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Showing posts sorted by relevance for query Connects. Sort by date Show all posts

Monday, February 11, 2013

What’s working in Cincinnati and Boston?


What’s working in Cincinnati and Boston?
Not closing schools.  Not firing teachers.
Not charters.  Not vouchers.  Not diverting tax revenue to private and religious schools.
Not Teach for America.  Not parent triggers.
Not more tests with more negative consequences.
Partnering with non-profits to provide a wide range of coordinated intervention, prevention, enrichment and remedial services to kids – like their middle-class peers take for granted in well funded school districts.

American Public Media’s Marketplace featured the Cincinnati “Community Learning Centers” in this report from May 2012…
Tackling poverty along with reading and arithmetic
by Amy Scott Marketplace for Thursday, May 10, 2012
Part one: It's never too early for a good start in education Video runtime: 6:10
Kai Ryssdal: Education is the great equalizer. It's historically the path out of poverty in this country. But how do you get poor kids to do well in class if they're not getting enough to eat at home? Or they need glasses? Or their parents can't help them with their homework at night?
What if you took care of a lot of the stuff that's supposed to happen outside school in school?
In the second of two stories on education and poverty, Marketplace's Amy Scott takes us to a school in Cincinnati trying to do exactly that.
http://www.marketplace.org/topics/wealth-poverty/one-school-one-year/tackling-poverty-along-reading-and-arithmetic

“Cincinnati’s community learning centers are revitalizing the city’s neighborhoods, bringing families back into public schools and instilling a new sense of hope in neighborhoods where students often gave up on their education. Many share the vision of an education system that serves children from the early years through their transition to post-secondary learning and careers.”
Selected Results from Cincinnati CLCs
  • Since adopting the CLC strategy, Cincinnati is the first urban district in Ohio to receive an “effective” rating and is the highest- performing urban district in Ohio.
  • CLCs are demonstrating improvement. In 2007–08, only 30.8 percent of CLCs had a rating of continuous improvement or higher; in 2010–11, 73.1 percent of CLCs achieved that distinction.
  • High school graduation rates climbed from 51 percent in 2000 to 83 percent in 2009.
  • The achievement gap between African American students and white students narrowed from 14.5 percent in 2003 to 4.3 percent in 2009.
http://clcinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Cincinnati-CLC-Case-Study-Building-Blocks.pdf

The Community Learning Center Institute
The Community Learning Center Institute leads the ongoing engagement of the Greater Cincinnati community in the development of all schools as community learning centers, each with a set of financially self-sustaining, co-located community partnerships responsive to the vision and needs of each school and its neighborhood.
http://clcinstitute.org/

Here’s a similar successful community based program in Boston…
What Works: Boston's City Connects program:
Twenty years of “school reform” via vouchers, charters and tax credits has not shown them to be systematically any more effective than traditional public schools when it comes to educating high poverty populations of kids.  Here’s an alternative approach that bears closer scrutiny by education policymakers at the state and federal levels:

“The City Connects team has been collecting and analyzing data for 10 years that demonstrate their approach to addressing non-school factors significantly improves academic performance and narrows the achievement gap.  Briefly, their students are doing better on standardized tests, have less retention in grade and chronic absenteeism, and are less likely to drop out of school than students who are never part of City Connects.”

More on Turning Schools Around

Education Week Public Engagement & Ed Reform Blog By Stu Silberman on November 6, 2012 8:45 AM 
In a recent blog post about turning around chronically low performing schools, I stressed the critical importance of principal leadership in making such turnarounds possible.
In response, I heard from staff at City Connects, a non-profit organization that addresses out-of-school factors that affect learning (hunger, homelessness, violence, etc.) in the Boston and Springfield, MA, public schools. Many of these are turnaround schools. City Connects Executive Director Mary E. Walsh wrote: "While strong school leadership is imperative, we believe that it is unfair to ask schools and teachers to bear sole responsibility for closing the economic divide. Systematically addressing out-of-school factors can help students achieve and removes the burden from teachers, allowing them to focus on delivering quality instruction. In fact, our results show that the positive impact of City Connects is greater than the negative impact of poverty when considering student growth in academic achievements across grades 1-5."
At City Connects, trained School Site Coordinators work with teachers and school staff to look at the whole child across four domains: academics, social/emotional/behavioral, health and family. Together, they identify the in- and out-of-school factors affecting every student and match students to community- and school-based services and enrichment activities most appropriate for their individual strengths and needs. The current work is in K-5/K-8 schools with pilots underway for early childhood and high school models.
The results they report are impressive. For a cost of less than $500 per child, they are helping to break through achievement gaps. I believe this program (and others like it), in conjunction with strong development of principals, should be replicated around the country to help turn around chronically low- performing schools.

