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Keystone
State Education Coalition
PA
Ed Policy Roundup Aug 28, 2017:
Reminder:
public comment on PA’s proposed Every Student Succeeds Act (#ESSA) Consolidated State Plan closes 8/31
What
will the House do? It's Pennsylvania's $2B question
Inquirer by MARC
LEVY, The Associated Press
Updated: AUGUST 26, 2017 — 3:23 PM EDT
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The question of what Pennsylvania's House
Republican majority will do about a $2.2 billion hole in the state budget is
sending ripples of worry through some quarters. House GOP leaders have been quiet this month after the
Republican-controlled Senate passed a bipartisan revenue plan in July that
Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf supports. It is now two months since the Legislature
overwhelmingly approved a 3 percent spending bump in the shadow of state
government's largest shortfall since the recession. "I don't think anyone
thought it was going to go on this long," said Mark DiRocco, executive
director of the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators. Why it has
"no one seems to understand," he said. The quandary comes two years
after Wolf and Republican lawmakers battled through a record-long, nine-month
stalemate. One of the biggest spending increases in this year's budget bill
went to services for people with autism and intellectual disabilities, making
it the best budget in a decade for those residents, said Maureen Cronin of the
Arc of Pennsylvania. Now, Arc chapters from around the state are watching with
rising concern.
Pa.
House Republicans still striving for consensus on budget plan; pre-Labor Day
return grows unlikely
Penn Live By Charles Thompson cthompson@pennlive.com Updated on August 25, 2017 at
11:28 PM Posted on August 25, 2017 at 8:10 PM
Looks like we're in for another football season state budget in
Pennsylvania. Because as schools open, beaches and pools close, and the apples
start ripening, your state government still needs to come up with about $2.2
billion to cover last year's bills and next year's new spending. This was
supposed to have been done back in June, when the $32.0 billion appropriations bill was passed. One protracted gambling expansion fight, a governor who has been
reluctant to pick sides between House and Senate negotiators, and a surprising Senate borrow-and-tax vote
later, and here we are. The news from Friday was this: Don't expect
a resolution anytime soon. House Majority Leader Dave Reed told members by memo that work on
a House GOP alternative will continue next week, all but killing any chance of
voting sessions before its scheduled Sept. 11 return from its summer recess. "It
is our hope," Reed continued, "that these efforts will lead to a
proposal that can be reviewed by the entire caucus in the near future." Many
Republicans members will be back Tuesday, for an informal caucus on a plan
devised by a group of rank-and-file members that relies first, and maybe only,
on smashing the state's piggybanks to close the deal.
“A
2016 report by researchers at Penn State presented
similar findings, citing data showing that enrolling a student in a
Pennsylvania cyber charter school is equal to “roughly 90 fewer days of
learning in reading and nearly 180 fewer days of learning in math.”
Costs,
performance records fuel criticism of charter schoolsTrib Live by JAMIE MARTINES | Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017, 12:30 a.m.
School districts across the state are struggling to balance
budgets and keep up with mandated costs, programs and services public schools
are required to provide to charter schools, according to state and federal
laws. Among those costs, school administrators say, is money lost when a
student decides to leave the home district and the student's tuition dollars
are forwarded from the district to the charter school. In Westmoreland County,
charter-related costs are primarily related to cyber charters. The Adelphoi
Ketterer Charter School in Unity is the only brick-and-mortar charter school in
the county and focuses on supporting adjudicated youth. The Jeannette City School District, for example, spent about $997,000 to send
students to cyber charter schools during the 2015-16 school year, according to
Business Manager Paul Sroka. The cost for the 2016-17 school year, when about
60 of the district's roughly 1,000 students attended cyber charter schools, was
about $820,000. Sroka expects about the same number of students to attend cyber
charters this school year. Such costs represent about 5 percent of the
district's $19 million budget for the 2017-18 school year. On top of the cost,
cyber charters often are criticized for poor performance.
“While
cyber charters have been criticized for low performance and for the financial
pressure some public school administrators and advocates say they put on school
districts, families across the state increasingly are choosing them. The number
of students enrolled in cyber charters has steadily risen during the past
decade. Last school year, 32,958 students statewide enrolled in cyber charters
rather than traditional, brick-and-mortar public schools. That's about 2
percent of the 1.72 million public school students in Pennsylvania.”
