Started in
November 2010, daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now
reach more than 4050 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors,
administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers, Governor's
staff, current/former PA Secretaries of Education, superintendents, school solicitors,
principals, charter school leaders, PTO/PTA officers, parent advocates, teacher
leaders, business leaders, faith-based organizations, labor organizations,
education professors, members of the press and a broad array of P-16 regulatory
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These daily
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If any of your colleagues would like to be added to the
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Masks to be worn at all times in school, state says
Parents are
encouraged to review all the facts before they choose a full-time online school
option for their children. Please visit http://paschoolswork.org/check/
Pittston, Radnor, Southeast Delco, Interboro and Tredyffrin
Easttown have been added to the virtual opening list since yesterday.
School Districts Reportedly Opening Virtual Only as of
August 19, 2020
Keystone State Education Coalition
Blogger note: this is work in process. Please
let me know if you have additions or corrections to this list
Wolf Administration Officials Petition USDA: Immediate
Action Needed to Ensure School-Aged Children Access to Food
PDE Website 08/18/2020
Harrisburg, PA -
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and Education Secretary Pedro Rivera
wrote a letter Opens In A New Window to
U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue calling on him to extend
several national waivers that provide schools with meal distribution
flexibility, and to ensure all Pennsylvania children under the age of 18 have
consistent access to breakfast and lunch as schools approach the 2020-21 school
year using a variety of instructional models. “Pennsylvania’s children have
faced enough inconsistency and unknowns in 2020. These waivers are critical to
ensuring school-aged kids don’t have to worry about where their next meal is
coming from,” said Agriculture Secretary Redding. “We’ve got to provide them
the necessary fuel to succeed. You can’t feed a hungry mind on an empty
stomach.” In 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a
series of data analysis reports by Feeding America, the percentage of
Pennsylvania children facing food insecurity will rise to 23.8 percent – up
from 15.1 percent in 2018 – an increase of 57.6 percent. Many of these children
facing food insecurity rely on the national school breakfast and lunch
programs. However, like so many other school systems across the country,
schools across the commonwealth are moving forward with a variety of
instructional models that include blended (hybrid) or fully virtual learning.
These deviations from normal operations present challenges for providing
consistent access to food for an increasing number of children living in
low-income households. “There is a lot about the 2020-21 school year that will
look different for our students,” said Education Secretary Rivera. “What
shouldn’t look different is our commitment to ensuring they are provided
nutritious meals to help them grow, learn and thrive. Pennsylvania’s education
communities need these federal waivers to continue the important work of
providing meals to our students.”
The letter to Perdue asks for the immediate
extension of the several national waivers that will expire on August 31, 2020:
On the back-to-school question, there are no easy answers
in a pandemic (except masks) [editorial]
THE LNP | LANCASTERONLINE EDITORIAL BOARD August
19, 2020
THE ISSUE: As LNP |
LancasterOnline’s Alex Geli reported, the
Conestoga Valley school board rejected pleas from district teachers to shift
from its plan to offer full-time, in-person instruction to a hybrid learning
model. The board voted 7-1 Monday night “in favor of an updated reopening plan
that added a synchronous online option for secondary students in the hopes that
it could decrease class sizes, though it's unclear what, if any, impact it
could have,” Geli reported, noting that board members “also agreed to delay the
start of the school year by one week, from Aug. 24 to Aug. 31, to prepare for
reopening.” The board’s 3 1/2-hour meeting “followed a rally by Conestoga
Valley Education Association members in support of a hybrid instructional
model, which would blend in-person and online classes to reduce class sizes and
enable appropriate social distancing.” The board will meet again Monday.
We don’t know what the right answer is
regarding how schools should be teaching students in a pandemic. We do think,
however, that Conestoga Valley school officials should have talked more to
teachers before settling on a full-time in-person instruction plan, so teachers
didn’t feel they needed to stage a socially distanced rally to make their
voices heard. And we think the district’s school board probably should have a
better plan for reducing class sizes than just hoping enough secondary students
will choose online learning. As school board members lobbed question after
question at him and other administrators Monday night, Conestoga Valley School
District Superintendent Dave Zuilkoski said his mind was racing “a million
miles a minute.”
