Lower Merion Schools, Taxpayers Square Off in Potential Landmark Case
In a legal battle that could usurp the power of local officials to choose when, and by how much, to raise taxes, a state appellate court is expected to decide… Read More
News
Commentary: Student Stress is Education’s Overlooked Crisis
We had battled inequities, poverty, and adult political issues but had not tackled perhaps education’s biggest problem — a universal issue that exists across our schools, regardless of neighborhood or… Read More
Pennsylvania Budget Battle Takes Shape with Deficit of $600M Projected
Pennsylvania is on pace for a $600 million budget shortfall in coming months, but Gov. Tom Wolf hopes to avoid proposing a hike in sales or income taxes next year,… Read More
Opinion: Charter Schools Aren’t a Real Option for Many Families
Pennsylvania charter schools routinely screen students to eliminate all but a few special-needs students, avoid enrolling students who are new to our country and require instruction designed for students who… Read More
Response to Intervention has Come a Long Way from its Origins in Special Education Law — But Not Wit
In 2004, the reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Act first introduced into federal policy the concept of “response to intervention.” Now, 12 years later, the educational framework has continued to… Read More
Pension Costs to Climb Higher than Expected for School Districts
Pennsylvania’s school districts have gotten an early lump of coal this holiday season from Harrisburg: word that teacher pension costs, which have taken ever larger bites out of budgets in… Read More
Final Rule Released on Identifying Racial Bias in Special Education
With just a handful of weeks left in this presidential administration, the U.S. Department of Education released a final rule Monday that could have a major impact on how districts… Read More
New Help for States that Want to Bolster Principals
As state education officials set agendas for K-12 under the Every Student Succeeds Act, a new guide and a research review are being released this week to help them figure… Read More
Opinion: Bad Signs on the State Budget Horizon
In a special five-year outlook, Matthew Knittel, the director of the office, noted that the state could face a budget deficit of $500 million by the end of the current… Read More
How Ontario’s Vision of Equity for Schools Contrasts Starkly with Pennsylvania’s
In 2014, the U.S. Department of Education labeled PA’s system “the most inequitable in the nation.” But if those students in Erie were born just two hours north in the… Read More