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PA Ed Policy Roundup for Oct. 30, 2019
“We’re going to continue to see the same
results until the disparity in school funding is fixed. And the crazy thing is,
we already have the tool to fix it. It’s just being used too sparingly. In
2016, the state Legislature passed a school funding formula that was the
product of exhaustive work by a bipartisan commission (yes, there’s been such a
thing in our polarized state Capitol). The formula wisely accounts for factors
such as poverty, enrollment and a district’s tax base. But in their infinite
wisdom, lawmakers decided that only new state funding each year would be
disseminated through the funding formula. The reason? The “hold harmless”
provision in state educational funding law.”
Remedying the school
funding gap would help to fix the school achievement gap
Lancaster Online
Editorial by THE LNP EDITORIAL BOARD October 30, 2019
THE ISSUE: Last week, the state Department of
Education released the results of the latest standardized tests — the
Pennsylvania System of School Assessment and the Keystone exams. Among the top
performers were Hempfield, Lampeter-Strasburg, Manheim Township, Penn Manor and
Cocalico. Manheim Township alone had three of the highest-performing schools:
Neff, Nitrauer and Reidenbaugh elementary schools. As LNP’s Alex Geli reported,
Columbia Borough School District was one of the three lowest performing in
Lancaster County; the other two: School District of Lancaster and La Academia
Partnership Charter School. Once again,
standardized test scores confirm a tough reality.
“A significant gap
still exists between Lancaster County’s high- and low-performing schools,” as
Geli wrote. “One noticeable difference between the two groups: poverty.” He
noted: “School districts like Hempfield, Lampeter-Strasburg and Manheim
Township have historically performed well. Meanwhile, Columbia Borough, La
Academia Partnership Charter School and School District of Lancaster — schools
with far higher rates of economically disadvantaged students — consistently
fall below average.” This surprises no one, least of all the educators who
teach our county’s poorest children. They know that too many of their students
came to kindergarten already behind their middle-class peers. Their students
have fewer resources at home: fewer books, fewer visits to museums, fewer
vocabulary-enriching trips and, in the most heartrending instances, fewer of
the basic necessities such as nutritious food and safe housing. These are
students whose parents or guardians cannot afford time off from work to attend
school meetings, let alone private tutors. That eye-glazing bit of legalese
essentially means that schools, once granted a certain share of funding, must
continue receiving at least that share. Even if their enrollments decline. Even
if their needs can be met by a thriving tax base. Even if the needs of other
schools far outpace theirs.
In Pennsylvania, property taxes pay for cyber charter
school “trade secrets”
Education Voters PA
Published by EDVOPA on October
28, 2019
On
Tuesday, October 22nd, the PA Senate Education
Committee held a public hearing on charter school entities. The CEOs of
charter and cyber charter schools were invited to testify along with
representatives from the School District of Philadelphia, the Commonwealth
Foundation, Public Citizens for Children and Youth (PCCY), PA Partnerships for
Children (PPC), and Education Voters of PA. In the Ed Voters testimony, I
primarily addressed the need for cyber charter school funding reform that will
match the tuition payments school districts make to state-authorized cyber
charter schools with the actual cost of educating a student at home on a
computer. It widely
recognized that tuition payments to cyber charter schools far exceed the cost
of educating a child at home on a computer. In the testimony, I shared
what I learned from a single 990 form from a single cyber charter school. See
their 990 form HERE.
It was deeply
troubling.
NOTICES - DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION: Cyber Charter School
Application; Public Hearings
Pennsylvania Bulletin [49 Pa.B. 5712] [Saturday, October 5, 2019]
Pennsylvania Bulletin [49 Pa.B. 5712] [Saturday, October 5, 2019]
The Department of
Education (Department) has scheduled five dates for public hearings regarding
cyber charter school applications that it receives on or before October 1,
2019.
The hearings will
be held on November 5, 2019, November 6, 2019, November 12, 2019, November 14,
2019, and November 19, 2019, in Heritage Room A, lobby level, 333 Market
Street, Harrisburg, PA 17126, at 9 a.m. on each day.
