Tuesday, April 7, 2020

PA Ed Policy Roundup for April 7: 'I would call this emergency remote learning’


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
Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg


PA Ed Policy Roundup for April 7, 2020

Your View by Quakertown superintendent: This isn’t ‘school’ as we knew it but we’re taking care of students
Opinion By BILL HARNER THE MORNING CALL | APR 06, 2020 | 1:51 PM
Bill Harner has been superintendent of the Quakertown Community School District for seven years.
In Quakertown, we are very sensitive to what our neighbors are going through, both from a mental health and financial standpoint. Inherent in the privilege to maintain our paychecks by law as public educators, we feel there is an obligation to continue to serve our students and others. I want to assure you that since our school buildings closed on March 13th, district employees have been working harder than ever. Since a week before Bucks County schools were closed, all 13 superintendents have participated in a daily conference call facilitated by the Bucks County Intermediate Unit’s executive director, to discuss what each district was doing in regards to safety issues, how best to feed students in need, how best to communicate with students and their families, and how to jump teaching and learning into a virtual world. Three times a week I’ve been meeting online with business, health care and Quakertown municipal leaders to focus our respective resources on helping families and businesses in all six municipalities during this unprecedented event. A significant part of the district’s strategy is tightening our fiscal belt by presenting the school board a no-tax-increase budget this week, the first in over 50 years.

'I would call this emergency remote learning’: How schools are adjusting during the coronavirus shutdown
Inquirer by Maddie Hanna and Kristen A. Graham, Updated: April 6, 2020- 4:01 PM
As the coronavirus outbreak bore down on the region, Toby Albanese was in a meeting laying out how Merion Elementary School would prepare when he got the word: The state was closing schools. Teachers needed to go home. “Even the two afternoons teachers were going to have … to plan, they no longer had those opportunities,” said Albanese, principal of the Lower Merion public school. Since Pennsylvania closed schools March 13 — and New Jersey followed days later — educators, students, and families have been learning on the fly as they and schools across the nation have scrambled to shift instruction from classrooms to homes. The pivot has presented the challenge of rapidly moving lessons online, training staffs, and supplying computers to students. It has also raised questions: How do you track attendance? What lessons do you prioritize? And how much work is too much for children being supervised by older siblings or by parents juggling jobs — or dealing with job losses? “We’re trying to conduct school as we know it, but we’re attempting to do it in an environment that’s unknown. We don’t know how life is unfolding day by day in the households within our community,” said Maureen Reusche, superintendent of the Haverford Township School District.

Letter: Coronavirus reveals school funding gap in Pennsylvania
Pottstown Mercury Letter by Tomea Sippio, Huntingdon Valley April 6, 2020
A recent Pottstown Mercury story (“As schools pivot to online, Pottstown is left behind”), made clear the challenges that many school districts across the state are wrestling with as they adapt to distance learning and the new realities of a world battling COVID-19. A disaster like this reveals the fault lines in society — in Pennsylvania, one of those major fault lines is the gap between school districts that are the “haves” and school districts that are the “have-nots.” It’s happening right here. More affluent school districts in Montgomery County are seamlessly switching to virtual instruction, while others are struggling because the schools lack resources and access to technology. This disparity — that goes far beyond technology to class sizes, course options, and so many other aspects of our schools — is a symptom of Pennsylvania’s inadequate and uneven school funding system. This is exactly what Public Citizens for Children and Youth (PCCY), and our  The zip code in which a child lives has entirely too much bearing on what kind of public education they’re able to get — and that is staring us in the face as districts adapt to teaching students in a COVID-19 world. Once Pennsylvania and the U.S. emerge from the current crisis — and before we are faced with another — we must set our sights on making sure that all students have the resources they need to achieve, no matter where they live.