No wonder. Being a school superintendent in
the summer of 2020 is not easy.
Gov. Tom Wolf has left the decision-making to
local school districts — which is where it should be. But because the ongoing
public health situation is so precarious and fluid, his administration’s
recommendations to schools keep evolving.
AP By MARC LEVY yesterday
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Amid questions over
mask-wearing requirements in schools, Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration is trying
to make it clear that masks are to be worn practically at all times by students
in school, drawing complaints that school leaders must again change their preparations.
The administration this week released additional guidance that Health Secretary
Dr. Rachel Levine said Tuesday clarifies the state’s intentions for
mask-wearing in schools as they prepare to reopen in the coming days and weeks.
Masks must be worn in school, even when students and educators are six feet
apart, Levine said. “We have had questions about it and we’ve had enough
questions that we wanted to clarify,” Levine said at a news conference. “That
we mean that when the young people are wearing masks, that they are wearing
masks that they are in their classroom even though they’re six feet apart, they
should be wearing their masks.”But with some private or career technical
schools already open, school officials say it is another frustrating change in
guidance. They say they had previously been told that students and educators
could remove their masks in the classrooms if they were at least six feet apart
and sitting at desks. “We all understand this is a fluid situation, things
change as the virus continues its path,” said Mark DiRocco, executive director
of the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators. “But the sand
shifting beneath the feet of school leaders makes it frustrating to deal with.
... It’s hard to make plans when things change on a weekly basis.”
Social distancing no substitute for mask-wearing in
schools, Pa. health secretary says; schools must adjust, again
Penn Live By Jan
Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com Updated Aug
18, 2020; Posted Aug 18, 2020
Desks sitting six feet apart will not allow
students to skirt the universal mask or face shield mandate ordered by the
state Department of Health, according to guidance that was issued on Monday to
school officials. Pennsylvania’s Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said on
Tuesday this guidance is a clarification, rather than a change, in rules that
were sent out to schools in July that drew a lot of questions. “What we heard
is some of the language isn’t as clear as it could be so we wanted to make sure
that we were as clear as possible,” Levine said at a news conference at the
Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Susquehanna Township.
“If [students] are in their classroom, even though they are six feet apart,
they should be wearing their masks.”School officials and House Republicans,
however, take a different view and see it as Big Spring School District
Superintendent Richard Fry “a pivot point.”
Students required to wear masks 'at all times' under
revised order from state Health Department
Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer August 18,
2020
In a reversal to its original order in July,
the Pennsylvania Department of Health is requiring students to wear masks
"at all times" while in school, with few exceptions, even if they are
able to maintain 6 feet of social distance. The announcement to school leaders
came Monday, following updated guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics
in which the group "strongly" endorsed universal mask use to mitigate
the spread of COVID-19 in schools. The mandate, originally issued by Health
Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine on July 1, previously had an exception for
mask-wearing as long as students were situated six feet apart. The order
applies to children older than 2 years old as well as adults, except for those
with medical and mental health conditions or disabilities that preclude them
from wearing masks. Students may remove their masks only if they are eating or
drinking while maintaining 6 feet of social distance. Schools may incorporate
"face-covering breaks" throughout the day with appropriate social
distancing, but the state says they should last no more than 10 minutes. Pennsylvania
House Republicans, who have been critical of Gov. Tom Wolf's administration
throughout the pandemic, said Tuesday that the updated mandate causes
"unnecessary confusion" for school officials.