The hearings
pertain to applicants seeking to operate a cyber charter school beginning in
the 2020-2021 school year. The purpose of the hearings is to gather information
from the applicants about the proposed cyber charter schools as well as receive
comments from interested individuals regarding the applications. The names of
the applicants, copies of the applications and a listing of the dates and times
scheduled for the hearing on each application can be viewed on the Department's
web site after October 1, 2019, at www.education.pa.gov.
Hearing agendas
will be posted under Charter School Applications on the Department's web site
at
http://www.education.pa.gov/K-12/Charter%20Schools/Pages/Charter-Applications.aspx.
For questions
regarding these hearings, contact the Division of Charter Schools at
ra-charterschools@pa.gov.
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Education
Cyber Charter Application 2019
Virtual Prep
Academy of Pennsylvania
“Just nine Philadelphia public schools
have certified school librarians; about a dozen have functioning libraries opened and staffed by volunteer organizations, or kept open by other means.
Decades ago, nearly every city school employed a librarian, but budget cuts
decimated librarians’ ranks in Philadelphia and in urban districts nationwide.”
Just 9 Philly schools have certified librarians. Here’s
how one school pulled off a miracle.
Inquirer by Kristen A.
Graham, Updated: October
30, 2019- 5:00 AM
When the number of
certified Philadelphia School District librarians dwindled to the single
digits, Penny Colgan-Davis sprang into action. She had spent a long,
distinguished career as a teacher and administrator in city public, private,
and charter schools, working to build community and solve problems, and wanted
to do the same in retirement. So in 2015, Colgan-Davis, who had spent years at
Friends Select, Miquon, and Frankford Friends, set her sights on reopening a
public school library. “Most
Philadelphia schools do not have libraries. It’s criminal,’” her husband, John,
recalled her saying. The effort led by Colgan-Davis is the reason an
enthusiastic group of kindergartners was able to buzz around the colorful John
B. Kelly School library on a recent day: Volunteers have made possible what
school budgets can no longer stretch to pay for. (School District officials say
principals are still
free to budget for librarians, but virtually none can afford one.)
“The bill has the support of the
Pennsylvania Department of Education, but other groups expressed some concerns.
The Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators (PASA) is neutral on the
bill because it removes the “gross deficiency” clause in the evaluation
process. “Prior to 2012, superintendents had the authority to issue an overall
unsatisfactory rating to any professional employee if just one category of the
evaluation was marked unsatisfactory,” testified Eric Eshbach, superintendent
of the Northern York County School District. “This was an effective tool for
superintendents that assisted in removing professional employees who should not
be working in schools with children. We continue to advocate for the
reinstatement of this clause.” The bill will erode the authority of
administrators by limiting additional reviews of employees rated as “failing”
or “needs improvement” to two times, said Kathy Swope, who represented the
Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) and is board president of the
Lewisburg Area School District. “For those individuals who are being rated as
'needs improvement,' this change would result in a time period of approximately
2½ years before an underperforming educator could be removed from the
classroom,” Swope said. The PSBA is also concerned about a provision that
allows an employee to create part of their improvement plan, Swope said.”
Bills to alter teacher evaluations in Pennsylvania garner
some tentative support, with caveats
By Kim Jarrett
| The Center Square October 29, 2019
Bills that would
change the way Pennsylvania teachers are evaluated were supported by some
educators, but some concerns were also raised during a Pennsylvania House
Education Committee meeting. The bills introduced by Rep. Jesse Topper,
R-Bedford, and Sen. Ryan Aument, R-Mount Joy, would make changes to 2012’s Act
82. Senate Bill 751 and House Bill 1607 aim to increase the weight of the
teacher observation portion from 50 percent to 70 percent of the overall
evaluation. The scores will focus less on building level scores that access the
overall score of the school. The change is supported by the Pennsylvania State
Education Association (PSEA). “What we've discovered since 2012 is that student
achievement data for an entire school building has overshadowed the performance
of individual educators, causing artificially inflated or deflated scores,”
said Rich Askey, president of the PSEA. “As a result, great teachers in
challenging school buildings oftentimes have lower ratings than struggling
teachers in higher performing buildings.”
