Friday, June 17, 2016

PA Ed Policy Roundup June 17: PA Supreme Court sets Sept. 13 argument date for fair education funding lawsuit in Philly

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Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup June 17, 2016:
PA Supreme Court sets Sept. 13 argument date for fair education funding lawsuit in Philly


The Pennsylvania Supreme Court announced on Wednesday that it will hear oral argument for Pennsylvania’s landmark education funding lawsuit on September 13, 2016, in its Philadelphia courtroom.
PA Supreme Court sets argument date for fair education funding lawsuit
Thorough and Efficient Blog JUNE 16, 2016 BARBGRIMALDI LEAVE A COMMENT
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court announced on Wednesday that it will hear oral argument for Pennsylvania’s landmark education funding lawsuit on September 13, 2016, in its Philadelphia courtroom.   The lawsuit, William Penn School District vs. Pennsylvania Dept. of Education, seeks to remedy decades of inequitable education funding that have robbed children of the resources they need to succeed. It argues that the state’s system of funding public education is so inadequate and unequal that it violates state constitutional provisions requiring a “thorough and efficient system of public education” and equal treatment under the law.  The suit was filed in November 2014 by a broad-based coalition of parents, school districts and non-profit organizations that have seen firsthand the devastating impact of these failures in classrooms and in children’s lives. The plaintiffs include: six school districts – William Penn, Panther Valley, Lancaster, Greater Johnstown, Wilkes-Barre Area and Shenandoah Valley – the Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools (PARSS), and the NAACP Pennsylvania State Conference. The Public Interest Law Center and the Education Law Center of Pennsylvania are representing these plaintiffs.

Governor Wolf’s BLOG: Three Big Reasons We Need to Invest In PA Schools
June 16, 2016By: Sarah Galbally, Secretary of Policy and Planning
Earlier this month, a new report by The Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators (PASA) and Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials (PASBO) revealed statistics that underscore the importance of investing in Pennsylvania’s schools.
The report said that in the 2016-2017 school year:
·         46% of school districts plan to reduce staff
·         34% of school districts plan to increase class sizes
·         50% of school districts plan to reduce or eliminate academic or extracurricular programs
These are three big reasons we need to commit to investing in our schools. Governor Wolf has always made fully funding education one of his top priorities. In his 2016-2017 Budget, Governor Wolf proposes a $200 million increase in the Basic Education Subsidy, $50 million increase in the Special Education Subsidy, and a $60 million increase in high­-quality early childhood education. Though this investment cannot fully reverse the severe education cuts of the previous administration, it does put Pennsylvania back on the right track.

Cheers, jeers for report calling for crackdown on cyber charter schools
Inquirer by Martha Woodall, Staff Writer Updated: JUNE 16, 2016 — 9:24 PM EDT
The primary author of a national report that calls for a crackdown on low-performing cyber charter schools said Thursday that the goal was to spur conversation. It did.  Hours after the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools released the report, critics of online charter schools said they welcomed its findings and recommendations.  Companies that manage online schools and some charter advocates dismissed the study and questioned the research on which it was based.  Susan DeJarnett, a Temple University law professor who has been researching and writing about problems with Pennsylvania's cyber charter schools for years, said she was intrigued by many points in the report.

