Tuesday, November 12, 2019

PA Ed Policy Roundup for Nov. 12, 2019 Pennsylvania is home to the widest per-pupil spending gap in the nation between wealthy and poor school districts.


Started in November 2010, daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 4050 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors, administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers, Governor's staff, current/former PA Secretaries of Education, Wolf education transition team members, superintendents, school solicitors, principals, charter school leaders, PTO/PTA officers, parent advocates, teacher leaders, business leaders, faith-based organizations, labor organizations, education professors, members of the press and a broad array of P-16 regulatory agencies, professional associations and education advocacy organizations via emails, website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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PA Ed Policy Roundup for Nov. 12, 2019


“Added, too many young Pennsylvanians attend public K-12 schools that lack adequate resources to ensure a quality education. In fact, Pennsylvania is home to the widest per-pupil spending gap in the nation between wealthy and poor school districts. Furthermore, Pennsylvania ranks third overall in the statewide percent of children attending severely financially disadvantaged districts, behind only Illinois and New Hampshire. Our state’s over-reliance on local property taxes to fund public education has drastically limited poorer communities’ ability to adequately fund their schools.”
Veterans Day honors those who served. Now we need to look to the next generation of warriors | 
Opinion By Thomas J. Wilson III Capital-Star Op-Ed Contributor November 11, 2019
Rear Adm. Thomas J. Wilson III (U.S. Navy, Ret’d) is a member of the executive advisory council of Mission: Readiness – Military Leaders for Kids. He writes from Biglerville, Pa.
 “Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men.”
The nature of war may have changed since Gen. George S. Patton wrote those famous words, but the principle remains the same. No matter what we invest in weapons and technology, the men and women wearing the uniforms of our nation deliver the resourcefulness and skill that keeps America safe. On this Veterans’ Day, we honor those who serve, but it’s also a time to cast our vision ahead to those who might someday serve. Unfortunately, here is where we see potential problems. Like employers throughout Pennsylvania and nationwide, the U.S. military strains to draw recruits from an increasingly depleted workforce. Low unemployment has created a hiring crunch, complicated for the military by the fact that nearly three out of four young Pennsylvanians do not qualify for military service due to educational deficiencies, health or fitness issues, or a criminal record. If we do not address this eligibility problem and expand the readiness of young people, will we have the sufficient pool of talented recruits needed to serve in our military in the future?  Will private sector employers have a sufficient pool of talented applicants needed to fill their labor force? The retired admirals and generals of Mission: Readiness recommend a solution – investing in our young people today to better ensure the readiness of workers and service members tomorrow.

Video: This is what many Philadelphia school children experience each day. #toxicschools have to go!
Tweet from Senator Hughes Office Video Runtime 3:47

A+ schools report touts programs successes
By  PAULA REED WARD Pittsburgh Post-Gazette pward@post-gazette.com NOV 11, 2019 
For 14 years, the educational advocacy group, A+ Schools, has issued an annual report critiquing the Pittsburgh Public Schools district. This year, executive director James Fogarty said he wanted to do something different. Instead of highlighting where the district is struggling, the report instead focuses on success stories at six local schools. It was presented to the community on Monday at the Kaufmann Center at the Hill House Association. "How do we replicate what's being done in these buildings?" Mr. Fogarty asked. "How do we, as a community, support these schools? "I'm done thinking the problems in our education system are intractable." One story that he specifically highlighted focused on Pittsburgh Schiller 6-8 in the East Allegheny section of the North Side. In the spring of 2013, 36% of students there were chronically absent. In 2018/19, that rate was down to 3%. Not only that, but student test scores, in English and math, were up, Mr. Fogarty said. "That's as a result of kids being there," he said.

“El-Mekki has become a leading voice in the country advocating for the importance of diversifying the nation’s teaching force, which has become more white as the nation’s K-12 enrollment edges toward becoming majority students of color. He is traveling the country in a quest to entice young African Americans into teaching, telling them that they will be building on a proud history of black education and community leadership. And he is working in a state that has one of the worst disparities between the demographics of its teaching force and its student population.”
‘Revolutionary’ principal goes all-in on quest for more black teachers
WHYY By Dale Mezzacappa November 12, 2019
Sharif El-Mekki left his job as a principal in Southwest Philadelphia to start an organization which aims to recruit more African Americans into the teaching profession.
On a misty October Tuesday, Sharif El-Mekki sat in the gymnasium of a North Philadelphia elementary school that had been decked out with bright lights and sleek microphones. He sat in the next-to-last row, on the edge of his seat, as videographers darted around the room to record the event. Tobias Harris, the Sixers’ star forward, was announcing to pep-rally-like fanfare the first nine organizations to be recognized by his philanthropy. It was the Tobias Community Draft.
The organizations in line to receive money were told to show up, but not how much they would receive. El-Mekki waited as, one by one, in ascending order of amounts, Harris announced his choices. He started at $25,000, rising to $50,000, then $75,000. As names were announced, the amounts kept increasing — $100,000. $200,000. Soon, there was just one recipient left: The Center for Black Educator Development, an organization El-Mekki founded in June after 26 years as a teacher and principal in Philadelphia. As lights flashed, Harris announced that the Center, or CBED, was his “top draft pick,” receiving $300,000 of the $1 million he gave out that day.
It was a huge coup for an organization that is only a few months old. 
“I’m blown away,” El-Mekki said in accepting the symbolic oversized check.