PA Department of Education Updated Guidance August 17,
2020
Dear Colleague,
As you know, the health and safety of
Pennsylvania’s school communities is top priority, and the guidance we release
to support and maintain the health and safety of school communities is rooted
in science, data, and research. As more data and research becomes available,
the information that becomes guidance must evolve – something we’ve shared with
you since we began releasing reopening guidance. Last week, the American Academy of
Pediatrics (AAP) released an update to their guidance Opens In A New Window strongly
recommending children age two and older should wear face coverings at
all times to help mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Prior
guidance we released in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Department of
Health (DOH) stated students in schools could remove their face coverings as
long as six feet of social distancing could be maintained. Given this recent
change from the AAP, and consistent with the Secretary of Health’s Face Covering Order
issued on July 1, 2020, DOH is requiring students
wear face coverings at all times while in school, even when six feet of
social distancing can be achieved. There are limited exceptions. Visit our Answers to FAQs on Face
Coverings/Masks webpage for more information. Please
email any questions you have to RA-EDContinuityofEd@pa.gov. Thank you
for your continued commitment to ensuring a safe learning environment for your
students and staff.
Sincerely,
Matt Stem, Deputy Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education
Matt Stem, Deputy Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education
Children need to wear masks in Pennsylvania schools.
Here's what parents should know.
Sam Ruland York Daily Record August 18, 2020
Usually, going back to school means buying
new notebooks, fresh pencils, perhaps replacing an old backpack. But this year,
it also will entail getting your kid a new reusable cloth mask or two. Students who return to school this August and
September will be required to wear face masks at all times while they are
indoors, the Department of Education announced Monday. "Masks are so
essential to preventing further spread of COVID-19," Health Secretary
Dr. Rachel Levine said. "We continue to follow the best available science
and public health information when providing recommendations to schools. One of
those key sources is the American Academy of Pediatrics, which has strongly
recommended masks should remain on throughout the school day."
The rule allows only few exceptions, such as
students who are not able to wear a face mask due to a disability or an
underlying health condition, like a chronic respiratory disease. The prior rule
required students to wear masks only if they were in a crowded area and could
not stay 6 feet away from each other. As a parent, you may have a lot of
questions. So here's what you need to know about your kid wearing a mask:
Levine: Wolf will not stop PIAA if fall sports go forward
Beaver County Times by Tom Reisenweber Erie
Times-News August 18, 2020
Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Rachel
Levine reaffirmed her position and Gov. Tom Wolf’s position Tuesday that high
school and recreational sports should not be played until at least Jan. 1,
2021. However, Levine said that Wolf does not plan to mandate high school
sports’ closure if the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association opts
to go forward Friday. “The recommendation from the governor and myself is that
all school sports be postponed until Jan.1 and that would include school sports
and also recreational sports and club sports,” Levine said. “I think the
governor has been very clear about this recommendation, and we’ve been
consistent in terms of how we are describing it as a recommendation.” Levine
also spoke about the upcoming PIAA meeting on Friday when the PIAA will vote on
whether to move forward against Wolf’s strong recommendation not to have sports
or to cancel fall sports. Levine was asked if Wolf would possibly come back
with a mandate to not play sports if the PIAA votes to go ahead with the
seasons. “The governor has been very clear about that,” Levine said. “There are
no plans to do that.” Levine also cited the recent postponements by major
college sports conferences and schools. “I think it’s really important to take
the same lessons about COVID-19 that Penn State took, the Big 10 took, the
Pac-12 took and that school sports be postponed as well as recreational
sports,” she said.
State Sen. Bob Mensch: Another violation of a state
statute by Gov. Tom Wolf
Pottstown Mercury Opinion By State Sen. Bob
Mensch Guest columnist August 18, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought changes to
almost every aspect of our lives. From stay-at-home orders, to mask mandates,
to school closures, I think that everyone throughout the Commonwealth can agree
that things are not what they were only a few months ago. On March 13, Gov. Tom Wolf announced the
closure of schools across the state. With this announcement, the General
Assembly passed Senate Bill 751 (now Act 13), which was signed into law by the
governor, to ensure that our schools were able to meet the challenges that came
with the COVID-19 disaster emergency. An important aspect of this legislation
was to make certain that public schools would not be impacted financially
because of this decision. At a Senate Education Committee hearing in May, we
were assured that both school districts and charter schools would be paid for
all students who were enrolled as of the date of the school
closures — March 13, 2020. However, I was deeply concerned to hear
that the Pennsylvania Department of Education decided to change annual process
that charter schools carry out to determine payments. This new guidance states
that the total days counted toward payment for this process ends on March 13,
instead of the actual last day of instruction. This is detrimental to charter
and cyber schools’ annual payments, and reduces the number of days of
instruction that counted towards payments, therefore creating a noteworthy and
abrupt negative financial impact to charter public institutions.
