The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) is required to develop and submit to the U.S. Department of Education by June 1, 2015, a state plan that ensures equitable access for all students to excellent teachers and principals.  Essential to the development of Pennsylvania’s state plan is the engagement and involvement of an external stakeholders group, which include representatives from: educational associations/organizations; urban and rural districts; intermediate units; higher education teacher preparation institutions; nonpublic schools; charter schools; parents; federal program coordinators; teachers’ unions; and business and community groups/organizations.

Consistent with ESEA sections 1111(a)(1), 1119b)(8)(C) and 9304(a)(3)(B), Pennsylvania’s state plan is required to include:

1.  Description and documentation related to steps taken to consult with LEAs, teachers, principals, pupil services personnel, administrators,  other staff and parents.

2.  Identify equity gaps using the most recent data available to calculate differences, if any, between the rates poor and minority children are taught by “inexperienced, unqualified, or out-of-field” teachers when compared to other children.

3.  Explanation of the likely causes of the identified equity gaps.

4.  Strategies to eliminate the identified equity gaps, timelines for implementation of strategies and monitoring activities.

5.  Description of measures, methods and timelines for evaluating progress toward eliminating equity gaps.

6.  Description of how POE will publicly report on its progress in eliminating equity gaps.

The recording from the first stakeholders meeting (conducted as a webinar) is available for anyone.  To access it, visit http://vclass.cciu.org/, then click on the “recordings” tab at the left, then select April 7 from the calendar on the right.

Stakeholders have been asked to enlist local support from peers, colleagues, local community, teachers, principals, and others by sharing information about Pennsylvania’s  strategies for ensuring equitable access for all students to excellent teachers and principals.

A resource account (RA-equity@pa.gov) has been created to gather feedback and suggestions throughout the development of Pennsylvania’s state plan.

If an educational association or organization contacts you for feedback or if you listen to the stakeholders’ webinar, please follow-up via email to the above resource account (RA-equity@pa.gov).

Next steps include the following:

*Convening a statewide workgroup to assist in identifying: existing gaps in local strategic management  of human resources (recruitment, hiring, retention, professional development); and school climate that affect hiring and retention of teachers and principals (these are areas that are not reported to POE);

*Continuing to analyze Pennsylvania’s data metrics (number of teachers who are not certified, not highly qualified, working outside the scope of their existing Pennsylvania teaching certificate; years of teaching experience; principal education levels; teacher turnover; etc.) for purposes of identifying equity gaps;

*Conducting a root cause analysis with members of Pennsylvania’s Educator Equity Stakeholder Group and identifying strategies for overcoming equity gaps; and

*Implementing  a cycle of continually incorporating workgroup and stakeholder group feedback and suggestions into Pennsylvania’s draft state plan.