advocacy group of several hundred locally elected, volunteer school board members and administrators from school districts throughout Pennsylvania. Our mission is to evaluate, discuss and inform our boards, district constituents and legislators on legislative issues of common interest and to facilitate active engagement in public education advocacy.

Saturday, November 29, 2014

PA Ed Policy Roundup Nov 29: Campaign for Fair Education Funding draws broad support statewide

Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 3500 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors, administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers, Governor's staff, current/former PA Secretaries of Education, Superintendents, PTO/PTA officers, parent advocates, teacher leaders, business 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, Twitter and LinkedIn

These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org

Visit us on Facebook at KeystoneStateEducationCoalition

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?

The Keystone State Education Coalition is an endorsing member of The Campaign for Fair Education Funding

Keystone State Education Coalition

PA Ed Policy Roundup for November 29, 2014:

Campaign for Fair Education Funding draws broad support statewide

Upcoming PA Basic Education Funding Commission Public Hearings

Thursday, December 4, 2014 at 10 AM East Stroudsburg; Carl T. Secor Administration Bldg., 50 Vine Street, East Stroudsburg Area School District

Wednesday, December 10, 2014, 10 AM - 12:00 PM Lancaster; location TBA
* meeting times and locations subject to change

"When scholars control for the effect of poverty, American students score at the top of the world on international tests."
Stephen Krashen letter on Common Core: Our concerns are not just "noise"

Stephen Krashen's Blog by Stephen Krashen, Professor Emeritus, University of Southern California Sent to Reading Today, November 27, 2014
"Moving beyond the noise of the common core" (Nov/Dec 2014) reads like advice from a mature adult to excitable children: don't pay attention to the critics, just embrace the core. Focus on implementation, on making the common core work. But many of us are convinced that the common core is a disaster, a tsunami that could destroy American education. Our concerns are not "noise." They are very serious.
Briefly, there is no need for the common core: The problem in American education is not teacher quality, nor is it a lack of tough standards. The problem is our unacceptably high rate of poverty. Poverty has a devastating impact on school achievement. When scholars control for the effect of poverty, American students score at the top of the world on international tests.
The common core makes no attempt to protect children from the effects of poverty. Instead it imposes, as Susan Ohanian accurately describes it, “a radical untried curriculum overhaul and … nonstop national testing," a plan that is already costing billions, and, thanks to the requirement that testing be online, will cost billions for years to come. The common core promises to bleed every spare dollar from education, all to profit computer and testing companies, without a shred of evidence that it will help students.
This is not the time for blind obedience.
http://skrashen.blogspot.com/2014/11/our-concerns-are-not-just-noise.html

School funding hearing in East Stroudsburg Thurs., 12/4 10 am

Pocono Record Posted Nov. 28, 2014 @ 2:01 am
State Rep. Rosemary Brown will host a hearing to discuss Pennsylvania's basic education funding formula from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday at the Carl T. Secor Administration Center, 50 Vine St., East Stroudsburg. The public is invited to sit in as the Basic Education Funding Commission will hear from a panel of area educators to gather testimony before making its recommendations to the Legislature. The panel will include Delaware Valley School Superintendent John Bell, Pocono Mountain School Board President Meg Dilger, Pleasant Valley School Superintendent Carole Geary, East Stroudsburg School Superintendent Sharon Laverdure, and Stroudburg School Superintendent John Toleno.

http://www.poconorecord.com/article/20141128/NEWS/141129494/101010/NEWS#sthash.LnXQL4nD.dpuf

Campaign for Fair Education Funding draws broad support statewide

the notebook By Shannon Nolan on Nov 26, 2014 12:14 PM

More than 40 organizations joined forces in early October to launch a statewide campaign that calls for a fair school funding formula and access to quality education for all children, no matter where in Pennsylvania they live. Known as the Campaign for Fair Education Funding, the coalition has a mission of ensuring that Pennsylvania adopts a K-12 public education funding system by 2016 that is “adequate and equitable,” with a focus on the importance of accuracy, stability for students and schools, shared responsibility, and strong accountability standards.

"Every child deserves a chance to succeed,” said campaign manager Kathy Manderino at the press conference announcing the effort. “We need a fair, sustainable and predictable method for funding public schools that recognizes the shared responsibility we all have – and the shared benefits we all receive – when every Pennsylvania child gets that opportunity."

Member organizations, including businesses and faith-based groups, educators, school district representatives and child advocates from across the state, agreed that sufficient resources are necessary so children can achieve success and that a collective effort is imperative, according to a campaign statement.

http://thenotebook.org/blog/147932/campaign-education-funding-draws-broad-support-statewide

UPenn report finds Pa. schools need an additional $3.5 billion

WHYY Newsworks BY KEVIN MCCORRY NOVEMBER 26, 2014

A new report from the University of Pennsylvania finds that the state's school districts need additional $3.5 billion to educate all students to meet academic proficiency standards.

