Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now
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Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup for
November 19, 2014:
Education
Spring? At least 5,000 Colorado high
school seniors opted out of the tests last week
PA Basic Education
Funding Commission Hearing Tuesday 1:00 pm and Wednesday 10 am Phila. City Hall
Courtroom 676
Philadelphia City Council Hearings on
High-stakes Testing and the Opt-Out Movement, Wednesday, November 19, 2014, 3—5
PM
Education Committee of
Philadelphia City Council
Wednesday, November 19,
2014, 3—5 PM, Room 400 City Hall
"We have
been subjected to larger class sizes, cuts to art, music, and extracurricular
activities, and fewer opportunities in school. Our reward for putting up with
these difficulties is more standardized testing with questionable purposes and
monetary costs."
Opting Out
Taking Note Blog by JOHN MERROW on 17. NOV,
2014 in 2014 BLOGS, TESTING
What to make of recent events in Colorado, where thousands of
high school seniors refused to take a state-mandated standardized test? Is this
a harbinger of things to come, an American version of “Arab Spring,” or was it
an isolated incident with slight significance beyond the Rocky Mountain State? These days most eyes are on Washington
because Republicans have won control of both houses of Congress, but perhaps
the big story in 2015 will be a louder student ‘voice’ about what goes on in
schools.
At
least 5,000 Colorado high school seniors opted out of the tests, given
Thursday and Friday, November 13th and 14th.
I spent a fair amount of time on the phone with three Fairview
high school seniors talking about the protest, Natalie Griffin (17), Jonathan
Snedeker (also 17), and Jennifer Jun (18), all college-bound next year, and all
remarkably articulate. [1] At
their high school, 98% of the seniors opted out. Across the state, nearly 40%
refused to take the test known as CMAS.
Given over two days, CMAS was designed to measure student
knowledge of social studies and science. “It’s a no-stakes test for us,”
Jonathan Snedeker explained. “The district and the state want data they can use
to judge teachers and schools.” And, they say, Colorado is spending $36 million
on the test, money they would like to see used to benefit their education.
Students from twelve Colorado high schools [2] wrote
and posted an “open
letter” to the citizens of Colorado explaining their decision to opt
out. The letter, which presents five points of concern, is worth reading in its
entirety. These two sentences jumped out at me:
Testing Resistance &
Reform News: November 12 - 18, 2014
Submitted by fairtest on November 18, 2014 - 12:57pm
Want more proof that the assessment reform movement is
exploding across the nation? Check out this week's stories from 22 (!)
states along with several great commentaries.
As always, let FairTest know how we can help you keep the
heat on at the grassroots.
Standardized Testing Hearing
in Philadelphia
Wednesday, November 19th, 3pm, City Hall Room 400
Caucus of Working Educators wikispace; links to City Council resolution on testing plus transcripts of some of the written/oral testimony to be presented today
Wednesday, November 19th, 3pm, City Hall Room 400
Caucus of Working Educators wikispace; links to City Council resolution on testing plus transcripts of some of the written/oral testimony to be presented today
A public hearing on the impact of standardized
testing on teaching and learning will be held before the Education Committee of
Philadelphia's City Council on Wednesday, November 19th at 3pm. The hearing will be held at Philadelphia's
City Hall in Room 400 (4th Floor), Broad and Market Street. Please enter at the NE corner of the building
and bring a photo ID for the security check in. A dozen educators, parents, and
community stakeholders will share their perspectives on the ways in which
high-stakes testing is transforming our children's classrooms.
The public is welcome and encouraged to attend.
The public is welcome and encouraged to attend.
"This election confirms that
Pennsylvanians don’t want state funding of education reduced. Had they been
comfortable with the cuts of the last four years, they would have re-elected
Gov. Corbett. Instead, they voted by a wide margin for Gov.-elect Wolf and his
commitment to reinvest in education."
Letter: This election was a
vote for public education in Pa.
