Thursday, April 9, 2015

PA Ed Policy Roundup for April 9, 2015: Budget rhetoric heats up in Harrisburg

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Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup for April 9, 2015:
Budget rhetoric heats up in Harrisburg



Save the date: Wednesday April 29th 7:00 pm Springfield (Delco) High School
Southeastern PA Regional Meeting on School Funding
Local school district leaders will discuss how state funding issues are impacting our children's educational opportunities, our local taxes and our communities.
Hosted by Delaware County School Boards Legislative Council, Education Voters of PA and the Keystone State Education Coalition



Budget rhetoric heats up in Harrisburg
By Steve Esack Morning Call Harrisburg Bureau April 8, 2015
The first budget salvos have been launched in the state's annual verbal and ideological spending wars of spring. Will summer and Christmas suffer as a result for the governor, lawmakers and their employees?  On Tuesday, Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf fired the first shot when he told The Philadelphia Inquirer he does not expect a 2015-16 budget to be passed by the June 30 close of the current fiscal year.  “I’m planning on spending the summer here, and the fall and the winter,” Wolf told the newspaper.  On Wednesday, Republican legislative leaders returned fire.
In a conference call with reporters, House Majority Leader Dave Reed, R-Indiana, said Wolf’s remarks were premature and do not jell with his campaign promise to be a "different" leader in Harrisburg. The administration and legislative caucuses will not have their first joint meeting until next week, Reed said, and a deal can get done by June 30.
In an interview with The Morning Call, Sen. Pat Browne, R-Lehigh, Appropriations Committee chairman, said Wolf’s new comments do not bode well for compromise among the administration, the Senate and House. But he pledged to work to get a budget done on time.

Sen. Jake Corman hopes to work with Gov. Tom Wolf on Pennsylvania budget, pension reform
Centre Daily Times BY LORI FALCE lfalce@centredaily.com April 7, 2015
State Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Benner Township, has nice things to say about Pennsylvania’s new governor.  “He’s an affable man. He wants to do the right thing,” he told the Centre Daily Times editorial board as he sat down to talk about issues important to the state and his district.  That doesn’t mean he agrees with Democrat Tom Wolf’s plans, especially when it comes to money. Lately Corman has been doing a lot of talking about the Republican-dominated Senate’s requirements to reach an accord on spending in the coming year.

"This is my first budget; this is new for me,'' Mr. Wolf said. "I'm doing everything I can to bring this in on time.''  But in the face of a barrage of Republican criticism of his plans, he acknowledged that an overall agreement was still a long way off.
"That's what democracy is all about,'' he said. "We're going to have a robust conversation.''
Wolf says work continues on state budget overhaul
By James P. O'Toole / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette April 8, 2015 2:22 PM
Gov. Tom Wolf said an on-time state budget remains his goal, although he acknowledged the possibility that he and the Republican Legislature may not reach an agreement by the end of the fiscal year on June 30.  In a Tuesday interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer, Mr. Wolf said that recent experience suggests that Harrisburg may not meet that deadline. But in an appearance today at Tech Shop in the East End, the Democrat said he remains optimistic on a budget proposal that would increase education funding and cut business taxes while increasing personal income and sales taxes.  Mr. Wolf said he has engaged in a round of formal and informal discussion with legislators promoting his plan. He said he and the lawmakers had heard the same things from taxpayers on the need to boost education funding and the concern that school districts' property taxes are too high.