In an policy brief titled "An Urban Myth? New Evidence on Equity, Adequacy, and the Efficiency of Educational Resources in Pennsylvania," Penn Graduate School of Education professors Matthew Steinberg and Rand Quinn analyze the so-called "adequacy gap" — the difference between what school districts actually have to spend and the amount needed to reach state targets. Steinberg and Quinn derive their calculations from the "costing out" study which was performed by the Pennsylvania legislature in 2006. It assumed a base per-pupil cost of $8,000 and then awarded districts additional resources based on student-weighted measures such as poverty and English fluency. Statewide, based on 2009-10 data, Steinberg and Quinn say 412 of the state's 500 school districts don't have enough. On average, these districts required an additional $1,559 per pupil in order to provide students with the education that the state expects.

http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/homepage-feature/item/75601-upenn-report-finds-pennsylvania-schools-need-an-additional-35-billion?linktype=hp_impact

Inquirer LTE ISSUE | CHARTERS: Stacking the deck on school success

Inquirer letter to the editor by Ronald Zigler Thursday, November 27, 2014, 1:08 AM

Ronald L. Zigler, associate professor of educational psychology, Penn State Abington, Abington

Self-selection by parents and students who seek charter schools increases the likelihood of success, given that such interest in education marks an important ingredient to the success of any school ("The facts on charter schools," Nov. 23). While these individuals are a testimony to the potential among disadvantaged students, often overlooked are the students left behind when they fail to take the initiative to self-select charter enrollment. These students are often those whose disengagement from academics undermines the education of their classmates. When these students are left behind, it should not be surprising that a charter school, with fewer disengaged students, succeeds where a public school fails. Until we acknowledge this, our debates about charter schools will remain vacuous. Creating a school environment not overwhelmed by the problems that accompany poverty is possible, but no school - public or charter - will succeed if they and their students are confronted by too many of these very problems.

Inquirer Letters to the Editor November 28, 2014

ISSUE | CHARTERS

Chalk talk did traditional schools disservice

Janine Yass uses data irresponsibly to make her case for public-school choice ("The facts on charter schools," Nov. 23). First, she says 40,000 Philadelphia students are on charter waiting lists. That number counts as multiple students a single student's applications to different charters, and it counts students who have enrolled in other schools. Then Yass argues that because charters get 29 percent of the School District budget, though they enroll one-third of students, they are therefore more cost-effective. But that supposes the rest of the budget is spent on district schools, which is not the case. The district's large, non-school costs include, for instance, more than $100 million annually for private and alternative-school students and nearly $300 million annually for debt service. Finally, Yass faults the district for spending too much on its low-performing schools without mentioning that it pays for low-performing charter schools, as well.

The challenge of serving our city's largely disadvantaged student population in the most equitable manner for all families, with limited resources, merits a more even-handed and careful treatment.

|Paul Kihn, deputy superintendent, Philadelphia School District

Alternatives not seen in well-heeled suburbs

I've yet to hear Mark Gleason, head of the Philadelphia School Partnership, or any other charter champion, explain why suburban communities are never the focal point for charter expansion ("District receives 40 applications for charters," Nov. 18). If charter schools are the best way to deliver a quality education, why are they largely absent in districts outside of urban areas? The truth is that this level of experimentation and disdain for traditional public-school education is only allowed in large, urban districts. Outside of cities like Philadelphia, you find that properly funded, managed, and staffed public schools are seen as a basic necessity, not a privilege.

|Sheth Jones, Philadelphia, syakov79@gmail.com

Hearings start Dec. 8 for 40 new Philly charter school applicants

One new applicant, Liguori Academy, has done a makeover of its website, eliminating some obvious religious references. In this round of hearings, schools will have 20 minutes to make their case.

By Kevin McCorry and Paul Socolar for NewsWorks and the Notebook Nov 26, 2014 06:55 PM

For the first time in years, the Philadelphia School District is accepting applications to open new charter schools. Many of the applicants, which are listed below, are already familiar names. KIPP proposes three new schools, String Theory seeks four, and Mastery wants two, as do American Paradigm and MaST. There are also some interesting newcomers making pitches.

The Public Health Management Corp., whose experience thus far has been in public health, not public schools, would like to open a charter. There's also a request to open Liguori Academy, a school that says it would be "grounded in the philosophy Alphonsus Liguori," an 18th-century Catholic bishop from Italy. "We're not Catholic. We have no religious affiliation," said the school director, the Rev. Mike Marrone, a priest who has taken a voluntary leave of absence from the vocation. Theology classes wouldn't be on the agenda, he says. "We're not looking to give spiritual messages, not pushing any specific denomination, Christian, Muslim or otherwise," he said. The proposed school's website appears to have undergone a recent makeover to remove religious language. (Here's what the website looked like a week ago.)

http://thenotebook.org/blog/147959/hearings-start-dec-8-40-new-charter-school-applicants

"Wright said the charter hopes to attract disengaged youth who as freshmen are reading several years below grade level and often cannot do basic math. He said the school would focus on ninth graders who have been absent 30 days; suspended at least once; have D's or F's in both reading and math; and scored below basic on the state's standardized tests.