Delco Times LTE by Sharon Ward November 18, 2014
Sharon Ward, Director,
Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, Harrisburg
To the Times:
Conventional wisdom may hold that Gov. Corbett fell short in
his re-election bid because voters, and his Republican Party leaders, didn’t
much like him. Some pundits will say he didn’t do a good job selling his ideas.
The fault lies not in his personality, nor his communications, but in the
policies the governor pursued. On
Election Day Pennsylvanians sent a clear message that education matters to
them, and they endorsed a severance tax as a way to pay for it.
During his four years in office, Corbett closely hewed to a
formula of budget cuts and tax cuts — a little too closely for voters in a
“purple” state. It turned out that
cutting state spending and revenues meant cutting services that voters rely on.
Middle-class independents and even many Republicans, particularly women, don’t
much like state cuts to public schools that mean increased property taxes and
larger class sizes. They don’t like cuts to higher education that raise the
tuition for their children at Pennsylvania’s public universities.
Gov.-Elect Tom Wolf
Names Transition Steering Committee
November 18, 2014 by
Wolf Transition
YORK, PA - Today, Governor-elect Tom Wolf named the Steering
Committee for his transition team. The steering committee will work with
already named leadership on efforts to review state agencies, commissions,
departments, and functions. "As we
begin to understand the complexity of the fiscal crisis my administration will
face, it is important that my Transition Team move forward," said
Governor-elect Tom Wolf. "Today's announcement, which rounds out my
steering committee, continues that momentum, and I look forward to working with
these individuals to address the steep fiscal and economic challenges
ahead."
Thorough and Efficient
Website on Pennsylvania School Funding Litigation
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.
The Basic Education Funding Commission held
it's first of two days of hearings in Philadelphia yesterday…..
BEFC: Tweets
from the notebook's Dale Mezzacappa November 18, 2014
·
Principals now speaking. Marilyn
Carrion-Mejia of McKinley elementary in Kensington. Her students deserve same
as "your children.
·
(South Philadelphia HS Principal)
Hackney:"What our children experience in Phila skls would never be
tolerated in other districts." He was also principal in suburb
BEFC: Commission hears from
Philadelphia that spending cuts have created a crisis
Experts and
public all urge legislators to base new formula on real needs of students
the notebook Dale Mezzacappa's Blog November 18, 2014
Experts, advocates, and ordinary citizens from Philadelphia on
Tuesday told legislators charged with revising Pennsylvania's education funding
formula that city schools are reeling from the consequences of insufficient
revenue and urged the panel to base state aid on real student need.
"Philadelphia schools are now a strong
investment," said
School Reform Commission Chair Bill Green to the members of the Basic
Education Funding Commission, which has been holding hearings around the state.
He said that several years ago, while on City Council, he didn't believe this,
but is now confident in the leadership of Superintendent William Hite.
"Under Dr. Hite, the District has navigated a difficult
course to financial stability. ...Today I can confidently tell you that further
funding won’t go to bureaucracy but will be used instead to improve student
learning."
The commission spent three hours listening to Green, as well as
Mayor Nutter, Hite, District Chief Financial Officer Matthew Stanski, two
school principals, Mark Gleason of the Philadelphia School Partnership, and
experts David Rubin of Children's Hospital and Temple president Neil Theobold.
Rubin wrote a study of showing that one in five Philadelphia students have had
contact with the family court and juvenile justice system, while Theobold is a
professor of school finance and a consultant to states on funding.
BEFC: Pa. lawmakers take heat
over school funding
MARTHA WOODALL, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER LAST UPDATED: Wednesday, November 19,
2014, 1:08 AM POSTED: Tuesday, November 18, 2014, 5:06 PM
Members of the Pennsylvania Basic Education Funding Commission
got an earful Tuesday at City Hall. State
legislators charged with developing a new formula to distribute state funds for
public schools heard from parents, school principals, education advocates,
experts, and city and school district officials. While the details of their testimony varied,
all said the state needed to provide more funding for schools and to develop a
fair method for disbursing the money that provides additional resources for
students who are poor, learning English, or require special-education services. "Our schools need a differentiated
formula that acknowledges the difficulties of educating students who come from
deep pockets of poverty, as well as those who are new to this country and speak
little or no English," said Bill Green, chairman of the Philadelphia
School Reform Commission. Such a
formula, he said, "will help not just Philadelphia children, but students
in many rural districts as well as Reading, Allegheny [County], Lancaster, and
more."