OP-ED: Crisis shows need for remote learning task force in Pennsylvania
York Dispatch Letter by Susan Spicka, Education Voters of PA Published 11:40 a.m. ET April 6, 2020
For most Pennsylvanians, the COVID-19 pandemic became real on March 13 when Gov. Tom Wolf ordered Pennsylvania’s schools to close. While there was resistance in many quarters, this action protected our children from illness and protected their parents and grandparents from this rapidly spreading, lethal virus.   Soon after, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed legislation to provide stability and clarity for Pennsylvania’s 500 school districts. Schools remain funded at pre-pandemic levels; school employees remain on duty for teaching, counseling and food distribution activities; and the Secretary of Education has flexibility to respond quickly in the ever-changing environment.   With this certainty, school leaders and educators sprang into action to transform, within days, to a new system of remote learning. Consider the challenge — keeping fidgety first graders engaged, helping fourth and fifth graders, old enough to feel their parents’ anxiety, remain interested in science and social studies, and keeping high schoolers on track for graduation. We should acknowledge the urgency and creativity of teachers and administrators responding to this challenge. We must also acknowledge the tremendous inequities in school districts' ability to provide remote learning to students in Pennsylvania’s urban and rural school districts.  To address this problem we call on the governor to immediately convene a Remote Learning Task Force of school officials and experts to ensure all school districts have the capability to provide remote learning to all students, including students with disabilities and English learners. 

Plan to end Scranton preschool met with opposition
Times Tribune BY SARAH HOFIUS HALL, STAFF WRITER / PUBLISHED: APRIL 7, 2020
Calling the decision disappointing, appalling and heartbreaking, speakers on Monday night called on the Scranton School Board to keep the district’s preschool program. Even former U.S. vice president and current presidential candidate Joe Biden encouraged the district on Monday to not end early education. Scranton school directors said they had no choice but to follow the recommendations in the district’s recovery plan. Chief Recovery Officer Candis Finan, Ed.D., defended that plan Monday night, as the school board met virtually for more than six hours. As the district eliminates preschool for 3-year-olds this fall and the remaining classes for 4-year-olds in fall 2021, the district will use the federal money to put math and reading coaches in elementary schools. The empty preschool classrooms will help the district consolidate schools and save money in the future, Finan said.

PA Public Cyber Charter Schools Continuing to Educate Our students
Daily American By Public Cyber Charter School Association Apr 6, 2020
KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa., April 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In the midst of uncertain times, public cyber charter schools are not only continuing to educate students across the commonwealth, but they are offering their years of expertise to anyone who will listen. As each school in Pennsylvania has been forced to close their doors, the virtual schooling option has moved to the forefront of discussion in every county in PA. What once was a novel approach has now become a necessity as people from across Pennsylvania embrace a new world. Luckily, there are public schools within the Commonwealth that have been perfecting this method of education for the last 20 years.  From the time Governor Wolf announced his first pandemic-induced plan for schools across PA, cyber charter schools have followed suit, closing their physical facilities yet still providing virtual classrooms by almost seamlessly rolling out their Continuity of Education plans as Governor Wolf has asked all public schools to do.  "We made a commitment to educate our students and that's exactly what we plan to do," said Dr. Michael Conti, CEO Agora Cyber Charter School. "In these times, normalcy is crucial, and we are so proud of our staff and families who jumped right in and continue to tell us just how important it is to provide as strong of an education as possible. Whether it's for 1 week, 1 month, 1 year, or 1 decade, we just want every student to have the opportunity they deserve." 

Teachers reach out to inspire students’ creativity
“It just shows the resilience of art teachers. We are scrappy, used to being ignored, so we fight to make our programs happen no matter what.”
The notebook by Lynn Oseguera April 6 — 5:21 pm, 2020
When the city’s schools closed for COVID-19, Leslie Grace “was the first teacher to reach out,” said Hilary Truppo, whose son George is in 1st grade at George W. Nebinger Elementary School in South Philadelphia.  Grace, 38, has been the K-8 visual arts educator at Nebinger for the last six years. She teaches “every single class, every single grade, every single kid.”  When it became clear that the closure was indefinite a week ago, Grace wasted no time in coming up with unique ways to stay engaged with her students remotely.  “Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I do an online live-stream art lesson through Zoom with any students who can attend,” Grace said. “So far we have made a folded origami crane, a collagraph made from cereal boxes, made our own paint, and created a [Jackson] Pollock drip painting and Rorschach paint blots.” If that wasn’t enough, the teacher and students “also made our own salt dough clay sunflowers and will soon be making our own papier-mache bowl.”  Stebastien Bacle and his daughter Madeleine, who is in 2nd grade at Nebinger, regularly tune in to Grace’s Zoom art classes. 

