Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now
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administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers, Governor's
staff, current/former PA Secretaries of Education, Wolf education transition
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leaders, PTO/PTA officers, parent advocates, teacher leaders, business leaders,
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These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
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Keystone
State Education Coalition
Senate
Bill 2 specifically allows private & religious schools that accept ESA voucher
dollars to discriminate against children on the basis of gender, religion, and
disability status. Students with disabilities, if they are permitted to enroll
in a private school, must give up their rights under Federal law to an
appropriate education.
PCCY makes
recommendations for changing charter law
Charters as a whole aren't outperforming
traditional schools, the report concludes.
The notebook by Dale Mezzacappa January 11, 2018 —
6:46pm
A new PCCY report released Jan. 11 urges lawmakers
to make meaningful changes to Pennsylvania's charter law. Public Citizens for Children and Youth released a report Thursday
that, once again, outlines how the current state law on charters ranks it among
the worst in the country and offers a checklist for improving it. The report finds that charters overall aren’t adding much
value to educational attainment of students, particularly those who are
“historically underserved,” especially considering how the $1.5 billion in
funds that charters absorb leave districts with “stranded costs” that often
reduce services in traditional schools. “Charter school students are not
outperforming their traditional school peers; results are mixed at best and
extremely subpar at worst,” the report declares. “Passing stronger legislation
to link growth and charter renewal to student performance will encourage
schools to strive for better student outcomes.” In the 28 districts in
Pennsylvania where at least 10 percent of the students attend charters,
more students in traditional schools met state reading and math standards than
did students in charters, the report found. Those districts include
Philadelphia, where about one-third of students are in charters, although the
report doesn’t break out the Philadelphia numbers. Half the charter schools in
the state are in Philadelphia.
WHYY By Avi Wolfman-Arent January 11, 2018
Pennsylvania’s
20-year-old charter law has no shortage of critics, from just about every
political corner. Add to that list of critics Public Citizens for Children and
Youth, an education advocacy group that has often butted heads with the charter
sector. On Thursday, PCCY released a set of recommendations for amending the
law. The proposal — and an accompanying panel discussion Thursday morning —
laid out some of the considerable common ground shared among charter backers
and opponents. The PCCY proposal called for a tiered charter renewal process
that would expand excellent schools and close poorly performing charters
quicker. It also recommended more consistency in the charter approval and
review process so schools would know what to expect. “Most charters are just
doing as well as their district, and they just need a predictable environment
for renewal,” said PCCY executive director Donna Cooper. Charter backers,
including state Rep. Jordan Harris, D-Philadelphia, agree with much of that
framework.
Charter
School Performance, Costs Still Need Big Improvements in Pennsylvania, Report
Finds
More than 130,000 Pennsylvania students now
attend charter schools. Some 60,000 of those students live in Philadelphia.
NBC10 By Brian X. McCrone Published at 12:42
PM EST on Jan 11, 2018 | Updated at 4:54 PM EST on Jan 11, 2018
Philadelphia charter schools will once again
be among the biggest issues facing a re-organized city school district once the
School Reform Commission is replaced by a mayor-appointed school board. More
than two decades since charter schools were authorized in Pennsylvania, their
effect on public education across the state remains inconsequential to
improving student performance, and costly to local districts, a new report
found. "A greater share of traditional public school students met grade
level expectations" than their charter school counterparts on 2016 state
tests, the Public Citizens for Children and Youth (PCCY) said in the report
released Thursday. The non-profit also
described charter school costs for local school districts that "keep
rising" in the form of "stranded costs," which is the money it
takes to continue to support traditional schools that have less children. More
than 130,000 Pennsylvania students now attend charter schools. Some 60,000 of those
students live in Philadelphia. "If 28 children are
in a classroom and two leave to attend a charter school, the district does not
close a classroom," the report said. "It spends the same amount on
space for the remaining students, the teacher’s salary, benefits and pension
costs, etc." It is the newest collection of data in a long-running debate
between school choice advocates who have successfully pushed for expansion of
charters in districts across the state and supporters of traditional public
education.