'There Will Be No Teachers Left': Educators in Philadelphia Talk About Quitting, School Violence and Paying for Classroom Supplies
More than 500 teachers took a survey provided by NBC10, giving their opinions on whether educators should be armed, whether the classroom is a safe environment and how often they contemplate leaving the profession
By NBC10 Investigators Published Nov 11, 2019 at 3:44 PM | Updated at 12:05 AM EST on Nov 12, 2019
Last year, a high school school teacher in Philadelphia said the cost out-of-pocket was $600 for their classroom supplies. "I don’t have money to spare, but I’m committed to teaching," the teacher told NBC10 in an interview. The educator, along with five other teachers in the city district, spoke in-depth about their jobs on the condition of anonymity for fear they could lose their jobs. Another teacher said that test-dominant cirriculums take all of the joy out of the profession and all self-expression and imagination out of the classroom. "We're asked to teach to the test. They will come right out and tell you: 'if it’s not a test-taking skill, don’t teach it,'" the elementary school teacher said. "If the parents knew, truthfully, what went on in the schools, there would be repercussions." Teachers in Philadelphia don't make a fortune — between $46,000 and $84,000 annually — and it's hard-earned: they deal with occasional in-school violence, constant pressure to improve test scores and a high-rate of turnover among their peers.

Quakertown policy would restrict activity participation for students who owe money
Bucks County Courier Times By Jo Ciavaglia Posted Nov 11, 2019 at 2:06 PM
With school lunch debt rising more Pennsylvania districts are looking for ways to recoup those losses before they send food service programs into the red. Quakertown Community School District students who owe money for school property — including outstanding lunch tabs — could find themselves barred from school activities and their debt referred to a collection agency under a new policy under consideration. The Upper Bucks district is not the only one expected to take action in response to rising school lunch debt that has local food service programs chasing after thousands, even tens of thousands, of dollars, risking their ability to operate without dipping into the general fund to subsidize operations. The proposed Student Financial Obligations policy would apply to any money Quakertown students owe, including overdue library books, damaged district property, fundraising money, and other classroom materials and district services, district spokesman Gary Weckselblatt said. The board gave its preliminary approval at a first reading in late September; the proposal is now under legal review and a final vote is scheduled for the Thursday school board meeting.

The tech industry wants more diverse workers — here's how Lancaster County is helping
Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer November 12, 2019
Lancaster County has launched Pennsylvania’s first technology industry partnership in response to the growing demand of computer science-related careers. More than 20 experts from the tech, education, health care and nonprofit sectors gathered for the first time Monday to brainstorm ways to cultivate and retain diverse talent in the tech industry. “There is nothing in this world that is untouched by technology,” said Charlie Reisinger, Penn Manor School District’s technology director and one of a handful of partnership members. “So, frankly, this is the most important conversation we can be having when it comes to the future of Lancaster.” Among the two most high-demand jobs in Lancaster County, according to the local workforce development board, are computer systems analysts and computer user support specialists. From 2014 to 2024, those jobs are projected to grow by 22% and 10%, respectively. But businesses struggle to recruit talent — especially diverse talent. Thus the Lancaster Tech Industry Partnership was born, thanks to a $50,000 PA Smart grant from the state.

Pennsylvania schools struggling with bus driver shortage
WHYY By Associated Press November 11, 2019
Pennsylvania school districts are struggling with a shortage of bus drivers.
decline in the number of licensed school bus drivers statewide has some districts scrambling to get students to and from school, a situation that has gotten “progressively worse,” according to Mike Berk, executive director of the Pennsylvania School Bus Association, which represents companies that provide districts with busing services. In the West Chester Area School District outside Philadelphia, 12 of the district’s 192 routes don’t have permanent drivers, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Some drivers have had to double up on runs, forcing students to spend twice as much time on the bus. “We’ve received more complaints this year than we have in the past,” said Joanne Yarnall, West Chester’s transportation manager. She and others attribute the shortage to a strong economy in which potential drivers have plenty of other job options. “Typically in this industry, if the economy is in the toilet, we have enough drivers,” said Yarnall. “Part-time work is better than no work.” Council Rock, another suburban Philadelphia district, has reported shortages of as many as 25 drivers a day for its 150 buses. Its bus contractor, First Student, has been offering sign-on bonuses of $1,000 in hopes of luring drivers.