"“Maybe (Republicans) are just thinking about some ways to improve what I proposed, but I think we all want the same things, so that gives me some encouragement that we are actually going to end up with a budget sooner rather than later,” Wolf said.  A group of about 30 House Republicans have been working for months on a proposal that should be ready for a legislative committee's consideration in the coming weeks, Reed said."
Pennsylvania Gov. Wolf thinks budget approval may skirt, overshoot deadline
Trib Live By Tom Fontaine Wednesday, April 8, 2015, 12:57 p.m.
Gov. Tom Wolf made no promises Wednesday that he'd be able to reach a budget deal with the GOP-controlled Legislature before the end of the fiscal year in June.  “If the past is any guide, we'll skirt right up against the deadline or maybe go beyond it, but I'm doing everything I can to bring this in … on time, if not before,” Wolf said after touring the TechShop business incubator in East Liberty.  Wolf said he thinks there is enough common ground with House and Senate leaders on issues such as property tax reform, boosting education funding and promoting job growth to help pave the way for a deal to be brokered by June 30.  House Majority Leader Dave Reed said he is optimistic lawmakers would meet the deadline.  But Wolf said privatizing the state liquor system is “not on the table,” and he would veto such legislation, and Reed said GOP lawmakers will soon roll out their own plan. 
GOP leader: Wolf's budget prediction 'premature'
ANGELA COULOUMBIS, INQUIRER HARRISBURG BUREAU LAST UPDATED: Thursday, April 9, 2015, 1:08 AM POSTED: Wednesday, April 8, 2015, 6:53 PM
HARRISBURG - House Majority Leader Dave Reed (R., Indiana) said Wednesday that it was "premature" for Gov. Wolf to predict that a state budget would not be enacted on time this year.
Reed told Capitol reporters he believed Wolf's prediction - which came in a Tuesday interview with The Inquirer - reflected the neophyte status of a Democratic governor in his first term. Reed said Republicans who control the legislature had yet to hold their first budget meeting with the governor. That comes next week. "The governor was the one who declared a new day had started in Harrisburg with him taking office, that he was going to set a new tone, and that he did not have any interest in turning Harrisburg into Washington, D.C., with partisan gridlock," Reed said.

Reed says property tax reform bill coming soon, provides budget update
The PLS Reporter Author: Jason Gottesman/Wednesday, April 8, 2015
House Majority Leader Dave Reed (R-Indiana) held a late afternoon conference call with reporters to provide a budget update and give insight into the Spring/Summer legislative schedule of the House.  During the call, Rep. Reed told reporters that a bill to bring dollar-for-dollar reductions in school property taxes could be considered by the House in a matter of weeks.  “We have been working with a group of about 30 of our members integrally for about three or four months on a property tax proposal and hope to vet that through the committee process here in the next couple of weeks and scheduling a floor vote in the not too distant future after that,” he said.  He explained the proposal will reduce school property taxes by the exact proportion of increased revenue obtained through the state through increases in sales and personal income taxes.  “We will probably look at a starting point that would use a sales tax and personal income tax for dollar-for-dollar reduction in school property taxes,” Rep. Reed said. “This will be revenue neutral for the taxpayers in the Commonwealth. We will not be using these dollars for additional state spending.”  He added the proposal is being brought up now to see if those talking about property tax reform will support the ultimate—but still fluid—proposal sooner rather than later.
He said the goal is to get property taxes reduced by 40-60 percent at the start of the discussion, but he added leadership remains open to a complete elimination of the school property tax.

Pennsylvania House Republicans want to cut property taxes
Philly.com by MARK SCOLFORO, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS POSTED: Wednesday, April 8, 2015, 5:10 PM
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Pennsylvania House Republican lawmakers will soon roll out a plan to raise state taxes to make significant cuts in the local property taxes that fund public schools, the chamber's GOP floor leader said Wednesday.  Given Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf's support for a similar approach, the Republican bill could be a step toward historic changes in how the state funds education, and relief from the much hated property taxes.  Majority Leader Dave Reed said in a conference call with reporters that a group of about 30 House Republicans has been working for months on a proposal that should be ready for a legislative committee's consideration within weeks.

House Democrats hold local hearing on education funding
Times Leader By Mark Guydish - mguydish@civitasmedia.com Last updated: April 07. 2015 8:20PM - 586 Views 
WILKES-BARRE — Wilkes-Barre Area School District Superintendent Bernard Prevuznak summed up the message with one phrase: “We cannot continue on the path we are currently engaged.  Prevuznak joined Hanover Area School District Superintendent Andrew Kuhl and Luzerne Intermediate Unit Executive Director Anthony Grieco in testimony before a Pennsylvania House Democratic Policy Committee hearing at the Wilkes University Tuesday.  The topic was education funding, and with six Democrats at the table, including two former teachers — Wilkes-Barre’s Eddie Day Pashinski and Philadelphia’s Jordan Harris — the tone was decidedly supportive of Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposal to dramatically boost state funding for schools.