Pittston Area shifts gears, will start school year with
remote, online learning
Scranton Times Tribune by Michael P. Buffer Aug
18, 2020 Updated 7 hrs ago
The Pittston Area School Board changed the
school district’s reopening plan, and district schools will now open the school
year with remote and online instruction for students. The board voted Tuesday
to conduct remote and online instruction for the first quarter of the 2020-21
school year. The first day of school for students is Sept. 9, and the first
quarter ends Nov. 12. Pittston Area was planning a hybrid plan for grades 7-12
with one group going to school for in-person instruction on Mondays and
Thursday and the other group on Tuesdays and Fridays, and students in
kindergarten through sixth grade were going to go to school five days a week. The
current state guidance lists Luzerne County as a county with a moderate level
of community transmission, and that comes with a recommendation for a hybrid
plan or for remote and online instruction, Booth said.
Following a marathon meeting, State College votes down
proposed school reopening changes
Centre Daily Times BY
MARLEY PARISH AUGUST 18, 2020 11:48
AM , UPDATED AUGUST 18, 2020 05:30 PM
After a marathon meeting with more than six
hours of discussion and dozens offering public comment, the State College Area
School District will stick with its initial reopening model — voting down two
proposed changes to its health and safety plan. More than 700 people attended
Monday’s virtual meeting of the SCASD board of directors, who met to discuss
updated reopening guidance from
the state and two suggestions for its return to school plan: A proposed
total virtual reopening or a two-week test of in-person
classes to be followed by remote
learning as the district evaluates the prevalence of COVID-19 in the community. The option to send kids to school for
in-person learning for two weeks was added to the agenda for discussion after the
idea was discussed in recent board meetings. This approach aimed to ease staff
and students into going back to school and plan for the unknown by building in
time to reassess and monitor any community spread. The board voted 7-2 against
this proposal, with Lori Bedell and Gretchen Brandt voting in favor.
'Increased caution' for schools: Westmont, Portage,
Conemaugh Valley announce return plans
Johnstown Tribune Democrat By Joshua Byers jbyers@tribdem.com August 19,
2020
Four area school districts have
announced adjustments to the return to learning plans due to the new guidance
from the state departments of education and health. “The local infection rate
justifies the increased caution as we begin a school year full of uncertainty,”
Westmont Superintendent Thomas Mitchell said. His district is keeping the
first day as Aug. 26, but is implementing an alternating hybrid schedule
that applies to third- through 12th-grade students, and those in kindergarten
through second grade will attend five days per week in special programs. That
will continue for the first five weeks of school. On Sept. 15, a decision
will be about the remainder of the nine weeks. Conemaugh Valley and Portage are
also introducing alternating hybrid plans but pushing the start date to Sept.
8, while Ferndale announced late Monday that school won’t start until Aug. 31. These
adjustments were made because Cambria County is listed as a “moderate” risk
area based on the coronavirus transmission rate. Under this status, schools are
recommended to open with a hybrid or online model.
Central, Northeastern York wrangle with reopening,
mandates days before doors open
Lindsay C VanAsdalan York
Dispatch August 18, 2020
Boards at Central York and Northeastern
school districts on Monday both considered scrapping their earlier reopening
plans for fully online models but ultimately backed down. The scrambling came
just days after the state released new guidance on school shutdowns for
positive cases and the very day it clarified that masks must be worn at
all times — even when distanced 6 feet. "I'm becoming less and
less enamored from a safety and security perspective," said Central
Superintendent Michael Snell, of his district's in-person reopening. Gov. Tom
Wolf on Aug. 10 said communities with a moderate transmission rate —
nearly all 500 of the state's public districts — should do a partial or
fully remote learning model. Additional recommendations
released Aug.13 call for a 5-day to 7-day shutdown for moderate-spread
districts that also have two to four cases in one building, among other
criteria.
