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PA Ed Policy Roundup Sept. 25, 2019
NCES Report: Despite
a fivefold increase in the charter sector between 2000 and 2016, the report
found no meaningful difference in achievement between charters and traditional
public schools.
“According to The New York Times, 180 members of the House backed an impeachment inquiry by Tuesday
evening, representing more than two-thirds of the Democratic caucus and one
independent lawmaker, Justin Amash from Michigan. Impeachment backers would
need 218 votes for the House to approve articles of impeachment.”
How Pa.’s
Congressional delegation reacted to Nancy Pelosi’s impeachment inquiry
announcement
By Robin Bravender
Capital-Star Washington Bureau| John L. Micek September 24, 2019
WASHINGTON — It’s official: President Donald Trump is the subject of a U.S.
House impeachment inquiry. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.,
announced Tuesday that the majority-Democrat chamber is moving forward with an
“official impeachment inquiry” into the president in the wake of reports that
he pressured the Ukrainian president to investigate former Vice President Joe
Biden, who could be his chief 2020 rival. “The president must be held
accountable; no one is above the law,” Pelosi said after a meeting Tuesday
afternoon with the House Democratic caucus. “The actions taken to date by
the president have seriously violated the constitution,” she added. She said
she had directed six committee leaders already investigating the president to
continue under the framework of a formal impeachment inquiry. The
announcement came after escalating pressure within the Democratic caucus to
launch an official impeachment probe, a topic that has divided the caucus so
far this year. Some Democrats have been pushing for impeachment for
months, but many moderates and leaders of the party were reluctant to take what
could be a politically perilous route for some. But in light of recent reports
about Trump pressuring the Ukrainian president, moderate Democrats and leaders
said there was no alternative to impeachment proceedings.
5 Things We Learned
From New Federal Study: Massive Growth of Charters, No Difference in Student
Performance From Traditional Schools
The74 by CAROLYN
PHENICIE September 25, 2019
A new federal
report released Wednesday offers crucial statistics about one of the most
fiercely debated topics in education: school choice. Politicians and advocates
have called for moratoriums on creating new charter schools, and they were
raised as one of the first K-12 topics in the Democratic debates — even if most
of the candidates avoided the issue. The report, from the National Center for Education Statistics, offered
hard numbers on choice. It studied changes in enrollment in traditional public
schools, charters and private schools, as well as homeschooling trends,
including information on achievement and parental choice and satisfaction, over
the past two decades. One fact sure to rile education advocates of all stripes:
Despite a fivefold increase in the charter sector
between 2000 and 2016, the report found no meaningful difference in achievement
between charters and traditional public schools.
Here’s five key findings:
No Measurable Gap Between Charters, Traditional Public
Schools on National Tests
Education Week By Andrew Ujifusa on September 25, 2019 12:40 AM
There are "no
measurable differences" between the performance of charter schools and
traditional public schools on national reading and math assessments from 2017,
a finding that persists when parents' educational attainment were factored into
the results. That's one key takeaway from a report released Wednesday by
the National Center for Education Statistics about charters, private schools,
and home schooling. "School Choice in the United States: 2019 " also
found that Hispanic students constituted a plurality—33 percent—of charter
school enrollment in 2016-17, followed by white students at 32 percent and
black students at 26 percent. Meanwhile, nearly half of students enrolled at
traditional public schools, 49 percent, were white. And a higher share of charter
school students were enrolled in "high poverty" schools compared to
their traditional public school counterparts, as defined by eligibility for
free or reduced-price meals, by a count of 34 to 24 percent. Enrollment
in charter schools grew by more than five times between 2000 and 2016—not the
most shocking finding given the growth of the charter sector in general,
although that increase did outpace the enrollment growth of just 1 percent in
traditional public schools over the same time period. Meanwhile, the number of
children ages 5 to 17 being home-schooled nearly doubled, reaching 1.7 million
in 2016.
One nation under who?