A new policy would level
the playing field for educators whose students live in poverty. Why isn’t
Philadelphia on board?
PA Capital Star By Elizabeth Hardison October 30, 2019
If a pair of
Republican state lawmakers get their way, Pennsylvania could become the first
state in the nation that considers student poverty levels when judging teacher
performance. The proposal sponsored by Sen. Ryan Aument, R-Lancaster, and Rep.
Jesse Topper, R-Bedford, would change teacher evaluation standards to include a
“poverty multiplier” to account for the detrimental effects of poverty on
students’ standardized test scores. The lawmakers say it would usher in
fairer accountability for Pennsylvania’s teachers, who are evaluated each year
based, in part, on their students’ performance on standardized tests. The
bill has the support of the state Department of Education and the Pennsylvania
State Education Association, the union representing more than 180,000 public
school teachers across the state. But it hasn’t won over teachers in the
Philadelphia school district, which enrolls more poor students than any other
school system in the state. Leaders in the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers,
the union that represents public school teachers in Pennsylvania’s largest
city, say that the proposed reforms don’t do nearly enough to ameliorate the
effects of poverty on student achievement.
Upper Dublin School District settles racial
discrimination complaint
Inquirer by Maddie Hanna, Updated: October 29, 2019- 7:01 PM
The Upper Dublin
School District will scale back its use of academic tracks as part of a
settlement with African American parents over allegations
of discrimination against
black students. The school board approved the settlement at a meeting Monday
night, according to the Public Interest Law Center, an advocacy group that
represented the parents in a complaint filed in 2015 with the U.S. Department
of Education’s Office of Civil Rights. The complaint alleged the district had
been disproportionately suspending black students and placing them in
lower-level classes. Under
the settlement, with the
exception of eighth-grade math, the Montgomery County district will phase out
tracked classes — which group students based on ability — over the next four
years at the middle-school level, according to the law center. By the 2022-23
school year, the high school level will have no more than two academic tracks,
and students won’t be required to have taken honors courses to enroll in
Advanced Placement classes. Parents also will be able to override teacher
recommendations for class placements. The district will provide data annually
to the school board on the representation of African American students in
higher-level classes.
Delaware County elementary school named a National School
Of Character
FOX 29's Jenn Fred
reports from Ardmore, Pennsylvania, where Chestnutwold Elementary School has
been named a National School of Character.
Posted October 29, 2019 Video Runtime
3:35
Jason Reynolds is on
a mission
Philly Trib by Concepción
de León October 29, 2019
When the writer
Jason Reynolds speaks to young people, he rarely starts by talking about books. “They’ve been
hearing that all day, all year,” he said. Instead he talks about ramen noodles,
Jordan 11s, the rapper DaBaby, “whatever it takes to get them engaged.” Earlier
this month, when Reynolds’ “Long Way Down” was selected as Baltimore’s “One
Book Baltimore” pick, he came to the city to field questions about the book and
sign copies for hundreds of middle school students. They listened to him as he
compared hip-hop to poetry — “There’s a direct connection between Tupac and
Langston Hughes” — and said that early rappers should’ve been considered
“teenage geniuses.” These events — he’s done about 50 this year — are a driving
part of his work as a writer: to make Black children and teenagers feel seen in
real life as well as on the page. “I can talk directly to them in a way that I
know they’re going to relate to because I am them,” Reynolds
said, “and I still feel like them.” If his book sales and literary accolades
are any indication, his approach is working. Reynolds, 35, is a finalist for
the National Book Award in young people’s literature for “Look Both Ways,”
which came out this month.