Parents decry Unionville-Chadds Ford’s turnabout to
postpone in-person education
West Chester Daily Local By Jen Samuel jsamuel@dailylocal.com
@jenpoetess on Twitter August 19, 2020
EAST MARLBOROUGH — The Unionville-Chadds Ford
School Board unanimously voted 9-0 to begin the 2020-21 academic year virtually
on Sept. 8. This marks a change in course after the board previously voted 7-2
in favor of reopening schools on Aug. 5, a plan that would have allowed
students in grades kindergarten through third-grade students to return to the
classrooms five days a week. Older students, from fourth graders up to seniors,
would have been able to attend in-person classes twice a week with additional
learning conducted online and remotely. However, late last week, the Chester
County Health Department issued a recommendation that all schools in the county
open the academic year with virtual learning only through Oct. 9. Friday,
Superintendent John Sanville issued a letter to parents and students that the
guidance from the county “causes us to temporarily push pause on our plans to
reopen with in-person instruction and we now refocus our efforts on a virtual
start.” On March 13, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf ordered the closure of all
schools, both private and public, statewide to mitigate COVID-19. On that same
day, President Donald Trump issued a national emergency. And although most
businesses have reopened since the statewide shutdowns of all “non-essential”
industries began back in March, American society differs greatly from a year
ago. One change is the requirement that people wear masks, something that has
been commonplace in southeast China for more than a decade. In his letter to
the Unionville-Chadds Ford community, the superintendent said, “I know this
information is discouraging for many in our community. I have been transparent
in my belief that bringing students back to school in some fashion is the best
decision for our students.”
Here’s what you need to know about the virtual reopening
of Philadelphia public schools
By Chalkbeat Staff Updated Aug
18, 2020, 3:48pm EDT
After months of uncertainty, officials announced last month that
the Philadelphia School District would return to classes virtually until at
least Nov. 17 to stem the spread of the coronavirus. The decision to move
classes online until the end of the first marking period for 125,000 students
came after fierce opposition from
some teachers and parents to an initial proposal, which would have involved
most students attending school in person two days a week. “This year will be
challenging … and we all need to be prepared to learn alongside each other,”
Superintendent William Hite said at a recent board meeting. Many questions
about the upcoming school year remain. Here’s what we do know from reporting by
our partners at the Philadelphia Public School Notebook.
Philadelphia principals and teachers unions doubt safety
of buildings as they prepare for return of students
Principals are called to return to their
schools this week. The concerns are a product of long-standing distrust that
district officials are trying to address.
Chalkbeat By Bill Hangley Jr., Philadelphia Public School
Notebook Aug 18, 2020, 8:00pm EDT
Philadelphia School District officials have
asked principals to return to their school buildings as soon as this week to
start distributing materials and preparing for limited face-to-face instruction
that could start in mid-November. “Students need their textbooks. Our teachers
need access to their materials,” Evelyn Nuñez, the district’s chief schools
officer, wrote to principals last Friday. She called this week’s re-entry a first step
toward preparing schools to be the site of meetings between teachers, students,
and families. Superintendent William Hite has said some teachers have asked to
teach from their classrooms, and he wants other staff to have building access
to facilitate contact with families. And while Nuñez said union leaders were
consulted, teachers and principals worry that loose controls around building
access could expose them to the coronavirus even if students aren’t present.
Get to know Chalkbeat Philadelphia’s senior reporter
Chalkbeat By Carrie Melago Updated Aug 18, 2020,
3:43pm EDT
Today we are proud to launch Chalkbeat
Philadelphia, the latest community in our growing network of local newsrooms
devoted to education journalism. Typically on launch day, we introduce readers
to the journalists who will be providing Chalkbeat’s rich coverage. But this is
no typical launch, since Chalkbeat Philadelphia is opening thanks to our
partnership with the Philadelphia Public School Notebook, which has a 26-year
history of education coverage. And Dale Mezzacappa, our first Philadelphia
senior reporter, needs no introduction to observers of the city’s schools. Dale
is the Notebook’s longtime contributing editor, and before that she was the Philadelphia
schools’ beat reporter and senior education writer for the Philadelphia
Inquirer.