The Pa. House’s ‘In God We Trust’ bill raises questions | John L. Micek
PA Capital Star Commentary
By John L. Micek September 24, 2019
Reclaiming its
perch as the arbiter of the Culture Wars, the House State Government Committee
approved a bill Tuesday allowing school districts to post “In God We Trust” in classrooms and other prominent places. And Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta
had just one question — one that seemed especially pertinent after it became
clear that there was nothing in current law barring districts from already
doing just that. “Why are we spending time debating this?” Kenyatta,
D-Philadelphia, fumed, shortly before the majority-Republican panel voted
15-10, along party lines to send the bill to the full House for its
consideration. Kenyatta who is openly gay, added that there were far better
things for the committee, chaired by Rep. Garth Everett, R-Lycoming, to be
doing on the taxpayers’ dime. Among them, he said, would be finally debating
and approving legislation banning discrimination against LGBTQ Pennsylvanians. It
was a great point. State lawmakers have so many playing fields they could be
leveling, from passing a higher minimum wage and making college more
affordable, to making sure that every Pennsylvania child gets a healthy start
in life and then stays safe in school once they’re on their way.
There’s certainly
no shortage of challenges for them to take on.
House Judiciary
chairman says he won’t consider red flag proposal as panel advances mandatory
minimums
PA Capital Star By Stephen Caruso September 24, 2019
Rep. Rob
Kauffman, GOP chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said at a voting
meeting on guns Tuesday, September 24, that he would not ever allow a vote on a
red flag law.
A state House panel
advanced mandatory minimum sentences for gun criminals, preemption legislation
of local firearms laws, and a slate of other bills Tuesday aimed at deterring
gun crime. The votes by the House Judiciary Committee marked the first
legislative action on firearms after a summer dominated by mass shootings,
including two in one August weekend that left 29 people dead. The day’s
agenda drew criticisms from Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration, as well as Democratic members
of the General Assembly, who were frustrated by a lack of action on measures
favored by gun-violence reduction advocates. That includes consideration of
an extreme risk protection proposal sponsored by Rep. Todd Stephens,
R-Montgomery, which allows for the court-ordered temporary seizure of a person’s firearms. “We will not be considering red flag in the
House Judiciary Committee so long as Chairman Kauffman is chairman,” Rep.
Rob Kauffman, R-Franklin, said, referring to himself in the third person.
“The committee’s agenda did not include
bills favored by Democrats and a handful of Republicans, including expanding
background checks, requiring gun owners to report lost or stolen firearms, and
empowering relatives or police to seek the immediate, if temporary, seizure of
someone’s firearms. After the hearing, Democrats got more unfavorable news. “We
don’t have any intention of addressing further gun control measures this
session,” said House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rob Kauffman, R-Franklin.”
Gun debate revives in Pa. statehouse
Doylestown Intelligencer By Marc Levy /
Associated Press Posted
Sep 24, 2019 at 5:04 PM
HARRISBURG — The
debate over guns was revived Tuesday in Pennsylvania’s Republican-controlled
Legislature after a year of shocking violence, although Democrats went away
frustrated and warning the process could end up actually loosening gun laws. The
day marked the start of a two-day Senate committee hearing on gun violence and
a slate of House committee votes on gun-related legislation that drew some
votes from Democrats, but also left untouched bills they have made their top
priorities. The House Judiciary Committee unanimously advanced legislation to
more swiftly take away guns from someone who was involuntarily committed for
mental health treatment, changing the period from 60 days to 48 hours. However,
another bill that passed the committee — to make it harder and more expensive
for municipalities to defend their firearms ordinances against lawsuits —
swiftly drew a veto threat from Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf.
“Many Pa. schools have armed school
resource officers, police, or security guards. At least one, Blue Mountain
School District, has armed custodians. Some districts have allowed
superintendents to carry guns without telling the public. So far, there’s no documented
cases of Pennsylvania schools arming their teachers. Tamaqua’s policy has been
stalled by lawsuits and changes to state law. But school board leaders plan to
rewrite the policy in a way that they believe will comply with new state
training requirements for school security personnel. Tamaqua has not committed
to FASTER, but the training provides a glimpse of how Pa. schools could change
if armed teachers become a new normal in classrooms.”
‘Shooting people is deescalation’: Three days with
teachers training to use guns in schools
WHYY Morning
Edition By Jen Kinney September 25, 2019
Andrew Blubagh is
kneeling on the ground holding a handgun flat on his knee, its barrel pointed
at the dirt berm that surrounds the firing range. Angie, a petite woman in her
40s, is beside him, her index finger wrapped around the trigger, his wrapped
around hers. He wants Angie to feel how much force it takes to fire the weapon.
