Wednesday, June 27, 2018

PA Ed Policy Roundup June 27: Ravitch: Charter schools are making our public schools worse


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Ravitch: Charter schools are making our public schools worse



According to the PA Department of State’s Campaign Finance Website the largest donor to the PA House Republican Campaign Committee for 2018 so far is Chester Community Charter School operator Vahan Gureghian.  The largest donor to Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman’s Build PA PAC is also Vahan Gureghian.



Pennsylvania School Safety Task Force Calls for Strengthening Security, More Mental Health Services, Community Connections
Governor Wolf’s Website June 26, 2018
Harrisburg, PA – Governor Tom Wolf and Auditor General Eugene DePasquale today announced the common themes that will be addressed in an upcoming report from the Pennsylvania School Safety Task Force, created by Gov. Wolf and the Auditor General in February after the high school shooting in Parkland, Florida. This announcement comes following the passage of Gov. Wolf’s 2018-19 bi-partisan budget, which includes $60 million for a School Safety Fund to strengthen security and mental health services in schools. Appointed by the governor, the task force held a series of six regional roundtables at schools from April through June to listen to students, parents, school officials, school nurses and other health care professionals, law enforcement, education organizations and community members about their ideas to improve safety and security. “I commend the work of all those who participated in the task force – especially the students – for providing their incredible perspectives,” said Governor Wolf. “It was clear in every region of the state that keeping our schools safe requires a holistic approach focused on students and our communities so that our classrooms can be focused on learning. “While I will continue to push for progress on gun safety reform, including universal background checks and keeping guns from dangerous individuals, this work is important to ensure we’re doing everything we can to protect our students and teachers.”
https://www.governor.pa.gov/pennsylvania-school-safety-task-force-calls-for-strengthening-security-more-mental-health-services-community-connections/

One conclusion of Pa. school safety task force: Students want a voice in discussion
Penn Live By Marc Levy The Associated Press Updated 9:03 PM; Posted 9:03 PM June 26, 2018
HARRISBURG -- Gov. Tom Wolf's administration issued its findings Tuesday from six school safety task force field hearings set up in the wake of February's high school shooting in Florida, with better security, training and student services at the core of what the school community is seeking. In its summary of the findings, the administration identified 10 primary points from testimony in the field hearings set up with Auditor General Eugene DePasquale. A fuller report will be issued later in the summer, Wolf's office said. The task force included vice chairs from groups representing parent-teacher associations, teachers, school administrators and school nurses and heard from dozens of people and students at each of six regional hearings, the administration said. Hundreds more submitted comments online, the administration said. Panelists started the conversation by asking speakers how the state can help handle mass shootings and threats, improve school building safety and meet the physical and mental health needs of students.
Students, it said, wanted to be heard in the school safety conversation.
https://www.pennlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2018/06/better_security_student_servic.html#incart_river_index

“American education seems to be evolving into a dual school system, one operated under democratic control (overseen by a board that was either elected by the people or appointed by an elected official) , the other under private control. One is required to find a place for every student who shows up, no matter that student’s academic skills, language or disability. The privately managed charter sector can limit its enrollment, exclude students it doesn’t want and accept no new students after a certain grade level. Charters can even close school for the day to take students to a political rally for the school management’s financial benefit. That is not fair competition, and it is not healthy for democracy.”
Charter schools are making our public schools worse | Opinion
Inquirer by Diane Ravitch, For the Washington Post Updated: JUNE 27, 2018 5:00 AM EDT
Diane Ravitch is a historian of American education at New York University.
In 1988, teachers union leader Albert Shanker had an idea: What if teachers were allowed to create a school within a school, where they could develop innovative ways to teach dropouts and unmotivated students? The teachers would get the permission of their colleagues and the local school board to open their school, which would be an R&D lab for the regular public school. These experimental schools, he said, would be called “charter schools.” Five years later, in 1993, Shanker publicly renounced his proposal. The idea had been adopted by businesses seeking profits, he said, and would be used, like vouchers, to privatize public schools and destroy teacher unions. He wrote that “vouchers, charter schools, for-profit management schemes are all quick fixes that won’t fix anything.” Shanker died in 1997, too soon to see his dire prediction come true. Today, there are more than 7,000 charter schools with about 3 million students (total enrollment in public schools is 50 million). About 90 percent  of charter schools are nonunion. Charters are more segregated than public schools, prompting the Civil Rights Project at UCLA in 2010 to call charter schools “a major political success” but “a civil rights failure.” They compete with public schools instead of collaborating. Charter proponents claim that the schools are progressive, but schools that are segregated and nonunion do not deserve that mantle.
http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/commentary/charter-schools-public-education-20180627.html

