Thursday, August 31, 2017

PA Ed Policy Roundup Aug 31: What does charter graduation rate mean if 60% of cohort has left?

Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 4050 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, principals, 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, Instagram and LinkedIn

These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
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Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup Aug 31, 2017:


“While Rubinstein’s language was hyperbolic, data from the Pennsylvania Department of Education confirms his claim about KIPP middle schools in Philadelphia — at least until recently. KIPP’s 35 percent college graduation rate was for the graduating class of eighth graders in 2007 — the first cohort of KIPP students who graduated from KIPP Philadelphia middle school. That cohort contained just 33 students in eighth grade, but when the same cohort entered fifth grade at the school it had 86 students. “
Replacing students who leave -- the debate over "backfilling"
Some charters have engaged in the practice of not "backfilling" if enrollment declines, raising concerns that their achievement data is skewed. District-run neighborhood schools must take all area students who apply.
The notebook by Greg Windle August 29, 2017 — 3:34pm
The flexibility that charter schools have in choosing whether or not to fill vacated seats with new students, also known as “backfilling,” has long been the subject of controversy. Critics of charters argue that a school’s statistics can be improved by choosing not to replace students who leave, but neighborhood public schools do not have that option—they have to accept every student in the catchment area who shows up wanting an education. “We have heard estimates that there are 1,400 empty seats in charter schools during any given year, even while many charters claim to have long wait lists,” said councilwoman Helen Gym in a statement this month citing the District Finance Office. “Empty seats in charters — whether they open up because students are forced to leave or leave on their own — is a major point of contention for those who care about improving accountability and leveling the playing field between charter and public schools.” KIPP Philadelphia cites a college-graduation rate, 35 percent for students who graduated from its original city middle school, as far exceeding the 9 percent rate for low-income students nationally. But the statistic has come under fire from education blogger Gary Rubinstein, a public school math teacher in New York City, who called it “nothing more than a lie generated by KIPP’s PR department” because it did not replace students who left between fifth and eighth grades. 

“The Inquirer’s analysis of the state’s 88 charter schools found that almost all of the schools differ by at least 10 percentage points from their districts in at least one of three major demographic categories — race, socio-economic status, or English language proficiency.”
Are charter schools contributing to segregation? What New Jersey can tell us
Inquirer by Maddie Hanna & Jonathan Lai - Staff Writers  AUGUST 31, 2017 3:01 AM EDT
The Red Bank Charter School, one of New Jersey’s longest-running, occupies an old home joined with a former elementary school building. Its brightly decorated classrooms are filled with a mix of faces: white, Hispanic, and black students, dressed in navy blue and khaki. “What makes the school special is, we are integrated. That’s hard to do,” said Meredith Pennotti, the charter school’s principal. Critics see it differently. By competing for students in Red Bank, the charter school has been accused of contributing to segregation of the Monmouth County borough’s traditional public schools, where 82 percent of students in the same grades are Hispanic, compared with 44 percent in the charter. Advocates and public school officials in several New Jersey districts with charter schools have leveled similar accusations, spurring legal challenges and a federal investigation, and stoking debate about the distribution of resources and the persistence of school segregation, even in diverse communities. New Jersey’s charter schools often don’t mirror the demographics of other public schools in their districts, an Inquirer analysis found — though whether they should, and how closely, is a subject of contention in both courts and communities. Nationally, studies comparing charter and traditional school enrollments and tracking student transfers have found greater segregation of students as a result of charters.

Blogger note: here are two related prior blog postings detailing similar issues with the charter school populations at two flagship high-performing charters: Success Academy in New York and Boy’s Latin in Philly.

“every cohort loses at least a third of its students from freshman to senior year”
When "Miracle" Charter Schools Shed Students
Jersey Jazzman Blog Thursday, July 20, 2017
A follow-up to yesterday's post: As I noted, NBC's Sunday Night with Megan Kelly broadcast a story earlier this month about Boys Latin Charter School, a "successful" charter school in Philadelphia which claims to have ten times the college completion rate of its neighboring high schools. To his credit, reporter Craig Melvin didn't swallow the claims of the school whole, and pushed back on the idea that Boys Latin serves an equivalent student population to those surrounding high schools. But he did miss two important points: First, and as I documented in the last post, Boys Latin raises funds outside of the monies it collects from public sources. The amounts add up to thousands of dollars per pupil per year.

“So what does the data tell us about Success Academy Harlem 1 compared to its geographic neighbors run by NYCDOE?
·         Fewer students with disabilities.
·         Fewer Limited English Proficient students.
·         Fewer economically disadvantaged students.
·         Higher cohort attrition rates.
Something else we know about SA -- their philanthropic infrastructure gives them an enormous resource advantage:”
The Secrets to Their "Success"
Jersey Jazzman Blog Monday, August 21, 2017
"THE" Jose Vilson had a Twitter thread up this past week about an encounter with a parent whose child is enrolled in one of the Success Academy Charter Schools. I won't quote it here because I really want you to read the whole thing, then come back so we can talk...
Whenever I hear anecdotes about charter schools, my first reaction is to go to the data. Not because I don't think stories like this parent's are worthwhile -- to the contrary, they are very important and should be told. But I do believe data can help to confirm what we might already suspect. And what do I suspect about Success Academy? I've been teaching long enough to know that schools and teachers vary significantly in their effectiveness, and both can make a difference in the lives of children -- particularly children who are living in economic disadvantage.  But I also know that the reformy claims of "miracle" schools are almost always way overblown. Yes, some charter schools get better results than we would expect. Yes, some may engage in a few innovative practices that might be worth considering. But schools like Success Academy almost always have structural advantages -- advantages that have nothing to do with their governance -- over the schools against which they compare themselves:

The State of Redistricting Litigation (August 2017 Edition)
A round up of where key redistricting cases across the country stand.
The Brennan Center by Michael LiThomas WolfAlexis Farmer August 30, 2017
The League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania and a group of Democratic Pennsylvania voters filed suit on June 15, 2017 to have the state’s 2011 congressional map invalidated as an illegal partisan gerrymander under the state constitution.