PCCY
Report: Expanding High Quality Charter School Options
Strong Charter School Legislation Matters
The report was prepared by Tomea Sippio-Smith and
Donna Cooper with assistance from Sarah Parkinson, Jason Leach and PCCY’s
Education Team January 2018
Since 2012, 23 states have amended their laws to
improve the quality of charter schools. Pennsylvania is not one
of those states. The legislature has not revised the charter school law to
include best practices for access, autonomy or accountability since it was
passed in 1997. This report by PCCY details why strong charter school
legislation matters.
Blogger note: Senator Eichelberger is
Majority Chairman of the Senate Education Committee
PA9: Top Pennsylvania House Republican eyes run for
Congress
AP State Wire Published: Yesterday
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Pennsylvania's House Majority
Leader Dave Reed says he's considering running for Congress to succeed U.S.
Rep. Bill Shuster, who announced last week that he won't seek another term
in the southwestern Pennsylvania seat. Reed, an Indiana County Republican, said
Wednesday he'll decide soon whether to run. Meanwhile, Republican state Sen.
John Eichelberger of Blair County is declaring his candidacy for the office. Reed's
been in office since 2003 and has been majority leader for three years.
Eichelberger has been in office since 2007. Also running for the Republican
nomination are Art Halvorson and Travis Schooley, both of whom Shuster beat in
2016. The 9th District is heavily Republican and includes all or parts of 12
counties, and includes Altoona, Chambersburg and Uniontown. Shuster's held the
seat since 2001.
Is Partisan Gerrymandering Legal? Why the Courts Are Divided.
New York Times By MICHAEL WINES JAN. 11, 2018
Contradictory decisions from
lower courts in North Carolina and Pennsylvania this week are likely to figure
in the Supreme Court’s handling of the partisan gerrymandering issue, experts
say.
WASHINGTON — On Tuesday, three federal judges in
North Carolina threw out the state’s congressional map because it was
“motivated by invidious partisan intent.” On Wednesday, another panel of judges
in Pennsylvania upheld that state’s map, with one arguing that such a political
issue was none of the courts’ business. The two competing federal rulings in
partisan gerrymander cases this week underscore the courts’ angst over even
getting involved in political decisions, much less overturning them. Both
rulings are certain to draw the Supreme Court’s interest as it mulls a
resolution to the gerrymandering question. The Court, with two other
redistricting cases before it, is expected this spring to end a decades-long
debate over when and if judges should make decisions that could reshape the
country’s political landscape. “You’re seeing how much turmoil there is now in
the lower federal courts, and how many federal judges believe the time has come
for the courts to impose substantial limits” on partisan gerrymanders, said
Richard H. Pildes, a scholar of the law of democracy at the New York University
School of Law.
Their view: GOP shows plenty of chutzpah on
gerrymandering
Times Leader Editorial January 11th, 2018 6:57 pm
Pennsylvania’s Republican legislative leaders have
unleashed their most miraculous beast yet, unveiling the staggeringly
self-serving “Hippo-critic,” a phantasm of fat-cat flatulence, a chimera of
shameless chicanery, a jaw-dropping giant that dwarfs the Jabberwock and
Gerrymander combined. It is genuinely hard to hyperbolize just how much
chutzpah state senators poured into a letter urging the League
of Women Voters and 18 plaintiffs to drop a lawsuit challenging
the 2011 redistricting maps. Where to begin? Well, President Pro-Tem Joe
Scarnati’s drivel about the cost is a good start. “Taxpayers are paying a hefty
price for … attorneys to argue gerrymandering,” Scarnati scowled. No, Joe,
taxpayers are paying a heavy price because you and your GOP friends pushed the
tolerated yet vile practice of gerrymandering to new lows, contorting
legislative districts into shapes that would make a deformed gargoyle recoil. All you had to do to save that
money was draw districts responsibly, without shredding cities, counties and
municipalities to assure more GOP representatives. It’s been said here before:
Republicans and Democrats are supposed to gain majority control in legislatures
by persuading voters to pick them, not by picking their voters.
Mullery slams GOP for asking League of Women Voters to
drop redistricting case
Times Leader By Bill O’Boyle
- boboyle@timesleader.com | January 11th, 2018 11:57 am - updated:
7:25 pm.