BEFC: Officials in Philly
seek fair funding for education
SOLOMON LEACH, DAILY
NEWS STAFF WRITER LEACHS@PHILLYNEWS.COM,
215-854-5903 POSTED: Wednesday, November 19, 2014, 3:01 AM
CITY OFFICIALS, school district leaders and education experts
yesterday testified before a group of state lawmakers about dire conditions in
city public schools and an urgent need for Pennsylvania to implement a fair
formula for education funding. One by
one, the speakers at City Hall, including Mayor Nutter, described the stark
contrast between the city's schools and those in neighboring suburban
districts, because of wild disparities in per-pupil funding. They insisted that
poorer districts should receive more to bridge the gap resulting from less
local funding.
"The district cannot cut its way to high student
achievement, nor can we cut our way to solvency," Superintendent William
Hite said. He noted that many other districts in the state grapple with funding
cuts and would benefit from a predictable formula. "Our students don't get
a do-over just because we lack sufficient resources."
BEFC: Funding Commission,
Activists Reach Accord
Public comment will be allowed, and protests are called off.
The state’s Basic
Education Funding Commission has decided it might be worth getting
some public input, after all. POWER, the
Philadelphia faith-based activist group, said today it was calling off plans to
protest at the commission’s two-day meeting in Philadelphia this week, after
the commission agreed to begin offering public comment sessions at all its
future meetings. Previously, a spokesman for the commission said that only “expert”
testimony from officials was needed — precluding the comments of
parents, teachers, and other interested parties.
Read more at http://www.phillymag.com/news/2014/11/18/funding-commission-activists-reach-accord/#7OXKTO02PM7vPxQ0.99
A different model of School
District governance
the notebook Commentary By Susan Gobreski on Nov 18, 2014
03:23 PM
There is a conversation happening in the city around the issue
of local control of the School District of Philadelphia, and moving away from a
state-run district.
It is virtually inarguable that the state-controlled School Reform
Commission has not solved the issues of the District. Indeed, one could argue
that the premise that governance was the problem has been proven false.
Clearly, the citizens of Philadelphia must have more to say, while still
ensuring that those who allocate funding are directly engaged with the decision
making.
Local control most likely means either an elected board or
mayoral control, each presenting challenges. There are numerous troubling
issues with mayoral control: It has been trendy, but it is not a proven
improvement strategy, and people should be wary of it. Furthermore, it is not
substantially different from the SRC in that a handful of appointments are
made, insulated from the public and other elected officials.
Headed into an election year, voters should be skeptical at
best about people who want to be handed the only set of keys to the District. There are also reasonable concerns about how
an elected school board might work, including the influence of money and
political deals. But these worries alone do not outweigh the need to have
democratic access to how the District is run.
"The timing smacks of politics — he
made his ultimatum less than a week after incumbent Gov. Tom Corbett lost to
Tom Wolf, a local Democrat who opposes a full charter conversion of the
district. It sure seems as if Meckley is
trying to slide this deal under the door before Corbett leaves office. We can't think of another reason to rush a
transformation if this magnitude.
For these reasons, we feel the board should
vote "no" on the contract at tomorrow's meeting."
York Dispatch EDITORIAL: Vote
no on York City schools takeover
York Dispatch POSTED:
11/18/2014 10:59:43 AM EST
After two years as York City schools' state-appointed recovery
officer, David Meckley is suddenly in an awful big hurry to turn the district
over to a for-profit charter school operator.