Pa. court to decide whether to hear partisan gerrymandering suit similar to case before U.S. Supreme Court
WHYY Newsworks BY LINDSAY LAZARSKI, WHYY AUGUST 31, 2017
Tom Rentschler, an attorney and former high school teacher, has lived in Berks County for most of his life. He remembers as a young adult going to the grocery store and bumping into his local congressman. But Rentschler, 53, says over time he and other voters in Berks County have lost their voice. "I just don't think we have anyone speaking for our county," he says. Berks County once made up a large portion of the 6th U.S. Congressional District. But the last time districts were redrawn in 2011, Berks' more than 400,000 residents were sliced and diced into four separate congressional districts.  Rentschler says his family's economic well-being and future depends on the success of the region as a whole. And having separate representatives in congress undermines those prospects. "To me that just weakens the county and the city's chances for federal funding. It could be for law enforcement, it could be for poverty programs, it could be for health programs, social programs. It just weakens the Reading and Berks County community, and to me that's the biggest impact," he says. Rentschler lives just outside of the city of Reading in Exeter Township, which remains in the 6th District. So does most of Reading's suburbs. But Reading, the largest city in Berks, was carved out of the 6th District entirely, separated from its neighboring suburbs, and grouped into the largely rural 16th District, which encompasses much of Lancaster County.

Tension rises between Pa. House GOP and Wolf; state's general fund teeters near zero
WHYY Newsworks BY KATIE MEYER, WITF AUGUST 30, 2017
The main fund Pennsylvania uses to pay its bills would have hit zero this week, if not for a $700 million transfer from the state’s Motor License Fund. The transfer buys the state a little time, according to a spokesman for Gov. Tom Wolf, and allows it to at least make payments to school districts for the start of the school year. Wolf sent a dire letter to House Republican leaders Monday urging them to pass the Senate budget plan quickly to prevent an interruption of state programs. In recent weeks, the state Treasury and the governor have been warning repeatedly that the general fund is close to empty. Usually when that happens, the Treasury loans money to tide the fund over. But Treasurer Joe Torsella has said he won’t do so without balancing the budget — which is still $2.2 billion short. The short-term Motor License transfer is highly unusual, and the money will likely run out around Sept. 15.  It’s unclear what Wolf will do if that happens and there’s still no revenue plan in sight. Treasury spokesman Michael Connolly said options include deferring payments or freezing spending.

Does Pennsylvania spend too much, tax too little? We crunch the numbers
WHTM By Dennis Owens Published: August 29, 2017, 6:19 pm  August 29, 2017, 6:23 pm
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – “I hope people that are listening hear me loud and clear,” Republican gubernatorial candidate and state Sen. Scott Wagner said. And then he recited a mantra that numerous conservatives at the Capitol have adopted: “We don’t have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem.” State Sen. John DiSanto (R-Dauphin/Perry) stuck to the script during last week’s “This Week in Pennsylvania.” “It’s a spending problem. It’s not a revenue problem,” DiSanto said. This year’s $32 billion budget overwhelmingly passed in the legislature. Is $32 billion too much? Do we spend too much? “We absolutely have a spending problem,” said Nate Benefield of the conservative Commonwealth Foundation. He, apparently, got the memo. “We are not under-taxing our citizens. We are spending more than we should be,” he said. But are we? ABC27 compiled the state budgets of Pennsylvania’s neighbors for comparison.
In terms of land mass, Pennsylvania is bigger than every border state except New York. In terms of population, Pennsylvania is bigger than every border state except New York.
But in terms of its state budget, Pennsylvania’s $32 billion is lower than every border state except West Virginia and Delaware. Ohio and Maryland spend more. Tiny New Jersey spends more. New York spends a lot more. It’s a Eureka moment for many liberals. “We don’t have a spending problem,” said Marc Stier of the left-leaning Budget and Policy Center. “We have a problem of taxing too little and from the wrong people.” Stier’s conclusion: Pennsylvania spends too little on schools, social programs, and the environment because it taxes its highest earners too little.

Blogger note: no state in the country has eliminated the school property tax
State senators discuss possibly eliminating school property tax in Pa.
POSTED 10:44 PM, AUGUST 30, 2017, BY CAITLIN SINETT
KINZERS, Pa. -- State senators held a public forum in Lancaster County Wednesday night to discuss what to do about the school property tax system in Pennsylvania. That meeting was held at Pequea Velley High School in Kinzers. Lawmakers discussed proposed bills to improve the system, that could possibly reform or eliminate school property taxes altogether. One of the bill that would eliminate school property taxes would increase personal income tax and sales tax. State Senator Dave Argall said, "The way that we fund public schools today is an outmoded, archaic, I think unconstitutional 1834 model. I tell everyone there has to be a better way to fund public schools than the crazy way we do it today." Argall said there will be a vote this fall on a constitutional amendment that he said would be a step toward eliminating school property tax.

Blogger note: the following article provides a good understanding of the amount of public discussion and transparency that the state requires elected school boards to manifest when discussing and voting on spending their neighbors’ tax dollars.  There is no requirement for charter schools, and if a charter contracts with a private management company (like Chester Community Charter) the public knows virtually nothing about how their tax dollars are spent.

“Contributing factors into the budget will include the ever-increasing contributions to the Pennsylvania Public School Employees’ Retirement pension program (PSERS) and potential savings in charter school payments after the district launched its own cyber academy this year. The cyber academy was established to lure back students from (online) charter schools. With each student enrolled in a cyber charter school that elects to attend the Upper Darby Cyber Academy instead, there will be a reduced expenditure to charter schools in the amount of approximately $9,500 per regular education student and $27,900 per each special education student. Online charter school payments were expected to rise to $4.7 million this year for approximately 470 students, equal to 2.35 percent of the overall budget. According to district spokeswoman Dana Spino, 100 regular education students would have to return to the district from a charter school to realize savings after the initial investment.”
Upper Darby outlines 2018-19 school budget calendar
Delco Times By Kevin Tustin, ktustin@21st-centurymedia.com@KevinTustin on Twitter POSTED: 08/30/17, 9:11 PM EDT | UPDATED: 59 SECS AGO
UPPER DARBY >> Two months into the current fiscal year, administrators in the Upper Darby School District are wasting no time with next year’s budget. District Chief Financial Officer Patrick Grant released the 2018-19 budget calendar at a recent school board meeting giving a detailed outline of events pertaining to the adoption of a budget by June 30, 2018. Starting on Sept. 1, the Pennsylvania Department of Education will release the Act 1 base index with school districts knowing their individual indices on Sept. 30. The Act 1 index pertains to the highest possible tax increase a school district is allowed to issue before going to voter referendum. No major action is scheduled until a special voting session of the board on Dec. 19 when it will approve a preliminary 2018-19 budget, or pass a resolution indicating that taxes will not be raised above the Act 1 index. If in December the board agrees to a preliminary budget, it will be presented on Jan. 23 and then formally adopted on Feb. 3. A preliminary budget will not be presented if the board adopts the Dec. 19 resolution to not raise taxes over its index. Come May 16, the proposed final budget will be presented and made available for public inspection with adoption on May 22.
The final budget, tax levy and a homestead/farmstead exclusion resolution will be adopted during a special meeting of the board on June 19.