As of Sept. 8, the founding group's research showed there were close to 9,000 current ninth graders in district, charter, and Catholic schools in the city who met all those criteria. National dropout experts, Wright said, have found that such students have less than a 1 percent chance of graduating from high school without significant intervention."

A charter school named for a saint, but with secular aims

MARTHA WOODALL, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER Friday, November 28, 2014, 1:08 AM

Among the 40 applications for new charters the Philadelphia School District has received is a novel proposal for a high school for at-risk students that would combine online course work and instruction that would equip them to graduate to skilled jobs. The proposed Liguori Academy aims to bring struggling students up to grade level, organize them in career clusters based on growing areas of the regional economy, and engage them in real-world projects, so that they have credentials and industry certificates by the end of 12th grade. Modeled after a successful approach pioneered at a school in California, the proposed school has an unusual history:

It was originally conceived as an independent school within the auspices of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20141128_A_charter_school_named_for_a_saint__but_with_secular_aims.html#DXO8DJO6jDrlADs0.99

"Passport Academy offers a “blended learning” program, which includes face-to-face instruction and online education. The curriculum is purchased from a private company, K12, which some other charter schools in the state use, including Agora Cyber Charter School and Pennsylvania Virtual Charter School. K12 also provides some management services. Its nearly $2.3 million annual budget includes $858,768 in K12 charges. The budget also lists “net charges” to K12 as $595,546. The difference of $263,222 is equal to the school’s expected deficit. The budget includes a $208,663 implementation grant from the U.S. Department of Education."

Passport Academy Charter School opens to help high school dropouts earn diplomas

By Eleanor Chute / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette November 29, 2014 12:00 AM

When the Hill House Passport Academy Charter School opened this fall in the Hill District, it had about the same number of students as teachers: 10. Since then the number of students has grown to 114 as students who had withdrawn from other schools learned that the school could help them earn a high school diploma, not just a GED. Chartered by Pittsburgh Public Schools, Passport Academy so far has attracted students from Pittsburgh and 11 other districts: Cornell, East Allegheny, Gateway, McKeesport Area, Penn Hills, Shaler Area, Steel Valley, Sto-Rox, West Mifflin Area, Wilkinsburg and Woodland Hills. Charter schools are public schools open to students from throughout the state. Under state law, home school districts pay a fee that the state sets for each resident who attends and pay for transportation if the school is within 10 miles of the district’s border. The fee for Pittsburgh is $12,403 for regular education and $27,270 for special education.

http://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2014/11/29/Passport-Academy-Charter-School-opens-to-help-high-school-dropouts-earn-diplomas/stories/201411270007

Students and tutors converge at Chester High and Widener

MARI A. SCHAEFER, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER Friday, November 28, 2014, 1:08 AM

Chester High School freshman Jameisha Johnson is the first to admit that school was not working for her. She struggled academically, had serious behavioral issues, and was placed in an alternative-school program. Then two Widener University professors and their cadre of student tutors stepped in with a pilot program aimed at increasing literacy for at-risk students, simultaneously providing hands-on experiences for their education majors. "My grades went up. My behavior improved. I got into sports," said Johnson, 15, who plays point guard on both the junior varsity and varsity girls' basketball team, even though she's only a ninth grader. She is one of six students in the Widener program from Camelot Chester's Transitional School, a Chester High program operated by a for-profit company that specializes in alternative education.

http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20141128_Students_and_tutors_converge_at_Chester_High_and_Widener.html#pIa3UXdglEWtEIHY.99

Education issues to consider in the Philly mayoral race

the notebook By James Lytle on Nov 26, 2014 02:00 PM

James H. Lytle is Practice Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, a former District administrator, and a former superintendent in Trenton.

Although the mayoral primary isn’t until May, prospective candidates for mayor are already testing their prospects. Four have already announced their intentions to run: former head of the city's Redevelopment Authority Terry Gillen, former City Solicitor Ken Trujillo, former District Attorney Lynne Abraham, and State Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams. In the view of many Philadelphians, there is no more important issue than the future of public education in the city. And advocacy groups like the Philadelphia Coalition Advocating for Public Schools are already determining what issues to focus on and which candidates they might support.

In some respects the issues seem obvious: increased funding, local control, and restored services like libraries, counselors, and nurses. But the devil is in the details. What specifically would the candidates do? What is the candidate’s record on support for city schools? What experience does the candidate have in dealing with City Council and Harrisburg?

http://thenotebook.org/blog/147774/education-issues-mayoral-race

Tom Wolf: Ready to Take Over

Erie Reader BY JIM WERTZ WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26TH, 2014 AT 5:45 AM

Tom Wolf was one of ten Democratic gubernatorial candidates elected in the Republican sweep of the 2014 midterm election cycle. Wolf’s candidacy, juxtaposed against one of the most unpopular governorships in the country, led many pundits and prognosticators to give him the likely win. Then every major media outlet in the country confirmed the victory at 8:01 on election night. It was the first race called nationwide. With zero percent reporting. And they were all right: Wolf defeated incumbent Gov. Tom Corbett 54.9 percent to 45.1, with nearly 350,000 more votes cast in favor of Wolf. Corbett and Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell were the only Republican governors to lose this election cycle. Parnell was defeated by independent challenger Bill Walker.

