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Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup for
November 3, 2014:
It's all about voter turnout;
Obama, Christie try to give Pa.
2014: Pledge to be an
Education Voter
Education Voters Action Fund of PA
Pledge Right Now to Vote
on November 4
On Tuesday, November 4th, voters will finally be able to
go to the polls to replace politicians who do not support our children or their
public schools. On November 4th education voters can elect candidates who
will stand up and fight to get public education in Pennsylvania back on track.
The key to the Election? It's
all about voter turnout: The Sunday Brunch
Penn Live By John L. Micek | jmicek@pennlive.com on November 02,
2014 at 8:30 AM
Good Sunday Morning, Fellow Seekers.
Well it's cold and blustery outside the window here at Casa de Capitol Notebook. And all the bluster is, frankly, a none-too-subtle reminder that the political season is nearly done and Election Day is nearly upon us. As of this writing, a scant 48 hours remain before the polls open and voters pick from the two Toms and host of legislative and congressional offices. And though you might think the key to voters' hearts lies in offering them free pot brownies (well, maybe in Daylin Leach's district), it's actually all about which side, in a low turnout year, can get their base out to vote. Based on the last couple of gubernatorial cycles, voter turnout is expected to be somewhere in the 40 percent to 49 percent range, Franklin & Marshall College political sage Terry Madonna told us last week.
Well it's cold and blustery outside the window here at Casa de Capitol Notebook. And all the bluster is, frankly, a none-too-subtle reminder that the political season is nearly done and Election Day is nearly upon us. As of this writing, a scant 48 hours remain before the polls open and voters pick from the two Toms and host of legislative and congressional offices. And though you might think the key to voters' hearts lies in offering them free pot brownies (well, maybe in Daylin Leach's district), it's actually all about which side, in a low turnout year, can get their base out to vote. Based on the last couple of gubernatorial cycles, voter turnout is expected to be somewhere in the 40 percent to 49 percent range, Franklin & Marshall College political sage Terry Madonna told us last week.
Obama, Christie try to give Pa.
Post-Gazette By Thomas Fitzgerald & Jane M. Von Bergen Philadelphia Inquirer November
3, 2014 12:39 AM
“The biggest corporations, they don’t need another champion.
The wealthiest Americans don’t need another champion, they’re doing just fine,”
Mr. Obama said.
But the hardworking single mother and the first-generation
college student need a champion like Mr. Wolf, the president said, “somebody
who understands that opportunity for all is what America ’s
all about, opportunity for all is what Pennsylvania 's
all about.”
In what may be his last midterm political rally while still in
office, Mr. Obama sought to stoke voter turnout in the Democratic stronghold of
Philadelphia
two days before polls open.
Meanwhile, in the northern Philadelphia suburb of Ivyland in Bucks
county, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie did what he came to do: Stir up the
crowd Sunday night to vote for Republican Gov. Tom Corbett.
Obama, Christie try to swing
Philly region's gubernatorial vote
Trib Live By The Associated Press Sunday, Nov. 2, 2014,
9:03 p.m.
BLUE BELL — President Obama and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie dropped in on Pennsylvania on Sunday to try to influence the gubernatorial campaign in the race's waning days and motivate voters in what is a relatively sleepy midterm election in the state.
BLUE BELL — President Obama and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie dropped in on Pennsylvania on Sunday to try to influence the gubernatorial campaign in the race's waning days and motivate voters in what is a relatively sleepy midterm election in the state.
Democrat Tom Wolf, a first-time candidate who ran his family
business for nearly three decades, is trying to knock off Republican Gov. Tom
Corbett, a conservative former state and federal prosecutor who is seeking a
second term after stumbling through his first four years. In particular,
Corbett has struggled to explain budget-balancing cuts in aid to public schools
in 2011 at the same time he cut business taxes.
