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PA Ed Policy Roundup for April 10, 2015:
Gov. Wolf Visits a Philly High School, Pushing For
Better Education Funding Statewide
Save
the date: Wednesday April 29th 7:00 pm Springfield
Local school district leaders will discuss how state funding issues are
impacting our children's educational opportunities, our local taxes and our
communities.
Hosted by Delaware County School
Boards Legislative Council, Education Voters of PA and the Keystone State
Auditor General, legislators cast light on troubling
PDE conduct
The PLS Reporter Author: Alanna Koll/Thursday, April 9, 2015
During Thursday’s meeting with the House Republican Policy
Committee, Auditor General Eugene DePasquale told committee members he’s
uncovered a number of troubling actions on the part of the Pennsylvania
Department of Education while conducting his department’s yet-to-be-released
audit. “[There] is a culture in that
agency that is not healthy for fostering good education outcomes,” he told the
committee. He said that his department’s
audit will focus on, among other things, what PDE does to help school districts
that are struggling academically, specifically on reporting. “School districts are incredibly frustrated,”
he added.
He said in meetings with school business officials, he has
been told repeatedly that it is common knowledge among their peers that you do
not call a certain office within the department on a Thursday because nobody
will answer the phone. He continued
saying he was surprised to find out that this wasn’t a joke. “If you have a problem on a Thursday, the
Pennsylvania Department of Education is not going to help the school district,”
he said. “I find that absolutely outrageous.”
Gov. Wolf Visits a Philadelphia High School
CBS Philly By Dan Wing April 9, 2015 1:26 PM
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Pennsylvania
governor Tom Wolf took a tour of a Philadelphia
school this morning as part of his “Schools That Teach” program. Going class-to-class with city leaders, Wolf
chatted with students and teachers at Kensington Health
Sciences Academy School District of Philadelphia
7 things we learned from
Secretary John Hanger’s visit
John Hanger is
hoping Pennsylvania
is ready for big changes.
The secretary of
policy and planning — a key post in Tom Wolf’s administration — said the governor is proposing a budget based on “honest
math” and “tough decisions.” “If you think the state is doing fine then
this budget is not for you. But if you think we need to do better then this
budget is for you," he told a crowd at a Lancaster Chamber of Commerce
& Industry Wake Up to the Issues forum at the Cork Factory Hotel. Hanger, a one-time primary opponent of Wolf
who served as the state’s top environmental official under former Gov. Ed
Rendell, said the administration is touting a spending plan that will “transform
the state” by focusing on public education and economic development.
Here are seven
notable excerpts from the secretary’s talk:
"Philadelphia Pennsylvania Allentown Lower Merion
with a 71 percent passing rate for biology -- fared better."
Philly school district projects 22 percent graduation
rate in 2017
WHYY Newsworks BY LAURA BENSHOFF APRIL 8, 2015
In two years, Pennsylvania
students will have to pass three standardized tests -- the Keystone Exams -- to
graduate high school. Right now, 65
percent of Philadelphia
School District
Beyond 'failing schools': The difficulty of fairly
comparing public schools on uneven playing field
WHYY Newsworks BY KEVIN MCCORRY APRIL 9, 2015
File this story under "wonky but important."
In an era where standardized test scores often determine a
school's reputation and, ultimately, its survival, comparing and judging
schools based on results has become a commonplace ritual. Parents often use the scores as a North Star for deciding
where to enroll their kids. Districts often use them when considering which
schools to shutter or to turn over to new management. Within this context, a toxicity has brewed between advocates
of Philadelphia 's
traditional district schools and proponents of charters — built mainly on the
premise that the two sectors aren't playing by the same rules. Tension between the two have festered
especially in recent years. Steady student migration from traditional public
schools to charters caused dozens of schools to close in 2012-13. Funding
debates have become especially fraught since Gov. Tom Corbett's 2011 budget,
which cut the state aid that helped districts defray the added costs of charter
schools. But those debates often gloss
over some of the important differences between and within the sectors that have
a very real effect on a school's perceived quality.
