Daily
postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 1850
Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors, administrators,
legislators, legislative and congressional staffers, PTO/PTA officers, parent
advocates, teacher leaders, 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 and Twitter.
These daily
emails are archived at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg
For February 22, 2013
For the latest on the PA State Budget follow
the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center
Chicago Public Schools proposes
closing 2 charter high schools
By Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah, Chicago Tribune reporter February
22, 2013
Chicago Public Schools officials will recommend that two charter high
schools be closed this year because of poor performance, officials said
Thursday.
Critics have complained that some privately run, publicly funded charter
schools don't perform any better than neighborhood schools, and yet
neighborhood schools are the ones being targeted as the district makes plans to
close buildings in an effort to address a $1 billion budget deficit.
In light of those complaints, CPS chief Barbara Byrd-Bennett has vowed to
get tough with privately run charter schools this year, holding them
accountable for poor academic performance.
Protesters decry proposed Philadelphia
Kristen
A. Graham, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
POSTED: Thursday, February 21, 2013 ,
10:44 PM
As the march toward the
largest mass school closing in Philadelphia
“The passion among neighbors over Penn
Alexander - officially the Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander University of
Pennsylvania Partnership School, a joint venture between Penn and the school
district - begs the question: Why hasn't the district done more to replicate
Penn Alexander's success around the city?”
What Works: W. Phila. school is all
the rage: Why aren't all the others?
REGINA MEDINA, Daily News
Staff Writer medinar@phillynews.com,
215-854-5985
POSTED: Friday, February 22, 2013 , 3:01
AM
THE CHANTS from families whose children attend Penn Alexander
School University
of Pennsylvania
The group braved the chilly temperatures to demand that 10 students,
wait-listed to attend the prestigious K-to-8 school under a new
district-imposed lottery system, be allowed to enroll.
"Broken Compact, Broken Families, Broken Community" read one
sign. Another protester, Lani Shade, carried a sign with a drawing of a pair of
dice next to "PAS is not a casino."
The passion among neighbors over Penn Alexander - officially the Sadie
Tanner Mossell Alexander University of Pennsylvania Partnership School, a joint
venture between Penn and the school district - begs the question: Why hasn't
the district done more to replicate Penn Alexander's success around the city?
Pennsylvanians for Charter
School February 20, 2013
Fix Broken Charter School Funding -
Reform PA Charter Schools
Pennsylvanians for Charter School Reform is a non-partisan, grassroots
organization dedicated to advocating for the commonsense reform of charter
school legislation.
We believe that
- high-quality charter
and cyber charter schools are an important part of
- all parents have a
right to send their children to a high-quality public school whether it is
a traditional public school, a brick and mortar charter school, or a cyber
charter school;
- all schools that
receive public money should be held to the same financial and academic
accountability requirements;
- locally elected school
boards, parents, and community members should retain local control over
their school districts; and
- our state legislators
have an obligation to ensure that tax dollars allocated for public
education are being spent for the sole purpose of educating the children
of
Read
more: http://reformpacharterschools.wordpress.com/
Distressed Districts: Duquesne board
rejects recovery plan
By Mary Niederberger / Pittsburgh February
21, 2013 9:01 pm
The Duquesne
City Common Pleas Court
Editorial: U.D. schools seek
public's help to tame budget deficit
Delco Times Editorial Published: Thursday, February 21, 2013
Vince Lombardi would have loved Upper Darby . The legendary football coach used to describe
his sport thusly: “Football isn’t a contact sport; it’s a collision sport.
Dancing is a contact sport.”
He should have checked outUpper
Darby School District
The usually contentious process of balancing the books amid a lousy economy, state funding cuts and a gaping deficit is a challenge most years. Last year, faced with another sea of red ink and lacking the usual lifeboat fromHarrisburg
The reaction was about what you would expect. Think gasoline and a lighted match.
He should have checked out
The usually contentious process of balancing the books amid a lousy economy, state funding cuts and a gaping deficit is a challenge most years. Last year, faced with another sea of red ink and lacking the usual lifeboat from
The reaction was about what you would expect. Think gasoline and a lighted match.
You know K12, Inc. as a provider of online
curriculum services and through their involvement with Pennsylvania’s Agora
cyber charter, but they are now also involved with “Flex” charter schools –
brick and mortar charters where kids take online courses
K12, Inc.
