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.
These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
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If any of your colleagues would
like to be added to the email list please have them send their name, title and
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PA Ed Policy Roundup for April 6, 2020
Schools face myriad challenges as remote learning gets
underway
ANDREW GOLDSTEIN Pittsburgh Post-Gazette agoldstein@post-gazette.com APR 6, 2020
5:18 AM
Schools in Western Pennsylvania are large
both in number and diversity. In Allegheny County alone, there are 43 school
districts, including Pittsburgh Public Schools, the second-biggest district in
the state with nearly 23,000 students. The number of districts does not account
for private, parochial and charter schools, the number of which is also
significant. Differences between the resources that schools have access to have
been apparent as the schools attempt to implement remote learning plans amid
the COVID-19 shutdown. Some schools were better prepared to move class outside
their buildings because of investments in technology, while others are still
trying to secure materials that will make their education continuity plans
possible. “You see the inequity,” said Jeffrey Matty, superintendent of
the Wilmington Area School District in Lawrence County. “I think that’s
something that when we’re all done with this crisis, we’ll be able to see and
maybe we’ll realize that having every student have the ability to get access
[to technology] if they want to, that’ll be a positive.”
As School Moves Online, Many Students Stay Logged Out
Teachers at some schools across the country
report that less than half of their students are participating in online learning.
New York Times By Dana Goldstein, Adam Popescu and Nikole Hannah-Jones April 6, 2020, 5:00 a.m. ET
Chronic absenteeism is a problem in American
education during the best of times, but now, with the vast majority of the
nation’s school buildings closed and lessons being conducted remotely, more
students than ever are missing class — not logging on, not checking in or not
completing assignments. The absence rate appears particularly high in schools
with many low-income students, whose access to home computers and internet
connections can be spotty. Some teachers report that less than half their
students are regularly participating. The trend is leading to widespread
concern among educators, with talk of a potential need for summer sessions, an
early start in the fall, or perhaps having some or even all students repeat a
grade once Americans are able to return to classrooms. Students are struggling
to connect in districts large and small. Los Angeles said last week that
about a third of its high school students were not logging in for classes. And
there are daunting challenges for rural communities like Minford, Ohio, where
many students live in remote wooded areas unserved by internet providers. Educators
say that a subset of students and their parents have dropped out of touch with
schools completely — unavailable by phone, email or any other form of
communication — as families struggle with the broader economic and health
effects of the coronavirus outbreak.
North Lenoir student treks three miles to school for WiFi
Kinston (North Carolina) News By Brandon
Davis Posted
Apr 3, 2020 at 2:05 PM
Cameron Knepper covers his ears with his
headphones, turns the music up and tucks his freezing hands inside his pockets
– on a 3-mile trek to school. That was only one day the 16-year-old sophomore
had to endure the cold rain on his walk to North Lenoir High School to merely
connect to WiFi while schools are closed. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Lenoir
County Public Schools closed on March 16, and with no internet at home, Knepper
has lugged his backpack ever since for three miles to school and three miles
back home just so he can keep his grades up and go to college. “It was pouring down rain, I didn’t have a
coat, and my hands felt terrible,” Knepper said. “I listen to NF the rapper. A
lot of his music speaks to you and helps change yourself. “I keep walking, and
I’ve never thought of turning back.” When Knepper could no longer connect to
Gmail after being quarantined, he walked to school, set up his tablet on a
bench, and emailed his teachers.
Listen: Coronavirus shutdown reveals inequity of student
internet access across Pa.
WHYY By Avi Wolfman-Arent April 1, 2020
When the coronavirus shutdown hit
Pennsylvania public schools, Cathy Keegan felt ready. As superintendent of the
Milton Area School District in central Pennsylvania, she’d already bought
enough laptops and tablets so that each of her roughly 2,000 students had a
personal device. They seemed well positioned for the statewide pivot to virtual
learning. “We thought, ‘Wow, this is great. We at least are ready with devices
and a hybrid learning model and students being familiar with online learning
tools,’” said Keegan. Then her district hit the internet-access wall. Milton
realized that a combined 240 students and teachers had no internet connections
at home. Officials decided to buy hotspot devices for each of those households,
but that plan presented its own problems. Wireless providers used to offer
hotspot hardware for free, Keegan said — as long as the district committed to a
year of internet service for each new device. But with the coronavirus outbreak
fueling demand for at-home internet access, prices skyrocketed and supply
evaporated.