Why Pennsylvania cyber
charter schools keep growing
Trib Live by JAMIE
MARTINES | Friday, Aug. 25, 2017, 3:06 p.m.
A few weeks before the first day of school, a package arrived at
eighth-grader Michael Darbous' home in Vandergrift. It was full of school
supplies, and the 13-year-old student could hardly wait to tear it open. Buried
under layers of bubble wrap were textbooks — math, science and history — along
with art supplies. Michael examined materials for science experiments —
thermometers, pH testing strips, eye droppers — and tried on a pair of safety
goggles for size. Eventually, he uncovered an essential piece of equipment for
any cyber school student: a set of headphones to plug into his computer so that
he can listen to lessons. Michael is a student with the Harrisburg-based
Commonwealth Charter Academy, one of 15 public, nonprofit cyber charter schools
in Pennsylvania. Cyber charters are privately managed but publicly funded
schools authorized by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Like their
brick-and-mortar charter school counterparts, cyber charters are free to any
student who wants to attend. Supplies such as the contents of Michael's box, as
well as internet and a laptop, often are included. But instead of going to
class in person with dozens of other students and teachers, cyber charter
students can access their lessons online from anywhere they have an internet
connection.
Trib Live by JAMIE
MARTINES | Friday, Aug. 25, 2017, 4:54 p.m.
The first day of school is a little different for a cyber charter
school student.
It doesn't involve a mad dash to the bus stop or the echo of a
first period bell. At 8:30 a.m. Friday, all ninth-grader Bryson O'Donnell had
to do was pop open his laptop. Bryson, 15, of Forest Hills is starting classes
with 21st Century Cyber Charter School this year. He's one of many students
across the state making the switch. Over the past decade, the number of
students enrolled in cyber charters has steadily risen. Last school year,
32,958 students statewide chose to enroll in cyber charters over traditional,
brick-and-mortar public schools. That's about 2 percent of the 1.72 million
public school students in Pennsylvania. Last year, there were 145,357 public
school students, including those enrolled in charter schools, in Allegheny
County.
Education Voters of PA Posted on August
22, 2017 EDVOPA Posted in Press
Releases
For Immediate Release Education
Voters of PA August 21, 2017
Media contacts: Susan Spicka
Susan Spicka, Executive Director of Education Voters of PA, made
the following statement at a joint press conference with the Pennsylvania
Budget and Policy Center: For Pennsylvania public school parents, this is an
exciting time of year. It is the season of back to school nights and open
houses. We get to tour our children’s public schools, meet their new
teachers, and learn about the exciting learning opportunities our children will
receive. Many of us can’t wait for our children’s first day of school for a lot
of reasons, but the main reason is that our communities’ public schools are
where our kids will gain the skills and knowledge they need to have a bright
future. Teachers are also preparing for the new school year. They are
getting their rooms ready, putting up bulletin boards, writing lesson plans,
and preparing to welcome more than 1.7 million students back to PA’s public
schools. Many teachers are also getting
class rosters with more students than they taught last year. They are returning
to buildings with fewer colleagues and less support in their classrooms. They may
find that they will spend more time teaching because elective and specials
classes in their buildings have been eliminated. Textbooks and other
materials they need to help students reach state standards may not exist in
their buildings, so they will spend their own money on supplies and do the very
best they can to ensure sure that all students will be in classrooms with what
they need in order to have a great school year.
Education Voters of PA Posted on August
25, 2017 EDVOPA Posted in blog
After more than a year of taking extensive input from public
education stakeholders at 30 sessions throughout the state, the Pennsylvania
Department of Education released PA’s plan to comply with the Every Student
Succeeds Act (ESSA), the new federal education law enacted in December, 2015. Education
Voters of PA enthusiastically supports PDE’s proposed new ESSA plan and thanks
Governor Wolf and Secretary of Education Rivera for their leadership in
developing a proposal that will both reduce the time spent and emphasis placed
on standardized testing and provide families with more information about
how their community’s public schools are serving students. PA’s new ESSA
plan proposes to replace the current School Performance Profile (SPP) with the
Future Ready PA Index. The SPP relied almost exclusively on standardized test
scores to evaluate schools. The SPP led to an overemphasis on testing
because students’ test scores determined whether a school would be labeled as
successful or failing. We are glad to see it go!