Poll: Many say high school diploma enough to succeed
TribLive by ASSOCIATED PRESS  | Monday, November 11, 2019 8:45 a.m.
Although most young Americans believe in the value of higher education, many still consider a high school diploma alone to be enough for success, according to a survey of teens and young adults by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The findings alarm some experts who say young Americans don’t seem to be getting the message that college pays off. Federal labor data shows a wide earnings gap between Americans who do and do not have a college degree, and unemployment rates are far lower for those with a bachelor’s or master’s degree. More than half of Americans ages 13 through 29 do see college as a path to economic success, but about 4 in 10 believe a bachelor’s degree prepares people only somewhat well, or even poorly, for today’s economy. Meanwhile, about half said their high school education has provided the skills they need to get a good job right after they graduate. And 45% say a high school diploma is good preparation for future successful workers. Researchers disputed that notion, saying it has been decades since a high school diploma was enough to earn a good living.

THANKING A 20-YEAR SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER
Centre Daily Times Letter by Jonathan Lumley-Sapanski, Morristown, New Jersey November 10, 2019
Twenty years ago, Robert Lumley-Sapanski was first elected to the Bellefonte school board. The world of public education was in a period of great change. Over the past two decades, public education has seen profound changes, from coping with the fear active shooter drills instill in students to the challenges and wake of No Child Left Behind.
That same year, I sat in the sixth grade preparing for the state’s first PSSAs. This was when teachers, administrators and school boards alike started living in fear that “below basic” scores would lead to loss of funding, not increased assistance, due to new legislation, and Pennsylvania teachers were forced to teach to tests. As time progressed, even greater challenges came to public education with the fear generated by the 9/11 attacks, countless school shootings, and budget cuts, among others. Over the 20 years since his election, the middle school renovation project was completed with state-of-the-art improvements. Bob was elected vice president of the board, and then president. During his time as president he led the district in radically improving facilities including Marion-Walker Elementary renovations, high school renovations, and the Rogers Stadium, Jeremy Herbstritt and Jonas Panik track. Bob was elected and served as Pennsylvania School Board Association president, working to advance legislation including vastly improving mental health services provided in our public schools.
Please join me in thanking Bob, my father, for his dedication and tireless efforts championing public education over the past two decades on the school board.
  
SOME OF THOSE FOLKS WHO CLAIM TO BE PROGRESSIVES ARE LYING
Philly’s 7th Ward Blog BY ZACHARY WRIGHT NOVEMBER 10, 2019
“Progressive” is a slippery word. The very term denotes improvement, progress, and thus is by nature a desirable term with which to self-apply. But “progress” is in the eye of the beholder. What might be progressive to one may be regressive to another. And indeed, what was at one time thought progressive, may in today’s world be embarrassingly regressive (“don’t ask, don’t tell” comes to mind.)
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A PROGRESSIVE TODAY?
One place to look is the platform of the Progressive Democrats of America
Their list of issues include:
  • Healthcare Human Rights 
  • Equal Rights Amendment
  • End Corporate Rule
  • Stop Global Warming
  • Voter Access
  • Economic & Social Justice
  • Ending Wars
There is a general theme here. To be “progressive,” it would seem, is to fight for equitable access. Access to healthcare. Access to equal pay. Access to voting rights. Access to justice. Access to a clean environment. Access to peace and wellness.  This increase in access is counter measured with environmental protection and dismantling corporate lobbying structures that influence or control Congress. To me, this progressive platform can be boiled down to a single objective: creating a system in which all people have access to quality education, jobs, health, housing and justice—regardless of race, gender, sexual expression, religion, economic status or zip code.
Do you know what else falls under this progressive platform? School choice.


Where Civility Is a Motto, a School Integration Fight Turns Bitter
A plan to desegregate schools in a liberal Maryland suburb founded on values of tolerance has met with stiff resistance.
New York Times By Dana Goldstein Nov. 12, 2019, 5:00 a.m. ET
COLUMBIA, Md. — The planned community of Columbia, southwest of Baltimore, has prided itself on its ethos of inclusion ever since it was founded more than half a century ago. Racially integrated. Affordable apartments near big homes. “The Next America” was its optimistic, harmonious motto. But a recent proposal to restore some of that idealism by balancing the number of low-income children enrolled in schools across Howard County, including those in Columbia, has led to bitter divisions. Protesters in matching T-shirts have thronged school board meetings. Thousands of letters and emails opposing the redistricting plan, some of them overtly racist, have poured in to policymakers. One high school student made a death threat against the superintendent of schools, Michael J. Martirano. The plan, announced by Dr. Martirano in August, would transfer 7,400 of the district’s 58,000 students to different schools in an effort to chip away at an uncomfortable truth: Some of the county’s campuses have become havens for rich students, while others serve large numbers of children whose families are struggling. Dr. Martirano’s plan, which he called Equity in Action, would also alter the racial makeup of some schools, given that the majority of poor students in the county are black or Hispanic.