“CONCLUSION: We believe that full-time virtual charter public schools are meaningful and beneficial options for some students. Notwithstanding these success stories, the well documented, disturbingly low performance by too many full-time virtual charter public schools should serve as a call to action for state leaders and authorizers across the country. It is time for state leaders to make the tough policy changes necessary to ensure that this model works more effectively for the students it serves. It is also time for authorizers to hold full-time virtual charter schools accountable for performance, using measures and metrics suited to their programs and closing those that chronically fail their students. Our organizations are committed to working with state leaders and authorizers as they embark on these efforts. To reiterate, our organizations support full-time virtual schooling. We have advocated in states across the country to make sure this option is available to the families that need it. Unfortunately, the results clearly show that significant problems exist within this part of the charter school movement. Left unchecked, these problems have the potential to overshadow the positive impacts this model currently has for some students. We urge state leaders and authorizers to address these problems head-on instead of turning a blind eye to them.”
A CALL TO ACTION TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF FULL-TIME VIRTUAL CHARTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS
June 2016 Report by National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, National Association of Charter School Authorizers, 50CAN
The first full-time virtual charter public schools opened in the late 1990s. Since that time, the number of these schools has greatly expanded across the country. As of August 2014, there were 135 full-time virtual charter schools operating in 23 states and D.C. – about twice as many as in 2008. These schools were serving approximately 180,000 students. Students in full-time virtual charter public schools represent a broad cross-section of K-12 education: rural students seeking to avoid a lengthy bus ride to a brick-and-mortar building, student-athletes seeking a flexible schedule, home- or hospital-bound youth who want to stay in school despite an illness or a family challenge, and high school students looking for an alternative to dropping out. Although learning online full time is not the right answer for all K-12 students, there clearly exists a demand for it by certain students and families. However, at the same time that full-time virtual charter public schools have seen significant growth, far too many have experienced notable problems. Governmental agencies such as the Colorado Department of Education and the Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor and such national media outlets as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal have documented these problems.

Academic results of online schools should bring "outrage" and law changes, national charter school group says
By Patrick O'Donnell, The Plain Dealer Email the author | Follow on Twitter on June 16, 2016 at 12:00 PM, updated June 16, 2016 at 1:01 PM
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The nation's main charter school advocacy group said people should be "outraged" at how little learning occurs at some online schools and called on states to take several steps to restrict and improve them.  The report today from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools pointed to a major study last year from Stanford University's Center for Research of Educational Outcomes (CREDO) that found that e-school students learn far less than students in traditional schools.  "If traditional public schools were producing such results, we would rightly be outraged," the report states. "We should not feel any different just because these are charter schools."  "The well-documented, disturbingly-low performance by too many full-time virtual charter public schools should serve as a call to action to state leaders and authorizers across the country," the report continues.

Can Cyber Schools Be Saved?
Curmuducation Blog by Peter Greene Thursday, June 16, 2016
Say what else you like about them, but the charter school industry has a pretty keen sense of where its own vulnerabilities lie, and at the moment, there is no underbelly softer than the virtual charter sector-- what the rest of us call cyber-charters. Multiple studies have made it clear-- cyber charters do not deliver much of anything except giant truckloads of money to the people who operate them.  So we have this newly-released report, "A CALL TO ACTION TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF FULL-TIME VIRTUAL CHARTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS"-- yes, the call to action is so urgent that the report HAS TO YELL ITS NAME!!  The report was co-created by the National Alliance for Public [sic] Charter Schools, the National Association of Charter School Authorizers, and 50CAN. So we know that the report is not about examining the value or viability of cyber-charters-- this is going to be about figuring out which exercise program might build a six-pack on that soft underbelly and thereby decrease the vulnerability of the charter industry.

Soda tax passes; Philadelphia is first big city in nation to enact one
Inquirer by Tricia L. Nadolny, STAFF WRITER Updated: JUNE 16, 2016 — 8:36 PM EDT
Looking to raise millions for a bold expansion of early childhood education, Philadelphia City Council on Thursday approved a 1.5-cent-per-ounce tax on sugar-sweetened and diet beverages, the first such tax imposed in a major U.S. city.  The 13-4 vote put to bed months of speculation and at-times-bitter negotiations, but also ensured that the national spotlight will stay turned on Philadelphia for months, if not years.  Critics quickly vowed a court challenge. And as the city introduces the unprecedented levy - and its economic and public-health effects come into view - experts, advocates, and legislatorswill surely be watching closely.  Mayor Kenney, who can count this as the first major political victory of his term, called it a start to "changing the narrative of poverty in our city."