We asked Dale to reflect on her time covering
this crucial beat and to look ahead at what she hopes to accomplish at
Chalkbeat Philadelphia.
The problem with charter schools
Newsday By Jeff Bryant, Tribune News Service Updated
August 18, 2020 4:00 PM
A new report from the Network for Public
Education reveals that sending students to charter schools comes with a
considerable downside: The schools may not stay open for very long.
Parents frustrated with how their children's
public schools have responded to the COVID-19 crisis — whether they opted
for in-person instruction, remote learning, or a blend of both — may see
charter schools, with their mostly free tuition and flexibility in reopening,
as an attractive alternative. But a new report from the Network for Public
Education reveals that sending students to charter schools comes with a
considerable downside: The schools may not stay open for very long. The report
crunched nearly two decades of data and discovered that more than one in four
charter schools closed after just five years. That's less than the number of
years it takes for a typical kindergartner to complete elementary school. After
10 years, 40% of charter schools were shuttered; after 15 years, that rate rose
to about 50%. And the number of students impacted by charter school closures is
considerable. According to the report, from 1999 to 2017, more than 867,000
students were displaced when their charter school closed. That figure is likely
closer to 1 million students, if data from charter school closures between 1995
and 1998, as well as 2017 to 2019, were added to the analysis. Students booted
from a charter school that fails face a broad range of negative consequences.
As studies have shown, students whose education is disrupted are more likely to
experience lower engagement, poorer grades and higher dropout rates. Learning
outcomes for younger students, in particular, are often deeply affected when
they're forced to switch schools.
Our best COVID-19 strategy: Looking out for the common
good | COMMENTARY
BALTIMORE SUN | By BALTIMORE SUN EDITORIAL BOARD AUG 14,
2020 AT 5:57 AM
Across Maryland, the pandemic continues to
reveal itself like a morality play. Over and over again, Marylanders, like so
many people living elsewhere, face difficult choices, their lives fundamentally
altered in areas ranging from employment to schooling to transportation to
medical care to civic affairs and on and on. Much of the public debate has
centered — perhaps predictably given the political dynamic in Washington — on
the proper role of government. But that’s a bit misleading. Ultimately, it
still comes down to personal responsibility. Until there’s a cure or more
effective treatment than is currently available, the best hope to reduce the
spread of the coronavirus is by people following the recommendations of medical
experts, even if the politicians don’t require them. These include social
distancing, staying away from large groups particularly indoors, wearing masks,
washing hands, disinfecting surfaces and on and on. This is not a new concept.
It should be obvious by now. But if there’s one thing learned in six months of
this circumstance, it’s how difficult this simple idea can be in practice.
Joe Biden’s and President Trump’s education policy
stances widely diverge
Los Angeles Times By BRIAN CONTRERAS AUG. 18, 2020 6:30 AM
WASHINGTON — With the “will they,
won’t they” of school reopenings as one of the most divisive debates
of pandemic America, education policy is enjoying a rare moment at center
stage. ut as the presidential election draws nearer, remote learning is just
one of many education policy concerns on the ballot. College affordability,
sexual assault policies and charter schools could see widespread changes
depending on whether President Trump or Joe Biden wins the electoral college
come November. Trump has had well over three years in office to promote his
vision for American education, with controversial Secretary
of Education Betsy DeVos in lock-step behind him. The two have emphasized an
agenda that aims to redirect traditional public school funding toward charter
and private alternatives, as well as repeated proposals to cut Education
Department funding and a broad move away from top-down federal guidelines. Trump
has also leveraged schools in a grab bag of other related fights, from Israel
to gun control to transgender people’s civil liberties. Meanwhile, like much of
his campaign, elements of Biden’s education agenda hark back to his years as
vice president under President Obama — although as some have noted, he places
less emphasis on standardized testing and teacher evaluation than his former
boss did.