"You cannot run around
this school, shake hands with students, take pictures, read to second graders,
talk to middle schoolers, inspire high school students, and then when you're
back at your office comfortably not put forward the money that they need to
educate their students,"
Nutter challenges candidates for specifics on schools
KRISTEN A. GRAHAM, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER LAST UPDATED:
Friday, April 10, 2015, 1:08 AM POSTED: Thursday, April 9, 2015, 5:53 PM
Mayor Nutter took shots Thursday at the people hoping to
become his successor, suggesting the candidates' plans to fund the Philadelphia School District
"You cannot run around this school, shake hands with
students, take pictures, read to second graders, talk to middle schoolers,
inspire high school students, and then when you're back at your office
comfortably not put forward the money that they need to educate their
students," Nutter said at an event at Kensington Health Sciences Academy
with Gov. Wolf. "Let's cut the phoniness. Let's be serious about educating
kids." School Superintendent
William R. Hite Jr. has asked the city for $103 million in new recurring funds
to begin to implement his academic plan after several years of brutal cuts, and
Nutter has proposed a property-tax increase that would give the district $105
million. All six of the Democratic
candidates - all of whom have declared that education would be a priority in
their administration - have said they want more money for the schools, but do
not support the tax increase.
There are ways, Chairwoman Neff, to make SRC relevant
Philly.com Opinion by LISA HAVER POSTED: Friday, April 10,
2015, 12:16 AM
IF THERE WERE ever a governmental body that needed to change
its ways, it would be the current School Reform Commission. After years of ineffective
leadership and financial mismanagement, the SRC's credibility with the system's
stakeholders - the teachers, parents, students and community members - is in
the basement. The imperial attitude of
its leadership, especially in the past year, has alienated Philadelphians, many
of whom see it as a rubber stamp for the political and economic interests who
can buy a ticket to its pay-to-play game. Gov. Tom Wolf has made clear his desire to dissolve the SRC.
Education activists are petitioning for a return to local control. A Pew
Charitable Trusts poll shows that city residents who have an opinion on the
subject favor eliminating the SRC by a 4-to-1 margin. Editorials in both major
newspapers have said that it is time to seriously consider an elected school
board in Philadelphia .
New chief recovery officer selected for York City
School District
York Dispatch by ERIN JAMES 505-5439 @ydcity POSTED: 04/09/2015 12:42:07 PM EDT
Carol Saylor is no stranger to the York City School District
Five or so years ago, as a mentor for administrative interns
through York College York
City William Penn
Senior High School York City
New Chief Recovery Officer Named for York City School District
PR Newswire HARRISBURG ,
Pa.
Governor Tom Wolf, acting state Education Secretary Pedro A.
Rivera and Mayor Kim Bracey announced today that long-time educator and
administrator, Dr. Carol Saylor, has been named chief recovery officer of the York City
School District Pennsylvania
are struggling as a result of funding cuts, and the York City School District York City Lancaster County Susquehanna University ,
a master's degree from Bucknell University , and a doctorate in education from Nova University
Special to PennLive By Elizabeth Gibson | Special to
PennLive on April 09, 2015 at 3:11 PM
The Carlisle
Area School
District Carlisle
school board members on Thursday will discuss three formal resolutions. The board then expects to vote on the
resolutions on April 16 and send them to the General Assembly. It also plans to call on community members to
do the same.
Post Gazette By Tim Means April 10, 2015 12:00 AM
The first sign that something was amiss in the Penn Hills School District Allegheny County Common Pleas Court for
permission to borrow up to $18 million to pay the district’s day-to-day
expenses.
Post Gazette By Harry Funk April 10, 2015 12:00 AM
The maximum that Mt.
Lebanon School
District
Local activists claim 'education apartheid' in Allentown School District
By Jacqueline
PalochkoOf The Morning Call contact the reporter April
9, 2015
Local activists
claim “education apartheid” in the Allentown
School District
Local activists are
claiming the Allentown
School District
Before Thursday
night's school board meeting, the Rev. Gregory Edwards stood with a crowd
outside the district's office building and accused the district of racial
toxicity. Edwards demanded that the district work with community leaders to
change, and said he will attend every meeting until he sees change in the
district. "We are here because of
the ongoing practices of a school district which continues to fail black, brown
and poor white students and in equal measure," Edwards said.
"Education apartheid is real in the Allentown School District Resurrected Life
Community Church
in Allentown ,
said he and others will meet with Superintendent Russ Mayo and a few school
directors next week. Mayo said he also has met with NAACP leaders and said he
wants to be part of the solution.
The U.S.
No Child Left Behind
may soon be a law that gets left behind.
For more than two
months, U.S.
legislators have debated an overhaul of the education policy that ushered in an
era of high-stakes testing in public schools.
On Tuesday, two senators unveiled a bipartisan proposal, the "Every
Child Achieves Act," which will be debated by the Senate Education
Committee next week. The pitch — which
comes from Sens. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Patty Murray, D-Wash. — has
elements that should appeal to both sides of the aisle, according to
Education Week's Politics K-12 blog.