He wants her to be prepared. “You bring the gun up. Somebody comes around the
corner. They’ve got something in their hand,” he says. “You bring the sights up
to your line of sight.” Blubagh, a police officer and firearms instructor,
pulls Angie’s finger to the trigger’s point of resistance — the pressure wall. “You
give them verbal commands,” he continues. “You see it’s a knife, he brings it
up. You fire a shot.” Smoke rises from the barrel in the flat hot sunshine of
the range, the scent of gunpowder and manure in the air. “Fire another shot, he’s not going down. Fire
another shot,” Blubagh presses Angie’s finger into the trigger, discharging
bullet after bullet into the dirt. “He is still moving, reaching for the knife
again. You align the sights onto the head. You fire off another shot. Bam!” He
pulls the trigger once more. “He is dead.”
Several Lancaster
County school districts discovered toxic lead in their drinking water in
2018-19, test results show
Lancaster Online by
ALEX GELI | Staff
Writer September
25, 2019
Many Lancaster
County schools discovered troubling amounts of toxic lead flowing through their
pipes this past school year after a new state law pushed them to test their
water. Among several hundred water sources tested at the county’s public
schools, 42 had lead levels beyond the action limit of 15 parts per billion set
by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, LNP found after requesting each school’s water testing results through
the Right to Know Law. The tests were conducted in the 2018-19 school year in
accordance with a new Pennsylvania law that encourages schools to test their
water for lead. The law allows schools to opt out of testing if they discuss
the lead issue at a public meeting, though none of the 17 public school
districts, nor the county’s lone charter school, did so. School districts that
discovered elevated lead levels were Cocalico, Conestoga Valley, Ephrata Area,
Octorara Area, School District of Lancaster and Warwick. Tests showed levels as
high as 469 parts per billion, or 39 times the federal action limit. In each of
those districts, fixes and retests have taken place to ensure students have
safe drinking water, officials said. While corrective action was widely taken,
it’s not clear when schools would have tested next if state lawmakers hadn’t
stepped in.
Plaintiffs drop
student privacy lawsuit against Boyertown Area as Elanco attempts to avoid its
own legal battle
Lancaster Online by
ALEX GELI | Staff
Writer Sep 24,
2019
The fight over the
privacy rights of students in a southeastern Pennsylvania school district is
over. Meanwhile, a similar battle closer to home is quieting down. A
high-profile lawsuit lodged against Boyertown Area School District by a group
of students over privacy concerns in bathrooms and locker rooms was dropped
Thursday. The students had argued that the district was unconstitutionally
violating their privacy by allowing transgender students to use facilities that
align with their gender identity. This comes four months after the U.S. Supreme
Court passed
on the case following
an earlier decision by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled in favor
of the school district and its bathroom policy. It also comes a month after
Eastern Lancaster County School District kicked off its school year with a
controversial student privacy policy that states students must use facilities
that align with their biological sex while the district works on adding private
areas to change and use the restroom. The policy garnered support from
residents who were troubled by the district’s initial decision to allow a
transgender high school student, who was born female but identifies as a boy,
to use the boys’ bathroom and locker room. But it sparked protests from other
parties who said the policy violated civil rights laws.
How one Philly high school reveals the district’s dire
attendance problems
Inquirer by Jessica Calefati, Jesenia De Moya
Correa and Kristen A. Graham, September 25, 2019
Each morning, when
students arrive at Thomas A. Edison High School in North Philadelphia, they
pass through a metal detector and then swipe their school-issued identification
cards at a kiosk to record themselves as present. It’s one way Philadelphia’s
middle and high schools track student attendance. The district tallies the card
swipes and uses them to determine a school’s official attendance record.
Federal officials use the data to calculate school funding. But the district
has a more precise way to track attendance. Teachers record roll every period.
These records reveal how many Edison students don’t go to class. Instead they
hang out with friends in secluded stairways and corridors or simply walk the
halls or leave campus. The Inquirer examined a representative sample of
attendance records from Edison and found huge disparities between the two
systems. Card swipes for 22 students recorded from October to April last school
year show they attended 75% of the time. When accounting for those actually in
class, however, the rate drops by more than half, to 36%, the classroom
attendance records show. Rosy data based on card swipes has been touted by
district officials as evidence of their success boosting attendance, even
at low-performing
schools like Edison. Meanwhile,
the daily logs created by teachers are hidden from the public.
Philly High school selection process rewards the
privileged and punishes the vulnerable
"The
branding of the “Find Your Fit” campaign suggests that the process of matching
nearly half of the students in Philadelphia into high schools that require
intervention is intentional."