Standardized tests like SAT and ACT favor students with
family wealth | Opinion
Ezekiel J. Dixon-Román, for the Inquirer Updated: October 29, 2019 - 1:18 PM
The season of
college admissions testing is upon us once again. High school students across
the country have recently taken or are preparing to take one of the two
high-stakes standardized tests for college admissions: the ACT and SAT. This
educational ritual happens annually — as do discussions of how fair these tests
are. Last year, the College Board proposed and then quickly abandoned adding an
“adversity score” to the
SAT assessing students’ educational and socioeconomic backgrounds. Just this
month, ACT officials announced that test-takers can retake
individual sections of the
test to improve their overall score, starting next September.
Pa. House bill would
scrap cross-filing for school board, county judge candidates
PA Capital Star By John L. Micek October 29, 2019
*This post has been
updated.
When you step into
the voting booth on Nov. 5, the chances are pretty good that you’ll see local
school board or judicial candidates who are running on both the Democratic and
Republican tickets. And unless you’re studied up on the races, or know the
candidate personally, the chances are also pretty good that you’ll be asking
yourself, “Are they a Democrat? Are they a Republican?” And maybe you’ll fall back on tribal and party
loyalties to make your decision. Two Republican lawmakers — one from
southwestern Pennsylvania, the other from the Lehigh Valley — want to end that
practice. On Tuesday, they rolled out a bill that would scrap cross-filing by
school board, county judicial, and district magistrate candidates. Rep. Justin
Simmons, R-Lehigh, who’s been working on the issue for the past few legislative
sessions, said the bill is also intended to address the increasingly partisan
nature of campaigns for public offices that have traditionally been
nonpartisan. “We’re kidding ourselves if we don’t think [these races are
partisan],” Simmons said. “It’s human nature. People should know who [these
candidates] are.”
Judge strikes down
Pittsburgh’s controversial gun bills
TRIBUNE-REVIEW by BOB BAUDER | Tuesday, October 29, 2019 6:06 p.m.
An Allegheny County
judge on Tuesday struck down Pittsburgh’s controversial gun control ordinances,
ruling the city is prohibited by state law from regulating firearms. Common
Pleas Judge Joseph James issued a five-page opinion granting three Second
Amendment rights groups and three individuals a summary judgment that declared
the ordinances illegal. The city vowed to appeal. Pittsburgh City Council in
April approved three bills signed by Mayor Bill Peduto. One would ban possession
and use of certain semiautomatic weapons, including assault rifles. A second
would ban the use of ammunition and accessories, such as large capacity
magazines capable of holding 10 rounds or more of ammunition. A third bill,
dubbed “extreme risk protection,” would permit courts to temporarily remove
guns from a person deemed to be a public threat. “The city and its outside
legal counsel have always expected this would be a long legal fight and will
continue to fight for the right to take common sense steps to prevent future
gun violence,” said Peduto spokesman Tim McNulty.
Bill that overhauls
how Pennsylvanians can vote is headed to Gov. Tom Wolf
PA Capital Star By
Elizabeth Hardison| Stephen Caruso October 29, 2019
A bill that allows
any Pennsylvanian to vote by mail, provides millions of dollars in state
funding for new voting machines, and eliminates straight-ticket ballots is
headed to Gov. Tom Wolf’s desk. The proposal passed the state House on
Tuesday by a vote of 138-61. The state Senate granted its approval that evening
with a 35-14 vote. The bill includes a number of changes to Pennsylvania’s
elections code. By the 2020 primary election, the commonwealth will allow:
- Any voter to cast a ballot by mail, at least 50
days before the election
- New voter registration up to 15 days before an
election, rather than 30 days
- Absentee or mail-in ballots to arrive by 8 p.m.
on Election Day, rather than by 5 p.m. the Friday before Election Day
Republicans and
some Democrats hailed the bill as a historic rewrite of outdated laws, with
Wolf calling the bill “a major advancement for elections in
Pennsylvania.” Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Centre, echoed that
sentiment, saying the legislation is “the most significant modernization of
Pennsylvania’s elections code in decades.”
But some Democrats fumed about the elimination of straight-ticket voting
and criticized the private negotiating process between Wolf and Republican
legislative leaders. Democratic lawmakers also said the elimination of
straight-party voting would confuse voters and increase wait times at polling
places, especially since the reforms will take effect as many Pennsylvania
counties roll out new voting machines.