Modern, resource-rich classrooms, more academic direction — it is a new day for kindergarten
A look at the effort to modernize kindergarten classrooms from our spring print edition. Dale visited Pollock and Webster on the 100th day of school.
The notebook by Dale Mezzacappa April 6 — 10:49 am, 2020
The Notebook prepared this report on the District’s kindergarten modernization effort for our spring print edition before the full force of the COVID-19 pandemic hit. We have posted the stories from the print edition online over the past week along with updates from the providers and advocates we featured. As far as kindergarten modernization, it is hard to say what will happen with the schedule to add new schools this summer given the crisis. “The plan is to continue with the modernizations in the summer, but if the construction industry isn’t able to provide the resources…it could be that these projects are delayed,” said a District spokeswoman via text. “We are playing it by ear and monitoring as best we can day to day.” Kindergarten registration is proceeding as planned: early registration is open until May 29 for all students who will be 5 years old by Sept. 1. 
When kindergarten started in the 2018-19 at Webster Elementary School, the teachers were just as excited as the students — if not more so. Bernadette O’Brien, a 30-year teaching vet, remembers thinking, “OMG, best thing ever!” as she looked around her refurbished room in Webster’s Little School House, a self-contained, 2001 addition to the 60s-era Port Richmond school. She looked at the new teal and gray paint on the cinder block walls and the big round tables that have plenty of room and little indents that spaced out the children evenly on their red, blue, and purple chairs. She spied the yellow stools that acted as balance balls for children who might want or need to work on their gross motor skills. 

BUSINESS FOR GOOD:THE PRECISIONISTS, INC.
The Delaware-based company prepares people on the autism spectrum with jobs in which they—and companies’ bottom lines—can thrive
Philadelphia Citizen BY JESSICA PRESS APR. 06, 2020
For most job applicants, the process of meeting with HR and potential managers and colleagues looks pretty consistent: Make small talk. Discuss what you’ll bring to the team. Spitball some ideas. Repeat. But candidate-screening at Wilmington, Delaware-based TPI, The Precisionists, Inc., is a completely different ballgame. Here, candidates are tasked with actual projects, using highly sophisticated LEGO kits called LEGO Mindstorms. The sets come with a battery pack and lengthy instructions. And for people on the autism spectrum, they’re a far better indicator of how well a candidate will perform in roles like software development and testing than any pony show. “We don’t do a traditional HR interview because these individuals typically don’t do well in traditional interviews—they may not look you in the eye, they may fidget, they may not make small talk. And these have been career-killers for people over the years,” says TPI’s founder and CEO Ernie Dianastatis. Autism Speaks estimates that up to 90 percent of adults with autism are under- or unemployed. “And yet,” Dianastatis says, “none of those things have anything to do with whether somebody could be really good at doing data entry or testing software.”

Here's where to pick up free meals for Lancaster County students this week [update]
Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer Apr 6, 2020 Updated 18 hrs ago
Pennsylvania schools aren't likely to reopen soon. But that doesn't mean students have to go hungry.  Here's when and where parents can pick up meals for their kids this week: 
Updated noon Monday, April 6. 

School meals are necessary for students
Post-Gazette Letter by CARLEY COLELLO Oakland APR 7, 2020 12:00 AM
With schools closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, it is wonderful to see restaurants, companies and their generous people offer free meals to the children who would normally get their daily nutrition from school lunches. No one wants to see to a child go hungry. However, with President Donald Trump’s proposed changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps, this might be exactly what happens. The Trump administration is looking to tighten eligibility for SNAP and the process to apply. So how does this affect school lunches? The Pittsburgh Public Schools is a part of a federal free breakfast and lunch program for all students, no matter their financial standings. This program allows the school district to cover all children rather than have each individual family apply for reduced/​free meals. PPS meets specific financial requirements allowing it to participate in this program. If Mr. Trump’s proposed changes to SNAP are enacted, the eligibility of the PPS program would most likely be affected and could affect its approximately 23,000 students who have depended on free school meals for their daily nutrition.