The electoral mandate gives Governor-elect Wolf bargaining power heading into his first term in Harrisburg, and there’s a good chance he’s going to need it.

That’s because the Republican led Pa. General Assembly picked up additional seats on Nov. 4, giving the party a 35-seat majority in the House of Representatives and a 10-seat advantage in the Senate. Whether the political advantage will be polarizing or positive remains to be seen.

http://www.eriereader.com/article/tom-wolf-ready-to-take-over

Tom Wolf, Pennsylvania talent scout

WHYY Newsworks DAVE DAVIES OFF MIC A BLOG BY DAVE DAVIES NOVEMBER 26, 2014

It occurred to me recently that the next eight weeks may be the most critical time in Pennsylvania Gov.-elect Tom Wolf's career. I say that because one of the toughest tests of leadership is the ability to find, recruit, empower and keep really talented people. I've seen this again and again among mayors and governors. Those who get good people do so much better than those who get hacks and duds. In a little less than eight weeks, Wolf needs to name 16 department heads who'll have to pass Senate confirmation, dozens more of their deputies, and assemble a crackerjack staff of his own -- policy, legislative and communications people who must be smart, hard-working, politically savvy and a smoothly functioning team. It's clear in retrospect that current Gov. Tom Corbett staffed the governor's office poorly to begin his administration. You can always make changes when people don't work out, but you can never get back the time you lost.

http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/nwtonight/item/75685-tom-wolf-talent-scout-in-pennsylvania-?linktype=hp_nwt

Fox Chapel Area schools forum to feature legislators Dec. 4th 7 pm

TribLive By Tawnya Panizzi Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2014, 4:36 p.m.

Fox Chapel Superintendent Gene Freeman wants to open a dialogue between district residents and the lawmakers. “Sometimes we get orders from the state and I think a lot of times, the public asks why we are doing these things,” Freeman said. The district will host a public forum at 7 p.m. Dec. 4 with state legislators in the large group instruction room at the high school.

The meeting is aimed at creating an open dialogue between the lawmakers and the public.

The meeting will be moderated by district resident Maureen Porter, a tenured associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Education. Legislators scheduled to attend include state Sen. Randy Vulakovich (R-40), and state reps Dom Costa (D-21), Frank Dermody (D-33), Hal English (R-30) and Ed Gainey (D-24).

Philly teachers hatch a militancy plot

Citypaper By Daniel Denvir Published: 11/26/2014

When the School District of Philadelphia announced its latest round of mass layoffs in June 2013, Science Leadership Academy teacher Larissa Pahomov created "Faces of the Layoffs," a simple website that featured posts about those who had lost their jobs along with a photograph and explanations of what each loss would mean. Overbrook High School counselors Tonnie Davenport and Melissa Lawson were "the thread that holds the school together." One student credited Northeast High School teacher Dave Sokoloff with having "opened my eyes to the world." Kim Richardson, a history teacher, changed jobs after a career working for the city because she had "always dreamed of being a teacher. ... Kim has a big heart, open enough for all members of the Girls' High community. Don't break it this way."

Pahomov started the project to support a friend, Bartram High School English teacher Anissa Weinraub, who was among those who had been let go. The website ultimately collected about 200 profiles and exploded on social media and into local news coverage.

"That started with me getting a call from Anissa [on Saturday] in the afternoon, knowing she had gotten a pink slip, and we had to do something by Monday," says Pahomov.

The site was heartfelt and straightforward, and humanized teachers and other staffers who in recent years have been under attack. And it was the sort of bottom-up initiative that inspired Pahomov, alongside fellow teachers, counselors and nurses, to form the Caucus of Working Educators (WE), a group of militant members shaking up the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT). The group, founded in March, recently held its first convention.

http://citypaper.net/news/philly-teachers-hatch-a-militancy-plot/

Downingtown superintendent receives 2014 PASA leadership award

West Chester Daily Local Staff Report POSTED: 11/26/14, 12:08 PM EST |

HERSHEY >> Lawrence Mussoline, superintendent of the Downingtown Area School District, has been named the recipient of the 2014 PASA Instructional Leadership Award.