Last week he directed the school board to sign a contract with Charter
Schools USA — or risk a court fight that could lead to a state takeover of the
district. After first refusing to make
the proposed contract public, Meckley finally relented and released the
document Friday. Later that day, he
acknowledged a new nonprofit called the York Community Foundation Charter
School had been formed to manage the proposed takeover. Meckley identify the three members and said
their first meeting "has either happened or is about to happen."
He didn't provided any other details — such as who selected
them, how they were selected, what makes them qualified to manage a school
district, who they will answer to
There are a lot of questions, and the York City community
deserves an answer to each once, since this body essentially will replace the
school board residents elected.
York, PA and the Death
of Public Education
Jersey Jazzman Blog Monday, November 17, 2014
Earlier this year, I wrote about the sick,
sad story of York, Pennsylvania's school district, starved to death thanks
to the cruel indifference of outgoing governor Tom Corbett. Back in 2012,
Corbett cut $8.4 million - over 15% - from York's budget. The district slashed
programs in the arts and student services and increased class sizes to try to
make up the difference, but it didn't matter: York's school district went into
a fiscal tailspin. Corbett then sent in
his hand-picked minion, David Meckley, to lay the groundwork for the
privatization of the district. Meckley has been insisting that the best thing
for York's children isn't a well-funded, democratically controlled school
system; instead, York should turn over its entire district to charter school
operators.
- See more at: http://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com/2014/11/york-pa-and-death-of-public-education.html?spref=tw#sthash.DgA9vPef.dpuf
Education task force to be
Pittsburgh commission
By Robert Zullo / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette November 19, 2014
1:50 AM
The education task force convened this year by Mayor Bill
Peduto and Pittsburgh City Council will become an ongoing city commission
despite what critics contended was a lack of focus and objectives that
prevented it from accomplishing much since it was assembled in June.
City Council on Tuesday approved a resolution by Councilwoman
Theresa Kail-Smith transforming the task force into a commission. The task
force has one final meeting with the mayor that is yet to be scheduled and is
to deliver a report by the end of the year.
Pittsburgh schools asking
educators to look inward to help close race gap
By Eleanor Chute / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette November 18, 2014
12:00 AM
An uncomfortable fact: Pittsburgh Public Schools has as much as
a 27-point racial achievement gap in its schools, with white students overall
scoring significantly better than black students in many institutions. To try to address the problem, the district
is asking teachers, administrators and staff to make themselves uncomfortable
by examining their own racial histories and attitudes, including using words
that can be emotionally charged, such as “whiteness,” which refers to someone
of any race after the social norms of the dominant culture, and “white
privilege,” which refers to societal benefits whites receive beyond what others
receive.
The examination is intended to help educators better understand
their students and interact with them more effectively.
Get schooled on #PHLed: 5
things we learned at the State of Young Philly event
BillyPenn.com By Anna Orso November 17, 2014
Between the SRC deciding to unilaterally
ditch teachers’ contracts and a constant battle between the state and
the city over education funding, Philadelphia schools are a hot topic.
It’s a complex system, unique to Philly. To help, Philly CORE
Leaders, a group of young leaders and entrepreneurs working to “change the
narrative” around Philadelphia education, hosted about 100 young people Monday
night at Ladder 15 in Center City. The idea: Holding a series of lightning
talks about the state of Philly education. (It was part of the annual State of Young Philly lineup of
events put on by Young Involved Philly.)
Here are five things I learned while hanging out in the
lightning talks:
More Free Lunches Could Spoil
Data For Researchers
FiveThirtyEight By BEN WIEDER NOvember 17, 2014
A new federal initiative that could provide millions of
students with a free lunch might have an unexpected cost for researchers and
state educational agencies.
Starting in July, many high-poverty schools where at least 40
percent of students qualify for a free or reduced lunch could begin to offer
that free lunch to every student — regardless of income — under the new
community eligibility provision of the National School Lunch Program.
In the process, however, expanding the program presents
challenges for researchers and educators that have for decades used
participation in it as a proxy for poverty in tracking student performance. “It’s obviously good for kids, but from a
pure data perspective it provides some weaknesses,” said Brandon LeBeau, an
assistant professor at the University of Iowa’s College of Education who has
studied the use of free lunch eligibility in education research.