"The majority of Tuesday evening’s School Board meeting was spent discussing the basic education funding system for Pennsylvania schools with the help of Tina Viletto, Director of Community and Government Relations at the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit, and Larry Feinberg, Circuit Rider for the Campaign for Fair Educational Funding. The two guests spoke explained how school districts are funded in Pennsylvania, the history behind the funding, and the work at the legislator’s commission to support the establishment of a fair funding formula."
School funding system tops agenda at board work session
North Penn School District Knight Crier by Taylor Young, Staff Writer April 8, 2015
TOWAMENCIN- North Penn School District’s Board of School Directors began their meeting on April 7th, 2015 with student proclamations that recognized the continued efforts of staff writers from the Knight Crier and sixth graders from Bridle Path and Montgomery Elementary’s select string ensemble.  Mr. Kevin Manero, advisor of the Knight Crier, happily announced to the School Board that Brooke McCoy, Scott Vogel, Dan Sardaro, Nafiul Hossain, and Tara Sorman from NPHS’s online newspaper received recognition in the Keystone State Press Awards. Manero explained how proud he is of the efforts from the staff at the Knight Crier that have produced 1,852 articles in the four years since the paper has gone digital.

Acting Secretary Rivera Announces Finalists for 2016 Teacher of the Year
Press Release 04/08/2015 Harrisburg, PA - Acting Secretary Pedro Rivera announced today the 12 finalists for the 2016 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year.  “As a former educator, I am proud to call these professionals my colleagues because they understand that the job of educating our youth does not begin and end with a school bell,” Rivera said. “To truly impact the life of a student requires a commitment and passion that these educators demonstrate every day.”
The 2016 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year finalists are:
  • Jolene Barron, Tamaqua Elementary School, Tamaqua Area School District, Schuylkill County
  • Kelly Dougherty, Liberty Bell Elementary, Southern Lehigh School District, Lehigh County
  • Rebecca Foxwell, Lickdale Elementary School, Northern Lebanon School District, Lebanon County
  • Pamela Gregg, Springton Lake Middle School, Rose Tree Media School District, Delaware County
  • Joe Harmon, Redbank Valley High School, Redbank Valley School District, Clarion County
  • Dina Howell, Penns Valley Area High School, Penns Valley Area School District, Centre County
  • Sharon Knight, Trinity High School, Trinity Area School District, Washington County
  • Jade Leung, Shaler Area High School, Shaler Area School District, Allegheny County
  • Alison Monk, Richland Elementary, Pine-Richland School District, Allegheny County
  • Kimberly Riviere, Penncrest High School, Rose Tree Media School District, Delaware County
  • Ann Schmidt, Conrad Weiser High School, Conrad Weiser Area School District, Berks County
  • Michele Shawver, Miles Township Elementary School, Penns Valley Area School District, Centre County

"This community is no stranger to issues that have a profound effect on the city as a whole. During and after the riots and civil unrest of the late 1960s, city leaders came together to organize what was called a Charrette. The charrette was a week-long, community-wide problem-solving effort led by local and outside experts in several fields. The degree of success or failure of the 1970 and 1980 charrettes (which I chaired) can be debated, but what cannot be debated is the fact that all factions saw the urgent need to work together to address and resolve our issues."
Jeff Kirkland: We need an education charrette to address York school failures (column)
York Daily Record Letter By Jeffrey Kirkland UPDATED:   04/08/2015 09:02:03 AM EDT
Jeffrey Kirkland is a past president of the Board of Directors School District of the City of York.
This might be my last post regarding the conditions that exist in the School District of the City of York. It has been over two months since the inauguration of a new, educationally friendly governor and the thwarting of a charter school takeover. One of my greatest concerns seems to be coming to fruition. We seem to be settling back into a business-as-usual mode as the outside threats to the status quo subside.  Maybe I am being too impatient, but I think with fewer than 50 days left until the end of this school year, there needs to be something done to motivate, inspire and energize the parents of this district to take an active role in the transformation of the district. If this school year closes without a community outreach and education session necessary to engage our entire community, we can write off a successful beginning to a new school year in the fall.  The last thing we need is another backroom agreement hammered out in secrecy by a group of disengaged participants who often are pursuing their own agendas. Such was the case with the recently failed plan championed by Dave Meckley and his Community Foundation partners. 