The award is co-sponsored by the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators (PASA) and Lincoln Investment Planning, Inc. It recognizes an administrator who has demonstrated commitment to excellence in teaching and learning by developing, nurturing and supporting exemplary programs that support the academic achievement of particular student populations, enrich student learning in a particular content area or implement strategies to enhance student learning across the curriculum.

http://www.dailylocal.com/general-news/20141126/downingtown-superintendent-receives-2014-pasa-leadership-award

PA Cyber attorney didn't work for Trombetta, board president says

Beaver County Times By J.D. Prose jprose@timesonline.com Tuesday, November 25, 2014

PITTSBURGH -- The evidence suppression hearing for indicted Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School founder Nick Trombetta ended Tuesday in federal court in Pittsburgh, but don’t expect a decision anytime soon. After initially starting Sept. 30 and being continued four times, the hearing ended with PA Cyber board President Ed Elder testifying that former PA Cyber attorney Tim Barry never told the board he was personally representing Trombetta. Faced with 11 federal charges, including filing false tax returns, Trombetta has asked U.S. District Court Chief Judge Joy Flowers Conti to toss out secret recordings and wiretaps collected by the FBI that would be used against Trombetta at trial.

http://www.timesonline.com/news/local_news/pa-cyber-attorney-didn-t-work-for-trombetta-board-president/article_b6b18f38-74ed-11e4-b79d-63eb26d5a89e.html

Mississippi Schools Sue State For More Money

NPR Morning Editiion by JEFFREY HESS from MPB November 26, 2014 4:18 AM ET

In Taneka Hawkins' classroom, 20 kindergarteners wiggle through a mid-morning dance break, waving their arms and jumping around to a guided dance video. It's busy, to be sure, and a bit crowded. "The children are so small, and a lot of things that we do have to be so hands on, and it's kind of hard when it is more than 20," Hawkins says. A class size of 15, she adds, would be ideal. "I think we could reach more students with that smaller class size."

Hawkins teaches in Hattiesburg, Miss. Her state regularly ranks at or near the bottom in the nation for measures like student outcomes and per pupil spending. Now, nearly two dozen school districts think they have a way to break out of that rut: They're suing the state for hundreds of millions of dollars in funding. If the effort is successful, the Hattiesburg Public School District would be in line for a $12 million boost — equivalent to nearly a third of its current yearly budget. The money could allow the school to hire more teachers and decrease class sizes, which would make it easier for the kids to get their wiggles out.

Mississippi's former governor, Ronnie Musgrove, is leading the lawsuit, giving the schools a high-powered advocate. "Our objective is to get as much money as possible back for every school district. We want to once again make education a priority in Mississippi," Musgrove says.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/ed/2014/11/26/366375678/mississippi-schools-sue-state-for-more-money?utm_campaign=storyshare&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social

Discipline, Disabilities, School to Prison, Disproportionality

Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia

Saturday, December 13, 2014 from 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM

United Way Building 1709 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, 19103

Presenters include Sonja Kerr; Howard Jordan, ACLU; Dr. Karolyn Tyson; Michael Raffaele, Frankel & Kershenbaum, LLC

This session is designed to assist participants to understand the specifics of the federal IDEA disciplinary protections, 20 U.S.C. §1415(k) as they apply to children with disabilities. Topics will include functional behavioral assessment, development of positive behavioral support programs for children with disabilities, manifestation reviews and avoiding juvenile court involvement.

Questions? Email cbenton@pilcop.org or call 267.546.1317.

Info and Registration: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/discipline-disabilities-school-to-prison-disproportionality-tickets-12930883621

EduCon 2.7

January 23rd–25th, 2015 at The Science Leadership Academy, Philadelphia

EduCon is both a conversation and a conference.

It is an innovation conference where we can come together, both in person and virtually, to discuss the future of schools. Every session will be an opportunity to discuss and debate ideas — from the very practical to the big dreams.

http://2015.educonphilly.org/

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

PA Ed Policy Roundup Nov 26: Cyber charters are falling short of expectations/ five pieces on fair funding

These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org

Visit us on Facebook at KeystoneStateEducationCoalition

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?

The Keystone State Education Coalition is an endorsing member of The Campaign for Fair Education Funding

Keystone State Education Coalition

PA Ed Policy Roundup for November 26, 2014:

Cyber charters are falling short of expectations/ five pieces on fair funding

Upcoming PA Basic Education Funding Commission Public Hearings

Thursday, December 4, 2014 at 10 AM East Stroudsburg; Carl T. Secor Administration Bldg., 50 Vine Street, East Stroudsburg Area School District

Wednesday, December 10, 2014, 10 AM - 12:00 PM Lancaster; location TBA
* meeting times and locations subject to change

"From every standpoint - academic, financial, and quality of oversight - there is ample evidence that Pennsylvania's cyber charters are falling far short of expectations. Meanwhile, state policymakers have failed to pass meaningful reforms: a report earlier this year by the National Education Policy Center found that 33 separate reform proposals have either failed or stalled out. The legislature has a long to-do list when it reconvenes in early 2015. Cyber-charter reform should be right at the top. In the meantime, the state ought to exercise caution concerning any further expansion of the sector."

