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Keystone
State Education Coalition
PA
Ed Policy Roundup Aug 29, 2017:
Reminder:
public comment on PA’s proposed Every Student Succeeds Act (#ESSA) Consolidated State Plan closes 8/31
Education Week By Sarah D. Sparks August 28, 2017
Americans' support for public schools has risen in the last year—across the country and across the political spectrum—but the public also wants schools to go beyond academics to provide more career and student health supports, according to the 49th annual education poll by Phi Delta Kappa International. The percentage of Americans rating K-12 education quality—at both the national and local levels—at an "A" or "B" is the highest it's been since the 1980s. That echoes the results of a Gallup opinion poll released last week, which found 47 percent of Americans completely or somewhat "satisfied" with the quality of K-12 education, up 4 percentage points from last year. More Democrats reported being satisfied than Republicans, but conservative participants showed the biggest jump in support, from 32 percent in 2016 to 43 percent this year.
“These
and other results suggest that some of the most prominent ideas that dominate
current policy debates — from supporting vouchers to emphasizing high-stakes
tests — are out of step with parents’ main concern: They want their children
prepared for life and career after they complete high school,” Starr said in a
release. The poll indicated increased support for traditional public schools at
a time when Trump and DeVos have pushed alternatives to them. DeVos has called
the traditional public education system a “dead end” and Trump has repeatedly
disparaged public schools as “failing.”
Americans
express support for traditional public schools in new poll, even as Trump
disparages them
Washington Post Answer Sheet Blog By Valerie
Strauss August 29 at 1:13 AM
Most American adults are weary of
the intense focus on academics in public schools today, according to a new
national survey, and want students to get more vocational and career training
as well as mental, physical and dental services on campus. Even so, a majority
of public school parents give higher grades — A’s and B’s — to the traditional
public schools in their neighborhoods than they have in years. A majority of
Americans polled also said they oppose programs that use public money for
private and religious school education, policies that are supported by
President Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. And a majority said they
do not think that standardized test scores — which have been used for
more than a dozen years as the most important factor in evaluating schools — as
a valid reflection of school quality.
State
leaders have budgeted a failing grade
Altoona Mirror EDITORIALS AUG 27, 2017
An important question hanging over Pennsylvania’s state government
is whether the commonwealth’s credit rating, which already is one of the
nation’s worst, is destined to deteriorate further. As the current stalemate
continues over fully funding the nearly $32 billion 2017-18 budget passed on
June 30, and which Gov. Tom Wolf allowed to become law without his signature,
the two houses of the Legislature remain about as far apart on a final funding
decision as they were two months ago. Exacerbating the possibility of a further
credit-rating downgrade is the prospect of the state running out of cash before
a funding accord is hammered out — later if not sooner. On the sooner side,
state Treasurer Joe Torsella has projected that Pennsylvania will run out of
money on Tuesday, while Wolf on Tuesday projected that would occur Sept. 15.
But even if Torsella signs off on a loan from the Treasury to keep
the state afloat for now — there’s no guarantee that will happen — or even if
Torsella and State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale would agree to authorize
the Wolf administration to borrow money from a bank, that won’t fix what’s
really wrong with this state’s finances — the lack of enough recurring revenue
to avoid budget crises. Neither the House nor the Senate, regardless of what
they’ve done or tried to do during the 2017-18 budget-preparation exercise, has
acted responsibly on behalf of recurring money. And by allowing the 2017-18
state budget to become law without his signature, without a budget-balancing
revenue plan accompanying the budget’s spending side, Wolf allowed himself to
become party to the fiscal irresponsibility in which the commonwealth currently
is mired.
Barletta
set to announce Senate campaign
Inquirer Updated: AUGUST 28, 2017 — 8:24 PM EDT
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta will
announce his candidacy for U.S. Senate on Tuesday. Campaign spokesman Jon Anzur
told The Associated Press on Monday night that Barletta will release a video
announcing his run for the Senate seat held by two-term Democrat Bob Casey.