Pa. moves a step closer to first major overhaul of
election rules in more than 80 years
Penn Live By Jan
Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com Posted Oct 29, 2019
Pennsylvania’s
election rules could be in for their first
major overhaul in
more than 80 years if bipartisan-backed legislation approved by the state House
of Representatives on Tuesday reaches Gov. Tom Wolf’s desk. The House voted
138-61 to approve an election
reform legislation that
has Wolf’s support as well as the Senate’s majority Republicans that not only
provides a new voting option starting with next year’s elections but also
provides counties with $90 million to help cover the cost of replacing their
voting machines with ones that have a paper trail. The bill, which now goes to
the Senate for concurrence which may happen before day’s end, would:
- Allow any voters to mail-in their ballots.
- Eliminate straight party voting, so voters
would have to cast votes for candidates individually.
- Shorten the voter registration deadline from 30
days before the election to 15 days.
- Ban stickers from being used for write-in votes
on paper ballots.
- Extend the deadline for voting an absentee
ballot to 8 p.m. on the day of the election, Currently, absentee ballots
must be received by 5 p.m, on the Friday before the election and 8 p.m. on
the day of the election for emergency absentee voters.
- Allow permanently disabled absentee voters to
submit a single absentee ballot application each calendar year that is
applicable for all elections held that year.
The measure also
addresses concerns that county officials had particularly as it relates to
covering the cost of election reforms. Namely, it authorizes borrowing $90
million through the Pennsylvania Economic Development Financing Authority to
provide up to 60 percent of the cost of buying new voting machine to comply
with a
Wolf Administration’s mandate.
Youth vaping rates rise amid health fears; data confirms
continued trend among teens, even as related illnesses multiply
Beaver County Times By Jayme Fraser and Dian
Zhang, GateHouse Media Posted
at 4:00 AM
The rate of teens
using electronic cigarettes has doubled in two years, the largest and quickest
increase in the popularity of any substance since tracking began 45 years ago.
That data was published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine —
months ahead of schedule — just as national health officials try to pinpoint
why at least 530 people have been hospitalized and several others have died
after using vaping products. The rate of teens using electronic cigarettes has
more than doubled in two years, the largest and quickest increase in the
popularity of any substance since tracking began 45 years ago. That data was
published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine — months ahead of
schedule — just as national health officials try to pinpoint why at least 530
people have been hospitalized and several have died after using vaping
products. Most hospitalized were male and under age 35. One in six were under
18. Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, said Thursday that she is “very concerned about the
occurrence of life-threatening illness in otherwise healthy young people.” “We
are working closely with state and local health departments, the FDA and the
clinical community to try to learn as much as we can to try to stop this
outbreak,” she said. “I wish we had more answers.” To date, federal authorities
say they have not identified a single vaping product, ingredient, device or
brand that is consistent across all the cases. Nor do they expect clear answers
anytime soon.
“But based on my research on school
safety practices, I believe that — in
addition to doing more to regulate access to automatic weapons — what’s actually needed is more funding for mental health services in communities and schools to help heed and address warning signs before someone becomes violent.”
Expert: There’s no evidence that the fortune being spent
to ‘harden’ schools against shooters will work. But here’s what will.
Washington Post Answer
Sheet By Valerie Strauss Oct. 29, 2019 at 12:50 p.m. EDT
Last April, a
study came out
from researchers at the University of Toledo and Ball State University that
said the fortune being spent to “harden” public schools to make students safer
from gun violence is creating a “false sense of security.” The study, published
in the journal Violence and Gender, looked at the literature on the subject
from 2000 to 2018 and could not find any program or practice with evidence that
it reduced firearm violence. So what should schools do? John S. Carlson,
professor of school psychology at Michigan State University, answers that
question in the following post. Carlson is also a licensed psychologist in
Michigan and a nationally certified school psychologist. This first
appeared on the Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary
from academic experts, and I was given permission to publish it.