Cyber charters are falling short of expectations

Inquirer Opinion By Kate Shaw and Adam Schott POSTED: November 26, 2014, 1:08 AM

Kate Shaw is executive director ( kshaw@researchforaction.org) and Adam Schott is director of policy research ( aschott@researchforaction.org) at Research for Action, a Philadelphia-based, nonprofit education research organization.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education has just concluded hearings on three proposed cyber-charter schools. If approved, these schools have the potential to divert millions from Pennsylvania's brick-and-mortar charter schools at a time of unprecedented financial and structural challenges. Even without these new cyber charters, the sector continues to expand. While the number of cyber schools is down slightly to 14 (from a high of 16 in 2013), enrollment is up - reaching nearly 36,000 students according to the most recent data from Education Department. The combined enrollments of cyber schools would make it the second-largest district in Pennsylvania. This growth - and now the prospect of even more cyber charters - is alarming considering any basic assessment of the sector's performance.

http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/inquirer/20141126_Cyber_charters_are_falling_short_of_expectations.html#8blc1EUfMyG4tGA0.99

Pennsylvania's ad hoc school funding is unfair, unpredictable: PennLive letters

Penn Live By Letters to the Editor on November 25, 2014 at 11:00 AM WILLIAM H. KERR, Superintendent of Schools, Norwin School District, Westmoreland County

Pennsylvania is one of only three states without a consistently applied school funding formula, which creates unfairness for students and disparities among school districts across the state. State officials must find an equitable method to distribute state funds for public education so that all students can be better served and have access to high-quality educational programs and services. Recently, more than 850 educators across Pennsylvania met via video conference at 29 locations on the same night to discuss the need for a fair public school funding formula. Discussions focused on how the Pennsylvania legislature determines the amount and method of Basic Education Funding by using inconsistent criteria. The last true school funding formula, eliminated in 2011, calculated state aid based on a district's actual costs which created a more level playing field and a state financial commitment for educating students.

http://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2014/11/pennsylvania_needs_fair_predic.html

Fair funding for Pa. schools

By Neil D. Theobald POSTED: Wednesday, November 26, 2014, 1:08 AM

Neil D. Theobald is president of Temple University. This commentary is adapted from testimony delivered on Nov. 18 to the Commonwealth's Basic Education Funding Commission. theobald@temple.edu
In 1866, the architect of New York City's Central Park, Frederick Law Olmsted, was asked to come to San Francisco and re-create Central Park on a windswept expanse of sand dunes near the future Golden Gate Bridge. Olmsted's response accurately describes, I believe, the task facing the Pennsylvania Basic Education Funding Commission: "The conditions are so peculiar and the difficulties so great that I regard the problem as unique. It must be solved, if at all, by wholly new means and methods. It requires invention, not adaptation."

http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/inquirer/20141126_Fair_funding_for_Pa__schools.html#xeZzjRGsFxcL2pue.99

Funding should be driven by enrollment, education leaders say

Lancaster Online By KARA NEWHOUSE | Staff Writer Monday, November 24, 2014 3:25 pm

School funding needs to start with the actual number of students in a district.

That’s what Jay Himes told state officials in Lancaster on Monday.

Himes, the executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials, testified at the Basic Education Funding Commission’s public hearing at Intermediate Unit 13.

The commission was created by legislators in June to study a new way of distributing cash to Pennsylvania's 500 school districts. Pennsylvania is one of only a handful of states that do not have a predictable education funding formula based on student enrollment and characteristics.

http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/funding-should-be-driven-by-enrollment-education-leaders-say/article_314187e6-73d4-11e4-b2be-0f4a969ec65a.html#.VHSeFXi0dWU.twitter

DN Editorial: Formula for disaster

Philly Daily News Editorial POSTED: Tuesday, November 25, 2014, 3:01 AM

EACH YEAR Pennsylvania hands out $5.5 billion in subsidies for basic education that follows a formula which is outdated and ignores the realities of local school districts. To use just one example: districts that have lost students in recent years get the same amount of state subsidy, even though they are educating fewer children. And don't even talk about making allowances for such factors as poverty. In fact, in 2007, a "costing-out" study commissioned by the legislature concluded that the state's public schools were underfunded by $4.38 billion. The study further concluded that Philadelphia schools were underfunded by nearly $5,000 per student. Schools got a one-time boost following the study, but that increase was short-lived. Fortunately, the current legislature recognizes the need to change the formula and created a bipartisan commission, with members from the legislature and the governor's office, to devise a new and improved formula.

http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20141125_DN_Editorial__FORMULA_FOR_DISASTER__Schools_don_t_need_bigger_slices_of_the_pie__they_need_a_bigger_pie.html#20GH6QLPXOOLiEE9.99

Developments in fair education funding

PA School Talk Blog Posted by Kate Welch on November 25, 2014 at 5:30pm

November has been a busy month in public education news.

On November 10, the Education Law Center and the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia filed a major suit against the governor, legislature, and Department of Education on behalf of parents, school districts, and community groups. Eleanor Chute of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote a spot-on piece detailing the funding lawsuit.

Consensus is building across the state that fair funding is vitally important to our commonwealth's future--that means both sufficient funds to educate every child and equitable distribution to make sure funds go to the communities that need them the most. Just yesterday the Philadelphia Daily News Editorial Board published a piece arguing for both of those goals.

In Lancaster City, school board member Jennifer Desmarais articulated her district's decision to sue, seeking to better serve its student population (87% of whom live in poverty).