The Pennsylvania Republican's entry into the race was widely expected after the
AP reported last month that Barletta had relayed his plans to GOP officials and
activists. Barletta, the former mayor of the small Pennsylvania city of
Hazleton, rose to political prominence as a foe of illegal immigration. He was
an early supporter of President Donald Trump, who urged him to run for
Senate.
York Dispatch by David
Weissman, 505-5431/@Dispatch David Published 11:26 a.m. ET Aug. 28, 2017
Helen Thackston Charter School began classes for its ninth year of
existence Monday, Aug. 28, while the threat that a 10th year may never
happen looms over the administration. Eight public hearing dates have been
set for the school to plead its case against the York City school board's
decision to revoke its charter. The public hearings will be held on Oct.
13, 16. 17, 20, 24, 30 and Nov. 15 and 16, though the start time and
location of the hearings is still to be determined, according to a letter sent
to both parties by the hearing officer. The York City school board voted
unanimously in June to initiate hearings to revoke Thackston's charter. In a
resolution written to begin the process, the district cited concerns at
Thackston, including declining student performance, inadequate staffing
certification and a failure to acquire child-abuse background checks from all
employees.
Eichelberger,
Senate education chair, meets with Parent Power at Peirce Elementary
The notebook by Darryl C. Murphy August 28, 2017 — 7:57pm
After meeting with the parent advocacy group Parent Power,
in Harrisburg, State Senator John Eichelberger returned the visit today at T.M.
Peirce Elementary School in North Philadelphia. The advocacy group, led by former School Reform Commissioner Sylvia Simms and
her sister Quibila Divine, organized a meet-and-greet at Peirce, their
neighborhood school, with Sen. Eichelberger, the chair of the Senate Education
Committee. About 20 adult community members showed up with children in
tow. He led a discussion about education and fielded questions from frustrated
local parents on topics including transparency, funding, and career and
technical education. He was later joined by State Senator Sharif Street, a
Democrat whose district includes Peirce Elementary. Eichelberger’s mostly rural
district lies between Lancaster and Pittsburgh, including all or part of Blair,
Fulton, Franklin, Cumberland, and Huntingdon counties. Eichelberger said while
his trips to Philadelphia have usually been for meetings with the District
brass and/or charter operators, this trip was a chance for something different.
“The one group that we talked about that I haven’t really spent time with are
the parents,” said Eichelberger, who traveled alone. “The people that live in
communities that care about what’s going on within their own community, within
their own schools and so on. They have opinions, and I want to hear what you
folks have to say.”
This
Year’s School Vouchers; Another Way to Divert Public Tax Dollars to Private and
Religious Schools…..
Senator John DiSanto and Education Voters’
Executive Director Susan Spicka discuss Education Savings Accounts
This Week in Pennsylvania- Sunday, August 27
Abc27.com by By Miranda
Ruiz Published: August 27, 2017, 2:08 pm Video Runtime 10:52
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM)- Focusing on education and funding for poor
performing schools. We’re breaking down a new school choice bill. Plus, the
budget stalemate continues. We’ll talk about the lawmakers from both sides of
the aisle placing blame.
WHYY Newsworks BY SARA HOOVER AUGUST 29, 2017
Just in time for the first day of school, a federal judge denied a conservative group's attempt to temporarily block a Berks County school district's transgender bathroom policy. For a year, the Boyertown Area School District has allowed students to use the bathrooms and locker rooms corresponding to their gender identity. The Alliance Defending Freedom sued the district earlier this year on behalf of four students who say the policy invades their privacy and amounts to sexual harassment. The group wanted the policy reversed while its lawsuit moves forward, and the students needed to show they would suffer irreparable harm if an injunction were not granted. On Friday, U.S. District Judge Edward G. Smith of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania ruled the group's claims have no merit. "The school district was trying its best last year to follow with what is believed to be the law by protecting all students, transgender" and those whose personal identity and gender corresponds with their birth sex, said attorney Michael Levin of the Levin Legal Group, representing the district and the administrators. "And the school district was very pleased that its actions were upheld by the court.