“According to Joan Benso, president and CEO of Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, those programs are especially important to children living in low-income families. "One in five children in our state, 20 percent of the kids, is still living in poverty," said Benso, "and connected to that ends up being, oftentimes, a lack of opportunity."
PA Kids Make Gains, But Census Undercount Could Hinder Progress
Public News Service June 27, 2018
HARRISBURG, Pa. – The latest figures on the well-being of children show Pennsylvania ranks 17th in the nation, but children's advocates fear trouble ahead. In the Annie E. Casey Foundation's 2018 KIDS COUNT Data Book, the Keystone State showed improvement in eight of 16 categories covering economic well-being, education, health, and family and community. But Laura Speer, the foundation's associate director for policy reform and advocacy, is concerned that including a citizenship question on the 2020 U.S. Census will discourage immigrants from participating and lead to an under-count of young children, endangering federal funding of programs affecting children. "All people, including kids, have the right to be counted and represented," Speer said. "But without any real political or economic power, kids rely on adults to protect and advocate for them, and they can't fill out the census forms." Census figures are used to determine levels of federal support for child-focused programs, from school lunches to children's health insurance.
https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2018-06-27/childrens-issues/pa-kids-make-gains-but-census-undercount-could-hinder-progress/a63078-1

Primer on Philly school district’s changing of the guard
WHYY By Jennifer Lynn June 27, 2018
Last week, members of Philadelphia’s School Reform Commission gathered for the last time. A new nine-member Board of Education, appointed by the mayor, takes over — holding its first public meeting July 9. I caught up with WHYY’s education reporter Avi Wolfman-Arent to talk about this period of transition.
What was the swan song for the SRC at its final meeting?
It was sort of a regular meeting. They considered a bunch of charter school renewals, and there were a couple of pet issues that popped up and then inspired some anger, which happens at every SRC meeting. At the end, the SRC members gave speeches and rode off into the sunset. It wasn’t that different than a normal meeting.
It just quietly dissolves into oblivion?
Yeah, it was interesting. I think it was indicative of the fact that there weren’t a lot of champions, a lot of people in the SRC’s corner, by the time it faded out.
Well, take us back before the knockout. So, 17 years ago, why was the SRC created? Some people don’t remember.
https://whyy.org/articles/primer-on-philly-school-districts-changing-of-the-guard/

Editorial: The problem of rising property taxes is not going away
Delco Times Editorial POSTED: 06/25/18, 8:57 PM EDT | UPDATED: 31 SECS AGO
Much has been made of the inequities built into the state’s system of education funding. It has gotten so bad that a group of parents, headed by a family in the William Penn School District, has taken the state to court, looking for the opportunity to argue that the state system fails in its constitutional mandate to provide an equal education for all students. Their point is a simple one. For far too long, the state system has penalized students in struggling districts such as William Penn, offering them an inferior education, for no other reason than their zip code. It’s simple. Well-to-do districts are able to raise more revenue with their property taxes than impoverished districts where the economy is struggling. Districts like William Penn. And Upper Darby. While the fight over an equitable funding base has garnered headlines, another story has droned on in the background. That would be property taxes, which provide the bulk of local school district’s finances, even more so in recent years as the state has failed to live up to its goal of delivering 50 percent of education funding. Any number of efforts have been made at the state level to reduce or even eliminate reliance on local property taxes. All have failed. And for a very valid reason. It is very difficult to match the revenue derived from property taxes should that levy be eliminated in favor of increases in other taxes.
http://www.delcotimes.com/article/DC/20180625/NEWS/180629774