In the Philly 'burbs, York Sen. Scott Wagner plots a GOP purge, report:
Penn Live Wednesday Morning Coffee By John L. Micek | jmicek@pennlive.com  Email the author | Follow on Twitter  on April 08, 2015 at 9:04 AM, updated April 08, 2015 at 9:38 AM
Good Wednesday Morning, Fellow Seekers.
Our new favorite state lawmaker, Sen. Scott Wagner, R-York, was down in Delaware County earlier this week, where he visited with some Tea Party types, planned his very own coup, and batted the Legislature around like a pinata.  According to our friends at the Delaware County Times, Wagner said he hopes to knock off at least five Democrats during the 2016 cycle and maybe purge the "five GOP senators that are not going to vote with us," because they're "highly influenced by public sector unions and trade unions," the newspaper reported.

"But a key remaining piece of the puzzle was how to pay for the STEAM programs. At a news conference Wednesday at Schiller, the district announced foundations are donating nearly $900,000 for the STEAM programs $480,000 from the Grable Foundation and $391,000 from the Fund for Excellence, a consortium of foundations."
Pittsburgh schools going full STEAM ahead
By Eleanor Chute / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette April 8, 2015 11:16 PM
What started as an effort to save a tiny Pittsburgh school has led to a new program emphasizing STEAM — science, technology, engineering, arts and math — in several schools, with opportunities for teachers throughout the district to develop innovative projects.  The Pittsburgh Public Schools board was considering closing the district’s smallest school, Pittsburgh Woolslair PreK-5 in Bloomfield, which had 110 students, for fall 2015, but a new board gave the school a reprieve. Woolslair supporters developed a new plan for the school, a STEAM magnet, which could attract students from throughout the city.  In September, the board approved plans to make Woolslair a partial STEAM magnet this fall and to use the program to enhance Pittsburgh Lincoln PreK-5, Schiller 6-8 and the bio-technology program at Perry High School.

Letter to the Editor: Don’t waste time with the Keystone Exam
Delco Times Letter by Lisa Esler, Penn Delco School Board Director, Aston POSTED: 04/08/15, 10:59 PM EDT |
To the Times:  There is strong opposition to the new graduation requirement mandated by the Pennsylvania Board of Education. Effective with the Class of 2017, every high school student must pass the Keystone Exams in algebra, literature and biology in order to graduate.  This gives a whole new meaning to what is known as “teaching to the test.” Testing has turned teachers into technicians who are forced to educate in a one-size-fits-all approach. That is the reason so many talented, discouraged teachers have left and will continue to leave the profession. Whatever happened to trusting the teacher to evaluate the child’s progress? Furthermore, when students do not pass the Keystone Exams, financially strapped school districts then have to bear the cost of hiring remedial teachers and or providing alternative project-based assessments. Also, students who might have had above average classroom achievement, but somehow didn’t do well on the test, must take that course again the following year, forgoing other electives or needed credits.
There must be push back against the state Board of Education for declaring another unfunded mandate that hurts the school districts financially and, even worse, undermines the teachers and students by evaluating their success solely by a standardized test score.

Federal Judge: Dorothy Brown competent to stand trial
MARTHA WOODALL, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER LAST UPDATED: Wednesday, April 8, 2015, 4:04 PM
A federal judge has ruled that charter school founder Dorothy June Brown is competent to be retried on charges she defrauded the schools of $6.3 million.  Judge R. Barclay Surrick, who presided over Brown's first trial and a competency hearing in January, filed his decision Wednesday.  No new trial date has been set.

Saucon Valley High School students to sing at Carnegie Hall
The ensemble - which has 23 students - will travel to Carnegie Hall to take part in the National Jazz Vocal Festival on April 26th
By Christina TatuOf The Morning Call April 8, 2015
When Saucon Valley High School's advanced choir rehearsed Wynton Marsalis' "Abyssinian 200: A Celebration" at school Wednesday, the voices filled an auditorium that seats about 1,200 people.  In a couple of weeks, those voices will carry those notes over Carnegie Hall's famous Isaac Stern Auditorium, which could easily fit all of Saucon Valley School District's 2,800 students and then some.  "We are really excited to have even the opportunity to perform. Coming from such a small school, we didn't really expect it," senior Nicole Payung, 17, said.  Payung is one of 23 students in Saucon Valley Choral Director Chad Miller's advanced choir.  The group of ninth- through 12th-grade students will travel to New York City on April 24-26 to perform at the National Jazz Vocal Festival, where the group will be a featured choir.