Here’s the website for City Connects…..
Welcome to City Connects
We are an innovative school-based intervention that revitalizes student support in grades K-8. City Connects collaborates with teachers and school staff to identify the strengths and needs of every child. We then create a uniquely tailored set of intervention, prevention, and enrichment services located in the school and community designed to help each student learn and thrive. By address the in- and out-of-school factors that impact children, we help students succeed in school.

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Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Another way: Not charters, not vouchers, not tax credits: tailored interventions….


Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 1700 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors, administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers, PTO/PTA officers, parent advocates, teacher leaders, members of the press and a broad array of P-16 education advocacy organizations via emails, website, Facebook and Twitter.

These daily emails are archived at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg



CITY CONNECTS’ MISSION: To have every child engage and learn in school by connecting each student with the tailored set of intervention, prevention, and enrichment services he or she needs to thrive.
Central to City Connects’ work is the belief that addressing the “out-of-school” factors impacting students helps them come to school ready to learn and thrive.  Children living in poverty face especially pervasive and severe out-of-school factors, like hunger, homelessness, and violence.
More info: http://www.bc.edu/schools/lsoe/cityconnects.html


Not charters, not vouchers, not tax credits: tailored interventions….
City Connects program at a glance:
·         City Connects uses the existing structures of public schools and the resources of local community agencies to deliver tailored supports for students.
·         In 2011-12, across all City Connects sites, 8,900 students were linked to more than 44,500 services and enrichment opportunities, ranging from tutoring to athletic programs.
·         Principals, teachers, and community agency collaborators report a 92% or higher satisfaction rate with our intervention.
·         City Connects is cost-effective— less than $500 per pupil.
·         Results include higher statewide test scores

Special ed funding falls victim to charter reform plan
PhillyBurbs.com By Gary Weckselblatt Staff Writer Posted on November 19, 2012
Changes to the way Pennsylvania funds special education nearly became law last summer, but the legislation died when an amendment supported by Gov. Tom Corbett to reform charter schools and cyberschools co-opted the measure.  House Bill 704 sponsored by state Rep. Bernie O’Neill, R-29, and companion legislation in the Senate, SB 1115, had been gaining support. The Senate version passed 46-1 in June.
…..Once “it got buried with all this charter school stuff ... the whole thing died,” said O’Neill, who ultimately voted against his own legislation.
State Rep. Paul Clymer, R-145, chairman of the House Education Committee, said he worked to keep amendments off O’Neill’s bill but “leadership decided it would be a good time to put in a reform package for cyber and charter schools. This is not new. It’s been sitting on a table.”
O’Neill said he plans to introduce his original bill again in January, when the new session starts. “For sure,” he said. “I’m already working with leadership on moving the bill.”

“Complete versatility” in a public-school setting

SmartBlog on Education By Tom Murray on November 19th, 2012 | Comments (0)
The Quakertown Community School District, winner of the 2011 iNACOL Innovative Program Award, has been highlighted by Michael Horn, author of “Disrupting Class,” on numerous occasions for its self-blend educational model.
QCSD, a K-12 public school in Bucks County, Pa., is a rare breed among public schools, as all students in grades 6-12 have a full menu of both cyber and blended learning options. Some students earn a QCSD diploma as full-time cyber students. Others graduate having taken all of their coursework in a face-to-face, blended setting. The majority of students, however, utilize a combination of blended and cyber courses, promoting “complete versatility” in meeting the needs of all students in this self-blend model.
Some students come to the high-school campus for the full day, some for a handful of class periods and others not at all. Students can choose which learning environment best meets their needs, while being supported by their local public-school staff throughout the process. BYOD and 1:1 initiatives have complemented these cyber options, creating a blended learning environment for all students at the secondary level. Since being implemented four years ago, attendance rates have risen, SAT and AP scores have increased and graduation rates have increased significantly, gaining QCSD national academic notoriety and international accolades.

