Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now
reach more than 3950 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors,
administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers, Governor's
staff, current/former PA Secretaries of Education, Wolf education transition
team members, Superintendents, School Solicitors, PTO/PTA officers, parent
advocates, teacher leaders, business leaders, faith-based organizations, labor
organizations, education professors, members of the press and a broad array of
P-16 regulatory agencies, professional associations and education advocacy
organizations via emails, website, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg
Keystone
State Education Coalition
PA
Ed Policy Roundup September 29, 2016
US
DOE Releases Another $245 Million for Privatization of Public Schools
TribLive BY BRIAN
BOWLING | Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2016, 1:18 p.m.
The accountant for former
Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School CEO Nick Trombetta admitted Wednesday in
federal court that he helped Trombetta illegally divert about $8 million in
public money from the Beaver County school.
Neal Prence, 61, of Koppel pleaded guilty to a charge of tax conspiracy.
U.S. District Judge Joy Flowers Conti scheduled his sentencing for Jan. 6. Prence had been set to plead
Sept. 19 but backed out at the last minute because of some legal technicalities
connected with his plea agreement, said his lawyer, Stanton Levenson.
Beaver County Times By Kirstin
Kennedy kkennedy@timesonline.com
September 28, 2016
PITTSBURGH -- A Koppel accountant
federally indicted along with Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School founder Nick
Trombetta pleaded guilty Wednesday to tax conspiracy, according to online court
records. Neal Prence was indicted in
August 2013 alongside Trombetta, was also was charged with mail fraud, theft
and bribery concerning a federal program, tax conspiracy and filing false tax
returns. Trombetta pleaded guilty to tax
conspiracy in August. The sole charged
brought against Prence was tax conspiracy for assisting Trombetta in a tax fraud
scheme which prosecutors allege siphoned millions of taxpayer dollars through
the Rochester-based National Network of Digital Schools (NNDS), now known as
Lincoln Learning Solutions, and Avanti Management Group in Koppel. Prence is scheduled for sentencing in
January, according to federal officials. Initial reports indicate he could face
up to five years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both.
“While it is admirable that legislators
are concerned that high school students don’t know enough about civics, it’s
unfortunate that they think the solution is another standardized test.”
The Measure of Citizenship isn’t an Exit
Exam – It’s Participating in Our Democracy
Gadfly on the Wall Blog September
29, 2016 by stevenmsinger ,
Pennsylvania legislators just
flunked civics – big time. Once again, instead
of offering real solutions to eradicate the ignorance of the coming generation,
they clothed themselves in their own. A bi-partisan
group of 47 state lawmakers is proposing forcing all public school
students to pass a test on citizenship
in order to qualify for a diploma. House Bill 1858 would
require all K-12 schools receiving tax dollars — including charters schools and
cybercharters — to give their students the same
100-question test that immigrants seeking U.S. citizenship will have
to pass starting in 2020. Any student who doesn’t get a sufficient score will
not receive a diploma or GED equivalency.
Could
you pass a basic civics quiz? Answer these 10 questions
Morning Call September 28, 2016
A bill in Harrisburg would
require Pennsylvania high school students to pass a civics test to graduate. The exam would be the same
one immigrants must pass to earn naturalized U.S. citizenship. Here are 10 sample questions. How many
answers do you know?
Wilkes Barre Citizens Voice by THE EDITORIAL BOARD / PUBLISHED: SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
For all the furor about
immigration in this particularly mean election season, the sad irony is that
many immigrants know far more about U.S. history and government than native
citizens. Unlike natives, immigrants must prove it on a test when they choose
to become citizens. Survey after survey
shows that high percentages of Americans are ignorant of basic civics, the
structure and functions of the government and the meaning of the Bill of
Rights. Yet in Pennsylvania, the cradle
of American democracy, the state government does nothing to ensure that
citizens of the commonwealth have at least a rudimentary understanding of how
that democracy works. The legislature
has taken up a bill to require high school seniors to demonstrate very basic
civics literacy to qualify for graduation. A pending bill would require seniors
to pass a 100 question test derived from the United States Citizenship and
Immigration Services test for naturalized citizens. Passing would require a
score of just 60, and students would be able to take it until they passed. The
objective, after all, is for them to depart school with some understanding of
civics. It is not a punitive process.
Many Americans know nothing about their
government. Here’s a bold way schools can fix that.
Washington Post Answer Sheet
Blog By Valerie
Strauss September 27 You probably didn’t notice, but Sept. 17 was Constitution Day. What is that, you ask?