Reading Scores on National Exam Decline in Half the
States
The results
of the test, which assesses a sample of fourth- and eighth-grade students, will
inevitably prompt demands for policy change.
New York Times By Erica
L. Green and Dana Goldstein Oct. 30, 2019Updated 1:11 a.m. ET
WASHINGTON — The
average eighth-grade reading score on a nationally representative measure of
student achievement declined in more than half of the states, according to data
released Wednesday by the National Center for Education Statistics, the
research arm of the Education Department. The dismal results were part of the
release of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as the
“nation’s report card.” The test assesses a sample of fourth- and eighth-grade
students in public schools — more than 290,000 in each subject in 2019 — every
other year. “Over the past decade, there has been no progress in either
mathematics or reading performance, and the lowest performing students are
doing worse,” Peggy G. Carr, the associate commissioner of the center, said in
a statement. Such findings will inevitably prompt demands for policy change. In
a statement, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who is championing a $5
billion school choice program, said that the results “must be America’s wake-up call.”
Register now for PSBA’s
Sleep & Student Performance Webcast OCT
31, 2019 • 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
POSTED ON SEPTEMBER 27,
2019 IN PSBA
NEWS
Our students face
many issues today, but who would have imagined sleep deprivation could be a
significant issue? The Joint State Government Commission established an
advisory committee to study the issues, benefits and options related to school
districts instituting later start times in secondary schools. Register now to hear from the executive director of the Commission, Glenn
Pasewicz, commission staff and David Hutchinson, PSBA’s appointee to the
commission, on the results of their study and work.
PSBA New and Advanced
School Director Training
Do you want
high-impact, engaging training that newly elected and reseated school directors
can attend to be certified in new and advanced required training? PSBA has been
supporting new school directors for more than 50 years by enlisting statewide
experts in school law, finance and governance to deliver a one-day foundational
training. This year, we are adding a parallel track of sessions for those who
need advanced school director training to meet their compliance requirements.
These sessions will be delivered by the same experts but with advanced content.
Look for a compact evening training or a longer Saturday session at a location
near you. All sites will include one hour of trauma-informed training required
by Act 18 of 2019. Weekend sites will include an extra hour for a legislative
update from PSBA’s government affairs team.
New School
Director Training
Week Nights:
Registration opens 3:00 p.m., program starts 3:30 p.m. -9:00 p.m., dinner with
break included
Saturdays: Registration opens at 8:00 a.m., program starts at 9:00 a.m. -3:30 p.m., lunch with break included
Saturdays: Registration opens at 8:00 a.m., program starts at 9:00 a.m. -3:30 p.m., lunch with break included
Advanced
School Director Training
Week Nights:
Registration with dinner provided opens at 4:30 p.m., program starts 5:30 p.m.
-9:00 p.m.
Saturdays: Registration opens at 10:00 a.m., program starts at 11:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m., lunch with break included
Saturdays: Registration opens at 10:00 a.m., program starts at 11:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m., lunch with break included
Locations
and dates
- Saturday, December 7 — AW Beattie
Career Center, 9600 Babcock Blvd., Allison Park, PA 15101
- Saturday, December 7 — Radnor
Township School District, 135 S. Wayne Ave., Wayne, PA 19087
- Tuesday, December 10 — Grove City
Area School District, 511 Highland Avenue, Grove City, PA 16127
- Tuesday, December 10 — Penn Manor
School District, 2950 Charlestown Road, Lancaster, PA 17603
- Tuesday, December 10 — CTC of
Lackawanna County, 3201 Rockwell Ave, Scranton, PA 18508
- Wednesday, December 11 — Upper St. Clair
Township SD, 1820 McLaughlin Run Road, Upper St. Clair, PA 15241
- Wednesday, December 11 — Montoursville
Area High School, 700 Mulberry St, Montoursville, PA 17754
- Wednesday, December 11 — Berks County
IU 14, 1111 Commons Blvd, Reading, PA 19605
- Thursday, December 12 — Richland
School District, 1 Academic Avenue, Suite 200, Johnstown, PA 15904