Chester Upland board postpones vote on recovery plan
Published: Monday, November 19, 2012
By JOHN KOPP jkopp@delcotimes.com @DT_JohnKopp
CHESTER — The Chester Upland School District board postponed its vote on the financial and academic recovery plan prepared by Chief Financial Officer Joseph Watkins until next Monday.
Board President Wanda Mann announced at Monday’s meeting that the board will issue a counterproposal to Watkins before it votes at a special meeting next Monday. The board initially had 10 days to approve or reject the plan, but the state extended the deadline until Monday because of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Inquirer Editorial: Chester Upland may not survive new state plan

POSTED: Monday, November 19, 2012, 3:01 AM
Maybe it's time to put the troubled Chester Upland School District out of its misery. A state plan to overhaul the Delaware County system looks more like a slow road to extinction.

Charter schools blast SRC’s move to limit enrollment

Martha Woodall, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
POSTED: Monday, November 19, 2012, 8:47 PM
The Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools on Monday blasted the Philadelphia School Reform Commission's decision to suspend part of state law so it could control charter-school growth, and said the move could trigger legal challenges.

Pa. cyber charters still struggle with PSSAs

York Dispatch By ANDREW SHAW 505-5431 / @ydblogwork
Year after year, cyber charter schools in Pennsylvania are not meeting standards on the state's annual exams.  Again this year, their overall marks fall far below those of York County school districts.  Among the eight cyber schools regularly enrolling York County students, only Pennsylvania Leadership and 21st Century Cyber made adequate yearly progress on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment exams.

Pennsylvania lawmakers get automatic 2% pay raises to $83,802/year
By JAN MURPHY, The Patriot-News on November 19, 2012 at 10:18 PM
At a time when private-sector employees’ wages are forecast to remain stagnant, legislators, judges and other top state government officials won’t have that problem.
Their salaries will grow by nearly 2.2 percent.  For legislators, the adjustment — based on the 12-month movement in the Consumer Price Index for urban consumers in the mid-Atlantic states — will raise their base salary to $83,802, starting Dec. 1.  That is up $1,776 from this year’s $82,026 base pay.

Educators anxious about switch to Keystone Exams

Pittsburgh Tribune Review By Bill Zlatos  Tuesday, November 20, 2012, 12:01 a.m.
Students across Pennsylvania begin taking the much-anticipated Keystone Exams next month, but many educators worry whether they will take the tests as seriously as they should.
That’s because passing the standardized tests won’t be required for graduation until the Class of 2017.  “If I were a principal ... I would be working hard to motivate (my students),” said Linda Hippert, executive director of the Allegheny Intermediate Unit.
Why Care About State Politics?
Yinzercation Blog November 19, 2012
Why should we here in Southwest Pennsylvania care about what happens in state politics? That’s the question put to me by the editor of the Pittsburgh City Paper last week during an interview for a forthcoming story they are doing on our old friends at the Students First PA super PAC. It’s a good question, and the answer has everything to do with how we are going to save our public schools.

Report: Pension costs to wreck balanced budget in coming years
By Eric Boehm, PA Independent Published: Sunday, November 18, 2012
HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania can expect modest economic growth over the next five years, but it will be surpassed by a surge in state pension costs that begin this year.  Projections from the Independent Fiscal Office say pension costs will far outpace revenues in coming years.
An annual economic and budgetary projection from the state’s Independent Fiscal Office, a state equivalent of the Congressional Budget Office, forecasts 0.8 percent revenue growth this year and 3 percent annual growth for the state’s revenues in the next five year.  Pension costs are projected to climb by 46 percent in this year’s budget and 42 percent in next year’s budget.
“The increase in pension contributions is estimated to be about $500 million per year for the next several years,” said Mark Ryan, deputy director of the IFO.