WILKES-BARRE — Pennsylvania Senate Republican
leaders this week called on the League of Women Voters to withdraw its
redistricting case that challenges the state’s congressional map. State Rep. Gerald Mullery, D-Newport Township, was
highly critical of asking to stop the case. He said it “reeks of desperation.” “The
wool they (Republican leaders) pulled over the eyes of Pennsylvanians is about
to be lifted,” Mullery said. “Their hand-crafted map of legislative districts,
often referred to as one of the most gerrymandered in American history, is
virtually impossible to rationally defend.” Mullery said the GOP map
“successfully predetermined” the outcome of elections for nearly a decade,
which he said is a violation of the U.S. Constitution. “And if there is one
thing other than drawing politically-motivated maps that Republican leaders do
well, it is count, and they see this case headed to the Pennsylvania Supreme
Court with its 5-2 Democratic majority for oral arguments on Jan. 17,” Mullery
said. Sen. John Yudichak, D-Plymouth Township, also weighed in on the topic. “Regardless
of what decision the Pennsylvania Supreme Court makes, it’s clear that
Democrats and Republicans need to come together and pass redistricting reform,”
Yudichak noted.
Governor
Wolf Applauds State Board of Education for Endorsement of Computer Science
Standards
Governor Wolf’s
Website January 11, 2018
Harrisburg, PA – Today, Governor Tom Wolf announced
that the State Board of Education has acted on the administration’s request to
make computer science education available to all students in the commonwealth
by endorsing Computer Science Teacher Association (CSTA) K-12 Standards. “I
applaud the State Board of Education for taking action on our recommendations
to establish standards for computer science education in Pennsylvania schools
so that our students have the skills necessary for emerging
high-demand jobs that will support middle class families and attract new
businesses to commonwealth,” said Governor Wolf. “Over the next decade, seven
in ten new jobs in Pennsylvania will require workers to use computers and new
technologies in a constantly changing economy and this move will help our
students prepare for the workforce of the future.” The resolution provides for
the implementation of standards on computer science education in the
commonwealth, and will position Pennsylvania as one of fewer than a dozen
states to endorse such standards.
Pa.
government will give control over the Phila. school district back to the city
Daily Pennsylvanian By Katie Steele January 11, 2018
Sixteen years after taking control of the
Philadelphia school district, the state government has officially decided to
return power to the local government by the end of this June. Gov. Tom
Wolf announced the move
last month after gaining approval from Pennsylvania Secretary
of Education Pedro A. Rivera. According to the Philly Voice, in 2001
Pennsylvania’s secretary of education placed the district under control of the
five-member School Reform Commission, of which three members were selected by
the governor and two by the city's mayor, after declaring it financially
distressed. This composition elicited criticism from Philadelphia teachers and
public education activists, who felt that the takeover was undemocratic and
would place too much power in the hands of outsiders. When the panel allowed 38
Philadelphia schools to be privatized in 2002 — a move seen by
some as a failed experiment — greater
backlash arose against state control.
La Salle
University offers college classes to its public high school neighbors
by the Notebook January 11, 2018 — 10:20am
Students at Central High School and Girls' High will
be able to take some classes at La Salle University for free under a new
partnership between the college and the School District. The School District has announced a new partnership
with La Salle University that will allow qualified students at close-by Girls’
High and Central High Schools to enroll in college courses for the spring
semester for free. The courses are offered through La Salle’s Community
Scholars program. Students can choose one class from a list that includes
Introduction to Art, Interpersonal Communication, Introduction to Criminal
Justice, Introduction to Macroeconomics, and Introduction to Literature. The
District will cover the cost of tuition and books. In a written statement
released Wednesday, Superintendent William Hite said the program “will better
prepare more of our students for college and careers, helping them seamlessly
transition into their chosen fields after high school graduation.” Colleen
Hanycz, president of La Salle University, said, “Strong communities need
educated citizens, and this partnership is one way that La Salle is working to
help build these citizens. “La Salle is proud to stand hand in hand with our
neighbors, and to share in this responsibility of giving local students
opportunities to enrich their high school educations.”
Trib Live by EMILY BALSER | Thursday, Jan.