Reducing standardized test-taking time is good for students and learning
Bucks County Courier Times Opinion By Dolores McCracken August 30, 2017
Dolores McCracken is a paraprofessional in the Council Rock School District, and vice president of the 180,000-member Pennsylvania State Education Association. McCracken will become PSEA president on Sept. 2.
I’ve worked in public schools for decades, and I’ve seen firsthand the effects of over testing on Pennsylvania’s students. Time and time again, I saw it in their faces and in their body language -- the stress and anxiety in some; the utter boredom and frustration in others. And I’ve seen the same frustration in their teachers, classroom aides, and support professionals. They’ve been frustrated because they know that the seemingly endless focus on standardized testing is taking away valuable instruction time -- standing in the way of real teaching and real learning. I remember a student who was so stressed about doing well on the PSSAs that she insisted on coming to school to take them -- even though she was sick. This child’s mother wanted to keep her daughter home from school, because she was running a fever. But the girl was so scared of “failing” her PSSAs that she begged her mother to take her. The mother relented, reluctantly, and drove her in -- fever and all. Only after her teachers assured her that she could take the test another day did the girl agree to go home, rest, and get well. This is one of thousands of examples of what it means to over test our students. And these are the kinds of stories that educators have been telling policymakers for years. That’s why I’m so excited that Gov. Tom Wolf plans to scale back the time kids spend on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) tests by spring 2018 – knocking that time down by 20 percent for many students.

Spring-Ford School Board, teachers agree to four-year contract
By Eric Devlin, The Mercury POSTED: 08/29/17, 5:32 PM EDT | UPDATED: 20 HRS AGO
ROYERSFORD >> The Spring-Ford Area School Board and Spring-Ford Education Association teachers union agreed to a new four-year contract that includes an average salary and benefits increase of 4 percent a year over the next four years, according to the district. The school board approved the contract by an 8-0 vote Monday night. The contract makes up approximately 68 percent of the district’s $157 million annual budget, or approximately $106 million, Chief Financial Officer James Fink said. The average yearly 4 percent increase includes salary, health care and retirement benefits. By the end of the four-year agreement, only one health care plan option will be available, helping to control the overall district health care costs. The new contract will have no impact on the district’s budget this year, said Fink. The district made some assumptions about how much it would have to spend on a new contract when creating a budget for this year and “(we) were right on with the assumptions that we made.”


After decades of pushing bachelor’s degrees, U.S. needs more tradespeople
BY MATT KRUPNICK, THE HECHINGER REPORT  August 29, 2017 at 1:40 PM EDT
FONTANA, Calif. — At a steel factory dwarfed by the adjacent Auto Club Speedway, Fernando Esparza is working toward his next promotion. Esparza is a 46-year-old mechanic for Evolution Fresh, a subsidiary of Starbucks that makes juices and smoothies. He’s taking a class in industrial computing taught by a community college at a local manufacturing plant in the hope it will bump up his wages. It’s a pretty safe bet. The skills being taught here are in high demand. That’s in part because so much effort has been put into encouraging high school graduates to go to college for academic degrees rather than for training in industrial and other trades that many fields like his face worker shortages. Now California is spending $6 million on a campaign to revive the reputation of vocational education, and $200 million to improve the delivery of it.

In 'Historic' Compromise, Illinois Lawmakers Pass School Funding Formula
Education Week State Ed Watch By Daarel Burnette II on August 30, 2017 8:16 AM
After years of political wrangling that divided the state both politically and regionally, Illinois' Senate Tuesday gave the green light to a new school funding formula, that provides poor and rural districts with more money and expands tax credit scholarships. Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner said he will soon sign it into law.  Illinois was one of the last states in the country that had a funding formula that relied mostly on property taxes, an antiquated and legally questionable way of basing school funding. The process, critics and several state supreme court justices across the country have argued, leaves property-poor districts, and those, presumably, with a disproportionate number of poor students, with significantly less money to go around.  The funding formula passed Tuesday pitches in $350 million more from the state annually to shore up property-poor districts with extra money. The state's rural, suburban, and Chicago districts have been at odds for years over how to redesign the funding formula, which both Republicans and Democrats said was flawed. 

Editorial: Rauner’s Big School Victory
The Illinois Governor wins a choice program for poor students.
Wall Street Journal By The Editorial Board Aug. 30, 2017 7:05 p.m. ET
Illinois residents have watched for years as their taxes go up while public services and schools deteriorate. But GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner will deliver Prairie Staters some good news Thursday by signing into law an inaugural state private-school choice program. The Democratic legislature this week approved a $100 million tax-credit scholarship program along with a new school funding formula that provides an additional $450 million for the insolvent Chicago Public Schools. The Governor earlier this summer vetoed legislation that appropriated $300 million more for Chicago schools, but Democrats lacked the votes to override him. Mr. Rauner demanded a private school tax-credit scholarship program in return for his signature, and Democrats ultimately conceded despite union protests. Illinois businesses and individuals will receive a 75% tax credit for donations that support scholarships for low-income kids to attend private schools. Families earning up to 300% of the poverty line—$73,000 for a household of four—will be eligible in the first year and could continue to receive scholarships if their income rises to 400%. The program is capped at $100 million, which is still the largest first year allocation of any state scholarship program. Kids who attend failing schools or come from low-income families will have priority.