Congressmen advocate for career, tech ed
as CPI gets ready to launch new program
Centre Daily Times BY SARAH RAFACZ srafacz@centredaily.com AUGUST 28, 2017 9:58 PM
U.S. Reps. Glenn Thompson, R-Howard Township, and Raja
Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat from Illinois, visited the Central Pennsylvania
Institute of Science and Technology on its first day of school to discuss the
importance of career and technical education. Thompson and Krishnamoorthi
co-authored the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st
Century Act, which unanimously passed the U.S. House in June. “This bipartisan
legislation will help more Americans enter the workforce with the knowledge and
skills they need to compete for jobs in industries critical to our nation’s
economy,” Thompson said. The bill aims to improve alignment with in-demand
jobs, increase accountability and transparency of CTE programs and empower
local and state leaders by simplifying the application process for receiving
federal funds, he said.
Scranton
teachers authorize strike 2 years after walkout
Inquirer Updated: AUGUST 28, 2017 — 4:46 PM EDT
SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) - Teachers in the Scranton School District,
scene of an 11-day strike two years ago, have authorized union leaders to call
another walkout if no agreement is reached soon. The (Scranton) Times-Tribune
(http://bit.ly/2wdcifQ ) reports that Monday's strike authorization comes three
days before the contract expires. Scranton Federation of Teachers president
Rosemary Boland said members are "very, very disappointed" with the
treatment they've received. School board president Bob Sheridan says he hopes a
deal can be reached, but "there's just no money" for the district to
work with for a new contract, given a deficit expected to reach $40 million by
year's end. The state put the district on financial watch status in June, the
first in a series of steps that could eventually lead to takeover by a state
receiver.
Erie
parent-teacher group wins national award
GoErie By Matthew Rink Posted at 2:00 AM
August 28, 2017
The Grover Cleveland Elementary School Parent Teacher Student
Association was recently named PTO Today’s National Parent Group of the Year. Michelle
Komisarski and Becky Bogle wanted to be involved in their children’s education.
Helping their kids with school projects and homework wasn’t enough; they wanted
to improve the school and school district as a whole. Joining the Grover
Cleveland Elementary School Parent Teacher Student Association a few years ago
offered that opportunity. The group’s 125 members say they share a commitment
to education. It’s why it recently won a national award, PTO Today’s Parent
Group of the Year. “I’m a firm believer in the public school system, but I was
nervous about it given everything that is going on (in the Erie School
District),” said Komisarski, 40, whose daughter, Larissa, is a third-grader at
Grover Cleveland, 1540 West 38th St. “I needed to play an active role in her
education, more so than just helping out with homework at the end of the day.
You’d get a similar answer from a lot of the members of our organization.” “We
not only serve the kids of Grover Cleveland, but we try to serve the community
around us,” said Bogle, 39, whose son, Colin, is in third grade and whose
daughter, Claire, is in the prekindergarten program. Learning earlier this year
that the PTSA won the award came as a shock. They’d never submitted for the
award before and only hoped to win a smaller prize in a subcategory. The group
will be on the September issue of PTO Today magazine and receive the $3,000
grand prize.
Do
traditional public schools benefit from charter competition?
Washington Post Answer Sheet Blog By Valerie
Strauss August 28 at 4:28 PM The late Gerald Bracey, once called “America’s most acerbic educational psychologist,” spent most of his time calling out bad education research and data, trying to explain that things did not always mean what the author said they did and that numbers were too often wrongly interpreted. He wrote a book about it, titled “Reading Educational Research: How to avoid getting snookered,” in which he was given that “acerbic” title by my Washington Post colleague Jay Mathews in the book’s foreward. The book came out in 2006, but the issue remains as important as ever. Today, hardly a day goes by without yet another research study on some aspect of education being released, often with news releases topped with a headline declaring that something definitive has been found and the proof is finally here. Except too often it isn’t.
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:
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.
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
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/PASCD-Conference-Registration-is-Now-Open.html?soid=1101415141682&aid=5F-ceLtbZDs
Registration Opens Tuesday, September 26, 2017
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