It’s a day that commemorates the
signing of the final version of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787, by 39
delegates to the Constitutional Convention who created a new
U.S. government — about which most Americans know embarrassingly little.
Congress created Constitution Day in 2004, requiring all schools that receive
federal funding to offer some type of “educational program” on the U.S.
Constitution on or close to Sept. 17 every year. A single day is not anywhere nearly enough —
certainly not at a time when the country is facing ocean-deep political
divisions and when the Republican presidential candidate,Donald Trump, has
stoked racial fears and encouraged violence while displaying profound ignorance
of how the government that he wants to lead works. How little do Americans know about the
workings of their own government? And does it really matter to the continued
workings of that government?
“Penn Alexander has been a closely
watched experiment since its inception 15 years ago. The school was conceived
as a partnership between the School District of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia
Federation of Teachers, and the University of Pennsylvania. Penn provides supplemental staff and extra
funding to the school on the order of $1,330 per child. The project is part of
Penn’s ongoing efforts to reach beyond the ivory tower and into the largely
low-income swaths of Philadelphia that extend beyond its borders. The teachers union, meanwhile, helped plan
the school and agreed to staff work rules that — at the time — were unusually
flexible. “
Penn Alexander in Philadelphia wins major
national education award
WHYY Newsworks BY AVI WOLFMAN-ARENT SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
The Penn Alexander School in West
Philadelphia has been called many things since it opened in 2001: success
story, ground breaker, gentrifier. Now
it can add a new label: national award winner
The K-8 school — located on the western edge of University of
Pennsylvania’s campus — was named a National Blue Ribbon School Wednesday by
the U.S. Department of Education. First awarded in 1982,
the honor goes to schools that are extraordinarily high achieving or — as in
Penn Alexander’s case — have done a notable job closing the achievement
gap. Just 11 public schools in Philadelphia have earned the distinction, and
Penn Alexander is the only district winner this year. Penn Alexander is also a notable recipient in
one other regard — it’s a neighborhood elementary school. Of the 10 prior
district schools to win the National Blue Ribbon prize, eight are
special-admission schools. The list includes perennial top performers Julia R.
Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School, Central High School, and the
Philadelphia High School for Girls.
York
Dispatch by Alyssa
Jackson, 505-5438/@AlyssaJacksonYD12:40 a.m. September 29, 2016
On Wednesday, York Suburban High
School was named a Blue Ribbon School by the National Blue Ribbon Schools
Program. According to a news release
sent out by the school district, the school is among 279 public schools and 50
private schools that received the award this year. According to the U.S. Department of
Education website, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program recognizes
private and public schools based on overall academic excellence or their work
in closing the achievement gap. So far, more than 7,500 schools have become
Blue Ribbon Schools since the start of the program in 1982.
“Across the nation, 329 schools were
singled out for excellence. Schools win the honor either for strong academic
performance or for work in narrowing the achievement gap among groups of
students.”
10 Philly, suburban schools win national
honor
Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham and Martha Woodall,
STAFF WRITERS SEPTEMBER 29, 2016
Confetti cannons rained blue
paper on 550 eager boys and girls as Principal Michael Farrell trumpeted the
news Wednesday: Penn Alexander, a West Philadelphia K-8, had been named one of
the best schools in the nation. U.S.
Secretary of Education John King designated Penn Alexander and nine other local
schools as "shining examples" for others around the country, winners
of the 2016 National Blue Ribbon. For
Penn Alexander, a Philadelphia School District elementary that operates in
partnership with the University of Pennsylvania, it was especially sweet. "We talk about collaboration and group
work with our kids all the time," Farrell said. "They see that this
school is different, and it's unique. And now it's being celebrated because of
its collaboration - that's a big takeaway."
Pennsylvania 2016 Blue Ribbon schools are
listed on pages 25-26
2016
National Blue Ribbon Schools All Public and Non-Public
US Dept. of Education September
28, 2016
Johnstown Tribune Democrat By
Gerald Zahorchak jzahorch@pitt.edu
September 28, 2016
Gerald Zahorchak of Johnstown is
interim chairman of Pitt-Johnstown’s education division. He formerly was
superintendent of Greater Johnstown School District and Pennsylvania Secretary
of Education. How many students were in
your English or history classes in eighth grade? Imagine twice that many. How
much attention could the teacher have given to you? How would this have
impacted your grades? We very well could be facing this reality as a teacher
shortage is upon us. Pennsylvania needs teachers,
especially in the areas of math, science, world languages, special education,
speech and language, and bilingual education, according to the U.S. Department
of Education’s “Teacher Shortage Area Nationwide Listing, 2016-17.” Parents of high school students should be
sharing real career facts with their children. This message is intended to help
parents and high school students steer toward the field of education, a most
promising place for tomorrow’s young professionals.