Commentary: Philly makes a bold move
Inquirer Opinion by Janet Haas Updated: JUNE 17, 2016 — 3:01 AM EDT
Janet Haas, M.D., is board chair of the William Penn Foundation. 
The city's bold policy move to solidify a revenue source to invest in our young children and our neighborhoods creates exciting new opportunities for Philadelphia. This new funding will launch an effort to guarantee all children in the city access to a high-quality early education and strengthen their start in life. It will also jumpstart the Rebuild initiative to revitalize parks, libraries, and recreation centers so that Philadelphians have safe and engaging places to learn, play, and come together. These efforts promote quality of life and economic opportunity for all.   The William Penn Foundation has supported early-childhood education and public-space development for decades, but never have we witnessed today's level of momentum and energy. This could be a defining moment for Philadelphia if we ensure strategic decision-making, disciplined implementation, and engagement of residents and the broader civic and business communities.  Fortunately, successful government and philanthropic initiatives, as well as valuable data and research, provide information upon which to base these strategies and decisions. We have learned much from our investments of nearly $130 million in public-space improvements and more than $100 million in early-childhood education.

Philadelphia becomes first major U.S. city to pass sweetened drinks tax
WHYY Newsworks BY KATIE COLANERI JUNE 16, 2016
It's official: Philadelphia has become the first major city in the U.S. to pass a sweetened drinks tax.  City Council voted 13-to-4 to pass the 1.5 cents-per-ounce tax on sugary and diet beverages to help pay for expanded pre-K, a major investment in parks, recreation centers and libraries and other initiatives.  Mayor Jim Kenney, who proposed the tax expected to generate about $90 million next year, said he feels gratified by the vote.  "It's been generations that we've been going downhill with our kids and our neighborhoods, and it's going to take us time to get us back but this is the first step back," said Kenney shortly after the Thursday afternoon vote. "I'm very, very proud of everyone sitting up here and those who voted for it -- and even those who didn't vote for it.

Philly’s soda tax may be turning point
Politico By HELENA BOTTEMILLER EVICH 06/16/16 12:44 PM EDT Updated 06/16/16 03:37 PM EDT
Philadelphia on Thursday became the first large American city to impose a sin tax on soft drinks in what could be a tipping point in the long-running war between health advocates and the soda industry.  After months of contentious debate, the city council voted 13-4 to approve a 1 and a half cent per ounce tax on sugary and diet drinks to fund children's education and park programs in the city.  The multimillion-dollar political fight in Philadelphia wasn’t about health. Philly Mayor Jim Kenney, the proponent of the tax, has been clear his push is about revenue for the city — more than $400 million over five years — and any public health bump from cutting soda consumption is a secondary benefit. But health advocates who strongly backed the tax proposal are ecstatic that a major city has finally broken through.

Philly schools pass sweeping policy protecting transgender students
Inquirer by Mensah M. Dean, Staff Writer Updated: JUNE 16, 2016 — 10:58 PM EDT
Without debate or comments from the public, the Philadelphia School Reform Commission adopted a policy Thursday night that immediately allows transgender students to, among other things, be referred to by their pronoun of choice; use their bathroom of choice; and go out for the athletic team of their gender choice, either boys' or girls'.  "It's really important for us to acknowledge and respect all children and how they identify themselves," Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. said after the meeting. "This ensures that they are treated fairly, and that everyone understands the protocols that we should use with respect to children who identify as transgender."  District spokesman Fernando Gallard said the policy formalizes what had been the district's informal policy. "A lot of these things we were already doing," he said.

SRC approves policy for gender non-conforming students
In last meeting of school year, it also takes action on several charter matters and codifies role of School Advisory Councils
The notebook/WHYY Newsworks by Avi Wolfman-Arent and Dale Mezzacappa June 16, 2016 — 10:41pm
The School District of Philadelphia approved a sweeping policy Thursday that allows transgender students to use the bathroom and locker room of their choosing, but goes beyond that.  The new policy, voted on by the School Reform Commission Thursday night, codifies a number of rights for transgender and gender nonconforming students. They include:
-- The right to be addressed using their preferred name and gender pronoun;
--The right to use the restroom and locker room that “corresponds to their gender identity;"
-- The right to participate in physical education classes and intramural sports in a manner consistent with their gender identity;
--The right to dress in alignment with their gender identity.
The policy also mandates schools make single stall restrooms and private changing areas available for students who feel “a need or desire for increased privacy.” It further instructs schools to use as much “gender-neutral language” possible in all communications and limit the number of gender-segregated activities.