School District of Lancaster's 11K students are about to
learn online. But first, they need laptops
Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer April 6,
2020
Planning online instruction for 11,000
students, about half of which lack sufficient access to technology, is no easy
task. Yet the School District of Lancaster, whose low-income student population
dwarfs the total number of students in Lancaster County’s second largest school
district, is forging ahead with a plan to offer virtual learning for high
school seniors today and all students by April 14. That’s in accordance with
recommendations from the Pennsylvania Department of Education to keep learning
alive despite the state-mandated school closures, which started in mid-March
and are now indefinite, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Lancaster
Superintendent Damaris Rau said it’s been a “huge undertaking” with so many
challenges to consider, from ensuring technology access to serving students
with special needs. “It’s been probably the most stressful time of my entire
career,” Rau told LNP | LancasterOnline Thursday. The first step: getting
devices into students’ hands.
Learning continues for career and technical students in
Bucks County
Bucks County Courier Times By Chris
English @CourierEnglish Posted
Apr 5, 2020 at 12:02 PM
Two of the county’s public technical schools
have more advanced at-home learning programs, while the other is sticking to
review and enrichment.
The challenge of providing career and
technical education to students at home during the coronavirus pandemic is
being met in different ways by Bucks County’s three public technical schools. Bucks
County Technical High School in Bristol Township, the county’s only
comprehensive career school, is providing both academic and technical distance
learning via various means. Middle Bucks Institute of Technology in Warwick has
also moved to a more advanced format to provide technical instruction for its
students at home, while Upper Bucks County Technical School in Bedminster has
so far offered only review and enrichment exercises. “The primary challenge
with providing planned instruction through a distance learning model is not
being able to offer hands-on application and real world experiences,” MBIT
Administrative Director Kathryn Strouse said. “This is especially true for our
more traditional trade programs such as automotive, plumbing and culinary
arts.” But the school is doing its best using Zoom, Google Classroom and other
means, she added. For example, cosmetology students recently learned how to
measure their heads for a wig, and plumbing students how to piece together
pipes following virtual platforms set up by their teachers.
“But given that only a tiny fraction of the state's education
budget is distributed according to that formula, the playing field remains
decidedly unbalanced for districts like Pottstown. "COVID-19 is only the
latest of Pottstown’s challenges. For decades, Pottstown schools have been
severely underfunded by the state. This year alone, Harrisburg shortchanged
Pottstown by $13.4 million," notes a letter to the editor signed by the
entire Pottstown School Board.”
As schools pivot to online, Pottstown is left behind
Pottstown Mercury by Evan Brandt ebrandt@21st-centurymedia.com
@PottstownNews on Twitter Apr 5, 2020
The coronavirus pandemic has thrown a
virus-sized monkey wrench into public school operations. With a state-wide
school closure order, educators are left with little choice but to turn to the
Internet to teach their students. But some are better equipped to make the
switch — literally. While many of us take online access for granted, that
is not a luxury afforded the staff and families of the Pottstown School
District.
Cyber Handicap Highlights Inequity: Superintendent
Stephen Rodriguez says the first of several obstacles to Pottstown implementing
distance learning is the fact that many households in the borough do not have
computers capable of receiving what the teachers are providing. The district is
prevented by law and by any sense of fair play from providing an education only
to students who can afford a computer at home. "It would cost us about $1
million to put a device in the house of every student in Pottstown," said
Rodriguez. "That's not an easy thing to do when the state underfunds us
every year by $13 million." He is referring to Pennsylvania's fair funding
formula, adopted in 2015 and designed to provide additional resources to
underfunded communities and ensure a level educational playing field for all
students of the Commonwealth.
LETTER: Pottstown School District responds during health
crisis
Pottstown Mercury Letter by Pottstown School
District Board of Education Directors Apr 4, 2020
It’s been three weeks since Gov. Wolf shut
down Pennsylvania’s schools in response to the accelerating spread of COVID-19.
From the moment the announcement came, we witnessed the entire Pottstown School
District team switch gears. School might be shut down, but the needs of our
students are as pressing as ever, and these kids and their families rely on the
support of our school district. The Pottstown team wasted no time in assessing
and meeting those needs, which range from nutritional to relational to educational.
The first and most pressing necessity: make sure the kids can eat. Seventy
percent of Pottstown’s students are from low income families. With this in
mind, food drives were initiated by building administrators within 24 hours of
the closure. Teachers and staff, as well as concerned community members, have
contributed tens of thousands of food items to be distributed to students. At
the same time, district leaders advocated to ensure the state would allow
school meals to continue to be distributed. Weekly distribution was organized
and goes forward, reaching over 1,400 students each week.