Ninety-six Percent of Pennsylvania’s Teachers are White. That’s a Problem.
Education Post by Sharif El-Mekki POSTED JUNE 26, 2018
Sharif El-Mekki is the principal of Mastery Charter School–Shoemaker Campus, a neighborhood public charter school in Philadelphia, and he is a principal fellow with the U.S. Department of Education. 
Imagine a doctor knowing vital, life-saving information about your health, but not sharing it with you. It would be not only unacceptable, it would be grounds for dismissal. Choosing not to act, when the data shows that the health of an individual or communities is spiraling out of control is a dereliction of duty. Currently, our country has watched White students flee public schools, while the enrollment of students of color swells. The loss of Black teachers and the stagnation of Black students’ achievement levels has been largely ignored. Black student and Black teacher ratios are entrenched examples of inequity. Black communities, and other communities of color, have always asserted that representation matters. The mental health, academic performance, and feeling of safety and belongingness of students of color strongly correlates with who leads their classrooms and schools. John Hopkins University pointed out in their research that Black students had a 40 percent less chance of dropping out if they have just one Black teacher during their elementary school years. Knowing the risks that dropping out of high school places on our youth, any politician that isn’t making this one of their flagship priorities reveals they’re unfit to lead.
http://educationpost.org/ninety-six-percent-of-pennsylvanias-teachers-are-white-thats-a-problem/

Guns at School: After 41 Deaths & 74 Injuries in 2018, What We’ve Learned From Tracking Six Months of School Shootings
The 74 By MARK KEIERLEBER | June 25, 2018
The 74 is tracking gun-related injuries and deaths at schools throughout 2018. Bookmark this page for the latest reports, and see below for an interactive map of incidents involving the discharging of a firearm that causes a wound or fatality on school property.
It was less than one month into 2018 when a spate of firearm incidents in schools — including a January shooting in Kentucky that killed two people and injured 18 others — prompted news stories highlighting the prevalence of gun violence on American campuses. Since then, mass school shootings in Florida and Texas have revived a heated debate about gun laws and strategies to keep students safe. In order to help contextualize the prevalence of gun violence in schools, The 74 built a map to track firearm incidents at K-12 schools and universities that result in injury or death. Six months into 2018, the map offers a window into the prevalence of firearm incidents in education institutions, which have resulted in at least 41 deaths and 74 injuries. Beyond mass shootings, that tally includes a shooting after a fight broke out at a university party, a teacher who accidentally fired a gun during a public safety class, and four student suicides.
https://www.the74million.org/guns-at-school-after-41-deaths-74-injuries-in-2018-what-weve-learned-from-tracking-six-months-of-school-shootings/

Kindergarten coders: When is too early to put kids in front of screens?
Inquirer by William Bender & Kristen A. Graham - Staff Writers Updated: JUNE 27, 2018  5:00 AM
Last year, Jeremy Seedorf’s 9-year-old daughter and her classmates received tablet computers from their Lancaster County school. He wouldn’t let her bring one home: “The iPads were coming, and there was nothing we could do about it.” In the Neshaminy School District, Jessica Reeder was taken aback when she discovered that her daughter had to use the Internet to do her 1st-grade homework: “That was a little bit concerning to us.” Jennifer Lentz limits screen time at home for her sons, but she can’t stop the increasing amount they are getting in class at their Delaware County elementary school: “There are a lot of parents who feel like me. But I think they feel defeated.” Hadi Partovi might consider that a victory. Partovi, a tech entrepreneur and co-founder of the nonprofit Code.org, is leading a national effort to convince schools that more and younger is better when it comes to coding and computer science. Tech giants Microsoft, Facebook and Google are among Code.org’s financial backers. The goal is to fill the next generation of computer-related jobs. Code.org has expanded its reach even as parents such as Seedorf, Reeder and Lentz try to slow the tech tide for their own children. Twenty-five percent of all U.S. students now have Code.org accounts and 800,000 teachers use the site for class lessons, according to the nonprofit. Partovi said two-thirds of all 5th graders in the country have an account.
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/code-org-google-facebook-microsoft-schools-student-technology-20180627.html