Letter
to editor: Good news on standardized testing?
Daily Local Letter by Jeff Hellrung POSTED: 08/25/17,
7:17 PM EDTMr. Hellrung is currently serving his third term on the Unionville-Chadds Ford School Board.
Gov. Wolf joined Education Secretary Pedro Rivera, advocates, and
educators this month to announce a significant reduction in standardized
testing for elementary students. One test section will be eliminated in both
Math and ELA PSSA tests amounting to a 93 minute total time reduction. Also,
approximately 22 minutes will be taken by eliminating questions from the PSSA
Science test. We all know that our elementary students are subjected to far too
many state and federally mandated high stakes standardized tests, right? So
this reduction of about 20-25% in PSSA testing time must be a fine idea. But
wait …
PSSA tests are designed to measure student achievement vs. our PA
Core Content Standards and also year to year growth for individual students and
their cohorts. They are the ONLY state or federally mandated standardized tests
for our elementary students. Math and ELA are tested annually in grades 3-8 and
Science is tested in grades 4 and 8. Before the recently announced reductions,
total test and administration time together was approximately 40-56 hours for
the entire elementary school experience. Therefore we devote approximately .5%
of elementary school time from K-8 to mandated testing. Is this excessive?
Proposed constitutional amendment would
enable future tax reform legislation
PSBA Closer Look August 2017
This November, voters will have the opportunity to consider an
amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution proposed by Joint Resolution 1 of
2017. Recently passed through the General Assembly as House Bill 1285, the resolution
proposes to amend the constitution by authorizing the General Assembly to enact
legislation allowing local taxing authorities (counties, municipalities and
school districts) to exclude from property taxation up to the full assessed
value of each homestead property within the taxing jurisdiction. Currently, the
constitution caps homestead exclusions at 50% of the median assessed value of
all homestead property within a local taxing jurisdiction. What does this
potential change mean for school boards? What actions will they have to, or be
able to, take if the resolution is approved by the voters? The answer is that
there will be no requirement or authority for school districts to do anything,
unless and until the General Assembly enacts implementing legislation. Voter
approval of the proposed constitutional amendment by itself will not change
anything with regard to what taxpayers, school districts or taxing bodies can
or must do. It simply expands the options available to the General Assembly for
future legislation affecting homestead exemptions.
Time to pass charter reform bill
Centre Daily Times Opinion by ANA
MEYERS, KING OF PRUSSIA AUGUST 23, 2017 12:51 AM
Ana Meyers is executive director
of the The Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools.
Students across the Keystone State are gearing up for another busy
school year filled with education milestones. While families prepare for
back-to-school, they are not the only ones getting ready for a busy fall.
Legislators, too, will have their agenda full of education-related items. Earlier this year the Pennsylvania Senate passed HB 97, a
comprehensive charter reform bill. The bill remains in the House and has
potential for movement when legislators return to the capitol. The Pennsylvania
Coalition of Public Charter Schools supports this bill and hopes our state
representatives will make this a top priority.
House Bill 97 includes many improvements to the 20-year charter law
including longer charter terms for successful charter schools, the right of
first refusal on public school buildings and the addition of two charter representatives
to the Charter Appeals Board, ensuring adequate representation for public
charter schools on a board that oversees much of their activity. These reforms
may seem minor to many, but to charter school operators, educators and
families, they are essential to the future growth of the public charter school
sector in Pennsylvania. It is essential that our legislators prioritize HB 97
to support these students and their families. Twenty years ago when
Pennsylvania became one of the first states in the country to pass a charter
school law, our lawmakers understood the potential for academic success. Today,
let’s hope our legislators understand the important need to build on that
success by passing HB 97.
Judge
sides with Boyertown schools in transgender case
By Evan
Brandt, The Mercury POSTED: 08/25/17, 8:22 PM EDT | UPDATED: 11 HRS AGO
BOYERTOWN >> Just in time for the start of school Monday, a
federal judge has sided with the Boyertown Area School District in a lawsuit
involving its policy for transgender student use of bathrooms and locker rooms.