Screen Time Up as Reading Scores Drop. Is There a Link?
Education Week By Sarah D. Sparks November 8, 2019
American students have never had more access to digital devices for reading in and out of school. Now emerging research and troubling results on the test dubbed the Nation’s Report Card raise questions about what effect all this digital access could have on students’ longterm reading skills. A little more than 1 in 3 American students read proficiently in grades 4 or 8, according to the 2019 National Assessment of Educational Progress, released at the end of last month. Reading scores in both grades declined significantly across states, races, and income levels, in public and private schools. Students have actually lost ground since 2017 on both of the NAEP’s main reading content areas: literary experience, such as fiction analysis, and reading for information, such as finding evidence to support an argument. Both grades declined significantly in both areas from 2017 to 2019, but the drop was larger for literary skills. In fact, 8th graders perform worse now than they did in 2009 in literary experience.

“For the most part, despite her wild unpopularity, they chalk up DeVos’ success to President Donald Trump’s relative disinterest in education, her comparative lack of ethical conflicts and scandal, and her connections to the evangelical community, a group that serves as an important voting bloc for the president.”
Betsy DeVos Might Outlast Them All
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is one of the Trump administration’s most reviled Cabinet members. Here’s why she’s here to stay.
Huffington Post By Rebecca Klein November 11, 2019
Betsy DeVos’ confirmation hearing in January 2017 made her a universal punchline. When asked about her thoughts on guns in school, she famously pointed to the need to protect students from grizzly bears. When asked about her opinions on exams that measure proficiency versus those that measure growth, she could barely stammer out an answer. In a Republican-majority Senate, the billionaire mega-donor was barely confirmed to her position, a humiliating turn that required Vice President Mike Pence to cast the tie-breaking vote. Two years later, DeVos remains among the least popular Cabinet members in a historically unpopular administration. Yet, somehow, even as her peers dropped like flies — former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson — the education secretary has remained standing.  HuffPost spoke with over a dozen people about DeVos’ longevity, including former colleagues at the Department of Education, former co-workers in the advocacy space, and several political opponents who continue to root for her downfall.


PSBA New and Advanced School Director Training in Dec & Jan
Do you want high-impact, engaging training that newly elected and reseated school directors can attend to be certified in new and advanced required training? PSBA has been supporting new school directors for more than 50 years by enlisting statewide experts in school law, finance and governance to deliver a one-day foundational training. This year, we are adding a parallel track of sessions for those who need advanced school director training to meet their compliance requirements. These sessions will be delivered by the same experts but with advanced content. Look for a compact evening training or a longer Saturday session at a location near you. All sites will include one hour of trauma-informed training required by Act 18 of 2019. Weekend sites will include an extra hour for a legislative update from PSBA’s government affairs team.
New School Director Training
Week Nights: Registration opens 3:00 p.m., program starts 3:30 p.m. -9:00 p.m., dinner with break included
Saturdays: Registration opens at 8:00 a.m., program starts at 9:00 a.m. -3:30 p.m., lunch with break included
Advanced School Director Training
Week Nights: Registration with dinner provided opens at 4:30 p.m., program starts 5:30 p.m. -9:00 p.m.
Saturdays: Registration opens at 10:00 a.m., program starts at 11:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m., lunch with break included
Locations and dates

UPDATE:  Second Workshop Added Thursday, November 14, 2019 9:30 am to 3:00 pm: Adolescent Health and School Start Times:  Science, Strategies, Tactics, & Logistics Workshop in Exton, PA
The first workshop on November 13 sold out in less than 4 weeks.  Thanks to recent additional sponsorships, there will be a second workshop held on Thursday, November 14. Register HERE.
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 a second interactive and solutions-oriented workshop on Thursday, November 14, 2019 9:30 am to 3:00 pm  Clarion Hotel in Exton, PA. The science is clear. Many middle and high schools 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.   
For more information visit the workshop website www.startschoollater.net/workshop---pa  or email contact@startschoollater.net

Congress, Courts, and a National Election: 50 Million Children’s Futures Are at Stake. Be their champion at the 2020 Advocacy Institute.
NSBA Advocacy Institute Feb. 2-4, 2020 Marriot Marquis, Washington, D.C.
Join school leaders from across the country on Capitol Hill, Feb. 2-4, 2020 to influence the legislative agenda & shape decisions that impact public schools. Check out the schedule & more at https://nsba.org/Events/Advocacy-Institute

Register now for Network for Public Education Action National Conference in Philadelphia March 28-29, 2020
Registration, hotel information, keynote speakers and panels:

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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