A smarter charter?
Washington Post Answer Sheet Blog By Valerie Strauss April 8  
(Clarification: About 5 percent of public school students attend public charter schools. The word ‘charter’ was missing in an earlier version.)
Charter schools can be confusing. Funded by the public, some people mistake them for private schools because of the way they are funded and operate. That’s what happened recently to Tennessee Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander, the head of the Senate education committee, who appeared at a Brookings Institution event and asked at one point in the discussion, “There are some private charter schools, are there not?” asked Alexander.  Grover J. “Russ” Whitehurst, then the director of the Brown Center on Education Policy at Brookings, replied, “Charter schools, I guess as we define it, are public schools that operate under charters from the state rather than private, so they’re subject to the same tests.”  With all the attention that school reformers and philanthropists shower on charter schools, it would not be unusual for someone to be confused into thinking that these schools educate a big percentage of U.S. public school students. They don’t, at least not yet. Though estimates differ, it is generally said that about 5 percent of the public school population in the United States attends public charter schools.


Register for the April 18 Education Voters Advocacy Summit in Harrisburg
Education Voters of Pennsylvania will be holding a half-day advocacy summit for public education advocates on Saturday April 18 from 10:00-2:00 in Harrisburg, PA.
During the summit we will:
Get an update on Governor Wolf’s budget from John Hanger, secretary of planning and policy,
Develop successful advocacy techniques and strategies to maximize our impact on public policy,
Receive organizing and communications training,
Network with other advocates from throughout the state, and
Leave prepared to support fair and adequate state funding for schools this year!
Event Location: Temple University Harrisburg 234 Strawberry Square Harrisburg, PA 17101
Lunch will be provided. Please register today! Space is limited.

EPLC "Focus on Education" TV Program on PCN - Sunday, April 12 at 3:00 p.m. 
Education Policy and Leadership Center
Topic 1: Reaction to Governor Wolf's 2015-2016 State Education Budget Proposal
Jim Buckheit, Executive Director, PA Association of School Administrators
John Callahan, Senior Director of Government Affairs, PA School Boards Association
Topic 2: Physical Education and Health Education Issues for Students
Dr. Cindy Allen, Professor, Health Science Department, Lock Haven University
Todd Bedard, Chair, Health and Physical Education Department, Cumberland Valley School District
Linda Woods Huber, Executive Director, PA State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance
Jessica Peconi-Cook, Health and Physical Education Teacher, Mt. Lebanon School District
All EPLC "Focus on Education" TV shows are hosted by EPLC President Ron Cowell

All are invited for a screening of the documentary:
STANDARDIZED: Lies, Money & Civil Rights—How Testing is Ruining Public Education Monday, April 27, 7-9PM
The Saturday Club, 117 West Wayne Avenue, Wayne, PA
Standardized testing has long been a part of public education. Over the last ten years however, education reform has become an increasingly heated political issue and seemingly a highly profitable target market for private enterprise resulting in expanded and high-stakes testing. While some hold the view that testing is an effective assessment of student ability and teacher and school effectiveness, many feel these exams are instead undermining our students, teachers and schools.   Daniel Hornberger’s STANDARDIZED documentary raises issues about this model of education reform and the standardized testing that goes along with it. The film includes interviews with prominent educational experts and government officials who take aim at the goal of standardization that is being promoted and imposed by our federal and state governments. It sheds light on the development, nature and use of these assessments, the consequences of high-stakes testing, and the ostensible private enterprise and government agendas behind them. 
A Q&A session with a panel of informed parents, teachers and experts will follow.
This screening is made possible through a collaboration of Radnor, Tredyffrin/Easttown and Lower Merion concerned parents and PTOs.
For questions and to RSVP, contact RTSDPTOPTSA@gmail.com

Your Right to a Fair Shot: Discrimination Claims, Post-Secondary and the Professions

Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia Tuesday, April 21, 2015 from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM

United Way Building 1709 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, 19103
Attendees will learn about discrimination claims, post-secondary schools and the professions in this session. You'll learn how federal law aids students with disabilities who do not qualify for special education services, hear about recent cases, and understand strategies for getting students services.  This session is co-sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania School of Policy and Practice, a Pre-approved Provider of Continuing Education for Pennsylvania licensed social workers.  
Tickets: Attorneys $200       General Public $100      Webinar $50   
"Pay What You Can" tickets are also available