“We don’t lack knowledge about this problem. We don’t lack solutions” to unfair funding Rodriguez told the crowd. “Our legislature has already recognized the problem and adopted a way to fix it. We have a formula in place that we know would equitably address the problems of 135 school districts that are under-funded across the Commonwealth,” Rodriguez said. “And we don’t lack for legislative language,” he said. “The only thing we lack is the political will to get it done.”
Pottstown School Board adopts $62.7M budget with 3.5% tax hike amid fight for fair school funding
By Evan Brandt, The Mercury POSTED: 06/22/18, 6:27 PM EDT | UPDATED: 3 DAYS AGO
POTTSTOWN >> One day before the Pennsylvania General Assembly adopted its $32.7 billion budget, and one day after local parents and school officials rallied in Harrisburg for the fair school funding that budget does not contain, the Pottstown School Board adopted a $62.7 million budget that will raise taxes by 3.5 percent. The school board’s vote Thursday was unanimous and marked by expressions of regret that after three straight years of holding the line on taxes, the board had little choice given the failure of legislators to provide the extra $13 million the state’s barely-used fair funding formula says Pottstown is owed; and the $1 million hole punched into the budget by the removal of Pottstown Hospital from the tax rolls.
http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20180622/pottstown-school-board-adopts-627m-budget-with-35-tax-hike-amid-fight-for-fair-school-funding

PA schools are planning to up security after the approved budget, but what will that look like?
YourErie By: Jackie Roberts  Posted: Jun 26, 2018 04:20 PM EDT
In the wake of mass shootings across the country, Pennsylvania leaders want to provide the resources to prevent more tragedies from occurring on school campuses.  State leaders want schools to be able to handle the threat of a shooting on both a proactive and reactive level.  Right now, many districts just don't have the money to make major improvements.  But, the Wolf Administration is hoping to change that.  Parents and grandparents like Jacqueline Dorsey say the days of feeling like your kids are in a safe zone when they walk into school are long gone.  "It has gotten so bad. There's been so many lives lost nationwide. Why wait for us to have to go through something like that before we do something."  And, with voices like Dorsey's growing louder, Pennsylvania lawmakers are taking steps to give schools a chance to fight back.   Starting this fall, school districts and community groups can apply to receive part of $60 million dispersed across the state.  The new funding is meant to improve safety and security on campuses.  That could mean anything from hiring a school psychologist to installing metal detectors.  Henry Shader sees the issue from two sides; as a parent and as a teacher. He says, "Individual school districts should have a fair amount of say in, 'well, this is where we have the greatest need.'"
https://www.yourerie.com/news/local-news/pa-schools-are-planning-to-up-security-after-the-approved-budget-but-what-will-that-look-like-/1265482337

Plum school board furloughs 26 teachers, raises taxes
TRIBUNE-REVIEW by MICHAEL DIVITTORIO | Tuesday, June 26, 2018, 10:06 p.m.
Plum School District students will see fewer familiar faces and property owners will pay more in real estate taxes next year. The board voted 5-3 Tuesday to approve its 2018-19 budget with a 0.8327-mill hike and 27 furloughs — 26 teachers and one administrator, with bulk of the furloughs coming from the closure of Regency Park Elementary School. District officials did not announce the names of specific employees who were furloughed. Next year's spending plan also cuts the kindergarten program to half days.
https://triblive.com/local/plum/13805053-74/plum-school-board-furloughs-26-teachers-raises-taxes

Norwin to hike taxes despite cost cuts, furloughs
TRIBUNE-REVIEW by JOE NAPSHA  | Tuesday, June 26, 2018, 6:30 p.m.
Despite Norwin's plans to layoff one assistant principal, notifying four teachers they are furloughed, cutting two secretarial positions and other cost-cutting moves, the school officials this week still are projecting that property owners will see a 2.4-mill tax hike for property owners in the upcoming fiscal year. The school board Monday revealed plans to furlough Troy A. Collier, who has been the assistant principal of Norwin Middle School since July 2014, said Superintendent William Kerr. Kerr said the school district is hoping to be able to reassign Collier, a former principal at Central Westmoreland Career and Technology Center, to a teaching position. That personnel move is to be ratified when the school board meets on Friday, Kerr said. By eliminating one assistant principal's job, the district will save about $145,000 in salary and benefits, said Ryan Kirsch, Norwin's business affairs director.
https://triblive.com/local/westmoreland/13803580-74/norwin-to-hike-taxes-despite-cost-cuts-furloughs