According to a report from WFMZ Friday, Judge Edward G.
Smith denied a request for a preliminary injunction as part of a lawsuit filed
against the school district by four students whose names have been withheld to
protect their identity. The students argued that allowing transgender students
to use the bathrooms and locker rooms of their choice at the high school
violated their right to privacy. The judge ruled on Friday, Aug. 25, the
plaintiffs had failed to show that their claims of invasion of privacy and
sexual harassment warranted relief by the court. The Alliance Defending Freedom, which provided attorneys for the
plaintiffs, told WFMZ it is consulting with its clients before deciding whether
to appeal the judge’s ruling. An attempt to reach David Krem, Boyertown’s
acting school’s superintendent, was unsuccessful Friday evening. Earlier this
month, the four students who filed the suit argued in court that Boyertown
never made its policy public, and that encountering a transgender student in
the locker room made them feel embarrassed and uncomfortable, according to
published reports.
“But
the notion of a school-district “brand” is especially fraught in Coatesville,
an economically stressed working-class town that has seen about 800 kids
leave for charters in the last three years. In the 2015-2016 school year, it
spent about 17 percent of its $151 million budget − a greater share than
any other local districts except Chester-Upland and Philadelphia – on
reimbursing those charters.”
Coatesville
schools try 'rebranding' to win back students
Inquirer by Kathy
Boccella, Staff Writer @Kathy_Boccella | kboccella@phillynews.com
Updated: AUGUST 28, 2017 — 5:51 AM EDT
The last few years haven’t done wonders for the reputation of
the Coatesville
Area School District, where headlines over school fights went viral on social media,
the former superintendent and athletic director were caught sending racist
and sexist texts, and about 100 teachers have left. With hundreds of
students abandoning the Chester County district for nearby charter schools,
officials have turned to a strategy that’s more typically associated with
McDonald’s or Oldsmobile. The Coatesville Area School District is in the midst of a
rebranding. Supporters of the campaign – which includes focus groups,
newsletters, and the hiring of a communications firm that will be paid at least
$55,000 – say the district’s image has suffered because it’s done a poor job of
communicating good things about the schools. But critics say the 6,000-student
district should work harder on making tangible improvements in the schools and
do a better job of enlisting community groups before it spends tens of
thousands of dollars on slick mailers or a bright new logo.
Philly
schools win national attention for environmental efforts
Inquirer by Kristen
A. Graham, Staff Writer @newskag | kgraham@phillynews.com
Updated: AUGUST 27, 2017 — 6:45 AM EDT
It started nearly four years ago as an idea: What if one of the
nation’s largest school districts tackled — in a serious and systemwide way —
reducing its environmental impact? Francine Locke, the district’s environmental
director, knew that was a lofty goal for the Philadelphia School District, with
its perpetual money concerns and its aging stock of 200-plus schools, many of
which struggle academically. But she wanted to try anyway. “This,” said
Locke, “is really important work.” It has paid off — in energy bills reduced,
recycling programs launched, and blacktop yards transformed to green places for
children to play. This summer, Locke traveled to the White House to accept, on
the school system’s behalf, a major national prize for its environmental work. The district won a 2017 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon
for its efforts, driven by GreenFutures, the school system’s five-year
sustainability plan that has goals for conserving resources, decreasing
consumption and waste, creating healthy indoor environments, and more. It was
one of just nine school systems in the country to win the prize, which is given
annually.
Ears
on the SRC: August 17, 2017
Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools by Diane Payne August 24,
2017
Commissioners Bill Green, Estelle Richman, Chris McGinley and
Farah Jimenez were present; Chair Joyce Wilkerson was absent, so Jimenez acted
as Interim Chair. Eight members of the Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools
(APPS) were present; six testified in defense of public education. [See APPSPhilly.net to view their testimony and
read their transcripts.] APPS members continue to call out the
waste of public tax dollars, the ongoing privatization of district resources
and services, and the corporate policy agenda reflected in numerous resolutions
that appear monthly on the SRC agenda.