How to get kids to look away from their screens and take pleasure in books
Washington Post By Nora Krug August 28 
In the summer, there were lots of excuses: camp, the pool, the beach, lazy days when it didn’t seem so bad if your kids were still in their pajamas and maybe watching a little TV or noodling around on an iPad. It was vacation, right? They’d read when school started. Wouldn’t pressuring them lead to resistance? Now they’re back in school and you’re up against something perhaps even more daunting: homework. (Also, soccer practice, piano lessons, play dates and on and on.) How do you squeeze book-reading into this already overpacked schedule? More important: How do you help kids see reading as something separate from school, from testing, from work? How do you foster a love of reading for pleasure? The simple answer is to read — yourself, with and to your kids — whenever you can. Make books a part of your routine, your home decor, your conversations. It’s true, those screens are ever tantalizing, but be strong and be prepared for a little light cajoling, time management and some inventiveness, especially when it comes to defining what it means to read a book. Here are a few ideas from librarians and education experts:


PSERS accepting nominations for open board position
The PSERS Board of Trustees will be conducting an election for the seat that is to be elected by the members of PA’s public school boards. This election will be for a three-year term on the PSERS Board commencing Jan. 1, 2018, through Dec. 31, 2020. School directors who desire to run must:
·         Submit nominating petitions with 25 signatures of school directors from at least five different school districts
·         Submit a completed biographical form and candidate affidavit
To receive a nomination packet and additional information on the duties and responsibilities of Board of Trustees members, interested school directors may contact Lori Koch at lorkoch@pa.gov or write to this address: Lori Koch, PSERS Election Coordinator, 5 N. 5th Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101-1905.

CONSIDER IT: SCHOOL CHOICE AND THE CASES FOR TRADITIONAL PUBLIC EDUCATION AND CHARTER SCHOOLS
September 19 @ 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM Hilton Reading
Berks County Community Foundation
Panelists:
Carol Corbett Burris: Executive Director of the Network for Public Education
Alyson Miles: Deputy Director of Government Affairs for the American Federation for Children
James Paul: Senior Policy Analyst at the Commonwealth Foundation
Dr. Julian Vasquez Heilig: Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies and the Director of the Doctorate in Educational Leadership at California State University Sacramento
Karin Mallett: The WFMZ TV anchor and reporter returns as the moderator
School choice has been a hot topic in Berks County, in part due to a lengthy and costly dispute between the Reading School District and I-LEAD Charter School. The topic has also been in the national spotlight as President Trump and U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos have focused on expanding education choice.  With this in mind, a discussion on school choice is being organized as part of Berks County Community Foundation’s Consider It initiative. State Sen. Judy Schwank and Berks County Commissioners Chairman Christian Leinbach are co-chairs of this nonpartisan program, which is designed to promote thoughtful discussion of divisive local and national issues while maintaining a level of civility among participants.  The next Consider It Dinner will take place Tuesday, September 19, 2017, at 5 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Reading, 701 Penn St., Reading, Pa. Tickets are available here.  For $10 each, tickets include dinner, the panel discussion, reading material, and an opportunity to participate in the conversation.


Apply Now for EPLC's 2017-2018 PA Education Policy Fellowship Program!
Education Policy and Leadership Center
Applications are available now for the 2017-2018 Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP).  The Education Policy Fellowship Program is sponsored in Pennsylvania by The Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC). Click here for the program calendar of sessions.  With more than 500 graduates in its first eighteen years, this Program is a premier professional development opportunity for educators, state and local policymakers, advocates, and community leaders.  State Board of Accountancy (SBA) credits are available to certified public accountants. Past participants include state policymakers, district superintendents and principals, school business officers, school board members, education deans/chairs, statewide association leaders, parent leaders, education advocates, and other education and community leaders. Fellows are typically sponsored by their employer or another organization.  The Fellowship Program begins with a two-day retreat on September 14-15, 2017 and continues to graduation in June 2018.

Using Minecraft to Imagine a Better World and Build It Together.
Saturday, September 16, 2017 or Sunday, September 17, 2017 at the University of the Sciences, 43rd & Woodland Avenue, Philadelphia
PCCY, the region’s most influential advocacy organization for children, leverages the world’s greatest video game for the year’s most engaging fundraising event for kids. Join us on Saturday, September 16, 2017 or Sunday, September 17, 2017 at the University of the Sciences, 43rd & Woodland Avenue for a fun, creative and unique gaming opportunity.

Education Law Center’s 2017 Annual Celebration
ELC invites you to join us for our Annual Celebration on September 27 in Philadelphia.
The Annual Celebration will take place this year on September 27, 2017 at The Crystal Tea Room in Philadelphia. The event begins at 5:30 PM. We anticipate more than 300 legal, corporate, and community supporters joining us for a cocktail reception, silent auction, and dinner presentation.  Our annual celebrations honor outstanding champions of public education. This proud tradition continues at this year’s event, when together we will salute these deserving honorees:
·         PNC Bank: for the signature philanthropic cause of the PNC Foundation, PNC Grow Up Great, a bilingual $350 million, multi-year early education initiative to help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life; and its support of the Equal Justice Works Fellowship, which enables new lawyers to pursue careers in public interest law;
·         Joan Mazzotti: for her 16 years of outstanding leadership as the Executive Director of Philadelphia Futures, a college access and success program serving Philadelphia’s low-income, first-generation-to-college students;
·         Dr. Bruce Campbell Jr., PhD: for his invaluable service to ELC, as he rotates out of the chairman position on our Board of Directors. Dr. Campbell is an Arcadia University Associate Professor in the School of Education; and
·         ELC Pro Bono Awardee Richard Shephard of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP: for his exceptional work as pro bono counsel, making lasting contributions to the lives of many vulnerable families.Questions? Contact Tracy Callahan tcallahan@elc-pa.org or 215-238-6970 ext. 308.

STAY WOKE: THE INAUGURAL NATIONAL BLACK MALE EDUCATORS CONVENING; Philadelphia Fri, Oct 13, 2017 4:00 pm Sun, Oct 15, 2017 7:00pm
TEACHER DIVERSITY WORKS. Increasing the number of Black male educators in our nation’s teacher corps will improve education for all our students, especially for African-American boys.  Today Black men represent only two percent of teachers nationwide. This is a national problem that demands a national response.  Come participate in the inaugural National Black Male Educators Convening to advance policy solutions, learn from one another, and fight for social justice. All are welcome.