Trib Live BY ELIZABETH
BEHRMAN | Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2016, 10:21 p.m.
Stephanie Bonifield stroked her
dog Marvin under the chin, and he wagged his tail.
The orange pooch, made of duct
tape and cardboard, also blinked his light bulb eyes and shook paws with people
who stopped to greet him. “He's got a
gimpy leg, but it works,” said Bonifield, 17, a senior at Carlynton
Junior-Senior High School. Marvin is her second robot — she also made Fred, a
dinosaur. She and other Carlynton
students showed off their work at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit's annual
STEAM Showcase this week. Twenty-eight school districts from Western
Pennsylvania sent students to the event to show off what they did with their
$20,000 STEAM grants from the AIU in the past year.
“OJR becomes the third district in Chester County to
consider altering start times. Unionville-Chadds Ford and Phoenixille Area
districts are looking at the logistics of changing start times for the next
school year.”
OJR to study altering school start times
Daily
Local By Nancy March, For Digital First Media POSTED: 09/28/16, 11:43 AM EDT
SOUTH COVENTRY >> Answering
the concerns of some parents and a Chester County-wide study, Owen J. Roberts
School District is forming a committee to consider early school start times at
the middle and high schools. Several
parents had addressed the board in May to raise the issue of sleep deprivation
in teens caused by early school start times. Currently, high school and middle
school classes begin at 7:30 a.m. and end at 2:15 p.m. The speakers in May, including three parents,
a doctor and one teen, suggested changing to a start time no earlier than 8:30
a.m., based on a 2014 recommendation by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Superintendent Michael L. Christian told the
school board Monday night that a committee is being formed to study the issue.
He said the students who completed a study last year for the Chester County Intermediate
Unit will make a presentation at the next board committee-of-the-whole meeting
Oct. 10. Christian said after the
meeting that an email went out to parents inviting their participation in the
committee. Board members, school staff and members of student government will
also participate.
U.S.
Department of Education Awards $245 Million to Support High-Quality Public
Charter Schools
U.S. Department of Education Press Office September 28, 2016
The U.S. Department of Education
announced today new grants totaling approximately $245 million under its
Charter Schools Program (CSP), which funds the creation and expansion of public
charter schools across the nation. Today’s grants are being awarded to state
educational agencies and charter management organizations. The CSP supports the creation of high-quality
public charter schools by providing start-up funds for new charter schools,
strengthening accountability for charter school performance, sharing leading
practices that enable school success, and ultimately, improving educational
outcomes for students from high-need communities. The CSP has invested over $3
billion since the program’s inception in 1995 to states and charter school
developers. In the past decade, CSP investments have enabled the launch of over 2,500 charter schools,
serving approximately one million students. Through the CSP, the Department
is committed to supporting the continued growth of excellent public charter
schools that are closing equity gaps and improving student outcomes, and these
schools’ community engagement and public accountability. ….. Please
see below for the list of grantees, first year grant amounts, and total
recommended funding (contingent on future Congressional appropriations).
Diane Ravitch’s Blog By dianeravitch September 28, 2016 //
John King awards $245M to
charters incl $8M to the Uncommon Schools charter chain, a chain he previously
ran that is known for outrageously high suspension rates. Jersey Jazzman called
him the King of Student Suspensions. (His own children never attended a
no-excuses charter school; when he lived in New York, they were enrolled in a
Montessori school.) http://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com/2015/10/john-king-new-seced-is-king-of-student.html?m=1
Research accumulates that
charters don’t necessarily outperform public schools. That they drain resources
from public schools, thus harming the great majority of children who attend
public schools. That they fail to be accountable or transparent. That their
sponsors and advocates are funded by billionaires and hedge fund managers. That
even the best of them, according to a new study by Dobbie and Fryer, have no
long-term effects. That they open and close with alarming frequency. That many
are abject failures. Yet John King is
using his brief tenure to hand over hundreds of millions to continue the Public
School Demolition Derby.
http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-awards-245-million-support-high-quality-public-charter-schools
Why California’s charter school sector is
called ‘the Wild West’
Washington Post Answer Sheet
Blog By Valerie
Strauss September 28 at 12:06 PM
The charter school sector has
grown over the last few decades amid a debate about its virtues and
drawbacks — and even whether the publicly funded schools are actually public.