Competitors or Collaborators: Some School Closure Orders Look to Restrict Virtual Charters to Protect Brick-and-Mortar Schools During Coronavirus Crisis
The74 by RACHEL COHEN April 6, 2020
While virtual charters have typically earned headlines for struggling academic performance, allegations of enrollment fraud and influential lobbying, the coronavirus pandemic has put the online schools in a new position: as uniquely well-suited to provide education to students amid the global crisis. Whereas most teachers across the nation are learning for their first time how to virtually educate children — confronting barriers like lack of home internet access and a dearth of online curricula — virtual charters have been able to operate largely unimpeded. This familiarity with providing remote instruction has raised concern among some public education advocates that families might flock en masse to cyber charters, further disrupting the finances of brick-and-mortar public schools. So far, though, virtual charter leaders have not reported a major surge in enrollment and have stressed publicly that they’re not focused on capitalizing on the crisis. At least some schools, however, have been running new ads on social media, encouraging families to enroll.

At home or at school, in May or in June: Advanced Placement exams will go on despite coronavirus
Washington Post By  Nick Anderson  April 3, 2020 at 12:00 p.m. EDT
They will be much shorter than usual, just 45 minutes each. They will be available to take online at home, or at school if authorities permit. And they will be monitored through security measures to deter cheating. The Advanced Placement exams will go on, through extraordinary procedures announced Friday, even though the coronavirus pandemic has produced education disruption and chaos nationwide. More than 2.8 million students took the tests last year in subjects such as biology and world history. Typically, the tests are two to three hours long. Those who earn scores of 3 or better on the 5-point AP scale are often able to secure college credit. But this year, it is anyone’s guess how many will participate. Given the immense logistical hurdles of testing in a pandemic, the International Baccalaureate Organization recently canceled exams this spring for the IB classes that many high school students take. Skeptics wonder how students without access to reliable Internet, computers or quiet workspaces will be able to study for AP tests and get a fair shot at the possibility of earning college credit. The College Board, which oversees the program, acknowledged the challenge. “We recognize that the digital divide could prevent some low-income and rural students from participating,” the nonprofit testing organization said in a statement. “Working with partners, we’re investing so these students have the tools and connectivity they need to review AP content online and take the exam.”

D.C.’s public charter schools may ask for federal funds designed to bail out small businesses
Washington Post By Perry Stein April 2, 2020 at 7:36 p.m. EDT
D.C. charter schools get most of their funding from the government, a revenue stream that continues to flow as the coronavirus grinds the District’s economy to a halt. But some of the schools are now weighing whether they should apply for federal bailout money aimed at helping small businesses and nonprofit organizations hurt by the crisis. It’s a request that the education council chairman wonders whether the schools should be making when so many companies and organizations have lost nearly all of their revenue and there are finite resources to go around. “We are in an ethical dilemma,” said D.C. Council member David Grosso (I-At Large), who chairs the Education Committee. “The challenge is digging deep inside of yourself and seeing where you see yourself in the pecking order of needs in our community.” But charter leaders say they have incurred unexpected and hefty costs during the school closures. If they qualify for the money and need it, they said, they should use it. The $2 trillion federal relief package finalized last week, officially known as the CARES Act, includes nearly $350 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program, a small-business loan program. The program incentivizes small businesses with fewer than 500 employees to keep their workers by covering about two months of paychecks for employees who make less than $100,000 annually. The businesses can have their loans forgiven if they avoid layoffs or pay cuts.


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.

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
Moving to a virtual format; details to come
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.

Cancelled: PARSS Annual Conference April 29 – May 1, 2020 in State College
Due to current conditions caused by the coronavirus pandemic, we have cancelled the 2020 PARSS Conference, scheduled for April 29 through May 1, 2020. Please read our cancellation letter for important information.

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.


No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.