School District of Philadelphia New Transgender Rules
Inquirer Updated: JUNE 17, 2016 — 1:08 AM EDT
The School Reform Commission on Thursday adopted a new policy for how Philadelphia public schools deal with transgender students. Effective immediately:
Students may be addressed by names and pronouns corresponding to their gender identity. This applies to interactions with other students and staff, and all written records, including report cards, class rosters, and photo ID.
Transgender identity, legal name, and sex assigned at birth are confidential.
Students may participate in gender-segregated groups that correspond to their gender identity.
Schools should use gender-neutral language in communication with all students and families, regardless of a student's gender identity.
Students may access locker rooms and restrooms that correspond to their gender identity.
Students may also dress in accordance with their gender identity. Schools may not adopt dress codes on the basis of gender.

Arts-focused charter school planned for the former Bishop McDevitt building
Penn Live By Ivey DeJesus | idejesus@pennlive.com  Email the author | Follow on Twitter  on June 16, 2016 at 9:02 PM, updated June 16, 2016 at 9:15 PM
A former Catholic high school building in Harrisburg could become an arts-centric charter school as early as next year.   The Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg and Arts to the Core Charter School have signed an agreement of sale that would allow Arts to the Core to finalize the purchase of the former Bishop McDevitt High School property on Market Street. The plan requires the approval of the Harrisburg City School Board.  The arts-centric, kindergarten through eighth grade charter school would open in September 2017.  "For students who struggle to learn in school because traditional lecture and textbook teaching is incompatible with their diverse learning styles, arts-empowered schools provide a parallel pathway for mastering core academic subjects," said Richard Caplan, president of Arts to the Core. "We welcome the opportunity to demonstrate, within the City of Harrisburg, the power of this proven educational strategy to unlock students' full learning potential and to encourage their innate creativity."

Columbia school board may vote tonight on sharing Elanco superintendent
Lancaster Online KARA NEWHOUSE | Staff Writer June 16, 2016
A proposal for two Lancaster County school districts to share a superintendent next year could see a vote tonight.  The Columbia Borough and Eastern Lancaster County school boards began discussing joint leadership in April, after Columbia’s former superintendent left halfway through a three-year contract to take a higher-paying job elsewhere.  The two districts, which are about 30 miles apart, already share some technology services.  Under a $165,000 proposal discussed by both boards this week, Elanco Superintendent Bob Hollister would serve as Columbia’s superintendent of record for 2016- 17. A director of operations would be hired to manage day-to-day responsibilities in Columbia.  School leaders say the plan would resolve ongoing hiring challenges at Columbia while also raising revenue for Elanco.  Some details of the contract were still being worked out Wednesday, but Columbia’s school board could approve it at tonight’s meeting.  Elanco’s board expects to vote on the proposed contract Monday.

A Study of Pennsylvania Public School Budgets, 2014-15
PSBA Website LAST UPDATED: JUNE 13, 2016 - 9:14 AM
The following study is designed to help school officials as they prepare to submit the annual school budget to the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The figures used are actual budget figures for the 2014-15 school year as reported in the annual financial report (PDE form 2057) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015. The PSBA research staff compiled this study based on summaries of annual financial report data prepared by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.  The pupil figure used to calculate the per-pupil revenue and expenditure is the average daily membership (ADM). PDE definitions of budget categories are provided for clarification.

Our Opinion: School board members feeling heat of budget season
Wilkes-Barre Times Leader Editorial JUNE 15TH, 2016 - 6:45 PM
As spring yields to summer in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the men and women elected to serve on area school boards occupy a particularly hot seat.  These public servants typically confront daunting decisions each June about the upcoming fiscal year, weighing what to do about property taxes, school staffing and other thorny, budget-related matters. An editorial in Monday’s edition essentially asked: Do school directors – faced with an increasingly complex range of issues pertaining to education and finance – have the qualifications to competently oversee our school districts?  For all practical purposes, you only need to be 18 or older and “of good moral character” – a phrase lacking in specifics – to serve as a school director in Pennsylvania.  Should the bar be set higher for candidates seeking the post? Should training be required?  Those questions probably resound a bit louder this month for residents of area districts where the funding challenges are steep and the proposed solutions seem unpleasant. Hazleton Area School District officials, for instance, reportedly intend to leave certain posts unfilled for the next school year, furlough teachers and reduce the school week during December, January and February to only four days.