- Thursday, December 12 — Seneca Highlands
IU 9, 119 S Mechanic St, Smethport, PA 16749
- Thursday, December 12 — School
District of Haverford Twp, 50 East Eagle Road, Havertown, PA 19083
- Saturday, December 14 — State College
Area High School, 650 Westerly Pkwy, State College, PA 16801
- Saturday, January 11, 2020 — PSBA
Headquarters, 400 Bent Creek Blvd, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050
Film Screening: PERSONAL STATEMENT with director Julie
Dressner Penn C89 Sat, November 9, 2019, 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM EST
Location: Zellerbach
Theatre, Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 3680 Walnut Street, Philadelphia,
PA 19104
Please join us for
a free screening and panel discussion of PERSONAL STATEMENT. This award-winning
documentary film created by a Penn alumna features three inspirational high
school seniors who are working as college counselors in their schools and are
determined to get their entire classes to college, even though they are not sure
they are going to make it there themselves. Screening will be followed by a
panel discussion with director Julie Dressner (C’89), cast member Enoch
Jemmott, Netter Center founding director Dr. Ira Harkavy (C'70 GR'79), and
others. Free and open to the public! (Registration strongly encouraged but not
required.)
Webinar: Introduction
to PSBA’s Equity Toolkit
NOV 12, 2019 • 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
The equity toolkit
supports school entities as they incorporate equity into district practice.
This webinar will offer a walk-through of the components of the toolkit, from
the equity lens approach to the equity action plan. Participants are encouraged
to ask questions and share experiences throughout the webinar.
Facilitator: Heather Bennett J.D., Ph.D., director of equity services
Pennsylvania School Boards Association
Pennsylvania School Boards Association
Registration URL: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1261156731797681154
*Note: registration closes one hour prior to the event.
*Note: registration closes one hour prior to the event.
UPDATE: Second Workshop Added Thursday, November
14, 2019 9:30 am to 3:00 pm: Adolescent Health and School Start Times:
Science, Strategies, Tactics, & Logistics Workshop in Exton, PA
The first workshop on November 13 sold out in
less than 4 weeks. Thanks to recent additional sponsorships, there will
be a second workshop held on Thursday, November 14. Register HERE.
Join school administrators and staff,
including superintendents, transportation directors, principals, athletic
directors, teachers, counselors, nurses, and school board members, parents,
guardians, health professionals and other concerned community members for a
second interactive and solutions-oriented workshop on Thursday, November 14, 2019 9:30 am to 3:00 pm Clarion
Hotel in Exton, PA. The science is clear. Many middle and high schools in
Pennsylvania, and across the nation, start too early in the morning. The
American Medical Association, Centers for Disease Control, American Academy of
Pediatrics, and many other major health and education leaders agree and have
issued policy statements recommending that secondary schools start no earlier
than 8:30 am to allow for sleep, health, and learning.
Implementing these recommendations, however, can seem daunting.
Discussions will include the science of sleep and its connection to
school start times, as well as proven strategies for successfully making
change--how to generate optimum community support and work through
implementation challenges such as bus routes, athletics, and more.
For more information visit the workshop
website www.startschoollater.net/workshop---pa or
email contact@startschoollater.net
Congress, Courts, and
a National Election: 50 Million Children’s Futures Are at Stake. Be their
champion at the 2020 Advocacy Institute.
NSBA Advocacy Institute
Feb. 2-4, 2020 Marriot Marquis, Washington, D.C.
Join school leaders
from across the country on Capitol Hill, Feb. 2-4, 2020 to influence the
legislative agenda & shape decisions that impact public schools. Check out
the schedule & more at https://nsba.org/Events/Advocacy-Institute
Register now for
Network for Public Education Action National Conference in Philadelphia March
28-29, 2020
Registration, hotel
information, keynote speakers and panels:
Know Your Facts on Funding and Charter Performance. Then
Call for Charter Change!
PSBA PA Charter
Change Website September 2019
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