Save the Date 2017 PA Principals Association State Conference October 14. 15, 16, 2017 Doubletree Hotel Cranberry Township, PA

Save the Date: PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference October 18-20, Hershey PA

Registration now open for the 67th Annual PASCD Conference  Nov. 12-13 Harrisburg: Sparking Innovation: Personalized Learning, STEM, 4C's
This year's conference will begin on Sunday, November 12th and end on Monday, November 13th. There will also be a free pre-conference on Saturday, November 11th.  You can register for this year's conference online with a credit card payment or have an invoice sent to you.  Click here to register for the conference.
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/PASCD-Conference-Registration-is-Now-Open.html?soid=1101415141682&aid=5F-ceLtbZDs

Save the Date! NSBA 2018 Advocacy Institute February 4-6, 2018 Marriott Marquis, Washington D.C.
Registration Opens Tuesday, September 26, 2017


Wednesday, August 30, 2017

PA Ed Policy Roundup Aug 30: In the last 3 school years, 12 of PA's 14 cyber charters spent over $21M in taxpayer $$$ promoting their schools

Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 4050 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, principals, 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, Instagram 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 Aug 30, 2017:



Reminder: public comment on PA’s proposed Every Student Succeeds Act (#ESSA) Consolidated State Plan closes 8/31



National groups can donate supplies to Houston Independent School District students and families
Many HISD families have been devastated by the catastrophic flooding in the Houston area caused by Hurricane Harvey, and HISD welcomes assistance from national groups or corporations that would like to help our students recover and prepare for the coming school year. The district is accepting donations of new and unused clothing, shoes, underwear, socks, uniforms and school supplies, as well as canned food and water.

“In the last three school years, 12 of the state’s 14 cyber charter schools spent more than $21 million combined in taxpayer dollars promoting their schools”
Pa. charter schools spend millions of public dollars in advertising to attract students
PublicSource By Stephanie Hacke and Mary Niederberger AUG. 29, 2017
PART OF THE SERIES The Charter Effect|
If you’re a parent, it’s likely Facebook knows it.
If you’re not happy with your child’s current school, Facebook probably knows that, too. And you are likely to be hit with paid, highly targeted ads offering alternatives. That’s why when you scroll through your news feed on Facebook you may see a sponsored photo of a wide-eyed child and parent thrilled about their tuition-free, personalized education at a Pennsylvania cyber charter school.  If you pay property taxes, you likely paid for this ad campaign. See the ad on the side of the Port Authority bus that shows happy students and a message that Propel Montour High School has spaces available in grades 9 and 10. Your property taxes paid for that, too. Television ads, radio promotions, social media ads and billboards promoting cyber and brick-and-mortar charter schools are everywhere. Some charter operators pay for online keyword searches that prompt their school’s websites to show up first when a parent searches for certain terms related to charter schools or a student’s need for an alternative education setting. In the last three school years, 12 of the state’s 14 cyber charter schools spent more than $21 million combined in taxpayer dollars promoting their schools, PublicSource found through Right-to-Know requests.

OPED: Charter school bill will remain a priority
York Dispatch OP/Ed by Reps. Seth Grove and Mike Reese, Pennsylvania House of Representatives Published 10:21 a.m. ET Aug. 28, 2017 | Updated 4:28 p.m. ET Aug. 28, 2017
As members of the House Education Committee, we applaud the Senate’s passage of House Bill 97 — an important charter-education reform measure that proposes to revise Pennsylvania’s funding formula for charter schools as well impose new academic, accountability and ethics standards. These topics have needed addressed for some time, and we are fortunate to have like-minded colleagues in Sens. John Eichelberger, R-Blair/Cumberland/Franklin/Fulton/Huntingdon, and Ryan Aument, R-Lancaster, who have been equally dedicated to this topic. Pennsylvania’s history with charter education dates back to 1997, when the commonwealth passed legislation allowing public charter schools to set up shop and offer families alternatives when considering their children’s education. This was considered groundbreaking not only because parents were enabled with more choices, but because charter schools were afforded some leeway regarding curriculum and teaching methodologies. A few years later, a growth in computer technology led to yet another method of education — teaching children over the internet. Currently, there are 14 cyber charter schools using a model that allows their students to log on to the school’s website and go to school “online.”

More state budget work, no solutions yet, at Pennsylvania Capitol
Penn Live By Charles Thompson cthompson@pennlive.com  Updated on August 29, 2017 at 8:54 PM Posted on August 29, 2017 at 8:20 PM
A group of rank-and-file House Republicans charged up Pennsylvania's Capitol Hill Tuesday with a plan to use a litany of special fund transfers to deal with the state's $2.2 billion budget hole. Will they get enough soldiers to follow them? That may be evident by the end of the week, as the 121-member majority House caucus continues to work out its counter to a tax-and-borrowing plan passed by the state Senate and endorsed by Gov. Tom Wolf. "I think today is kind of the last segment of hearing the different members' reaction to it (the fund transfer plan)," House Majority Leader Dave Reed, R-Indiana County, said. "After we get through today, we'll do a vote count, and if we have 102 votes we'll run it." More likely, several sources said after Tuesday's closed-door, Republicans only workshop, is that a some portion of the fund transfer plan will be folded into a broader revenue package being developed by House Appropriations Committee's GOP members.

“An internal administration document shows one dire scenario could cut 12 percent from nearly every department’s budget, including more than $700 million from public schools and nearly $282 million from the Departments of Health and Human Services for homeless assistance, mental health, and other programs. That plan also would eliminate state funding for the state-related universities: Temple, Pennsylvania State, Lincoln, and Pittsburgh.”
As Pa. budget impasse persists, Wolf warns of dire consequences
Inquirer by Liz Navratil, HARRISBURG BUREAU Updated: AUGUST 29, 2017  6:54 PM EDT
HARRISBURG — Gov. Wolf on Tuesday urged House Republicans to take swift action to balance the budget or risk putting Pennsylvania in a “much more dire financial situation” that could include painful spending cuts. With a budget impasse about to drag into a third month, the Democratic governor has remained mum about what he would cut should the legislature not send him a plan to fund the $32 billion budget it passed two months ago. But his budget office has been quietly churning out plans to deal with the financial difficulties. An internal administration document shows one dire scenario could cut 12 percent from nearly every department’s budget, including more than $700 million from public schools and nearly $282 million from the Departments of Health and Human Services for homeless assistance, mental health, and other programs. That plan also would eliminate state funding for the state-related universities: Temple, Pennsylvania State, Lincoln, and Pittsburgh.