Pennridge School Board set to vote on proposed 2.4 percent tax hike
Montgomery News By Bob Keeler bkeeler@21st-centurymedia.com @bybobkeeler on Twitter Published: Wednesday, June 15, 2016
EAST ROCKHILL >> Property taxes in the Pennridge School District increase by 2.4 percent under the proposed 2016-17 budget.  The final budget vote is scheduled for Pennridge School Board’s meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, June 20.  There are no changes from the proposed final budget approved at the board’s May 16 meeting, Sean Daubert, the district’s business administrator, said.  That includes $130,245, 398 of revenue and $131,042,154 of expenses.  The $796,756 difference will be paid for with money taken from fund balance that the district will have left at the end of this year’s budget, Daubert said. The fund balance is accumulated over years and not necessarily all from the current year, he said.

14 teachers laid off, high school Ag program preserved in West Perry budget
Penn Live By Julianne Mattera | jmattera@pennlive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter on June 13, 2016 at 10:39 PM, updated June 14, 2016 at 3:18 PM
West Perry School District officials have approved a 2016-17 final budget that lays off 14 teachers, as well as paraprofessionals and an instructional aide.  The school board approved the $38.29 million budget with a 6.33 percent tax increase Monday night in a 5-2 vote, with board members Suzanne Dell and Lucinda Egolf voting against the measure. Board members William Kling and Edward Kent were absent from the meeting.  Dan Rice, board vice president who voted in favor of the budget and the cuts, said board members were in a "tough position."  Rice said the board has tried to be as frugal as possible, but he said school officials' "hands are basically tied" because of the lack of pension reform and cyber schools, which are both cost drivers in the budget.  The district resorted to the cuts and tax increase to help clear a $3.1 million shortfall facing the district in the 2016-17 school year. Superintendent Michael O'Brien said that amount could increase by another $600,000 if the district does not receive a PlanCon reimbursement from the state for past construction projects.  

Tax hikes, staffing cuts riddle local school districts' final budgets
Beaver County Times By Katherine Schaeffer kschaeffer@timesonline.com June 16, 2016
As Pennsylvania school districts work to finalize their budgets for the 2016-17 school year, balancing state-mandated spending increases and unpredictable state revenue have forced them to raise taxes or cut staff and programs.  Alleviated some of that pressure with bolstered state education funding -- possibly with new revenue streams -- is among Gov. Tom Wolf's administration's top priorities moving forward, state Education Secretary Pedro Rivera said.  “I think there’s no way around it; they have to find a way to add sources of revenue to support education,” Rivera said, adding that sales or personal incomes tax increases could be considered. “It’s one of the larger components of the state budget. … It isn’t a matter of cutting the budget.”  Wolf recently signed a bipartisan-supported school fair-funding formula, which will dictate how the state distributes $5.5 billion in basic-education funding, and he has proposed a $200 million boost to basic-education funding as well as increases for special-education and early-childhood education funding for 2016-17.

North Pocono School Board votes to increase taxes
Times Tribune by CLAYTON OVER / PUBLISHED: JUNE 16, 2016
The North Pocono School District Board voted on a budget Wednesday night that will include a tax hike.  The board approved a 2 percent tax increase, bumping the millage rate for the school district to 129.60, and an almost $50 million budget by a 5-4 vote, board Vice-President William Burke said Wednesday night. For a home assessed at $10,000, property taxes would increase by about $25 to $1,296.