Some charters do a great job, but even some advocates (though not all) are
finally admitting that too many states allowed charters to open and operate
without sufficient oversight. Ohio and
Utah have vied for the distinction of having the most troubled charter sector,
along with Arizona, where there are no laws against conflicts of interest and
for-profit charters do not have to open their books to the public. There’s also
Michigan, where 80 percent of the charters are for-profit. And Pennsylvania
Auditor General Eugene DePasquale recently issued a report and declared his
state’s charter school law the “worst” in the nation. It’s a race to the
bottom.
Cloaking Inequity Blog September 28, 2016 by Dr. Julian Vasquez Heilig in Charter Schools
I have begun thinking about the
education reform dispute as a civil war in the Black community. Incidentally, at my uncle funeral
in Saginaw Michigan this past weekend, I met a fourth cousin who told me that
our great great great grandfather fought in the US Civil War for the Union Army
in the 110th colored. I learned he was captured at Fort Henderson in Athens,
Alabama by General Nathan Bedford Forrest and was a POW until his escape 8
months later. Probably one of the most, most profound things that has
happened to me this year. Returning to
the civil war that is occurring in 2016. I spoke at a Journey for Justice
Alliance conference at SUNY Old Westbury on Monday before the first
presidential debates. I discussed my perspective on the education reform civil
war in the Black community. A draft of my remarks is below the video.
Basic Education Funding workshops coming
to your area
PA now has a permanent Basic Education Funding formula. Learn more about how it works, what it measures and why it's important. Workshops sponsored by PASA, PSBA, PAIU, PARSS, PA Principals Association and PASBO are coming to an area near you.
PA now has a permanent Basic Education Funding formula. Learn more about how it works, what it measures and why it's important. Workshops sponsored by PASA, PSBA, PAIU, PARSS, PA Principals Association and PASBO are coming to an area near you.
Register and see more details and dates here.
Thursday, September 29, 2016 at 5:30 PM
The Crystal Tea Room, The Wanamaker Building
100 Penn Square East, Philadelphia, PA
Honoring: Pepper Hamilton LLP, Signe Wilkinson, Dr. Monique W. Morris
And presenting the ELC PRO BONO AWARD to Paul Saint-Antoine & Chanda Miller
of Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
The Public Interest Law Center invites you
to its 2016 Annual Event: “Of the People, By the People, For the People.” Thursday,
Oct 6, 2016 at 6:00 PM
FringeArts 140 N. Columbus Blvd.,
Philadelphia, PA
Honoring: Soil
Generation, Nicholas Chimicles, and Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP
http://www.pubintlaw.org/2016event/Coffee and Networking - 9:30 a.m. Program - 10:00 a.m. to Noon
Technical College High School
(Brandywine Campus) - 443 Boot Rd., Downingtown, PA 19335
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. 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
Dan Fogarty, Director of Workforce Development & COO, Berks County Workforce Development Board
Kirk Williard, Ed.D., Director of Career, Technical & Customized Education, Chester County Intermediate Unit
Registration
for the PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference Oct. 13-15 is now open
The conference
is your opportunity to learn, network and be inspired by peers and
experts.
TO REGISTER: See https://www.psba.org/members-area/store-registration/ (you must be logged in to
the Members Area to register). You can read more on How to Register for
a PSBA Event here. CONFERENCE WEBSITE: For
all other program details, schedules, exhibits, etc., see the conference
website:www.paschoolleaders.org.
The 2016 Arts and Education Symposium will be held on October 27 at the Radisson Hotel Harrisburg Convention Center. Sponsored by the Pennsylvania Arts Education network and EPLC, the Symposium is a Unique Networking and Learning Opportunity for:
·
Arts Educators
·
School Leaders
·
Artists
·
Arts and Culture Community Leaders
·
Arts-related Business Leaders
·
Arts Education Faculty and Administrators in Higher Education
·
Advocates
·
State and Local Policy Leaders
Act 48 Credit is
available.Program and registration information are available here.
PA Principals Association website Tuesday, August 2, 2016 10:43 AM
To receive the Early Bird Discount, you must be registered by August 31, 2016:
Members: $300 Non-Members: $400
Featuring Three National Keynote Speakers: Eric Sheninger, Jill Jackson & Salome Thomas-EL
SAVE THE DATE LWVPA Convention 2017 June
1-4, 2017
Join the
League of Women Voters of PA for our 2017 Biennial Convention at the beautiful
Inn at Pocono Manor!