Some Pittsburgh-area school districts were prepared for
unexpected shutdown
ANDREW GOLDSTEIN Pittsburgh Post-Gazette agoldstein@post-gazette.com APR 6, 2020
5:50 AM
A couple of local districts have been able to
make smooth transitions into remote learning because of steps they took in the
weeks, months and even years before the novel coronavirus first arrived in the
United States. The Elizabeth-Forward School District in Allegheny County and
the Fort Cherry School District in Washington County have continued instruction
for their students while others have had to pause their lessons. Elizabeth-Forward
Superintendent Todd Keruskin said the district has only missed one day of
instruction during the closure. He credits that to years of aggressively
investing in digital resources and programs that have modernized the district’s
capabilities. Mr. Keruskin said the district has supplied every student with an
iPad for close to a decade, participated in the state’s virtual learning days
pilot program for several years and has a strong learning management system
that helps administer school programs online in addition to other efforts it
has undertaken.
Universal charter schools unveil online learning plan
PSP has organized a fund to buy laptops for
charter and Catholic school students who need them.
The notebook by Neena Hagen April 2 — 11:44
am, 2020
Universal Companies Family of Schools is
distributing 2,500 Chromebooks to its students Thursday as part of its plan to
switch from using printed learning packets to using fully online instruction. This
came as the Philadelphia School Partnership (PSP) announced the formation of a
fund that would supply 15,000 laptops to students in charter and Catholic
schools. The Jump-Start Philly Schools Fund has been started with $3.8 million
in pledges, with a goal of raising $6 million or more. The Susquehanna
Foundation of Janine and Jeff Yass is giving $2.6
million, the Lenfest Foundation $1
million, and the McCausland Foundation, based in Lafayette Hill, $200,000. PSP
said that beyond a “device gap,” schools said in a survey that they needed help
to transition to online learning and to prepare for “academic recovery.” “More
and more we expect the shutdown to last all through, and we know there’s going
to be unevenness in what students are going to be able to accomplish during
this prolonged closure,” said PSP executive director Mark Gleason. “Schools
will have to figure out what that means in terms of transitioning to a new
grade or new school year in the fall. We don’t know what they will need, but we
do know it will be different than the typical opening of school.”
Philly teacher: School District was right not to rush
remote learning amid coronavirus | Opinion
by Adam Sanchez, For The
Inquirer, Updated: April 3, 2020
What should schools look like in the midst of
a pandemic? This is a time to rethink everything, not just plod ahead trying to
fit our already inequitable education system into an online version that
exacerbates inequalities even further. While calling to quickly move our education system
online, many are ignoring that remote learning
exacerbates inequalities. While I share other teachers frustrations with the
way the Philadelphia School district handled the initial closure of schools, I think
the district was absolutely right not to rush into online learning. Leaving
aside that many students don’t have access to a laptop or internet at home and
that that needed to be rectified in order to give even a semblance of equality
— what about students’ learning environments beyond the computer? At school
students are provided with various supports. Some students have disabilities
that require in person help to access curriculum. To provide these supports
remotely is extremely challenging and in many cases impossible.
E-rate Schools report released
POSTED ON APRIL 3, 2020 IN PSBA
NEWS
The National School Boards Association
released the E-rate Schools report in partnership with the Center for Public
Education and PSBA. The Federal Communications Commission's Schools and
Libraries Universal Service program, commonly known as E-rate, provides
discounts to help eligible schools and libraries nationwide obtain telecommunications
and internet access. The report provides a snapshot of the districts that
participated, what types of projects were funded, and digital learning in
schools as well as a comparison of E-rate amounts disbursed by state.
In Pennsylvania, from 2016 – 2019, the total
E-rate funds disbursed to schools decreased, but there was an increase in the
number of schools receiving these funds. Of those schools, there
was an increase in the percentage of funds distributed to low-income
schools and a decrease in the percentage
of funds allocated to rural schools. To read the full report,
click here.