“Wolf said the loan from the Motor License Fund will provide for a major payment to public schools that is due later this week. But he noted that the state treasurer has said he won’t allow further short-term borrowing without a balanced budget.”
Wolf to GOP: State’s finances will soon be ‘much more dire’
Delco Times By Mark Scolforo, The Associated Press POSTED: 08/29/17, 9:46 AM EDT
HARRISBURG >> Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf warned House Republican leaders Tuesday that failing to fully fund the state budget will put Pennsylvania in “a much more dire financial situation” in the coming  weeks. Wolf’s letter to Speaker Mike Turzai, Majority Leader Dave Reed and six other House GOP leaders urged them to act quickly to fill the budget’s $2.2 billion revenue gap. Wolf announced he authorized what he called “a very short-term” loan this week from the state’s Motor License Fund but expects that a lack of action will affect state programs and cause outside agencies to downgrade Pennsylvania’s credit rating, increasing borrowing costs. “There has been robust debate about how to meet this challenge,” said Wolf, who is expected to seek a second term next year. “Time is not on our side, and now is the time to put statesmanship before anything else. There is too much at stake.” A spokesman for House Republicans said Wolf’s release of the letter “speaks volumes” about his intentions to work with the caucus. “His continuing to spend when the revenues aren’t there is what put us in the situation to begin with,” said House GOP spokesman Steve Miskin.

“Skeptics steal a line from the movie “Jerry Maguire” and say, “show me the money.” They insist that all of those pots of money that Moul and his friends want to raid are protected, and the money is raised from a specific source and must be spent on a specific project, not the whims of the legislature.”
House GOP members say they can balance budget without borrowing or taxes
Abc27.com By Dennis Owens Published: August 28, 2017, 6:17 pm
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – “What we’re doing is probably the last rabbit in the hat,” state Rep. Dan Moul (R-Adams) said Monday afternoon. The magic act to which Moul is referring is a balanced budget without borrowing and without tax increases. He says he and a handful of fellow conservative Republicans can make money appear out of thin air; enough, they say, to put the 2017-18 spending plan to bed. No sleight of hand, no illusion; Moul says he and his cohorts pored over pots of money, funds, and idle accounts and discovered the state’s sitting on billions of dollars. He refused to release specifics but promised to in the very near future. “Why would you go borrow the money and pay interest on money and raise taxes if you have taxpayer money sitting right there?” Moul asked. The Senate passed a $32 billion revenue plan that included borrowing, an extraction tax on Marcellus Shale drillers, and a tax on utility bills and cell phones. Moul says it has no home in the House. “Some people say the Senate budget was DOA, dead on arrival. I say it was DBA, dead before arrival,” he said. “It was dead before it even got out of there.”

In charged climate, Philly teachers learn how to keep immigrant students safe
Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham, Staff Writer  @newskag |  kgraham@phillynews.com Updated: AUGUST 30, 2017 — 3:01 AM EDT
For many of the 700 students at Furness High School, the hours spent in the building at Third and Mifflin represent the safest they will feel all day. More than half of Furness’ pupils are immigrants, and beginning last November, some were so frightened they did not come to school. In the new world order, would authorities come for them? And if they did, would their teachers protect them? “A lot of my students are in crisis right now,” said Tiffany Lorch, a Furness teacher of English as a second language. “Their parents are not sending them to school, because they’re afraid. And if they’re not feeling well emotionally, they can’t learn.” Responding to pleas from teachers, advocates, and students, the Philadelphia School District this year is implementing mandatory training in keeping the system’s tens of thousands of immigrant children safe and supported in the current political climate. Every school-based employee, from principal to cafeteria worker, is to receive instruction in everything from what information to release if immigration agents arrive at a school (none) to how to communicate with parents who speak another language. Last year, Philadelphia counted more than 14,000 English-language learners, about 11 percent of the School District’s 130,000 pupils. The current number of immigrant students, while unknown, is higher.

Used to shaping lives, teachers now must save them
Inquirer by Jason Nark, Staff Writer  @jasonnark |  narkj@phillynews.com Updated: AUGUST 29, 2017 — 11:11 AM EDT
Physical science textbooks were stacked neatly on desks in Prep Charter’s hallways Monday, and parents held navy polos up to their kids’ frames, remarking on how much they’d grown. Amid all the back-to-school buzz in the South Philly high school, though, a hundred teachers and administrators were reminded that many incoming students will be fighting inner battles in their classrooms this year. In the auditorium, just after noon, presenters from Temple University’s Lewis Katz School of Medicine discussed the gantlet of depression, anxiety, bullying, and substance abuse that many teens run before getting out of school. Teachers took notes and nodded their heads as slides changed from symptoms to causes and, perhaps most important for them, how they can help decode them, figure out what’s mere angst and what’s suicidal. When given the chance to ask questions, the faculty presented the complicated scenarios they face daily. Susan Lyons, a science teacher, said it’s difficult to gauge how serious teens are being when they make seemingly casual remarks about suicide in front of friends.

Pa. urges parents to hurry up, have kids vaccinated for school
WHYY Newsorks  BY AVI WOLFMAN-ARENT AUGUST 30, 2017
If you're a Pennsylvania public school parent hemming and hawing over when to bring your child in for a vaccination shot, the commonwealth has a message for you: hurry up. For decades, Pennsylvania has given parents an eight-month window to make sure their kids have all the proper shots. This year, for the first time, that window has dwindled to five days. That dramatic revision is one of a few changes Pennsylvania made to its vaccination rules this year. They include:
·         Requiring that students receive four doses each of the polio vaccine and the diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine. The state used to require three or more doses.
·         Requiring that all students receive a dose of the meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV) before entering seventh grade and again before entering 12th grade. Prior rules required an MCV shot only before seventh grade.
You can read a full list of the updated requirements here.