New York Times Business February 22, 2013
An application for a K-12 affiliated flex charter,
the “Greater Philadelphia Flex Academy
Charter School ”
is now pending in Pennsylvania ’s Southeast
Delco and Upper Darby
School Districts
According to the application, the leader of
the founding/management team is Erica D. Atwood, who currently serves as
Specialist of External Affairs and Community Engagement for the Office of
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter.
Here are links to that application:
Greater Philadelphia
Flex Academy
Charter School
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Depart,ment of Education
Charter School
Greater Philadelphia Flex
Academy Charter
School
Survey Finds Rising Job Frustration
Among Principals
Education Week By Liana Heitin
Published Online: February
21, 2013
A new national survey finds that three out of four K-12 public school
principals, regardless of the types of schools they work in, believe the job
has become “too complex,” and about a third say they are likely to go into a
different occupation within next five years.
The 29th
annual MetLife Survey of the American Teacher
,
based on telephone interviews with 1,000 K-12 public school teachers and 500
principals, tells a story of enduring budget problems in schools and declining
morale among both teachers and school leaders.
,
based on telephone interviews with 1,000 K-12 public school teachers and 500
principals, tells a story of enduring budget problems in schools and declining
morale among both teachers and school leaders.
Education Secretary Duncan
considering district-by-district waivers
PHILIP ELLIOTT , The
Associated Press Thursday, February 21, 2013 , 4:21 PM
The Education Department has given 34 states and the District of Columbia California and Texas
The next step could be allowing school districts themselves to petition
for exemptions from national requirements that states are all but certain to
fail to meet.
"I'm not saying we are going to go down that path," Duncan
It seems as though his department is already setting that in motion,
however.
“The exposure that our urban children have to
high levels of learning versus typical suburban students — there are marked
differences,” Mr. Slentz said. “Whether it’s access to public libraries, to
well-developed after-school programs, there is a difference between what the
suburban kids have at their fingertips versus what urban kids have.”
NAEP Test Scores of Hispanics Vary
Widely Across 5 Most Populous States, Analysis Shows
New York Times By MOTOKO RICH Published: February 21, 2013
Of all the changes sweeping through the American public education system,
one of the most significant is simply demographic: the growing population of
Hispanic students. A new analysis released
Thursday of nationwide test results in the five most populous states —
California, Florida, Illinois, New York and Texas — shows that depending on
where they live, Hispanic students’ academic performance varies widely.
According to the report, which examines data from the National
Assessment of Educational Progress, often cited as the most reliable
standard in academic testing, Hispanic students accounted for more than half of
all eighth graders in California in 2011, the highest proportion in the
country. But only 14 percent of those students were proficient on eighth-grade
reading tests administered by the United States Department of Education.
Conservative Think Tank: Why
Standardized Tests Are Great
Diane Ravitch’s Blog By dianerav February
21, 2013 //
Kathleen Porter-Magee of the conservative Thomas B. Fordham
Institute explains
here why the anti-testing movement is wrong. She describes what she
calls four “myths.”
White House: Stop-gap Measure Only
Way to Avoid Sequestration Deadline
ABC News by Mather Larotonda @mattlarotonda
Feb 19, 2013
3:34pm
The White House says that a short-term resolution may be the only
workable option to avoid triggering the sweeping package of federal budget cuts
known as “the
sequester,” unless Congress can reach a broader deficit-reduction
agreement. Lawmakers have a legally
mandated deadline of March 1 to select $85 billion in cuts from the nation’s
$3.8 trillion budget. But with little indication of progress and Congress in
recess this week, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said today that the
chances of such agreement were slim.
White House changes course on
sequester
Politico By DARREN
SAMUELSOHN | 2/22/13
4:34 AM EST
For the last six months, the White House told the groups that will suffer
the biggest blow if domestic cuts go through one thing: We’ve got this. But a week before the sequester deadline,
they’ve decided to change course, summoning cops, teachers, nurses and first
responders to the White House for meetings on how to pitch their case to
lawmakers on Capitol Hill reluctant to cut a deal.
During a Thursday visit to Philadelphia , U.S.
Toomey says sequester won't be that
bad
WHYY Newsworks By Emma Jacobs February 21, 2013
Congress designed the "sequester" -- the set of
across-the-board budget cuts set to take effect in March -- to be so drastic it
would force legislators to come up with a compromise. That hasn't happened. With a week to go,
President Barack Obama continues to roll out previews of the unhappy
consequences and unhappy managers of federal agencies to pressure lawmakers.