It comes just before children in grades 3 through 8 across Pennsylvania begin weeks
of PSSA testing, and as ranks of parents opting their children out of standardized
tests grow. So how much would schools
change if No Child Left Behind is rewritten? Below are three key things to know
about the Senate proposal.
"These protests could serve as a
reminder that parents and students are stakeholders in education policy."
What Happens When Students Boycott a Standardized
Test?
The movement to opt out of nationwide exams is gaining traction—and
forcing policymakers to rethink the role of such assessments in public
education.
The Atlantic by LAURA
MCKENNA APR 9 2015, 1:37 PM ET
Standardized tests have been an integral part of the
American school routine since the 1970s, the protocol changing very little.
Children were told to put away their books; to fill in the bubbles, with No. 2
pencils, completely; and, when the time was up, to immediately put down their
writing utensils. However, those ubiquitous (and ever-dreaded) tests have
evolved dramatically as of late—and deliberations over their purpose have
become increasingly urgent. This semester, students in roughly three dozen states and
the District of Columbia
are taking one of two new standardized tests that are known by their
consonant-riddled acronyms: PARCC, which is part of the Pearson family, and
SBAC, which was developed by a consortium of states. The force behind these
assessments is the Common Core State Standards, the set of highly controversial
universal learning benchmarks that, the thinking goes, would’ve been difficult
to implement without new-and-improved standardized tests. (Students in the
remaining states are taking other exams; under No Child Left Behind, the
federal government requires that every state gives its kids some form of
assessment, but it doesn’t stipulate a specific one.) Like the hodgepodge of
older tests used over the past five decades, these new assessments are designed
to gauge students' proficiency in math and English via series of
multiple-choice questions.
Register for the April 18 Education Voters
Advocacy Summit in Harrisburg
Education Voters of Pennsylvania
will be holding a half-day advocacy summit for public education advocates on
Saturday April 18 from 10:00-2:00 in Harrisburg ,
PA.
During the summit we
will:
- Get an update on Governor Wolf’s budget
from John Hanger, secretary of planning and policy,
- Develop successful advocacy techniques
and strategies to maximize our impact on public policy,
- Receive organizing and communications
training
- Network with other advocates from
throughout the state, and
- Leave prepared to support fair and
adequate state funding for schools this year!
Event Location: Temple University
Harrisburg 234 Strawberry Square Harrisburg ,
PA 17101
Lunch will be
provided. Please register today! Space is limited.
EPLC "Focus on
Education" TV Program on PCN - Sunday, April 12 at 3:00
p.m.
Education Policy and
Leadership Center
Topic 1:
Reaction to Governor Wolf's 2015-2016 State Education Budget Proposal
Jim Buckheit, Executive Director, PA Association of
School Administrators
John Callahan, Senior Director of Government Affairs, PA School Boards Association
John Callahan, Senior Director of Government Affairs, PA School Boards Association
Topic 2:
Physical Education and Health Education Issues for Students
Dr. Cindy Allen, Professor, Health Science Department, Lock Haven
University
Todd Bedard, Chair, Health and Physical Education
Department, Cumberland
Valley School
District
Linda Woods Huber, Executive Director, PA State Association for
Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance
Jessica Peconi-Cook, Health and Physical Education Teacher, Mt. Lebanon School District
All EPLC "Focus on Education" TV shows are hosted by EPLC President Ron Cowell.
Jessica Peconi-Cook, Health and Physical Education Teacher, Mt. Lebanon School District
All EPLC "Focus on Education" TV shows are hosted by EPLC President Ron Cowell.
All are invited for a screening of the
documentary:
STANDARDIZED: Lies, Money
& Civil Rights—How Testing is Ruining Public Education Monday,
April 27, 7-9PM
The Saturday Club, 117 West Wayne Avenue , Wayne ,
PA
Standardized testing
has long been a part of public education. Over the last ten years however,
education reform has become an increasingly heated political issue and
seemingly a highly profitable target market for private enterprise resulting in
expanded and high-stakes testing. While some hold the view that testing is an
effective assessment of student ability and teacher and school effectiveness,
many feel these exams are instead undermining our students, teachers and
schools. Daniel Hornberger’s STANDARDIZED documentary raises issues
about this model of education reform and the standardized testing that goes
along with it. The film includes interviews with prominent educational experts
and government officials who take aim at the goal of standardization that is
being promoted and imposed by our federal and state governments. It sheds light
on the development, nature and use of these assessments, the consequences of
high-stakes testing, and the ostensible private enterprise and government
agendas behind them.