These are just a few highlights of the articles and editorials spreading the word on the recent fair funding lawsuit and the need for adequate funding. Check out the suit's website, "Thorough and Efficient," for more explanation and links to pieces from across the state discussing it.

http://paschooltalk.org/profiles/blogs/developments-in-fair-education-funding?xg_source=msg_mes_network

PA Basic Education Funding Commission

http://basiceducationfundingcommission.pasenategop.com/

The Campaign for Fair Education Funding

www.fairfundingpa.org

Thorough and Efficient? A video short on Pennsylvania’s Education Funding Lawsuit

http://www.pilcop.org/#sthash.ykMTw2dU.dpuf

Thorough and Efficient: Pennsylvania School Funding Litigation website

The Education Law Center of Pennsylvania and the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia filed suit in Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court on November 10, 2014 on behalf of six school districts, seven parents, and two statewide associations against legislative leaders, state education officials, and the Governor for failing to uphold the General Assembly’s constitutional obligation to provide a"thorough and efficient" system of public education.

https://edfundinglawsuit.wordpress.com/

Wolf rounds out panel of fiscal advisers

Inquirer Commonwealth Confidential Blog POSTED: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2014, 3:17 PM

Governor-elect Tom Wolf has tapped union leaders, former Rendell administration officials and private business executives to join his committee to address the expected budget crisis on the horizon. Leading the Budget Deficit and Fiscal Stabilization Task Force are former budget secretary Mary Soderberg and Montgomery County Commission Chairman Josh Shapiro. The Independent Fiscal Office released a report this month projecting a more than $2 million budget deficit in 2015. Wolf delivers his first budget address in March.

"Pennsylvania is facing challenging economic times, a multi-billion dollar budget deficit, and negative cash flow projections," said Gov,-elect Wolf. "My Budget Deficit and Fiscal Stabilization Task Force will get to work to determine the scope of the challenges facing Pennsylvania and begin to discuss how we can get Pennsylvania's fiscal house in order."

Other members of the committee include:

Governor-Elect Wolf Names Budget Deficit and Fiscal Stabilization Task Force

November 25, 2014 by Wolf Transition

YORK, PA - Governor-elect Tom Wolf today named his full Budget Deficit and Fiscal Stabilization Task Force, which will work to address the looming budget deficit. The Task Force will be led by Mary Soderberg and Montgomery County Commission Chairman Josh Shapiro. Earlier this month, the Independent Fiscal Office found that Pennsylvania is facing a multi-billion dollar budget deficit. This news is only the beginning of what we will learn about the structural budget problems left by the current Administration. In addition to the projected budget deficit, Governor-elect Wolf will enter office amid cash flow projections that indicate the state will be cash flow negative from January through March.

"Pennsylvania is facing challenging economic times, a multi-billion dollar budget deficit, and negative cash flow projections," said Governor-elect Tom Wolf. "My Budget Deficit and Fiscal Stabilization Task Force will get to work to determine the scope of the challenges facing Pennsylvania and begin to discuss how we can get Pennsylvania's fiscal house in order."

Constitution High students march to Liberty Bell to protest Ferguson

the notebook By Shannon Nolan and Dale Mezzacappa on Nov 25, 2014 03:07 PM

Students from Constitution High School protested by the Liberty Bell pavilion Wednesday. They made a spontaneous decision to rally against the grand jury's decision not to indict Police Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. Cimani Cox was sitting in English class when teacher Rob Hall brought up what had happened the night before in Ferguson -- a grand jury's decision not to indict Police Officer Darren Wilson for the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown. She decided she had to do something about it. After all, this is Constitution High School. Before long, she had the support of principal Tom Davidson and teachers for a protest march. Carrying signs and chanting, the students walked a little more than a block to the Liberty Bell, where they surprised tourists and were surrounded by police on bicycles. About 250 of the 375 students participated in the 45-minute action.

http://thenotebook.org/blog/147955/constitution-high-school-students-march-liberty-bell-protest-ferguson

Reader feedback invited: Teaching about Ferguson in Philadelphia

the notebook By Paul Socolar on Nov 25, 2014 01:03 PM

Many Philadelphia students have yesterday's news on their minds today -- of the non-indictment in last summer's police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. And some teachers and schools have changed their plans for the day to give students an opportunity to respond.

The Notebook would like to hear from teachers, parents, and others about how you are engaging with young people about that news. Please share your experiences and thoughts in our comments.

http://thenotebook.org/blog/147954/inviting-reader-feedback-teaching-about-ferguson-philadelphia

Testing Resistance & Reform News: November 19 - 25, 2014

FairTest Submitted by fairtest on November 25, 2014 - 1:10pm

As you give thanks over the upcoming holiday, please join FairTest in our gratitude for the thousands of parents, teachers, students, administrators, community activists, school board members, researchers and commentators who are standing up to protect our children from standardized testing misuse and overuse. Here are a few of their recent stories.

http://www.fairtest.org/testing-resistance-reform-news-november-19-25-2014

http://wolftransitionpa.com/sections/blog/wolf-announces-budget-task-force

"The program — started more than a decade ago by educators at Boston College — is based on the simple idea that a child distracted by pain, fear, or deprivation can’t possibly do as well in school as a child without those challenges. So City Connects tries to resolve as many of those issues as possible — whether that’s buying Christmas presents, fighting obesity, getting students into drawing lessons, or helping kids negotiate playground bullies.