Essay:
How teachers can confront white supremacy in our classrooms, our schools, and
ourselves
WHYY Newsworks COMMENTARY BY KEZIAH RIDGEWAY AND CHARLIE MCGEEHAN
AUGUST 25, 2017 SPEAK EASY“We are living through a very dangerous time …. To any citizen of this country who figures himself as responsible — and particularly those of you who deal with the minds and hearts of young people — be prepared to ‘go for broke.'”
Fifty-four years later, James Baldwin’s words still ring true. Two weeks ago, we watched in horror as white supremacists rallied around a Confederate statue in Charlottesville, Virginia, spewing racial epithets, and lashing out violently without feeling the need to hide their faces. President Trump then doubled down in his defense of them. We wish we could say that the behavior was shocking, but as history teachers, we know better. We both teach in the School District of Philadelphia — Keziah is a black woman and Charlie is a white man. Growing up in Philadelphia, Keziah remembers being keenly aware that her skin was brown and that made her different and less valuable to society. She later realized this was the effect of white supremacy. Charlie grew up in Media, where he was never exposed to an educator of color from kindergarten through high school. While his high school was diverse, his “Level 1” classes had very few black and brown students. Whiteness brought the privilege of not being forced to address white supremacy until college.
Medical
issues stemming from teens' lack of sleep being heard by school districts
Intelligencer By
Gary Weckselblatt, staff writer Ausut 28, 2017
As he listened to public health advocates discuss teenagers' need
for sleep and the importance of schools beginning classes later in the day,
Charles Lambert, Council Rock's director of special services, asked himself
"How do I not know this stuff?" Lambert attended a national
conference in Washington, D.C., on "Adolescent Sleep, Health, and School
Start Times," where he heard several medical authorities call for the
school day to begin after 8:30 a.m. to accommodate changes in the sleep patterns
of adolescents. Mounting medical evidence suggests that young people need to
sleep later in the morning to prevent serious health issues. "There were
hundreds of people gung-ho on the topic, and it's just not getting out
there," Lambert said of the medical information. "I go to social
events and bring up the topic and people don't know what I'm talking
about." The American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Sleep
Medicine, American Medical Association and Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention are among the leading health organizations calling for schools to
act.
Without
vaccinations, about 100 Columbia Borough students will be barred from classes
Monday
Lancaster Online by HEATHER STAUFFER | Staff
Writer Aug 26, 2017
Next week, dozens of Lancaster County students will not be able to
return to classes unless they meet the state’s new school vaccination
requirements. Regulators cut the grace period on vaccinations from eight months
to five days after the start of school, which was this week for a half-dozen
local districts. After the grace period, students have to get the shots to
attend — or, if they need sequential doses that cannot be completed within the
grace period, a form from a doctor certifying that the doses have been
scheduled. The change does not affect Pennsylvania’s exemption policy, which
allows children to go unvaccinated if their parents sign a form saying they
have philosophical or religious objections to immunization. Since the changes
were finalized this spring, schools have been working hard to make sure
students meet the requirements before classes start. Columbia Borough, which
began classes on Monday, was the first local district to begin the new school
year. So it’s the first to hit the deadline.
Trib Live DILLON CARR | Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017, 1:18 a.m.
A program introduced in January at Penn Hills Charter School of
Entrepreneurship to reward student academic achievement will be in place for
sixth- through eighth-graders this year. “It was a fantastic program,” said Terri Williams, school
innovation specialist at the school. “It exposed them to knowing they can reach
their dreams.” The Touchdown for A's program was created by Darrin Walls, a
Pittsburgh native who is a free agent defensive back in the NFL and most
recently played for the Detroit Lions. He has also played for the Atlanta
Falcons and the New York Jets. Walls, 29, is a graduate of Woodland Hills High
School and the University of Notre Dame. “He wants to motivate these kids to
use tools to reach new heights – that's the whole focus of the program,” said Mike
Nattis, the player's business manager. The program rewarded students in first
through seventh grades who improved their grade point averages, or GPAs, by
giving them things like electronics, shoes or tickets to sporting events.