“Circuit Rider” Lawrence
Feinberg to visit LMSD on 11/25 to speak about PA school funding
Lower Merion School District Announcements Posted: November 18,
2014
With school funding a hot issue in the Pennsylvania
gubernatorial race, an alliance of state education leaders is engaged in a
campaign to build support for changing the way the state pays its school bills.
During the yearlong campaign, 11 "circuit riders" will attempt to
build support among current superintendents, business managers, and school
board members for a movement for education-funding changes. Please join us on Tuesday, November 25 at
8:30 AM as "circuit rider" Lawrence Feinberg will speak at the
District's Legislative Committee meeting in the District Administration
Building Board Room.
Click here for a recent article on philly.com about the circuit riders.
Public Issues Forums of Centre County
BY DAVID HUTCHINSON State College - Centre Daily Times November
8, 2014
What: “What is the 21st-century Mission for our Public
Schools?”
When: 6 to 9 p.m. Nov. 20
Where: Fairmount Building, 411 S. Fraser St., State
College
The articles linked on this page offer several perspectives on
one of the most important issues we have to wrestle with as residents: What is
the goal of a public education?
To prepare students for the workforce?
To prepare them as residents, as Ben Franklin initially
proposed? Or to help students discover and develop their individual talents?
What is the experience of our students? What do they think we
should do differently? This is your invitation to join that conversation.
Read more here: http://www.centredaily.com/2014/11/08/4447469_public-issues-forums-of-centre.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy
Join the Listening Tour
hosted by PSBA as it follows the Basic Ed Funding Commission to each
location this fall
The next tour stop will be on Thursday, Nov 20, 2014 from 6-8 p.m., atHambright Elementary School in Lancaster
The next tour stop will be on Thursday, Nov 20, 2014 from 6-8 p.m., at
Philadelphia City Council Hearings
on High-stakes Testing and the Opt-Out Movement, Wednesday, November 19, 2014,
3—5 PM
Education Committee of Philadelphia City Council
Wednesday, November 19, 2014, 3—5 PM, Room 400 City Hall
Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools, Councilman Mark
Squilla and The Opt-Out Committee of the Alliance for Philadelphia Public
Schools urge all who care about the future of education to attend: Parents, students and educators will testify
on the effects of over-testing on students and teaching, including the crisis
of the Keystone Exams as a graduation requirement.
Information: Alison McDowell or Lisa Haver
at: philaapps@gmail.com
DelCo Rising: Winning for
Education Nov 18
7:00PM - 9:00PM
601 N. LANSDOWNE AVENUE DREXEL HILL, PA 19026
Delaware County students and taxpayers have sacrificed enough.
The state is not paying its fair share. Rising property taxes and school
budget cuts are not acceptable–help us change that.
Join your neighbors for a community workshop: Delco
Rising: Winning for Education
·
Learn about Pre-K for PA and the Statewide
Campaign for Fair Education Funding and how they can help your community
·
Practice winning strategies to advocate for your
community
·
Create an advocacy plan that works for
you—whether you have 5 minutes or 5 days per month
This non-partisan event is free and open to the public.
Click here to download a PDF flyer to
share.
Children with Autism - Who’s Eligible? How to get ABA services?
Wednesday, November 19, 2014 1:00 – 4:00 P.M.
Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia
United Way Building 1709 Benjamin Franklin Parkway,
Philadelphia, 19103
Join us on November 19th, 2014 to discuss eligibility services for children with Autism. This
session will teach parents, teachers, social workers and attorneys how to
obtain Applied Behavioral Analysis services for children on the autism
spectrum. Presenters include Sonja Kerr (Law Center), Rachel Mann
(Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania), Dr. Lisa Blaskey (The Children's
Hospital of Pennsylvania), and David Gates (PA Health Law Project).
Registration: bit.ly/1sOY6jX
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
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.
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