In a new study, students who went through Boston schools with a City Connects program, like Edison, were shown to drop out of high school at half the rate of their peers from other schools. City Connects is now in 62 schools in Boston, Springfield, and Dayton, Ohio, serving 20,000 students, most of whom are among the most disadvantaged in their communities."

Community Schools: Helping students with needs that extend outside the classroom

Boston Globe By Karen Weintraub GLOBE CORRESPONDENT NOVEMBER 24, 2014

Mark Griffin starts every weekday standing at the door of the Thomas Edison K8 School in Brighton: “Great hat!” “Don’t you look good today!” “How’re you making out?”

His pleasantries are a nice way to start the day, but they also have a point. As Griffin greets more than 400 students each morning, he’s looking to see who is shivering in a too-thin coat, whose eyes look rimmed with tears, which parents are walking their kids to school and staying for the free breakfast themselves. “It’s hard to concentrate on schoolwork when there are other things much more important to them that need to be addressed,” Griffin said. Nearly all students at Edison are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, which means they come from families that lack middle-class advantages. That’s where Griffin comes in. He’s employed by a program called City Connects that helps Edison kids with needs that extend outside of the classroom.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/2014/11/24/city-connects-helps-students-with-needs-that-extend-outside-classroom/MNcmIuZqiEklyx7jqyzIPN/story.html#comments

U.S.

Wants Teacher Training Programs to Track How Graduates’ Students Perform

New York Times By MOTOKO RICH NOV. 25, 2014

The federal Department of Education announced preliminary rules on Tuesday requiring states to develop rating systems for teacher preparation programs that would track a range of measures, including the job placement and retention rates of graduates and the academic performance of their students. In a move that drew some criticism, the Education Department said the new rating systems could be used to determine eligibility for certain federal grants used by teacher candidates to help pay for their training. Critics have long faulted teacher training as inadequately preparing candidates for the realities and rigors of the job. In a conference call with reporters, Arne Duncan, the secretary of education, said that far too many education programs set lower requirements for entry than other university majors.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/26/us/us-wants-teacher-training-programs-to-track-how-graduates-students-perform.html?ref=education&_r=0

U.S.

Rules Aim to Heighten Tracking of Ed. Schools' Performance

Education Week By Stephen Sawchuk Published Online: November 25, 2014

Teacher colleges would need to provide proof of their graduates’ classroom skills in helping advance student learning, under proposed rules issued Nov. 25 by the U.S. Department of Education. Programs that failed to do so could eventually be blocked from offering financial aid to would-be K-12 teachers in the form of federal Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education, or TEACH, grants, according to the long-delayed proposal.

The rules are the Obama administration’s attempt to toughen what have long been considered ineffectual requirements for teacher-preparation programs in Title II of the Higher Education Act. Even so, under its proposal, few consequences would kick in before 2020—years after President Barack Obama will have left office.

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/11/25/13rules.h34.html

Discipline, Disabilities, School to Prison, Disproportionality

Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia

Saturday, December 13, 2014 from 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM

United Way Building 1709 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, 19103

Presenters include Sonja Kerr; Howard Jordan, ACLU; Dr. Karolyn Tyson; Michael Raffaele, Frankel & Kershenbaum, LLC

Questions? Email cbenton@pilcop.org or call 267.546.1317.

Info and Registration: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/discipline-disabilities-school-to-prison-disproportionality-tickets-12930883621

Register Now – 2014 PASCD Annual Conference – November 23 – 25, 2014

Please join us for the 2014 PASCD Annual Conference, “Leading an Innovative Culture for Learning – Powered by Blendedschools Network” to be held November 23-25 at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center in Hershey, PA. Featuring Keynote Speakers: David Burgess - - Author of "Teach Like a Pirate: Increase Student Engagement, Boost Your Creativity, and Transform Your Life as an Educator", Dr. Bart Rocco, Bill Sterrett - ASCD author, "Short on Time: How do I Make Time to Lead and Learn as a Principal?" and Ron Cowell.

This annual conference features small group sessions (focused on curriculum, instructional, assessment, blended learning and middle level education) is a great opportunity to stay connected to the latest approaches for cultural change in your school or district. Join us for PASCD 2014! Online registration is available by visiting www.pascd.org

EduCon 2.7

January 23rd–25th, 2015 at The Science Leadership Academy, Philadelphia

EduCon is both a conversation and a conference.

http://2015.educonphilly.org/

Keystone State Education Coalition

Pages

Saturday, November 29, 2014

PA Ed Policy Roundup Nov 29: Campaign for Fair Education Funding draws broad support statewide

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

PA Ed Policy Roundup Nov 26: Cyber charters are falling short of expectations/ five pieces on fair funding

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