The Huffington Post | By Sara Gates Posted: 02/21/2013
2:30 pm
Oklahoma's most recent creationism measure has made
it over its latest hurdle. The Oklahoma Common Education committee passed the
Scientific Education and Academic Freedom Act Tuesday in a close 9-8 vote,
Mother Jones reports. Introduced by
Republican state
Rep. Gus Blackwell, the legislation would "permit teachers, schools,
and students to explore alternative theories without repercussions," the Week columnist Dana Liebelson writes.
In layman's terms, students would be able to challenge universally
accepted scientific theories, such as evolution and climate change. Teachers
would also be required to find more effective ways to address such
controversies in their teachings.
PSBA officer applications due April
30
PSBA’s website 2/15/2013
Candidates seeking election to PSBA officer posts in 2014 must file an
expression of interest for the office desired to be interviewed by the PSBA
Leadership Development Committee.
This new committee replaces the former Nominations Committee. Deadline
for filing is April 30. The application shall be marked received at
PSBA headquarters or mailed first class and postmarked by the deadline to be
considered timely filed. Expression of interest forms can be found online
at www.psba.org/about/psba/board-of-directors/officers/electing-officers.asp.
Edcamp Philly 2013 at UPENN
May 18th, 2013
For those of you who have never gone to an
Edcamp before, please make a note of the unusual part of the morning where we
will build the schedule. Edcamp doesn’t believe in paying fancy people to come
and talk at you about teaching! At an Edcamp, the people attending – the participants
- facilitate sessions on teaching and learning! So Edcamp won’t
succeed without a whole bunch of you wanting to run a session of some kind! What
kinds of sessions might you run?
What: Edcamp Philly is an"unconference" devoted
to K-12 Education issues and ideas.
Where:University
of Pennsylvania
Where:
Education Policy and Leadership
Center
SUBJECT: Governor Corbett's Proposed
Education Budget for 2013-2014
"Southeastern Region Breakfast Series" Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Continental Breakfast - 8:00 a.m. Program - 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown Hotel - 201 North 17th St. , Philadelphia ,
PA 19103
SPEAKERS: An Overview of the Proposed 2013-2014 State Budget
and Education Issues Will Be Provided By:
Sharon Ward, The Pennsylvania Budget and
Policy Center
Ron Cowell, The Education Policy and Leadership
Center
State and Regional
Perspectives Will Be Provided By:
Mark B. Miller, School Director,Centennial School District
Mark B. Miller, School Director,
Joe Otto, Chief Operations Officer, William Penn
School District
Michael Churchill, Of Counsel, Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia
Dr. Stephen D. Butz , Superintendent, Southeast Delco
School District
Dr. Stephen D. Butz
While there is no
registration fee, seating is limited and an RSVP is required.
EPLC 2013 REGIONAL WORKSHOPS
FOR SCHOOL
The Education Policy and Leadership Center, with the Cooperation
of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) and Pennsylvania
Association of School Business Officials (PASBO), will conduct A Series of Regional Full-Day
Workshops for 2013
Pennsylvania School Board Candidates. Registration is $45 and includes
coffee/donuts, lunch, and materials.
Pittsburgh Region Saturday, February 23, 2013 – 8:30
a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Doubletree Hotel Pittsburgh/Monroeville, 101 Mall Blvd., Monroeville, PA 15146
Doubletree Hotel Pittsburgh/Monroeville, 101 Mall Blvd., Monroeville, PA 15146
2013 PSBA Leadership Symposium on
Advocacy and Issues
April 6, 2013 The Penn Stater Convention Center Hotel; State College, PA
Strategic leadership, school budgeting and advocacy are key issues facing today's school district leaders. For your school district to truly thrive, leaders must maintain a solid understanding of these three functions. Attend the 2013 PSBA Leadership Symposium on Advocacy and Issues to ensure you have the skills you need to take your district to the next level.
April 6, 2013 The Penn Stater Convention Center Hotel; State College, PA
Strategic leadership, school budgeting and advocacy are key issues facing today's school district leaders. For your school district to truly thrive, leaders must maintain a solid understanding of these three functions. Attend the 2013 PSBA Leadership Symposium on Advocacy and Issues to ensure you have the skills you need to take your district to the next level.