Parkland passes budget with 1.92 percent tax increase
Margie Peterson Special to The Morning Call June 26, 2018
The Parkland School Board Tuesday unanimously approved its final 2018-2019 budget with a tax increase of 1.92 percent but had to use $6.5 million of its fund balance to close a gap between revenue and expenses. The $179.3 million spending plan includes some perennial cost drivers including increased contributions to the Pennsylvania Public School Employees Retirement System and rising expenses for special education. “We are lucky that we have fund balance to offset expenditures,” said John Vignone, director of business administration. Parkland will set aside another $500,000 in fund balance for the district’s capital reserve fund that can be used for capital projects. With the tax hike, the new real estate millage will be 15.42 mills. At that rate, a homeowner with property assessed at the district average of $226,989 would pay $3,500 in real estate taxes, or about $66 more than this year. The projected property tax relief for the Homestead/Farmstead exemption is $109.
http://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-nws-parkland-budget-passes-20180626-story.html

“The $29,627,835 final budget reflects an $832,218 or 2.9 percent increase in estimated expenditures over the prior year budget and includes a 1.38 mill tax increase. The annual tax increase for the average homeowner would be approximately $30. The increase is primarily a reflection of the years of underfunded mandates placed on the district by the state legislature, specifically, retirement, charter schools and special education.
“Retirement is projected to increase by $202,000, or 5.5 percent, charter schools by $144,000 or 18.24 percent, while the district’s portion of the state basic education subsidy will increase by only $89,274, or merely 1.0 percent.”
North Schuylkill school board approves real estate tax hike
Republican Herald BY JOHN USALIS / PUBLISHED: JUNE 23, 2018
FOUNTAIN SPRINGS — The North Schuylkill school board formally approved its 2018-19 budget on Wednesday, which includes a real estate tax increase brought about by costs outside the district’s control. The real estate tax rate for property owners in Schuylkill and Columbia counties as of July 1, the start of the new fiscal year, is 41.34 mills, which is an increase of 1.38 mills. The 2017-18 school year millage was 39.96. As with most school districts in the state, North Schuylkill faces increasing pension, charter school and health insurance costs that are not negotiable. District Business Manager Robert L. Amos said last month that charter school costs are expected to be $1.1 million, an increase from $850,000 in the previous year.
https://www.republicanherald.com/news/north-schuylkill-school-board-approves-real-estate-tax-hike-1.2353544

East Allegheny, teachers union agree on three-year contract
Post-Gazette by ANNE CLOONAN JUN 26, 2018 6:12 PM
The East Allegheny school board and teachers’ union have approved a new three-year teachers’ contract. Lila Sedlak, secretary to the superintendent, said the school board voted to approve the contract during a special meeting on Tuesday, June 19, and the teachers’ union voted to approve it on Wednesday, June 20. According to a district press release, over the course of the three-year agreement, average raises will be 1.5 percent, healthcare contributions will be capped at $185 per month, and three student days will be added to the school year. In a news release, East Allegheny Education Association President Kathy Chenot said, “The teachers are very pleased with the agreement, and overall, I am glad that our team was able to work so well with the school board to get a fair agreement.”
http://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2018/06/26/East-Allegheny-teachers-union-agree-on-three-year-contract/stories/201806260175?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1530052794

“Sens. Bob Casey, D-Pa., and Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., co-authored the legislation. Noting that one-sixth of Wyoming districts don't get Perkins funding due to burdensome federal requirements attached to the money, Enzi said the bill is a piece of a puzzle that includes the Every Student Succeeds Act and other programs that contribute to the labor market and workforce development. "It's one that really has a lot of potential to really solve a lot of problems for this country," Enzi told lawmakers Tuesday before the vote.  And Casey said the bill promotes equity by requiring data on student subgroups to be disaggregated, among other requirements. "I hope that the authorization will be followed by robust appropriations," Casey said.”
Bipartisan Career and Technical Education Bill Approved by Key Senate Committee
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Andrew Ujifusa on June 26, 2018 3:47 PM
Washington The Senate education committee agreed voted unanimously via voice vote Tuesday to favorably report a bill reauthorizing the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act to the full Senate.  The Senate version, the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, would revamp the Perkins law, which Congress last reauthorized in 2006, by allowing states to establish certain goals for CTE programs without getting them cleared by the secretary of education first. However, it requires "meaningful progress" to be made towards meeting goals on key indicators.  If Congress ends up sending a Perkins bill to the White House, it would represent a notable education policy win for the Trump administration, as well as for business groups. The Trump administration recently dispatched senior adviser Ivanka Trump to Capitol Hill to push for senators to pass a CTE bill.  The administration has put its stamp of approval on the Senate CTE bill. A White House official said Tuesday the legislation "better aligns career and technical education programs with the needs of the business community and careers of today and tomorrow."  The House passed Perkins reauthorization last summer, also with broad bipartisan support. 
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2018/06/senate_committee_career_and_technical_education_bill_bipartisan.html?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=campaignk-12