Report
grades Pa. schools: Here's every Lehigh Valley middle school's marks
By Sara K. Satullo | For
lehighvalleylive.com Posted August 28, 2017 at 06:59
AM | Updated August 28, 2017 at 06:59 AM
Curious about the best public middle school in Pennsylvania or the
Lehigh Valley?
Niche.com has release its 2018 list of the best middle
schools in the state and we went through it to see where our local schools landed
in the rankings, which include charter and magnet schools. The ranking relies on data pulled from the U.S. Department of
Education and a "rigorous analysis of key statistics and millions of
reviews from students and parents," according to Niche.com. They looked at state test scores, college preparation, graduation
rates and SAT/ACT scores amongst other factors. And it relies on reviews from
Niche users.
Jeb
Bush's Former Lt. Gov. a Contender for Job at Trump Ed. Dept., Sources Say
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Alyson
Klein on August 25, 2017 2:09 PM
Former Florida Lt. Gov. Frank Brogan is a top contender for a
position at the U.S. Department of Education, multiple sources say. His
background would seem like a good fit for assistant secretary of elementary and
secondary education, a position that's being filled temporarily by Jason Botel.
Brogan, who recently stepped down as the chancellor of the Pennsylvania State
System of Higher Education, may be best known for serving as former Florida
Gov. Jeb Bush's lieutenant governor, a post he held from 1999 to 2003. But
Brogan has held just about every possible job in K-12 education policy and
instruction. He's been a teacher, principal, and superintendent of schools in
Florida's Martin County. Brogan's nomination to a federal Education Department
post isn't a done deal, sources say. But he's said to be among a group of
potential education appointees being vetted by the White House.
PSERS
accepting nominations for open board position
The PSERS Board of Trustees will be conducting an election for the seat that is to be elected by the members of PA’s public school boards. This election will be for a three-year term on the PSERS Board commencing Jan. 1, 2018, through Dec. 31, 2020. School directors who desire to run must:
The PSERS Board of Trustees will be conducting an election for the seat that is to be elected by the members of PA’s public school boards. This election will be for a three-year term on the PSERS Board commencing Jan. 1, 2018, through Dec. 31, 2020. School directors who desire to run must:
·
Submit nominating petitions with 25 signatures of school directors
from at least five different school districts
·
Submit a completed biographical form and candidate affidavit
To receive a nomination packet and additional information on the
duties and responsibilities of Board of Trustees members, interested school
directors may contact Lori Koch at lorkoch@pa.gov or write to this address:
Lori Koch, PSERS Election Coordinator, 5 N. 5th Street, Harrisburg, PA
17101-1905.
September 19 @ 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM Hilton Reading
Berks County Community Foundation
Panelists:
Carol Corbett Burris: Executive
Director of the Network
for Public Education
Alyson Miles: Deputy Director of Government
Affairs for the American
Federation for Children
James Paul: Senior Policy Analyst at
the Commonwealth Foundation
Dr. Julian Vasquez Heilig: Professor
of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies and the Director of the Doctorate
in Educational Leadership at California State University Sacramento
Karin Mallett: The WFMZ TV
anchor and reporter returns as the moderator
School choice has been a hot topic in Berks County, in part due to
a lengthy and costly dispute between the Reading School District and I-LEAD Charter
School. The topic has also been in the national spotlight as President
Trump and U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos have focused on expanding education choice. With this in mind, a
discussion on school choice is being organized as part of Berks County
Community Foundation’s Consider It initiative. State Sen. Judy Schwank and
Berks County Commissioners Chairman Christian Leinbach are co-chairs of this
nonpartisan program, which is designed to promote thoughtful discussion of
divisive local and national issues while maintaining a level of civility among
participants. The next Consider It
Dinner will take place Tuesday, September 19, 2017, at 5 p.m. at the DoubleTree
by Hilton Reading, 701 Penn St., Reading, Pa. Tickets are available
here.
For $10 each, tickets include dinner, the panel discussion, reading
material, and an opportunity to participate in the conversation.
Apply Now for EPLC's 2017-2018 PA Education Policy Fellowship
Program!