The notebook Commentary by AJ Ernst September 24 — 12:03 pm, 2019
The School District
of Philadelphia started its high school selection process on Friday,
disingenuously inviting students to “find their fit.” Although there have been
many improvements across the city, the branding of the “Find Your Fit” campaign
implies the work is done when nearly half of the public high schools earned the
lowest rating on the Districts’ own School Performance Profile Index in 2018.
These schools “require immediate attention and assistance” to address
chronically low academic performance and safety concerns. So, how could these
schools possibly be considered “fit” for students? Disparities between schools
are neither a new phenomenon or unique to Philadelphia. Still, this misleading
marketing strategy distracts us from confronting hard truths about race and
class, and how the concomitant burdens ultimately define the lived-experience
of students daily. Instead of dismantling barriers to access, the District is
endorsing a process that calcifies two educational tracks: one that rewards the
privileged and one that punishes the vulnerable. Before examining the selective
admissions process, it is worth asking why it exists in the first place.
Attractive magnet programs were originally created to incentivize white
families to remain in the city instead of fleeing to the suburbs as public schools
began to integrate in the 1960s. Policies that were once blatantly racist have
evolved into performance thresholds that achieve the same result. Schools are
now more segregated than before Brown vs. the Board of Education 65 years ago.
Ears on the Philly Board of Education: September
19, 2019
Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools By
Diane Payne September 23, 2019
Seven Mastery
Charter Schools and KIPP West Philadelphia Preparatory Charter School were
voted on for renewal. Three of these schools were from the 2015/16 school
year. All Charter School negotiations are conducted out of the public
view. Unspecified conditions were originally attached to the school’s
renewal by the Charter School Office (CSO) but all conditions were dropped for
the renewals on this agenda. The public has no way of knowing what those
conditions were or why those unknown conditions were dropped. Many staff,
parents, and administrators spoke on the toxic conditions found in many of our
school buildings advocating for a systemic fix.
“The
change in eligibility rules would also have consequences for children who now
receive free lunches, Miller said, with 22,600 households in Pennsylvania
potentially affected.”
Trump administration’s SNAP change ‘cruel and
mean-spirited’ says state Human Services secretary
Beaver County Times By J.D.
Prose Posted Sep 23, 2019 at 5:41 PM Updated Sep 23, 2019
at 5:42 PM
Calling the Trump
administration’s proposed changes to a federal food assistance program “cruel
and mean-spirited,” a cabinet secretary for Gov. Tom Wolf said Monday that
200,000 Pennsylvanians could lose their benefits. “The Wolf administration
vehemently opposes this change,” said Pennsylvania Human Services Secretary
Teresa Miller in a conference call with reporters about the possible changes to
eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), more
commonly known as food stamps. Miller’s department estimates that 2,544 Beaver
County residents and 1,564 Lawrence County residents could lose their benefits
under the plan. President Donald Trump’s administration has proposed
prohibiting states from raising or eliminating income limits that allows them
to give federally-funded food benefits to people who would not otherwise
qualify.
Trump administration rule could end free school lunches
for about 500,000 children
Washington Post By Moriah Balingit September 24, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. EDT
About a
half-million students could lose access to free school meals under a Trump
administration proposal to limit the number of people who qualify for food
stamps, drawing protests from congressional Democrats who say it could harm
needy schoolchildren. The change, proposed over the summer, would cut an
estimated 3 million people from the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance
Program. It is intended to eliminate eligibility for people who get food stamps
because they have qualified for other forms of government aid, even though they
may have savings or other assets. But the impact of the cuts is anticipated to
go further: Children in those households could also lose access to free school
lunches, since food stamp eligibility is one way students can qualify for the
lunches. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said in July that the change was
intended to cut families that the administration thinks do not need food stamp
aid. “The American people expect their government to be fair, efficient, and to
have integrity — just as they do in their own homes, businesses, and
communities,” Perdue said. “That is why we are changing the rules, preventing
abuse of a critical safety net system, so those who need food assistance the
most are the only ones who receive it.” Nearly one in seven children came from
households that were considered “food insecure” in 2018. Recognizing that many
households rely on schools for food, some school systems have begun feeding
their students through the summertime.
According to state
law, all school directors must complete training. How many hours are required
if you are a new school director? What about if you’re re-elected? Get the
answers to these and other related questions in this episode of PSBA’s #VideoEDition.