11, 2018, 11:54 p.m.
Kiski Area School District has been taking a
different approach to dealing with student attendance and believes it's
working. Instead of going straight to district court with truancy issues,
school officials have been working to make contact with the family and hold
meetings to work out a way to ensure the students make it to class. The changes
were a part of a pilot program with Westmoreland County. The district has been
so happy with the new approach that it's updating its attendance policy to
reflect the changes. The school board is expected to vote on the measure at its
meeting Monday. “It's designed to be less punitive and more getting people at
the table to talk about their child's attendance,” Assistant Superintendent
Jason Lohr said.
Uwchlan
woman announces candidacy for 155th House District seat
Danielle Friel Otten has announced her
candidacy as a Democrat for the state House of Representatives in the 155th
District, currently held by Republican state Rep. Becky Corbin.
By Fran Maye, Daily Local News POSTED: 01/10/18,
2:29 PM EST
Uwchlan Township >> A Uwchlan Township woman
who said not enough is being done to boost education, health care and protect
the environment has announced her candidacy for Pennsylvania’s 155th
Legislative District seat currently held by Republican state Rep. Becky Corbin.
“Harrisburg needs to start getting things done,” said Danielle Friel Otten, a
lifelong Democrat who filed campaign paperwork this week. “The state government
is not fully funding education and we need to make more progress on health care
needs. We need someone to roll up their sleeves and become part of the solution
for the challenges we face.”
America's
Schools Are 'Profoundly Unequal,' Says U.S. Civil Rights Commission
NPR by CORY TURNER January 11, 20182:30 PM ET
"The federal government must take bold action
to address inequitable funding in our nation's public schools." So begins
a list of recommendations released
Thursday by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, an independent, bipartisan
agency created by Congress in 1957 to investigate civil rights complaints.
Thursday's report comes after a lengthy investigation into how America's
schools are funded and why so many that serve poor and minority students aren't
getting the resources they say they need. The 150-page report, titled
"Public Education Funding Inequity: In An Era Of Increasing Concentration
Of Poverty and Resegregation," reads like a footnoted walking tour through
the many ways America's education system fails vulnerable students — beginning
with neighborhood schools that remain deeply segregated and continuing into
classrooms where too many students lack access to skilled teachers, rigorous courses
and equitable school funding. "This report excavates the enduring truism
that American public schooling is, and has been, profoundly unequal in the
opportunity delivered to students, the dollars spent to educate students, and
the determinations of which students are educated together," writes the
commission's chair, Catherine Lhamon.
What schools can do help students engage more in learning
Education Week Commentary By Chip & Dan Heath January 10, 2018
Editor’s Note: This Commentary is part of a special report exploring game-changing trends and innovations that have the potential to shake up the schoolhouse.
Read the full report: 10 Big Ideas in Education.
What makes certain brief experiences in our lives so memorable and meaningful? Let's call them "peak moments": A wedding day. A successful public presentation. An award received for work well done. We spent several years studying peak moments, and in our book The Power of Moments, we reveal what we learned: Peak moments share similar elements—such as elevation and connection—and armed with this knowledge, all of us can create richer experiences for the people we care about. But there's one critical period in life that is missing these powerful moments: the time students spend in the classroom. Think about it: What do you remember from your experience as a student? Senior musical. Swim meets. Science fairs. Football games. Debate tournaments. Choir concerts. Notice the pattern? They're all peak moments, representing the culmination of students' work. They're social, often performed in front of an audience, and involve an element of competition or pressure. There's a sense of pomp and circumstance about them—notice how often we actually wear distinctive clothes to them.
Senate
Democrats Force Vote in Bid to Restore Net Neutrality
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Andrew Ujifusa on January
11, 2018 11:59 AM
Democrats are lining up behind an effort in the
Senate to restore what's known as "net neutrality" to the internet,
even if the odds are heavily against it. Last month, the Federal Communications Commission voted 3-2
to toss aside the two-year-old policy, which was
intended to prevent internet service providers from blocking or slowing down
content. The move, led by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, is supported by those who say
it will allow providers to create more and better content without jeopardizing
fair access to various sites. But the vote has created uncertainty for school
districts, who could be forced to choose between "fast" and
"slow" lanes of the internet as they look to provide various online
services to students. The move could also create problemsfor ed-tech start-ups
that can't pony up more money in exchange for faster internet service like
more established companies. School districts are still figuring out how
to proceed in the new internet landscape, as our colleague
Sean Cavanagh reported for the Digital Education blog earlier this month.