Philadelphia mom has advice for parents whose kids are
learning virtually for the first time
KYW by ANDREW KRAMER APRIL 05,
2020 - 4:00 AM
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — We now
know schools in the region will stay closed indefinitely. For parents who
haven’t fully adjusted to their kids learning from home yet,
a Philadelphia-area mom who’s no stranger to cyber schooling has some
secrets to share. For parents whose kids are learning virtually for the
first time, Stefaine D’Amico won't sugarcoat it. “It is going to feel
overwhelming for them and it's going to be an adjustment,” she said. As a
mom of three boys who have been enrolled at Agora Cyber Charter School in King
of Prussia well before the coronavirus pandemic, she has advice for parents who
are new to this. “Try to stay as organized as you can. Make a list for
each child of everything they have to do for that day and mark things off as
you go,” she said. Give your kid their own workspace, she says, as it
makes them feel comfortable. Don’t put it in their playroom though. “Make
sure there is no toys or anything around the desk that is a distraction for
them,” she added. She suggests regular breaks, five to 10 minute ones
between lessons. “Be patient with them, it’s an adjustment for them
just as it is with the parents,” she said. If you’re still not used to
cyberlearning after all these weeks that’s not unusual, D’Amico says — it takes
time.
PA school bus contractors to continue receiving payments
from schools during closures
WJACTV by WJAC Staff Friday, April 3rd
2020
HARRISBURG, Pa (WJAC) — School bus
drivers in Pennsylvania can now receive continued payments from schools during
the statewide coronavirus closure, according to a release by the Pennsylvania
School Bus Association. The PSBA says that on March 28, Gov. Wolf signed a bill
into law that allows schools to "negotiate agreements or contract
amendments to pay school bus contractors to assure that the contractor’s
personnel costs, fixed costs, administrative costs, and equipment costs are
maintained during the period of school closure." The law also states that
schools will be reimbursed by the Department of Education for any temporary
negotiated contracts between them and their bus drivers, according to the PSBA.
School bus contractors themselves also have an obligation to "submit
weekly reports to the school confirming that staffing and equipment readiness
is being maintained during the school closure," the release adds. The PSBA
says that the majority of school bus drivers are contractors and that they
applaud the Governor's action to help protect these individuals during this
emergency.
“PSBA would like to thank the General
Assembly and Governor for their unanimous support of this legislation,” said
PSBA president Richard Wolfington, Jr. “By allowing pupil transportation
funding to continue, we increase our chances of a seamless start back to school
with professional and trained drivers ready to resume the important job of
transporting Pennsylvania’s future – our children.”
Zoom Use Skyrockets During Coronavirus Pandemic,
Prompting Wave of Problems for Schools
Education Week By Mark Lieberman April 3,
2020
For many K-12 educators, Zoom only entered
the lexicon a few weeks ago, as the coronavirus outbreak shut down schools nationwide. Already,
it’s taken on a lot of baggage. Schools across the country are evaluating their
engagement with Zoom, with decisions varying from place to place. Some
districts have discouraged teachers from using it, or banned it altogether.
Others are taking a more cautious approach, exploring its potential while
sticking with tools they had already vetted more thoroughly prior to the
nationwide shutdown. The videoconferencing platform allows teachers to
communicate with students and collaborate with colleagues virtually and in
large groups. It’s proved enticing in many workplaces and homes across the
country, and the company’s CEO last month lifted the 40-minute conference time
limits for its free service to all
K-12 schools. But the rapid increase of users has also led to increased
scrutiny of the privacy and security limitations that come with using the
platform, especially without taking necessary precautions. The relatively new
phenomenon of Zoombombing—in which a hacker infiltrates a chat and shares
offensive or harmful content— has exposed many classrooms and school board
meetings to unwelcome and offensive content.
Over the Garden Gate: Create habitats to attract monarchs
Beaver County Times By Ray Maxwell, Penn
State Extension Posted April 6, 2020
When planning a monarch-friendly garden, it
is important to select host plants for caterpillars to eat as well as plants
rich in nectar for adult monarchs. I decided to resurrect my decades-old,
neglected garden last summer with the goal of attracting pollinators,
specifically monarch butterflies. I purchased and planted bulbs later than the
recommended growing season, but thought I would give it a shot. While
inspecting the garden to see if the bulbs had sprouted, I found “weeds,” which
I was about to remove until I noticed there were black-, yellow- and
white-striped caterpillars on them. Upon closer inspection, I realized that the
caterpillars were monarchs and determined the weeds were actually butterfly
weed, which is a Pennsylvania native species of milkweed. Although
orange-and-black adult monarchs are attracted to many species of flowers such
as geraniums, asters, black-eyed Susan, liatris, zinnias, goldenrod, and purple
coneflower, they lay their eggs exclusively on native milkweeds such as common
milkweed ( Asclepias syriaca ), swamp milkweed ( Asclepias incarnata ) and
butterfly weed ( Asclepias tuberosa ), the only plants their caterpillars will
eat. The life expectancy of a monarch varies greatly depending on whether it is
northbound or southbound. In spring and early summer, monarchs begin traveling
north on their migration from Mexico to the United States and Canada. This
first generation flies to Texas and the southern states. These northbound
monarchs typically live several weeks. They mate, lay eggs on milkweed, and
then die. Monarchs from these eggs continue the journey north, following the
blooming of milkweed plants. It usually takes three to five generations for
butterflies to complete their journey north.