Blogger commentary:
Parents considering cyber charters due to COVID might not be
aware of their 20 year consistent track record of academic underperformance. As
those parents face an expected blitz of advertising by cybers, in order for
them to make a more informed decision, you might consider providing them with
some of the info listed below:
A June 2 paper from the highly respected Brookings Institution stated,
“We find the impact of attending a virtual charter on student achievement is
uniformly and profoundly negative,” and then went on to say that “there is no
evidence that virtual charter students improve in subsequent years.”
In 2016, the National Association of Charter School Authorizers,
National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, and the national charter lobbying
group 50CAN released a report on cyber charters that found that overall, cyber
students make no significant gains in math and less than half the gains in
reading compared with their peers in traditional public schools.
A Stanford University CREDO
Study in 2015 found that cyber students on average lost 72 days a year
in reading and 180 days a year in math compared with students in traditional
public schools.
From 2005 through 2012 under the federal No Child Left
Behind Act, most Pennsylvania cybers never made “adequate yearly progress.”
Following NCLB, for all five years (2013-2017) that Pennsylvania’s School
Performance Profile system was in place, not one cyber charter ever achieved a
passing score of 70.
Under Pennsylvania’s current accountability system, the Future Ready PA Index, all 15 cyber charters that operated
2018-2019 have been identified for some level of support and improvement.
PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference October 14-15
Virtual
Registration is now open for the first ever
virtual School Leadership Conference! Join us for all-new educational sessions,
dynamic speakers, exhibitors, and more! Visit the website for registration
information: https://t.co/QfinpBL69u #PASLC20 https://t.co/JYeRhJLUmZ
PSBA Fall Virtual Advocacy Day: OCT 8, 2020 • 8:00
AM - 5:00 PM
Sign up now for PSBA’s Virtual Advocacy Day
this fall!
All public school leaders are invited to join
us for our fall Virtual Advocacy Day on Thursday, October 8, 2020, via Zoom. We
need all of you to help strengthen our advocacy impact. The day will center
around contacting legislators to discuss critical issues affecting public
education. Registrants will receive the meeting invitation with a link to our
fall Virtual Advocacy Day website that contains talking points, a link to
locate contact information for your legislator and additional information to
help you have a successful day.
Cost: As a membership benefit, there is no
cost to register.
Registration: School directors can register
online now by logging in to myPSBA. If you
have questions about Virtual Advocacy Day, or need additional information,
contact Jamie.Zuvich@psba.org.
Adopt the resolution against racial inequity!
School boards are asked to adopt this
resolution supporting the development of an anti-racist climate. Once adopted,
share your resolution with your local community and submit a copy to PSBA. Learn
more: http://ow.ly/yJWA50B2R72
Save The Date: The PSBA 2020 Equity Summit is happening
virtually on October 13th.
Discover how to build a foundation for equity
in practice and policy.
Learn more: https://t.co/KQviB4TTOj
Adopt the 2020 PSBA resolution for charter school funding
reform
In this legislative session, PSBA has been
leading the charge with the Senate, House of Representatives and the Governor’s
Administration to push for positive charter reform. We’re now asking you to
join the campaign: Adopt the resolution: We’re asking all school
boards to adopt the 2020 resolution for charter school funding reform at your
next board meeting and submit it to your legislators and to PSBA.
287 PA school boards have adopted charter reform
resolutions
Charter school funding reform continues to be
a concern as over 280 school boards across the state have adopted a resolution
calling for legislators to enact significant reforms to the Charter School Law
to provide funding relief and ensure all schools are held to the same quality
and ethics standards. Now more than ever, there is a growing momentum from
school officials across the state to call for charter school funding reform.
Legislators are hearing loud and clear that school districts need relief from
the unfair funding system that results in school districts overpaying millions
of dollars to charter schools.
Know Your Facts on Funding and Charter Performance. Then
Call for Charter Change!
PSBA Charter Change Website:
The Network for Public Education Action Conference has
been rescheduled to April 24-25, 2021 at the Philadelphia Doubletree Hotel
Any comments contained herein are my comments, alone, and do not
necessarily reflect the opinions of any other person or organization that I may
be affiliated with.
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