Workshop: Fair Funding and other Commons Sense Reforms for Public Education - Saturday April 11, 9:30 am
The William Penn School District presents another public workshop in its series on school funding in Pennsylvania.  Topics to be covered include:
  • A discussion with the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia about the ABC's of public education funding and school funding lawsuit filed by the William Penn School District and others. 
  • An in-depth look at Governor Tom Wolf's proposed budget and its impact on property taxes and developing a more equitable funding formula.
LOCATION: Evans Elementary School Auditorium, 900 Baily Rd Yeadon, PA 19050
Questions: Please email rafi@thecavegroup.com

SCHOOL PLAY – It’s a tough subject
PCCY website March 2015
A live theatre collaboration between playwrights Arden Kass and Seth Bauer and Public Citizens for Children and Youth.  Directed by Edward Sobel.
School Play explores our attitudes toward public education using the real voices of Pennsylvanians from across the Commonwealth. 
Invited Dress Preview: April 8th @ 7:30pm
Philadelphia Premier: April 9th @ 7:30pm (only a few seats left!)
National Constitution Center 6th & Arch Streets, Philadelphia
RSVP to schoolplay@pccy.org to reserve your seat - April 9th is almost sold out and only a few seats remain for April 8th!

Who will be at the PSBA Advocacy Forum April 19-20 in Mechanicsburg and Harrisburg?
  • Acting Ed Sec'y Pedro Rivera
  • Senate Ed Committee Majority Chairman Lloyd Smucker
  • House Ed Committee Majority Chairman Stan Saylor
  • Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Pat Browne
  • Diane Ravitch
  • House Majority Leader Dave Reed
  • House Minority Leader Frank Dermody
  • 2014 PSBA Tim Allwein Advocacy Award winners Shauna D'Alessandro and Mark Miller
How about You?
Join PSBA for the second annual Advocacy Forum on April 19-20, 2015. Hear from legislative experts on hot topics and issues regarding public education on Sunday, April 19, at PSBA headquarters in Mechanicsburg. The next day you and fellow advocates will meet with legislators at the state capitol. This is your chance to learn how to successfully advocate on behalf of public education and make your voice heard on the Hill.
Details and Registration for PSBA members (only $25.00) https://www.psba.org/event/advocacy-forum-day-hill-2015/

Join NPE in Chicago April 25-26
Curmuducation Blog Saturday, March 21, 2015
I don't get out much. I'm a high school English teacher in a small town, and kind of homebody by nature. When I leave town, it's for family or work. But in just over a month, on the weekend of April 25-26, I am taking a trip to Chicago for neither.   The Network for Public Education is the closest thing to an actual formal organization of the many and varied people standing up for public education in this modern era of privatizing test-driven corporate education reform. NPE held a conference last year, and they're doing it again this year-- a gathering of many of the strongest voices for public education in America today. Last year I followed along on line-- this year I will be there.

Beyond a New School Funding Formula: Lifting Student Achievement to Grow PA's Economy
Wednesday, May 6, 2015 from 7:30 AM to 10:00 AM (EDT) Harrisburg, PA
7:30 am: Light breakfast fare and registration; 8:00 am: Program
Harrisburg University Auditorium, Strawberry Square 326 Market Street Harrisburg, PA 17101 
Opening Remarks by Neil D. Theobald, President, Temple University

SESSION I: THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF ACHIEVEMENT GAPS IN PENNSYLVANIA’S PUBLIC SCHOOLS with introduction by Rob Wonderling, President, Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, and Member, Center on Regional Politics Executive Committee.            
Presentation by Lynn A. Karoly, Senior Economist, RAND Corporation 

SESSION II: WHAT CAN PENNSYLVANIA LEARN FROM THE WORLD’S LEADING SCHOOL SYSTEMS? with introduction by David H. Monk, Dean, Pennsylvania State University College of Education
Presentation by Marc S. Tucker, President and CEO, National Center on Education and the Economy 
Sessions to be followed by a response panel moderated by Francine Schertzer, Director of Programming, Pennsylvania Cable Network 
Program presented by the University Consortium to Improve Public School Finance and Promote Economic Growth

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