Pennsylvania PSERS returns 11.45% for year

Pensions and Investments BY ROB KOZLOWSKI | NOVEMBER 15, 2012 3:47 PM
Pennsylvania Public School Employees' Retirement System, Harrisburg, returned 11.45% in the year ended Sept. 30, confirmed spokeswoman Evelyn Tatkovski.

D.C. vouchers: What you need to know

Washington Post Answer Sheet Blog Posted by Valerie Strauss November 18, 2012 at 5:00 pm
Here are some things you should know about the D.C. school voucher program that House Majority leader John Boehner took on as a personal mission to save. According tothis important investigation by my colleagues Lyndsey Layton and Emma Brown:

Advisory Panel Issues Recommendations for Head Start

Education Week Early Years Blog By Lesli A. Maxwell on November 16, 2012 5:10 PM
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has just released a long reportfrom a group of early-childhood experts who two years ago were tapped by Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to advise the agency on how to improve the nearly $8 billion Head Start program.
The report—which, to be clear, is not the much-delayed national evaluation I wrote about yesterday—is a thorough discussion of recommendations for improving the effectiveness of Head Start that is based, in part, on the panel's review and interpretation of previous studies of the program for low-income 4-year-olds and its sister program for younger children, Early Head Start.
Committee members made recommendations in three major areas: using data to improve school readiness and other key outcomes, using evidence-based practices, and improving the coordination of services from prenatal to age 8.


Building One Pennsylvania – Fundraiser November 29th
Join us at our first fundraiser and awards ceremony to celebrate our progress in promoting inclusive, sustainable and economically prosperous communities.
Austin Room at IBEW Electrical Union 654
3729 Chichester Avenue, Boothwyn PA 19061
Thursday, November 29th from 6:00 – 8:00 PM
$100 per person • $75 for Building One Pennsylvania Member
HONOREES:
U.S. Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr.
U.S. Congressman Patrick Meehan
Estelle Richman, Senior Advisor to the Secretary, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Isaac Dotson, Yeadon Economic Development Corporation
Tom Gemmill, St. James Episcopal Church, Lancaster
Rev. Marlon Millner, Norristown Municipal Council and McKinley Memorial Baptist Church

PLEASE RSVP TO ATTEND


CELEBRATE Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center’s 5th Anniversary!
Friday November 30th 12 pm – 1:30 pm
Join us in celebrating 5 years of providing a strong, independent voice for working Pennsylvanians and their families in the halls of the state Capitol and beyond.
Friday~November 30th, 12 pm - 1:30 pm
Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown Hotel
201 N. 17th Street | Philadelphia PA 19103
www.pennbpc.org/5thanniversary
Registration begins at 11:30
LEGISLATIVE LEADERSHIP AWARD
Hon. Gene DiGirolamo & Hon. Thomas Murt
BE THE CHANGE AWARD
Voter ID Plaintiff Legal Team
The Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia (PILCOP)
The ACLU of Pennsylvania
The Advancement Project
Arnold and Porter
HOST COMMITTEE
Hon. Edward G. Rendell | Hon. Vincent Hughes
Hon. Blondell Reynolds Brown | Hon. Maria Quiñones Sánchez | Hon. W. Wilson Goode II
Hon. Diane Ellis-Marseglia | Willig, Williams, & Davidson | Dianne & Ted Reed | Donna Cooper
Public Citizens for Children and Youth | Women Against Abuse
Education Policy and Leadership Center | Education Voters of Pennsylvania
Project H.O.M.E | Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania

Education Law Center invites you to a special evening December 5th
Honoring Len Rieser
Welcoming Rhonda Brownstein
And celebrating public education champions
Mary Gay Scanlon, Harold Jordan, Arc of PA, The Bridges Collaborative and School Discipline Advocacy Services
Food, Drink and Silent Auction
December 5, 2012 , 5:30 PM
Crystal Tea Room The Wanamaker Building
100 Penn Square East, Philadelphia
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Thursday, November 10, 2016

PA Ed Policy Roundup Nov 10: City Connects: Up to 2/3 of academic achievement related to nonacademic factors; Trump’s First 100 days

Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 3950 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, 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 and LinkedIn