A Q&A session with a panel
of informed parents, teachers and experts will follow.
This screening is made possible
through a collaboration of Radnor, Tredyffrin/Easttown and Lower
Merion concerned parents and PTOs.
Your Right to a Fair Shot: Discrimination Claims,
Post-Secondary and the Professions
Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia Tuesday,
April 21, 2015 from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
United Way Building 1709 Benjamin Franklin Parkway , Philadelphia
Attendees will learn
about discrimination claims, post-secondary schools and the professions in this
session. You'll learn how federal law aids students with disabilities who
do not qualify for special education services, hear about recent cases, and
understand strategies for getting students services. This session is co-sponsored by the
University of Pennsylvania School of Policy and Practice, a Pre-approved Provider
of Continuing Education for Pennsylvania
licensed social workers.
Tickets: Attorneys
$200 General Public $100 Webinar $50
"Pay What You Can" tickets
are also available
Workshop: Fair Funding and other Commons
Sense Reforms for Public Education - Saturday April 11, 9:30 am
The William Penn
School District presents another
public workshop in its series on school funding in Pennsylvania . Topics to be covered include:
- A discussion with the Public Interest
Law Center of Philadelphia about the ABC's of public education funding and
school funding lawsuit filed by the
- An in-depth look at Governor Tom Wolf's
proposed budget and its impact on property taxes and developing a more
equitable funding formula.
LOCATION:
Evans Elementary School
Questions:
Please email rafi@thecavegroup.com
Who will be at the PSBA Advocacy Forum April 19-20 in
Mechanicsburg and Harrisburg
- Acting
Ed Sec'y Pedro Rivera
- Senate
Ed Committee Majority Chairman Lloyd Smucker
- House
Ed Committee Majority Chairman Stan Saylor
- Senate
Appropriations Committee Chair Pat Browne
- Diane
Ravitch
- House
Majority Leader Dave Reed
- House
Minority Leader Frank Dermody
- 2014
PSBA Tim Allwein Advocacy Award winners Shauna D'Alessandro and Mark
Miller
How about You?
Join PSBA for the second annual Advocacy Forum on April 19-20,
2015. Hear from legislative experts on hot topics and issues regarding public
education on Sunday, April 19, at PSBA headquarters in Mechanicsburg. The next
day you and fellow advocates will meet with legislators at the state capitol.
This is your chance to learn how to successfully advocate on behalf of public
education and make your voice heard on the Hill.
·
Registration is only $25! We don't want cost
to be a factor. That's how important public education advocacy is!
·
Can't make the two days? Register and come to
either day that works into your schedule.
Details and Registration for PSBA members (only $25.00) https://www.psba.org/event/advocacy-forum-day-hill-2015/
Curmuducation Blog Saturday, March 21, 2015
I don't get out much. I'm a high school English teacher in a
small town, and kind of homebody by nature. When I leave town, it's for family
or work. But in just over a month, on the weekend of April 25-26, I am taking a
trip to Chicago
for neither. The Network for Public
Education is the closest thing to an actual formal organization of the
many and varied people standing up for public education in this modern era of
privatizing test-driven corporate education reform. NPE held a conference last
year, and they're doing it again this year-- a gathering of many of the
strongest voices for public education in America today. Last year I
followed along on line-- this year I will be there.
Beyond a New School Funding
Formula: Lifting Student Achievement to Grow PA's Economy
Wednesday, May 6, 2015 from 7:30 AM to 10:00 AM (EDT) Harrisburg , PA
7:30 am: Light breakfast fare and registration; 8:00 am:
Program
Opening Remarks by Neil D. Theobald, President, Temple University
SESSION I: THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF ACHIEVEMENT GAPS IN
PENNSYLVANIA’S PUBLIC SCHOOLS with introduction by Rob Wonderling,
President, Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, and Member, Center on
Regional Politics Executive Committee.
Presentation by Lynn A. Karoly, Senior Economist, RAND
Corporation
SESSION II: WHAT CAN PENNSYLVANIA Pennsylvania
State University College
of Education
Presentation by Marc S. Tucker, President and CEO, National Center
Sessions to be followed by a response panel moderated
by Francine Schertzer, Director of Programming, Pennsylvania Cable
Network
Program presented by the University Consortium to Improve
Public School Finance and Promote Economic Growth
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