Register now for PSBA Board Presidents Panel
PSBA Website January 2018
School board leaders, this one's for you! Join your colleagues at an evening of networking and learning in 10 convenient locations around the state at the end of January. Share your experience and leadership through a panel discussion moderated by PSBA Member Services team. Participate in roundtable conversations focused on the most pressing challenges and current issues affecting PA school districts. Bring your specific challenges and scenarios for small group discussion. Register online.
Register
for New School Director Training in December and January
PSBA Website October 2017
You’ve started a challenging and
exciting new role as a school director. Let us help you narrow the learning
curve! PSBA’s New School Director Training provides school directors with
foundational knowledge about their role, responsibilities and ethical
obligations. At this live workshop, participants will learn about key laws,
policies, and processes that guide school board governance and leadership, and
develop skills for becoming strong advocates in their community. Get the tools
you need from experts during this visually engaging and interactive event.
Choose from any of these remaining
locations and dates (note: all sessions are held 8 a.m.-4 p.m., unless
specified otherwise.):
·
Jan. 13, A W Beattie Career Center
·
Jan. 13, Parkland HS
Fees: Complimentary to All-Access
members or $170 per person for standard membership. All registrations will be
billed to the listed district, IU or CTC. To request billing to
an individual, please contact Michelle Kunkel at michelle.kunkel@psba.org. Registration also includes a box
lunch on site and printed resources.
NSBA 2018
Advocacy Institute February 4 - 6, 2018 Marriott Marquis, Washington D.C.
Register Now
Come a day early and attend the Equity
Symposium!
Join hundreds of public education advocates
on Capitol Hill and help shape the decisions made in Washington D.C. that
directly impact our students. At the 2018 Advocacy Institute, you’ll gain
insight into the most critical issues affecting public education, sharpen your
advocacy skills, and prepare for effective meetings with your representatives. Whether
you are an expert advocator or a novice, attend and experience inspirational
keynote speakers and education sessions featuring policymakers, legal experts
and policy influencers. All designed to help you advocate for your students and
communities.
Local School Board Members to Advocate on Capitol Hill in 2018
NSBA's Advocacy Institute 2018 entitled, "Elected. Engaged. Empowered: Representing the Voice in Public Education," will be held on February 4-6, 2018 at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, D.C. This conference will convene Members of Congress, national thought-leaders, state association executives and well-known political pundits to provide local school board members with an update on key policy and legal issues impacting public education, and tactics and strategies to enhance their ability to influence the policy-making process and national education debate during their year-round advocacy efforts.
WHAT'S NEW - ADVOCACY INSTITUTE '18?
·
Confirmed
National Speaker: Cokie Roberts, Political Commentator for NPR and ABC News
·
NSBA
will convene first ever National School Board Town Hall on School Choice
·
Includes
General Sessions featuring national policy experts, Members of Congress,
"DC Insiders" and local school board members
·
Offers
conference attendees "Beginner" and "Advanced" Advocacy
breakout sessions
·
NSBA
will host a Hill Day Wrap-Up Reception
Click here to register for the Advocacy
Institute. The hotel block will close on Monday, January 15.
Registration is now open for the 2018 PASA Education Congress! State College, PA, March 19-20, 2018
Don't miss this marquee event for Pennsylvania school leaders at the Nittany Lion Inn, State College, PA, March 19-20, 2018.
Learn more by visiting http://www.pasa-net.org/2018edcongress
SAVE THE DATE for the 2018
PA Educational Leadership Summit - July 29-31 - State College, PA sponsored by
the PA Principals Association, PASA, PAMLE and PASCD.
This year's Summit will be held from July 29-31, 2018 at the Penn Stater
Conference Center Hotel, State College, PA.
Any comments contained herein are my comments, alone, and
do not necessarily reflect the opinions of any other person or organization
that I may be affiliated with.
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