Read more:http://triblive.com/state/pennsylvania/7079181-74/corbett-philadelphia-voters#ixzz3I0MNN2qv
Penn Live By Wallace McKelvey | WMckelvey@pennlive.com on November
02, 2014 at 10:35 PM, updated November 03, 2014 at 2:26 AM
But he conceded that he was "preaching to the choir." "I'm hoping you then take this message
to people who don't plan to vote," he said. A crowd of more than 5,000 people at a
campaign rally is impressive for a mid-term election, but what most people
didn't see was behind the black curtain at Temple
University 's Liacouras Center Schuylkill
County
Tuesday is election day: What
you need to know to cast your vote
Penn Live By Teresa Bonner | tbonner@pennlive.com
on November 02, 2014 at 6:00 AM, updated November 02, 2014 at 7:54 AM
on November 02, 2014 at 6:00 AM, updated November 02, 2014 at 7:54 AM
Here's a quick primer on what you need to know to cast your
vote:
When can I vote?
The polls are open from 7 a.m to 8 p.m. If you're in line
at 8 p.m., stay put. You'll be allowed to cast your vote.
Where do I vote?
In the precinct assigned to you. Check your voter registration
card, or just use the state website to find the location. That also will
tell you which state House, state Senate and congressional district you live
in.
Do I have to show ID?
No — unless you are voting at your polling place for the first
time. In that event, you'll need to show a photo ID, whether it be driver's
licenses or PennDOT ID card, your passport, or Armed Forces, student or
employer ID. If you've voted in the
precinct in the past, you don't need to show ID, but simply sign your name.
PPG Editorial Board: No
confidence: Neither Wolf nor Corbett has earned our support
Post-Gazette By the Editorial Board November 2, 2014 12:00 AM
"Fifty-one of the 111 House
Republicans and 31 of the 91 Democrats (one House seat is vacant) face no foe. In the Senate, where 25 seats are on the
ballot, nine of those are unopposed — five of 12 incumbent Republicans and four
of seven Democrats."
In
contests for Pa.
By Kate Giammarise / Post-Gazette Harrisburg Bureau November 3, 2014 12:00 AM
"At least one study has attempted to
argue that cuts in education funding under the Corbett administration are
linked to declining test scores."
More on the
Notebook/NewsWorks PSSA investigation
Notebook contributing editor Dale Mezzacappa will
be on WHYY's NewsWorks Tonight, Friday at 6
p.m., discussing the Notebook/NewsWorks investigative report about
the Pennsylvania Department of Education's delayed release of the 2014 PSSA
results. (Listen to the show live at WHYY.org or by tuning into
90.9 FM. A recorded version will also be available at WHYY.org.)
The article, published Thursday evening, also discussed an
across-the-board decline in statewide PSSA scores in reading and math in 2013 that had not previously been reported in
the press.
The delayed release of 2014 test results has been a topic of
discussion in education circles this fall. Detailed statewide reports have
generally been out by the end of September in past years. Last year, though,
the state unveiled the new School Performance Profiles, based on multiple
measures of performance, on Oct. 4.
But what prompted the investigation was a discovery last week
by theNotebook/NewsWorks reporting team that 2013 PSSA results were not
available on astate website that has links to 18 previous years of
test-score data. That prompted staff members to ask questions about 2013 PSSA
results. They soon found that the statewide trends included in the 2013 "state report card" had never been announced or reported
in the press. Some argue that the 2014
release has been delayed for political reasons -- because declining or
lackluster scores would hurt Gov. Corbett's re-election chances. The Department
of Education counters that it is just doing its due diligence to ensure accurate
results.
By Eleanor Chute / Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette November 3, 2014 12:00 AM
One recent week, a Time magazine cover on “rotten apples”
declared that it is nearly impossible to fire a bad teacher. Last week at a forum on educational equity in
Pittsburgh , Marquette University Pittsburgh . We mean it,”
Pittsburgh Public Schools superintendent Linda Lane said. “We want to affirm with
them how important they are not only for the individual students and families
that we serve but for this community as a whole.”
Talk about contrasts.
"But school districts have concerns
about accountability, he said. While there are criteria for someone to be an
evaluator, he said, there's really no oversight, and home school guardians can
hire anyone who meets the requirements. "By
removing this oversight, it's going to remove one of the checks in place to
make sure an appropriate education is taking place," he said."
Home-schoolers
say bill awaiting approval would alleviate burden
Legislation would
remove a step from the evaluation process, but districts have concerns
York Daily Record By
Angie Mason amason@ydr.com @angiemason1 on Twitter 11/01/2014 09:15:17 AM EDT
A bill approved by the state legislature would eliminate a step
for home-schooling families as they seek approval of their programs each year,
but some school officials have raised concern that it lessens accountability. Both the House and Senate approved House Bill
1013, which now awaits approval in the governor's office. Among other changes,
the legislation would mean that home-schooling families need only the approval
of an evaluator for their work from throughout the year — instead of getting
the evaluator's OK and then sending a portfolio to the local school district
for approval, too. Under the changes in
the bill, the district would receive certification from the evaluator that
appropriate education took place.