Information about the
education sessions for the 2019 @PasaSupts @PSBA School Leadership Conference are now live on our
website! We hope to see you there! #PASLC2019
What: Informal
discussion on cyber charter schools
When: 9 a.m.
refreshments, 9:30 a.m. panel, Oct. 7
Where: Central
Pennsylvania Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, 800 E. Park Ave., State College
AAUW State College
Branch invites you to attend an informational panel discussion to learn more
about background and issues connected with cyber charter schools. Join us on Oct.
7, at the Central Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors Bureau, 800 E. Park
Ave., State College (visitor center off Porter Road). Refreshments, 9 a.m.;
panel discussion, 9:30 a.m.
The American
Association of University Women State College Branch is part of a nationwide
network of about 1,000 branches that are dedicated to advancing equity for
women and girls.
Adolescent Health and
School Start Times: Science, Strategies, Tactics, & Logistics
Workshop Nov 13, Exton
Join school administrators and staff, including superintendents, transportation directors, principals, athletic directors, teachers, counselors, nurses, and school board members, parents, guardians, health professionals and other concerned community members for an interactive and solutions-oriented workshop on Wednesday, November 13, 2019 9:30 am to 3:00 pm
Join school administrators and staff, including superintendents, transportation directors, principals, athletic directors, teachers, counselors, nurses, and school board members, parents, guardians, health professionals and other concerned community members for an interactive and solutions-oriented workshop on Wednesday, November 13, 2019 9:30 am to 3:00 pm
Clarion Hotel in
Exton, PA
The science is clear. Many middle and high school days in Pennsylvania, and across the nation, start too early in the morning. The American Medical Association, Centers for Disease Control, American Academy of Pediatrics, and many other major health and education leaders agree and have issued policy statements recommending that secondary schools start no earlier than 8:30 am to allow for sleep, health, and learning. Implementing these recommendations, however, can seem daunting. Discussions will include the science of sleep and its connection to school start times, as well as proven strategies for successfully making change--how to generate optimum community support and work through implementation challenges such as bus routes, athletics, and more. Register for the workshop here: https://ssl-workshop-pa.eventbrite.com Thanks to our generous sponsors, we are able to offer early bird registration for $25, which includes a box-lunch and coffee service. Seating is limited and early bird registration ends on Friday, September 13.
For more information visit the workshop website www.startschoollater.net/workshop---pa or email contact@startschoollater.net
The science is clear. Many middle and high school days in Pennsylvania, and across the nation, start too early in the morning. The American Medical Association, Centers for Disease Control, American Academy of Pediatrics, and many other major health and education leaders agree and have issued policy statements recommending that secondary schools start no earlier than 8:30 am to allow for sleep, health, and learning. Implementing these recommendations, however, can seem daunting. Discussions will include the science of sleep and its connection to school start times, as well as proven strategies for successfully making change--how to generate optimum community support and work through implementation challenges such as bus routes, athletics, and more. Register for the workshop here: https://ssl-workshop-pa.eventbrite.com Thanks to our generous sponsors, we are able to offer early bird registration for $25, which includes a box-lunch and coffee service. Seating is limited and early bird registration ends on Friday, September 13.
For more information visit the workshop website www.startschoollater.net/workshop---pa or email contact@startschoollater.net
“Each member entity will have one vote
for each officer. This will require boards of the various school entities to
come to a consensus on each candidate and cast their vote electronically during
the open voting period (Aug. 23 – Oct. 11, 2019).”
PSBA Officer
Elections: Slate of Candidates
PSBA members
seeking election to office for the association were required to submit a
nomination form no later than June 1, 2019, to be considered. All candidates
who properly completed applications by the deadline are included on the slate
of candidates below. In addition, the Leadership Development Committee met on
June 15th at PSBA headquarters in Mechanicsburg to interview candidates.
According to bylaws, the Leadership Development Committee may determine
candidates highly qualified for the office they seek. This is noted next to
each person’s name with an asterisk (*).
WHERE: Hershey Lodge and
Convention Center 325 University Drive, Hershey, PA
WHEN: Wednesday, October
16 to Friday, October 18, 201
Registration is now open!
Growth from knowledge acquired. Vision inspired by innovation. Impact
created by a synergized leadership community. You are called upon to be the
drivers of a thriving public education system. It’s a complex and challenging
role. Expand your skillset and give yourself the tools needed for the
challenge. Packed into two and a half daysꟷꟷgain access to top-notch education
and insights, dynamic speakers, peer learning opportunities and the latest
product and service innovations. Come to the PASA-PSBA School Leadership
Conference to grow!
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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