Senate Spending Bill Keeps Teacher Grant, Ignores DeVos Choice Proposal
By Education Week on June 26, 2018 11:56 AM
Washington UPDATED
The Senate bill funding the U.S. Department of Education for fiscal 2019 provides increases for disadvantaged students, special education programs, and a block grant supporting a diverse set of K-12 priorities. It also maintains grants for educator development and after-school aid at current funding levels, and rejects a school choice initiative from the Trump administration. It's the second year in a row that both the Senate and House have nixed efforts by U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to create new choice programs funded by the education department. Total discretionary funding for the U.S. Department of Education would increase by $540 million, up to nearly $71.6 billion,. That would represent a record-high at the department (not accounting for inflation). 
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2018/06/senate_spending_bill_teacher_development_devos_choice.html

Oklahoma teachers went on strike. Nearly 100 of them are now running for office to unseat Republican lawmakers.
They are going after the state lawmakers who didn’t want to give teachers a raise.
Vox.com By Alexia Fernández Campbell@AlexiaCampbellalexia@vox.com  Jun 26, 2018, 9:30am EDT
First they went on strike, now they’re running for office. Nearly 100 public school teachers and administrators are on the ballot in Oklahoma’s primary elections on Tuesday, trying to unseat Republican lawmakers who fought their demands to spend more money on public education. Many first-time candidates participated in the nine-day teacher strike in April that shut down more than half of the state’s public schools. Teachers pleaded with politicians at the state capitol to restore millions of dollars in school funding that has been cut from the state budget in recent years and to give teachers a raise for the first time in a decade. Lawmakers agreed to boost their salaries, but teachers grew frustrated over the resistance to discuss investment in public education. The walkout may not have given teachers everything they asked for, but it has pushed education to the foreground of Oklahoma’s midterm elections. And it has motivated a record number of teachers to get involved in politics.
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/6/26/17494136/oklahoma-primary-election-teacher-candidates

'An Expensive Experiment': Gates Teacher-Effectiveness Program Shows No Gains for Students
Education Week By Madeline Will June 21, 2018
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s multi-million-dollar, multi-year effort aimed at making teachers more effective largely fell short of its goal to increase student achievement—including among low-income and minority students, a new study found. This conclusion to an expensive chapter of teacher-evaluation reform shows the difficulty of making sweeping, lasting changes to teacher performance. The results also demonstrate the challenges of getting schools and teachers to embrace big changes, especially when state and local policies are in flux. The evaluation of the program, released today, was conducted by the RAND Corporation with the American Institutes for Research and was funded by the Gates Foundation. Under its intensive partnerships for effective teaching program, the Gates Foundation gave grants to three large school districts—Memphis, Tenn. (which merged with Shelby County during the course of the initiative); Pittsburgh; and Hillsborough County, Fla.—and to one charter school consortium in California starting in the 2009-10 school year. The foundation poured $212 million into these partnerships over about six years, and the districts put up matching funds. The total cost of the initiative was $575 million.
https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/06/21/an-expensive-experiment-gates-teacher-effectiveness-program-show.html

He also supported using tax dollars for private schools, a priority for U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. Early in his tenure as Florida state chief, he proposed eliminating 350 jobs from the 1,500-person state education department. That's in line with DeVos' own push to slim down operations at the federal level.”
Senate Approves Jeb Bush's Former Lt. Gov. for Top K-12 Job at Education Department
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Alyson Klein on June 25, 2018 8:16 PM
The U.S. Senate voted Monday to approve the nomination of Frank Brogan as assistant secretary of elementary and secondary education. Brogan replaces Jason Botel, the acting assistant secretary who clashed with Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., over implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act.  Brogan was elected Florida's commissioner of education in 1994, a gig he held until 1999, when he became lieutenant governor. He then served as Bush's lieutenant governor from 1999 to 2003. He has also held just about every possible job in K-12 education policy and instruction. He's also been a teacher, principal, and superintendent of schools in Florida's Martin County. As state chief in Florida, Brogan championed higher academic standards, including a push to require students to take Algebra I or a comparable math course in order to graduate. The plan also called for students to earn a 2.0 grade-point average on a four-point scale to graduate from high school, or to participate in sports or other extracurricular activities while they were in school.
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2018/06/jeb_bush_senate_approves_frank_brogran_assistant_secretary_elementary_and_secondary_education.html