We must still hate our kids: Philadelphia
No nurses, few
textbooks, closed libraries: Money to urban schools is being starved,
intentionally. It's just wrong
Salon.com by JEFF BRYANT SATURDAY, NOV 1, 2014 06:30 AM EDT
Imagine sending your child to a school with a leaky roof, busted windows and a rodent infestation.
Or worrying whether the elementary school where you take your
daughter every day is really a health hazard. Or
telling your teenager to feel good about attending a school with no sports or athletic programs of any kind in winter or summer and no
instrumental music classes.
Imagine a school system where class sizes have gotten beyond
ridiculous with one school so overcrowded that first, second and third
graders are packed into a single classroom. In another school, classes
overstuffed with 50 students or more are herded into the auditorium.
This is not made up, nor is this a third-world country. This is
America .
This is Philadelphia .
And it is rapidly becoming the norm for schools in many more large, urban
communities across the nation.
The Myth of Chinese
Super Schools
Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Dragon? Why China
by Yong Zhao; Jossey-Bass, 254 pp., $26.95
On December 3, 2013, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan
announced yet again that American students were doing terribly when tested, in
comparison to students in sixty-one other countries and a few cities like
Shanghai and Hong Kong. Duncan presided over the
release of the latest international assessment of student performance in
reading, science, and mathematics (called the Program for International Student
Assessment, or PISA ), and Shanghai led the nations of the world in all
three categories. Duncan and other
policymakers professed shock and anguish at the results, according to which
American students were average at best, nowhere near the top. Duncan said that Americans had to face the
brutal fact that the performance of our students was “mediocre” and that our
schools were trapped in “educational stagnation.”
He had used virtually the same rhetoric in 2010, when the
previous PISA results
were released. Despite the Bush administration’s No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
law, which mandated that every child in every school in grades 3–8 would be
proficient in math and reading by 2014, and despite the Obama administration’s
$4.35 billion Race to the Top program, the scores of American fifteen-year-old
students on these international tests were nearly unchanged since 2000. Both NCLB and
Race to the Top assumed that a steady diet of testing and accountability, of
carrots for high scores and sticks for low scores, would provide an incentive
for students and teachers to try harder and get higher test scores. But clearly,
this strategy was not working. In his public remarks, however, Duncan could not admit that carrots and
sticks don’t produce better education or even higher test scores. Instead, he
blamed teachers and parents for failing to have high expectations.
Philadelphia City Council Hearings
on High-stakes Testing and the Opt-Out Movement, Wednesday, November 19, 2014, 3—5
PM
Education Committee of Philadelphia
Wednesday, November 19, 2014, 3—5 PM, Room 400 City Hall
Information: Alison McDowell or Lisa Haver at: philaapps@gmail.com
DelCo Rising: Winning for
Education Nov18 7:00PM - 9:00PM
601 N. LANSDOWNE AVENUEDREXEL HILL, PA 19026
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.
New website offers closer
look into candidate' views on public education
PSBA NEWS RELEASE 10/6/2014
The Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) has created a
new website for its members and the general public to get a closer look into
candidates' views on public education leading up to the 2014 election for the
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Following
the primary elections, PSBA sent out a six-question questionnaire to all
Pennsylvania House and Senate candidates competing for seats in the November
election. Candidates are listed by
House, Senate seat and county. Districts can be found by visiting the 'Find My
Legislator' link (http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/findyourlegislator/).
Features include:
·
Candidate images, if provided
·
Candidates are tagged by political party and
seat for which they are running
·
Candidates who did not respond are indicated by
"Responses not available."
Visit the site by going to
http://psbacandidateforum.wordpress.com/ or by clicking on the link tweeted out
by @PSBAadvocate.
Candidates wishing to complete the questionnaire before
election day may do so by contacting Sean
Crampsie (717-506-2450, x-3321).
- See more at: http://www.psba.org/news-publications/headlines/details.asp?id=8650#sthash.1vGGRff4.dpuf
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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