Education Policy and Leadership Center
Applications are available now for the 2017-2018 Education
Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP). The Education Policy Fellowship Program is sponsored
in Pennsylvania by The Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC). Click here for the
program calendar of sessions. With more than 500
graduates in its first eighteen years, this Program is a premier
professional development opportunity for educators, state and local
policymakers, advocates, and community leaders. State Board of
Accountancy (SBA) credits are available to certified public accountants. Past
participants include state policymakers, district superintendents and
principals, school business officers, school board members, education
deans/chairs, statewide association leaders, parent leaders, education advocates,
and other education and community leaders. Fellows are typically sponsored by
their employer or another organization. The
Fellowship Program begins with a two-day retreat on September 14-15,
2017 and continues to graduation in June 2018.
Using Minecraft to Imagine a Better World
and Build It Together.
Saturday, September 16, 2017 or Sunday,
September 17, 2017 at the University of the Sciences, 43rd & Woodland
Avenue, Philadelphia
PCCY, the region’s most
influential advocacy organization for children, leverages the world’s greatest
video game for the year’s most engaging fundraising event for kids. Join us
on Saturday, September 16, 2017 or Sunday,
September 17, 2017 at the University of the Sciences, 43rd & Woodland
Avenue for a fun, creative and unique gaming opportunity.
Education Law Center’s 2017
Annual Celebration
ELC invites you to join us
for our Annual Celebration on September 27 in Philadelphia.
The Annual Celebration will take place this year on September
27, 2017 at The Crystal Tea Room in Philadelphia. The
event begins at 5:30 PM. We anticipate more than 300 legal,
corporate, and community supporters joining us for a cocktail reception, silent
auction, and dinner presentation. Our
annual celebrations honor outstanding champions of public education. This proud
tradition continues at this year’s event, when together we will salute these
deserving honorees:
·
PNC Bank: for the signature philanthropic cause of the PNC Foundation, PNC
Grow Up Great, a bilingual $350 million, multi-year early education initiative
to help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life;
and its support of the Equal Justice Works Fellowship, which
enables new lawyers to pursue careers in public interest law;
·
Joan Mazzotti: for her 16 years of outstanding leadership as the Executive
Director of Philadelphia Futures, a college access and success program serving
Philadelphia’s low-income, first-generation-to-college students;
·
Dr. Bruce Campbell Jr., PhD: for his invaluable service to ELC, as he rotates out of
the chairman position on our Board of Directors. Dr. Campbell is an Arcadia
University Associate Professor in the School of Education; and
·
ELC Pro Bono Awardee Richard Shephard of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius
LLP: for his exceptional work as pro bono counsel, making lasting contributions
to the lives of many vulnerable families.Questions? Contact Tracy Callahan
tcallahan@elc-pa.org or 215-238-6970 ext. 308.
STAY WOKE: THE INAUGURAL
NATIONAL BLACK MALE EDUCATORS CONVENING; Philadelphia Fri, Oct 13, 2017 4:00 pm
Sun, Oct 15, 2017 7:00pm
TEACHER DIVERSITY WORKS. Increasing the number of Black
male educators in our nation’s teacher corps will improve education for all our
students, especially for African-American boys.
Today Black men represent only two percent of teachers nationwide. This
is a national problem that demands a national response. Come participate in the inaugural National
Black Male Educators Convening to advance policy solutions, learn from one
another, and fight for social justice. All are welcome.
Save the Date 2017 PA Principals Association State Conference
October 14. 15, 16, 2017 Doubletree Hotel Cranberry Township, PA
Save the Date: PASA-PSBA
School Leadership Conference October 18-20, Hershey PA
Registration now open for the
67th Annual PASCD Conference Nov. 12-13
Harrisburg: Sparking Innovation: Personalized Learning, STEM, 4C's
This year's conference will begin on Sunday, November 12th
and end on Monday, November 13th. There will also be a free pre-conference on
Saturday, November 11th. You can
register for this year's conference online with a credit card payment or have
an invoice sent to you. Click here to register for the
conference.
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/PASCD-Conference-Registration-is-Now-Open.html?soid=1101415141682&aid=5F-ceLtbZDs
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/PASCD-Conference-Registration-is-Now-Open.html?soid=1101415141682&aid=5F-ceLtbZDs
Registration Opens Tuesday, September 26, 2017