Lancaster County districts will spend nearly $44M to take students to school this year
Lancaster Online by LINDSEY BLEST | Staff Writer August 30, 2017
In the mostly rural Solanco School District, a fleet of buses travels nearly 6,000 miles each day getting students to class on time and back home again. “It’s like our buses travel from Quarryville to Los Angeles, Los Angeles back to Quarryville — and then to Indianapolis,” says Matt Kirchoff, Solanco’s transportation coordinator. In the daily miracle that is the average public school day, parents shuffle their children out the door before daybreak, teachers prepare the day’s lesson plan and grade stacks of pop quizzes, and the cafeteria cooks up thousands of warm lunches. But the most fundamental part of that day — the safe transport of tens of thousands of students to schools across Lancaster County — is often overlooked. And it is a Herculean task requiring lots of coordination among staff, drivers and parents, not to mention tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer money. The 16 school districts here will spend nearly $44 million on transportation this school year, according to budget documents. That cost covers busing students to and from school, but not to sporting events and extracurricular activities.

Back to school, cyber charters & lead in one district's water: 5 things to know today
Trib Live by JAMIE MARTINES  | Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, 10:21 a.m.
A few schools are still getting up and running this week, but for the most part, the school year is in full swing across the Greater Pittsburgh region! The TribLIVE Education Team is ready. Are you? Be sure to check in with us every day for education highlights from our region. Questions? Story ideas? Send them to: schooltips@tribweb.com or call 724-850-2867. Here are five things you need to know about education today.

Teachers' union to pay president's salary, not district
Inquirer Updated: AUGUST 29, 2017 — 8:05 AM EDT
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) - A Pennsylvania teachers' union will begin paying the $84,000 salary plus benefits of its president - who has not taught classes since taking that post in 2009 - instead of the school district. The (Allentown) Morning Call (http://bit.ly/2xJlmXF ) says the move comes in wake of a lawsuit filed last year by a former Allentown School Board member. The suit contends the district is owed $1.3 million in pay and benefits for union President Debbie Tretter. Tretter became president and under a 25-year-old practice was relieved of her teaching duties, but still paid by the district, so she could handle union duties full-time. The lawsuit contends that violates laws prohibiting public resources, like school taxes, from being spent on private organizations, like teachers' unions. The agreement for the union to pay Tretter going forward doesn't settle the lawsuit.

MAP: Where are the best-paid public school teachers in Pennsylvania?
By Eugene Tauber The Morning Call August 29, 2017
How much were Pennsylvania’s public school teachers paid in the 2016-2017 school year? An analysis of U.S. Census and Pennsylvania Department of Education data by The Morning Call answers these questions. Average teacher salaries are compared from district to district, as well as within each district to the average earnings of a full-time worker. Teachers are expected to have higher salaries since they are highly educated and average more than 13 years experience in their jobs while being compared to workers of any educational attainment and job experience. The map is color coded: dark red districts are the bottom five percent for full-time teacher pay in the state's 500 districts; light red are the remaining bottom half of districts; light green are the top half of districts up to the top five percent; and dark green are the top five percent throughout the state.

Blogger note: not one state in the country has eliminated the property tax.
Senate GOP Policy Committee Aug. 30 Forum On School District Property Taxes In Lancaster County
PA Capitol Digest by Crisci Associates August 29, 2017
The Senate Republican Policy Committee will hold a public forum on August 30 on Alternative Solutions To School Property Tax System and Senate Bill 76 (Argall-R-Schuylkill) at the Pequea Valley High School Auditorium at 4033 E. Newport Road in Kinzers, Lancaster County starting at 7:00 p.m. Click Here for the Forum agenda.             Rep. David Argall (R-Schuylkill) serves as Chair of the Committee.  Senators Scott Martin (R-Lancaster) and Ryan Aument (R-Lancaster will host the hearing. Related Story: Plan To Eliminate School Property Taxes, Except Taxes Earmarked To Pay Off Debt, Introduced In Senate

ALEC: How an eight-page memo ruined our political system
Intelligencer Letter by By WAYNE KROGER August 29, 2017
The American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, held its 44th annual conference in Denver on July 21st of this year. Trump Administration Education Secretary Betsy DeVos addressed the convention and discussed “educational choice.” This is typical since, to its critics, ALEC represents a dangerous corporate influence on public policy and a way for corporate America to write and disseminate laws to be introduced to state legislatures across the country. The group is funded primarily by Charles and David Koch, longtime libertarians and billionaire brothers who inherited family fortunes and have spent millions on behalf of Republican political candidates.
So how did ALEC come into being, and why should you care? I’ll try to answer.


Minority Students Still Missing Out on Special Education, New Analysis Says
Education Week By Christina Samuels on August 28, 2017 12:55 AM
The research team whose work runs counter to conventional wisdom about minority enrollment in special education has released a new study that looks at a different, larger data set and comes to the same conclusion as its previous work: black and Hispanic children, as well as children of other races, are enrolled in special education at rates significantly lower than those of their white peers.  Federal policy, including a new set of regulations set to take effect in the 2018-19 school year, are built around the idea that minority students are at particular risk of being pushed into special education, and that states and school districts should be aware of such disparities and take efforts to fix them.  Researchers Paul L. Morgan, an education professor at Pennsylvania State University, and George Farkas, an education professor at University of California-Irvine, have argued that when comparing minority children to otherwise similar white peers, it is the white children who are getting services at a higher rate while minorities may be missing out on the help they need. Their 2015 New York Times commentary, "Is Special Education Racist?" prompted a flurry of responses and counterreponses.

“It’s obvious that the secretary and our federal government have very little respect for our traditional public school system," Hanna said. "And it’s insulting that she’s going to visit the capital of the state of Florida, to visit a charter school, a private school and a voucher school."
Superintendent Rocky Hanna blasts Betsy DeVos visit as 'insulting'
Tallahassee Democrat by Ryan Dailey, Democrat staff writer Published 12:42 p.m. ET Aug. 29, 2017 | Updated 3:16 p.m. ET Aug. 29, 2017
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos reportedly will spend a second day in Tallahassee visiting schools, with her Wednesday stop again bypassing a traditional public school. DeVos is scheduled to visit Bethel Christian Academy, a voucher school run by Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, the church confirmed. Her public schedule does not include the stop. DeVos made two school stops Tuesday, at Holy Comforter Christian School and Florida State University School, a research school run by Florida State University.  Superintendent Rocky Hanna did not mince words Tuesday morning when asked for his thoughts on DeVos' visiting Tallahassee without making an effort to set foot on a Leon County School campus.