These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg

Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup for November 10, 2016
City Connects: Up to 2/3 of academic achievement related to nonacademic factors; Trump’s First 100 days


“In a District where most of the students are Black and Hispanic, where nearly 10 percent are English learners and many more come from immigrant families, students worried about their futures and the futures of their families, some teachers said.  Many were terrified about Trump’s anti-immigration rhetoric about building walls and expelling Muslims.”
In polyglot Philadelphia, teachers work to reassure students about election results
The notebook by Dale Mezzacappa, Darryl Murphy and Greg Windle November 9, 2016 9:20pm
Fifth-grade teacher Carolyn Gray, a 30-year teaching veteran who has been at Masterman since 1992, had her students write an essay on Monday on who they wanted to win and why – an exercise in narrative writing, in which students had to take a position and back it up. On Wednesday, they wrote how they felt about the results.  Teachers in Philadelphia schools on Wednesday worked to help their students deal with emotions that included bewilderment, disappointment, outrage, anger and fear as they processed the results of Tuesday’s election, a shocker in which Donald Trump defeatedHillary Clinton and was elected president of the United States.  In a District where most of the students are Black and Hispanic, where nearly 10 percent are English learners and many more come from immigrant families, students worried about their futures and the futures of their families, some teachers said.  Many were terrified about Trump’s anti-immigration rhetoric about building walls and expelling Muslims. For her students at Feltonville Arts and Sciences Middle School, said math teacher Kelley Collings, “the election turned their world upside down and ripped the carpet out from underneath their 11-year-old Black, Brown, immigrant, non-English-speaking, Muslim, poor feet.”

Education and the election
York Dispatch by Alyssa Pressler , 505-5438/@AlyssaPressYD8:17 p.m. EST November 9, 2016
Education affects every person, whether they are on the receiving end of education, concerned for America's future with the next generation or simply paying for it through taxes.  Below is an outline of plans, policies and thoughts on education from President-elect Donald Trump, U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., and Carol Hill-Evans, the York City Council president who was elected to the state House for the 95th District.

Owen J. Roberts High School to offer global learning program
By Nancy March, The Mercury POSTED: 11/09/16, 12:55 PM EST | UPDATED: 11 HRS AGO
South Coventry >> Owen J. Roberts High School is poised to become one of only 15 public schools in Pennsylvania offering International Baccalaureate courses to students.
The program, as outlined for the school board Monday, would expand the school’s current Science Technology Engineering Arts and Mathematics curriculum for juniors and seniors to acquire an International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme certificate along with their high school diploma.  Students can opt to follow a course of study in their junior and senior years that includes a global perspective along with STEAM courses, explained Richard Marchini, high school principal. The courses, similar to Advanced Placement, are recognized by many colleges for credit and as preparation for global careers, Marchini said.  The program is currently offered at Downingtown S.T.E.M. Academy and at Harriton High School in Lower Merion, Montgomery County, and Manheim Township High School in Lancaster County.

“Gerrymandering: Because so many lawmakers have safe seats in districts that are drawn for them, they are free to be demagogues. Politics and governance suffer as those lawmakers dig in their heels rather than compromise, knowing that their intransigence won’t be penalized at the ballot box.  Pennsylvania is one of the most gerrymandered states in the nation. The Legislature shamefully has clung to the power to reshape districts to the majority’s liking as other states have moved toward independent commissions — changes that have been upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States.”
Editorial: How to avoid same mess in 2020, beyond
Times Tribune Editorial November 9, 2016
As the nastiest, most divisive presidential election campaign in modern history draws to a close, the question is not simply whether the animosity will carry over into Wednesday morning — it will — but whether Congress and the state Legislature will enact reforms to rescue the process far into the future.  The current rancor is due partially to the controversial presidential candidates themselves, particularly Donald J. Trump. His willingness to cross conventional lines of political discourse, to flatly disregard facts and deliberately demonize large swaths of the population are woeful precedents.  But the electoral system itself should guard against that slicing and dicing in search of the lowest political denominator. Reforms in several areas could help:

Urgent caution to members receiving recent email about transgender issues
PSBA Website November 9, 2016
The November 3, 2016, Daily Edition featured an objective, unbiased update on recent developments in the courts relating to transgender issues, which is available here on the PSBA website with a collection of resources relating to the cases and to information on the issues school districts face. The very next day school board members around the state received an email message from an organization called “Independence Law Center” that advocates for policies prohibiting transgender persons from using sex-designated restrooms and other facilities consistent with their gender identity, and requiring them to use instead only unisex facilities or facilities consistent with their biological or birth gender. That email and the two documents attached to it purport to advise you about your legal obligations and to describe the current state of the law regarding transgender issues.
PSBA urges great caution when reading statements from partisan organizations purporting to advise you about your legal obligations or the status of the litigation over transgender issues.  These statements and mailings are generally one-sided advocacy briefs designed to convince readers of what such organizations believe the law ought to be, and should not be misunderstood as a balanced assessment of what the state of the law is or of the pros and cons of a particular course of action. Boards also may receive similar letters from organizations advocating the opposite position, and should regard them with the same wariness.

Blogger note: City Connects is an established community schools program associated with Boston College
Research at City Connects: 4 Things We Know; 4 Things We’d Like to Know
City Connects Website November 10, 2016 Alyssa Haywoode
Research is a crucial piece of what we do.
The City Connects evaluation team operates independently, analyzing data from City Connects programs and producing peer-reviewed studies.  So there’s a lot we know about boosting students’ success — and there’s more that we want to know.  Here’s a quick rundown:
Four things we know:
1. Up to two-thirds of academic achievement is related to nonacademic factors.
Growing up in challenging circumstances is one of the biggest factors that can erode students’ success.
2. City Connects has a positive impact on students’ academic achievement.
Students, for example, do much better in math and English on the statewide exam in Massachusetts.
3. City Connects has a positive impact on students’ attendance.
Students at City Connects schools attend significantly more days of school — both when they are in City Connects schools and long after they leave.
4. City Connects lowers high school dropout rates.
Years after they’ve left City Connects schools, students are less likely to drop out of high school.

Georgia Voters Defeat State-Run District for Struggling Schools
Education Week By Denisa R. Superville on November 9, 2016 12:19 AM
UPDATED Georgia voters soundly defeated a measure sought by Gov. Nathan Deal to change the state constitution to create a special district to take over low-performing schools.  Unofficial election results from Georgia's secretary of state on Wednesday showed that, with all precincts reporting, the measure to create a so-called Opportunity School District was defeated, with 60 percent of voters rejecting it, and 40 percent voting in favor.   The Opportunity School District was expected to be a signature piece of education policy for Deal.   He had framed the district's creation in personal terms, arguing that it was the state's "moral" duty to rescue some 68,000 or so students who attend schools that were among the lowest-performing for three consecutive years, and to provide those students with better education options.

Trump realigned Pennsylvania voting patterns in victory
AP By MARC LEVY November 9, 2016
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Donald Trumpbecame the first Republican presidential candidate to win Pennsylvania since 1988, and he did it in ways that turned around some conventional voting patterns in the battleground state.  It was stunning more so because the state was long a key stepping stone for Democrats to the White House: No Democrat has won the White House without Pennsylvania since Harry Truman in 1948.

What a Trump presidency means for America’s public schools
Washington Post By Emma Brown November 10 at 7:00 AM 
Trump on public schools: 'It's time to break up that monopoly'
Republican President-elect Donald Trump spoke about education only in broad terms on the campaign trail, leaving plenty of uncertainty about how his administration now intends to handle policy questions ranging from standardized testing and school accountability to the treatment of transgender students.  But Trump’s stunning election is likely to mean a clear contrast with some key Obama administration policies, including a vigorous push for federally funded private school vouchers and a downsizing of the Education Department, which has arguably exercised more influence under Obama than at any other point.  Trump’s most substantial campaign proposal on education was a $20 billion grant program that he’d use to encourage states to expand school choice — giving parents more control over the kind of education their children receive — including through vouchers, charter schools and magnet schools. The money would come from somewhere else in the federal budget, but it’s not clear where; Trump has not said.