Former PA State System chancellor confirmed to fill top post in U.S. education department
Penn Live By Jan Murphy jmurphy@pennlive.com Updated Jun 26, 10:10 AM
A former chancellor of Pennsylvania's state university system has been confirmed as the U.S. assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education. Frank Brogan, who served as the State System of Higher Education chancellor for four years before retiring on Sept. 1, was confirmed on Monday by the U.S. Senate. He has held various roles in the federal education department while awaiting confirmation. "Our nation's schools are fortunate to now have Mr. Brogan as a partner in this important role," said Senate Education Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn. "He brings nearly every possible perspective to this position, having served as an elementary school teacher, principal, and superintendent, and as Florida's Commissioner of Education and lieutenant governor. I look forward to working with him as he oversees our education law that restores more freedom of decision-making to states and local schools."
https://www.pennlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2018/06/former_state_system_chancellor_1.html#incart_river_index


Apply Now for EPLC's 2018-2019 PA Education Policy Fellowship Program!
Applications are available now for the 2018-2019 Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP).  The Education Policy Fellowship Program is sponsored in Pennsylvania by The Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC). 
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 13-14, 2018 and continues to graduation in June 2019.
Applications are being accepted now.
Click here to read more about the Education Policy Fellowship Program.
The application may be copied from the EPLC web site, but must be submitted by mail or scanned and e-mailed, with the necessary signatures of applicant and sponsor.
If you would like to discuss any aspect of the Fellowship Program and its requirements, please contact EPLC Executive Director Ron Cowell at 717-260-9900 or cowell@eplc.org.


Nominations for PSBA’s Allwein Advocacy Award due by July 16
PSBA Website May 14, 2018
The Timothy M. Allwein Advocacy Award was established in 2011 by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association and may be presented annually to the individual school director or entire school board to recognize outstanding leadership in legislative advocacy efforts on behalf of public education and students that are consistent with the positions in PSBA’s Legislative Platform. In addition to being a highly respected lobbyist, Timothy Allwein served to help our members be effective advocates in their own right. Many have said that Tim inspired them to become active in our Legislative Action Program and to develop personal working relationships with their legislators. The 2018 Allwein Award nomination process will begin on Monday, May 14, 2018. The application due date is July 16, 2018 in the honor of Tim’s birth date of July 16.
Download the Application

https://www.psba.org/2018/05/nominations-allwein-advocacy-award/

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.

2nd Annual National Black Male Educators Convening, Oct. 12-14, Philly
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 2nd National Black Male Educators Convening to advance policy solutions, learn from one another, and fight for social justice. All are welcome. Register to attend. Nominate a speaker. Propose a workshop. Sponsor the event.

Save the Dates PASA/PSBA School Leadership Conference – Hershey, Oct. 17-19, 2018 
Mark your calendar! The Delegate Assembly will take place Friday, Oct. 19, 2018, at 2:30 p.m.
Housing now open!

Our Public Schools Our Democracy: Our Fight for the Future
NPE / NPE Action 5th Annual National Conference
October 20th - 21st, 2018 Indianapolis, Indiana
We are delighted to let you know that you can purchase your discounted Early Bird ticket to register for our annual conference starting today. Purchase your ticket here.
Early Bird tickets will be on sale until May 30 or until all are sold out, so don't wait.  These tickets are a great price--$135. Not only do they offer conference admission, they also include breakfast and lunch on Saturday, and brunch on Sunday. Please don't forget to register for your hotel room. We have secured discounted rates on a limited basis. You can find that link here. Finally, if you require additional financial support to attend, we do offer some scholarships based on need. Go here and fill in an application. We will get back to you as soon as we can. Please join us in Indianapolis as we fight for the public schools that our children and communities deserve. Don't forget to get your Early Bird ticket here. We can't wait to see you.


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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