WHAT FUNDING FORMULA? Despite new school funding mechanisms in place, Erie Superintendent Jay Badams faces a $13 million deficit and is considering closing four high schools to avoid going broke.
Why Erie might close its high schools
Watchdog.org By Evan Grossman  /   June 16, 2016  /   News  /   No Comments
Part 5 of 5 in the series Erie's Ailing Schools
The Erie School District is in such bad shape that school officials are mulling a plan to close all of its high schools as early as next year.  Superintendent Jay Badams told Watchdog the 12,000-student district remains in financial dire straits and, after years of personnel and programming cuts, the only way to provide kids with a quality education is to send them out of town for high school.  “That seems like a better solution than providing them a sub-par education,” he said.  The district would save up to $3 million a year by shuttering its four high schools, not quite one-fourth of the $13 million deficit it forecasts for next year.

Erie Religious Leaders Meet As School Wait For PA Budget
Erie News Now By John Lydic Posted: Jun 16, 2016 5:12 PM EDT
Clergy members met at Central Tech to discuss the impending crisis  facing the Erie School District. Superintendent Dr. Jay Badams outlined options and what they could mean for the schools and the community if adequate funding is not awarded by the Pennsylvania state budget.   Religious clergy said that despite the recent problems with funding this is not the first time  government has done this.    "This is grossly unfair and as is typical of systems with inequality is punishes and targets the poor," said Reverend Sean Rowe, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northwestern PA  Leaders spoke to continuous discrimination by Harrisburg, saying Erie has been treated like a third class city and the students as third class kids.

KCSD reaches agreement on five-year teachers' pact
Chester County Press  06/14/2016 11:41AM, Published by Steven Hoffman
The Kennett Consolidated School District has reached an agreement with the Kennett Education Association on a new five-year teachers' pact.  The Kennett School Board approved the deal on May 23, while members of the Kennett Education Association ratified the agreement with a “yes” vote on May 18. The contact was negotiated over a six-month period.  “We, the Kennett Consolidated School community, are ecstatic to have reached an amicable settlement with the Kennett Education Association for the next five years,” said superintendent Dr. Barry Tomasetti in a statement. “It clearly demonstrates our common goal to put kids first.”  The new contract calls for salary increases of 4 percent during the 2016-2017 school year, 2.25 percent in 2017-2018, 2.5 percent in 2018-2019, 2.6 percent in 2019-2020, and 2.7 percent in 2020-2021. These increases are inclusive of step movement and off-schedule bonuses. Educational credit adjustments have been limited to two moves over the five years of the contract.  Officials involved with the negotiations on both sides talked about working cooperatively to reach a deal that is good for both the school district and for the taxpayers in the district.

Mars Area schools may outsource some jobs
Post Gazette By Sandy Trozzo June 17, 2016 12:00 AM
Citing stalled negotiations, the Mars Area school board is considering outsourcing paraprofessionals, secretaries and custodians.  The board Tuesday voted 7-1 to seek proposals from firms to provide those services to the district.  The board also approved a 2016-17 budget that does not raise taxes or include the teacher furloughs that had been proposed earlier.  In addition, a policy instituting random drug tests for some high school students was introduced.  Superintendent Wesley Shipley said the district has been negotiating with the union representing paraprofessionals, custodians and secretaries for two years. Their contract expired June 30, 2015.  “We are in the position of failed negotiations,” he said. “We felt that we, as a board, needed to go out and see what the going rate is for those positions in the business world.”

Wagner eyes governor's office
York Dispatch by  Greg Gross, 505-5433/@ggrossyd12:22 a.m. EDT June 17, 2016
State Sen. Scott Wagner has a good shot at becoming the Republican nominee for governor should he run in the 2018 gubernatorial race, one political analyst said.  "At the moment I would say he'd be electable in a Republican primary," said G. Terry Madonna, a pollster at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster. "He has the money. He's developed a following, and he has a good relationship with Senate leadership."  Wagner, in an email blast last week, said he's been asked numerous times if he'll run for governor. He's considering it, the email reads.  "I'm giving it some thought. There's a lot of soul-searching before you take that plunge," said Wagner in an interview on Thursday. "That decision's not going to be made tomorrow."