Secretary Of Education Ben Carson? Here’s A List Of Potential Trump Cabinet Picks
The list isn’t final but includes plum roles for Chris Christie, Jeff Sessions, and Reince Priebus.
John Stanton  BuzzFeed News Reporter posted on Nov. 9, 2016, at 9:00 p.m.
President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team has put together a who’s who short list of Trump surrogates and advisers to take top positions in his administration next year, ranging from former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani for attorney general to 39-year-old Rep. Duncan Hunter Jr. to be the secretary of defense.  The list of 41 names, obtained by BuzzFeed News, covers 13 departments, the attorney general, Office of Management and Budget, White House chief of staff, and White House counsel.  A source familiar with the list stressed it was not final, and it is unclear whether transition officials have narrowed it down or added more potential candidates for consideration by Trump.

Trump Might Want to Scrap the Education Department; How Doable Is That?
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Alyson Klein on November 9, 2016 7:24 PM
Some Republicans have been trying to get rid of the U.S. Department of Education since President Ronald Reagan took office, when the agency was only about a year old.
Now, with Republican Donald Trump headed to the White House and a GOP-controlled House and Senate, Republicans have their best chance yet to scrap—or at least seriously scale back—the agency.  Trump talked about eliminating the Education Department on the campaign trail or cutting it "way way down," but didn't offer details about how he would do that, or what would happen to key programs if he did downsize.  For now, it looks like this idea remains on the table. Former Florida and Virginia state schools superintendent Gerard Robinson, who is now a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said in an interview Wednesday that he expects that the new president will "streamline, at least" the Education Department. (Robinson is serving on Trump's transition team but spoke only on his own behalf.)

“School Choice And Education Opportunity Act. Redirects education dollars to give parents the right to send their kid to the public, private, charter, magnet, religious or home school of their choice. Ends common core, brings education supervision to local communities. It expands vocational and technical education, and make 2 and 4-year college more affordable.”
Here Is What Donald Trump Wants To Do In His First 100 Days
Natalie Keyssar for NPR November 9, 20163:45 PM ET
At the end of October, Donald Trump spoke in Gettysburg, Pa., and released a plan for his first 100 days in office.  The plan (below) outlines three main areas of focus: cleaning up Washington, including by imposing term limits on Congress; protecting American workers; and restoring rule of law. He also laid out his plan for working with Congress to introduce 10 pieces of legislation that would repeal Obamacare, fund the construction of a wall at the Southern border (with a provision that Mexico would reimburse the U.S.), encourage infrastructure investment, rebuild military bases, promote school choice and more.

President Elect ‘s Transition Website: Education
The American Dream remains an illusion for too many families and taxpayers.  We fail too often to provide our schoolchildren with a high-quality education to prepare them to be successful adults in a knowledge economy that rewards creativity and a smart work ethic, which in turns fails to provide our workforce with relevant intellectual and career competencies necessary for advancement in the U.S. or international business community.  Each time our nation forgoes the academic preparedness of one child or adult we miss a window of opportunity to invent a roadmap for greatness our founding generation envisioned 229 years ago.
To Make America Great Again for approximately 70 million school-age students, 20 million post-secondary students, and 150 million working adults, the Trump Administration will advance policies to support learning-and-earning opportunities at the state and local levels – where the heart and soul of American education takes place. We will accomplish this goal through high-quality early childhood, magnet, STEAM or theme-based programs; expansion of choice through charters, vouchers, and teacher-driven learning models; and relief from U.S. Department of Education regulations that inhibit innovation. A Trump Administration also will make post-secondary options more affordable and accessible through technology enriched delivery models.

Donald Trump and the Future of Education
The president-elect supports school vouchers and scaling back the government’s role in student lending.
The Atlantic by EMILY DERUY  NOV 9, 2016
I’ll be honest; I’d pre-written a piece on what a Clinton presidency might mean for education. The polls pointed in her direction and she’s been talking about children and schools for years, meaning there was plenty to mull. I’d interviewed a number of both conservative and liberal education wonks who had a general idea of what to expect and a relatively uniform belief that she would work across the aisle.  Now, what happens education-wise under Donald Trump’s administration is unclear.  What he’s said on the campaign trail about schools and students obviously won’t transfer directly into policy, but his words offer clues. Will Trump shutter the U.S. Education Department entirely, as he’s suggested? That seems highly unlikely, but there’s a very real chance he’ll scale back its scope drastically. Looking at the big picture, with Republicans controlling the White House, Senate, and House of Representatives, more decision-making power is likely to be transferred back to states and local governments. And Trump is likely to push what he’s called a “market-driven” approach to education. That makes civil-rights groups and many Democrats who see the federal government as something of a safety net for vulnerable low-income students and children of color nervous.