PSBA FAQ Sheet Regarding Closure of School Due to
Coronavirus
PSBA has compiled answers to your most
pressing questions surrounding school closures due to the #coronavirus outbreak.
View this resource here:
Request@PSBA.org: PSBA establishes
channel to answer COVID-19 questions
POSTED ON MARCH 19, 2020 IN PSBA
NEWS
In light of statewide school closings and as
the COVID-19 outbreak continues to evolve, PSBA is here to provide support to
members and answer questions regarding how schools will operate, meet
instructional requirements and provide services both now and in the future.
Please send your questions to request@psba.org with
your name, district and contact information. A member of PSBA staff will
respond directly or will funnel your inquires to the Pennsylvania Department of
Education. PSBA will act as your voice and ensure you receive the answers and
information you need to make decisions at this crucial time.
PSBA: Coronavirus Preparedness Guidance
In the last few weeks, the novel coronavirus
(SARS-CoV-2), which causes the respiratory illness COVID-19, has become a topic
of concern nationwide. Although the virus is not widespread in Pennsylvania at
this time, that status could change. Being proactive is key to prevention and
mitigation. Below, you will find a list of resources on all aspects of
preparedness, including guidance on communication planning, policy, emergency
management and disease control. Use these resources to help you make decisions
regarding the safety and health of those in your school district.
Rescheduled: Join us for Advocacy Day in Harrisburg to support public
education Monday May 11, 2020! (subject to change)
All school
leaders are invited to attend Advocacy Day at the state Capitol in
Harrisburg. The Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA), Pennsylvania
Association of Intermediate Units (PAIU) and the Pennsylvania Association of
School Administrators (PASA) are partnering together to strengthen our advocacy
impact. The day will center around meetings with legislators to discuss
critical issues affecting public education. Click here for more information or register
at http://www.mypsba.org/ School directors can register online now by
logging in to myPSBA. If you need assistance logging in and registering contact
Alysha Newingham, Member Data System Administrator at alysha.newingham@psba.org
PSBA Board Presidents Panel April 27, 28 and 29; Multiple
Locations
Offered at 10 locations across the state,
this annual event supports current and aspiring school board leaders through
roundtable conversations with colleagues as well as a facilitated panel of
experienced regional and statewide board presidents and superintendents. Board
Presidents Panel is designed to equip new and veteran board presidents and vice
presidents as well as superintendents and other school directors who may pursue
a leadership position in the future.
PARSS Annual Conference April 29 – May 1, 2020 in State
College
The 2020 PARSS Conference is April 29 through
May 1, 2020, at Wyndham Garden Hotel at Mountain View Country Club in State
College. Please register as a member or a vendor by accessing the links below.
Register today for the 2020 PASA/PA Principals
Association PA Educational Leadership Summit, August 2-4, at the Lancaster
Marriott at Penn Square
(hosted by the PA Principals Association and
the PA Association of School Administrators). Participants can earn up to 80
PIL hours (40 hours for the Summit and - for an additional cost of $50 -
40 hours for EdCamp) for
attending the conference and completing program requirements. Register
early to reserve your seat! The deadline to take advantage of the Early Bird
Discount is April 24, 2020.
Click here to
register today!
Network for Public Education 2020 Conference in Philly Rescheduled
to November 21-22
NPE Website March 10, 2020 7:10 pm
We so wanted to see you in March, but we need
to wait until November!
Our conference will now take place on November
21 and 22 at the same location in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Please
read the important information below.
Registration: We will be rolling over our
registration information, so there is no reason to register again. You will
be automatically registered for the November dates. If you cannot attend in
November, we ask that you consider donating your registration to absorb some of
the costs associated with rescheduling the conference. If you feel you cannot
make such a donation, please contact: dcimarusti@networkforpubliceducation.org.
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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