“Now, provisions in the newly passed Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the nation’s federal education law, are strengthening the visibility of homeless students and other disadvantaged groups. Beginning in the 2016-17 school year, states and local school districts will be required to disaggregate the graduation rates of homeless students for the first time in history, which educators say will help states and districts direct resources to the kids who need help the most.”
The Complicated Task of Identifying Homeless Students
Few states know where those children are, making it difficult to connect them with resources.
The Atlantic by ADRIENNE GREEN  JUN 16, 2016
The number of homeless students in the United States has doubled in the past decade. During the 2013-14 school year, more than 1.3 million students were homeless, a 7 percent increase over the previous school year, according to a newreport by the advocacy group Civic Enterprises and the polling firm Hart Research Associates. A disproportionate number are students of color or identify as LGBT.  As alarming as those numbers are, the fact that figures on homeless students exist at all is a step in the right direction. That’s because, until recently, only five states have voluntarily collected that data: Colorado, Kansas, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming. In those states, graduation rates for this population lagged behind the rest of the students, even those who are low-income.


Apply Now! EPLC’s 2016-2017 Pennsylvania Education Policy Fellowship Program

EPLC's 2016 Report:  High School Career and Technical Education: Serving Pennsylvania's Workforce and Student Needs
PENNSYLVANIA EDUCATION POLICY FORUM Thursday, June 23, 2016 
Allegheny Intermediate Unit - 475 East Waterfront Dr., Homestead, PA 15120
Coffee and Networking - 9:30 a.m.  Program - 10:00 a.m. to Noon   
 RSVP by clicking here. There is no fee, but a RSVP is required. Please feel free to share this invitation with your staff and network. Similar forums will be held later in the Philadelphia area and Harrisburg. 
SPEAKERS:
An Overview of the EPLC Report on High School CTE will be presented by:
Ron Cowell, President, The Education Policy and Leadership Center
Statewide and Regional Perspectives Will Be Provided By
Dr. Lee Burket, Director, Bureau of Career & Technical Education, PA Department of Education
Jackie Cullen, Executive Director, PA Association of Career & Technical Administrators
Dr. William Kerr, Superintendent, Norwin School District
Laura Fisher, Senior Vice President - Workforce & Special Projects, Allegheny Conference on Community Development
James Denova, Vice President, Benedum Foundation

Nominations now open for PSBA Allwein Awards (deadline July 16)
PSBA Website POSTED ON MAY 16, 2016 IN PSBA NEWS
The Timothy M. Allwein Advocacy Award was established in 2011 by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association and may be presented annually to the individual school director or entire school board to recognize outstanding leadership in legislative advocacy efforts on behalf of public education and students that are consistent with the positions in PSBA’s Legislative Platform. The 2016 Allwein Award nominations will be accepted starting today and all applications are due by July 16, 2016. The nomination form can be downloaded from the website.

Join the Pennsylvania Principals Association at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, June 21, 2016, at The Capitol in Harrisburg, PA, for its second annual Principals' Lobby Day.
Pennsylvania Principals Association Monday, March 21, 2016 9:31 AM
 To register, contact Dr. Joseph Clapper at clapper@paprincipals.org by Tuesday, June 14, 2016. If you need assistance, we will provide information about how to contact your legislators to schedule meetings.  Click here for the informational flyer, which includes important issues to discuss with your legislators.

2016 PA Educational Leadership Summit July 24-26 State College
Summit Sponsors: PA Principals Association - PA Association of School Administrators - PA Association of Middle Level Educators - PA Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development 
The 2016 Educational Leadership Summit, co-sponsored by four leading Pennsylvania education associations, provides an excellent opportunity for school district administrative teams and instructional leaders to learn, share and plan together at a quality venue in "Happy Valley." 
Featuring Grant Lichtman, author of EdJourney: A Roadmap to the Future of Education, Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera (invited), and Dana Lightman, author of POWER Optimism: Enjoy the Life You Have... Create the Success You Want, keynote speakers, high quality breakout sessions, table talks on hot topics and district team planning and job alike sessions provides practical ideas that can be immediately reviewed and discussed at the summit before returning back to your district.   Register and pay by April 30, 2016 for the discounted "early bird" registration rate:

1 comment:

  1. Join Solartis June 22-25, 2016 at the DISC Conference in Atlanta, GA
    DISC Conference

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