Mayor's Office of Ed ‏@PHL_MOE – Community Schools and PreK
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Regional Basic Education Funding Formula Workshops
PASA, PSBA, PAIU, PARSS, the PA Principals Association and PASBO are traveling around the state to conduct regional workshops for school leaders to provide them with more information on the new basic education funding formula. Register below to attend one of 8 regional workshops to learn more about the new formula and what it means for your school district and for the state. Please note that capacity is limited at each location and registration is required. A webcast option is also available. These regional workshops are being supported by a grant from the William Penn Foundation.
Monday, November 14, 2016 @ 6:00 pm: Colonial IU 20
(6 Danforth Drive, Easton, PA 18045)
Tuesday, November 29, 2016 @ 9:00 am: Luzerne IU 18
(368 Tioga Ave, Kingston, PA 18704)
Tuesday, December 6, 2016 @ 6:00 pm: Chester County IU 24
(455 Boot Road, Downingtown, PA 19335)
Wednesday, November 16, 2016 @ 9:30 am: Webcast

Public Forum: Who should run Philadelphia's schools? Thursday, Dec. 8, 6-7:30 p.m. Drexel University - Behrakis Grand Hall
Join us for a public forum featuring state, city and civic leaders sponsored by Philadelphia Media Network, the Philadelphia Public School Notebook and Drexel University's School of Education.
Creese Student Center 3210 Chestnut St. Philadelphia, PA 19104
It's been 15 years since the state took control of Philadelphia's schools and created the School Reform Commission. Since then, the SRC has been a polarizing presence in the city.
With the recent resignation of two members of the commission and the term of a third expiring soon, the future of the SRC and the issue of school governance is once again at the forefront of the civic dialogue. Is the SRC the only model to consider?  Should Philadelphia create an elected school board, or should the governing body be controlled by the Mayor? Are there models in other cities that could help us rethink our own school governance?   The Philadelphia Public School Notebook, Philadelphia Media Network -- owner of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News and philly.com, and Drexel University's School of Education are hosting a public forum on this critical issue.
RSVP - Admission is free, but you must register in advance. Register now, and find out more about the panelists and other details at our registration page.  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/who-should-run-philadelphias-schools-tickets-28926705555

Share your interest in volunteering with PSBA
Complete this form to share your interest in volunteering with PSBA

NSBA Advocacy Institute 2017 -- Jan. 29-31, Washington, D.C.
Join school directors around the country at the conference designed to give you the tools to advocate successfully on behalf of public education.
  • NSBA will help you develop a winning advocacy strategy to help you in Washington, D.C. and at home.
  • Attend timely and topical breakout sessions lead by NSBA’s knowledgeable staff and outside experts.
  • Expand your advocacy network by swapping best practices, challenges, and successes with other school board members from across the country.
This event is open to members of the Federal Relations Network. To find out how you can join, contact Jamie.Zuvich@psba.org. Learn more about the Advocacy Institute at https://www.nsba.org/events/advocacy-institute.

Register now for the 2017 NSBA Annual Conference 
Plan to join public education leaders for networking and learning at the 2017 NSBA Annual Conference, March 25-27 in Denver, CO. General registration is now open at https://www.nsba.org/conference/registration. A conference schedule, including pre-conference workshops, is available on the NSBA website.

SAVE THE DATE LWVPA Convention 2017 June 1-4, 2017
Join the League of Women Voters of PA for our 2017 Biennial Convention at the beautiful Inn at Pocono Manor!
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/SAVE-THE-DATE--LWVPA-Convention-June-1-4--2017.html?soid=1102026610927&aid=sie1JiXCxws


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