PSERS accepting nominations for open board position
The PSERS Board of Trustees will be conducting an election for the seat that is to be elected by the members of PA’s public school boards. This election will be for a three-year term on the PSERS Board commencing Jan. 1, 2018, through Dec. 31, 2020. School directors who desire to run must:
·         Submit nominating petitions with 25 signatures of school directors from at least five different school districts
·         Submit a completed biographical form and candidate affidavit
To receive a nomination packet and additional information on the duties and responsibilities of Board of Trustees members, interested school directors may contact Lori Koch at lorkoch@pa.gov or write to this address: Lori Koch, PSERS Election Coordinator, 5 N. 5th Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101-1905.

CONSIDER IT: SCHOOL CHOICE AND THE CASES FOR TRADITIONAL PUBLIC EDUCATION AND CHARTER SCHOOLS
September 19 @ 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM Hilton Reading
Berks County Community Foundation
Panelists:
Carol Corbett Burris: Executive Director of the Network for Public Education
Alyson Miles: Deputy Director of Government Affairs for the American Federation for Children
James Paul: Senior Policy Analyst at the Commonwealth Foundation
Dr. Julian Vasquez Heilig: Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies and the Director of the Doctorate in Educational Leadership at California State University Sacramento
Karin Mallett: The WFMZ TV anchor and reporter returns as the moderator
School choice has been a hot topic in Berks County, in part due to a lengthy and costly dispute between the Reading School District and I-LEAD Charter School. The topic has also been in the national spotlight as President Trump and U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos have focused on expanding education choice.  With this in mind, a discussion on school choice is being organized as part of Berks County Community Foundation’s Consider It initiative. State Sen. Judy Schwank and Berks County Commissioners Chairman Christian Leinbach are co-chairs of this nonpartisan program, which is designed to promote thoughtful discussion of divisive local and national issues while maintaining a level of civility among participants.  The next Consider It Dinner will take place Tuesday, September 19, 2017, at 5 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Reading, 701 Penn St., Reading, Pa. Tickets are available here.  For $10 each, tickets include dinner, the panel discussion, reading material, and an opportunity to participate in the conversation.


Apply Now for EPLC's 2017-2018 PA Education Policy Fellowship Program!
Education Policy and Leadership Center
Applications are available now for the 2017-2018 Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP).  The Education Policy Fellowship Program is sponsored in Pennsylvania by The Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC). Click here for the program calendar of sessions.  With more than 500 graduates in its first eighteen years, this Program is a premier professional development opportunity for educators, state and local policymakers, advocates, and community leaders.  State Board of Accountancy (SBA) credits are available to certified public accountants. Past participants include state policymakers, district superintendents and principals, school business officers, school board members, education deans/chairs, statewide association leaders, parent leaders, education advocates, and other education and community leaders. Fellows are typically sponsored by their employer or another organization.  The Fellowship Program begins with a two-day retreat on September 14-15, 2017 and continues to graduation in June 2018.

Using Minecraft to Imagine a Better World and Build It Together.
Saturday, September 16, 2017 or Sunday, September 17, 2017 at the University of the Sciences, 43rd & Woodland Avenue, Philadelphia
PCCY, the region’s most influential advocacy organization for children, leverages the world’s greatest video game for the year’s most engaging fundraising event for kids. Join us on Saturday, September 16, 2017 or Sunday, September 17, 2017 at the University of the Sciences, 43rd & Woodland Avenue for a fun, creative and unique gaming opportunity.

Education Law Center’s 2017 Annual Celebration
ELC invites you to join us for our Annual Celebration on September 27 in Philadelphia.
The Annual Celebration will take place this year on September 27, 2017 at The Crystal Tea Room in Philadelphia. The event begins at 5:30 PM. We anticipate more than 300 legal, corporate, and community supporters joining us for a cocktail reception, silent auction, and dinner presentation.  Our annual celebrations honor outstanding champions of public education. This proud tradition continues at this year’s event, when together we will salute these deserving honorees:
·         PNC Bank: for the signature philanthropic cause of the PNC Foundation, PNC Grow Up Great, a bilingual $350 million, multi-year early education initiative to help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life; and its support of the Equal Justice Works Fellowship, which enables new lawyers to pursue careers in public interest law;
·         Joan Mazzotti: for her 16 years of outstanding leadership as the Executive Director of Philadelphia Futures, a college access and success program serving Philadelphia’s low-income, first-generation-to-college students;
·         Dr. Bruce Campbell Jr., PhD: for his invaluable service to ELC, as he rotates out of the chairman position on our Board of Directors. Dr. Campbell is an Arcadia University Associate Professor in the School of Education; and
·         ELC Pro Bono Awardee Richard Shephard of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP: for his exceptional work as pro bono counsel, making lasting contributions to the lives of many vulnerable families.Questions? Contact Tracy Callahan tcallahan@elc-pa.org or 215-238-6970 ext. 308.

STAY WOKE: THE INAUGURAL NATIONAL BLACK MALE EDUCATORS CONVENING; Philadelphia Fri, Oct 13, 2017 4:00 pm Sun, Oct 15, 2017 7:00pm
TEACHER DIVERSITY WORKS. Increasing the number of Black male educators in our nation’s teacher corps will improve education for all our students, especially for African-American boys.  Today Black men represent only two percent of teachers nationwide. This is a national problem that demands a national response.  Come participate in the inaugural National Black Male Educators Convening to advance policy solutions, learn from one another, and fight for social justice. All are welcome.

Save the Date 2017 PA Principals Association State Conference October 14. 15, 16, 2017 Doubletree Hotel Cranberry Township, PA

Save the Date: PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference October 18-20, Hershey PA

Registration now open for the 67th Annual PASCD Conference  Nov. 12-13 Harrisburg: Sparking Innovation: Personalized Learning, STEM, 4C's
This year's conference will begin on Sunday, November 12th and end on Monday, November 13th. There will also be a free pre-conference on Saturday, November 11th.  You can register for this year's conference online with a credit card payment or have an invoice sent to you.  Click here to register for the conference.
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/PASCD-Conference-Registration-is-Now-Open.html?soid=1101415141682&aid=5F-ceLtbZDs

Save the Date! NSBA 2018 Advocacy Institute February 4-6, 2018 Marriott Marquis, Washington D.C.
Registration Opens Tuesday, September 26, 2017