Cyber Debate Reignites in Harrisburg
A festering dispute over the state’s 13 cyber schools, their funding and students’ sagging test scores has reignited in Harrisburg and will continue into the fall. Click here for full… Read More
News
In Erie, a Microcosm of Pennsylvania’s Struggle for Education Equity
Urban school districts in Pennsylvania face a particularly cruel logic. They serve the poorest, most needy students, yet, when it comes to state funding per pupil, most of them don’t make… Read More
National News: Schools Prepare to Confront Questions on Race and Policing
As the nation responds to the aftermath of another spate of high-profile police-related shootings, educators are wading, once again, into thorny issues of police violence, bias, and America’s still unfinished… Read More
Report: Area School District Reserves Often Too Low
A new report argues that school districts statewide may appear to have healthy fund balances, but that a closer look shows most — including eight of 11 in Luzerne County… Read More
Pennsylvania School District Consolidation Study Eyes Savings
As co-chairman of the bipartisan commission that helped implement a new education funding formula, state Rep. Mike Vereb believes there’s a way to save money that flows into education. Click… Read More
Rethinking Standardized Tests: PA Considering ‘Fewer but Better’ Exams
Public school children spend too much time on standardized tests. That’s become a common refrain in Lancaster County and across the nation. Click here for full article. (Subscription may be… Read More
Wolf’s Concessions Mark Pennsylvania Budget
The House of Representatives had just finished voting the final pieces into place for Pennsylvania’s 2016-17 budget package, and Majority Leader Dave Reed walked next door in the Capitol to… Read More
The Pension Loophole: How Charters can Exploit PA’s ‘Bizarre’ Payment Structure
Charter schools that participate in the state’s teacher pension system are supposed to make quarterly contributions to the Pennsylvania Public School Employees’ Retirement System. Click here for full article. Source:… Read More
U.S. Secretary of Education John King Wants to Hear How PA Intends to Fix its Education Inequities
U.S. Secretary John King Jr. finds Pennsylvania’s 30- to 40-point achievement gap between white students and minority groups National Assessment of Educational Progress scores to be disturbing and wants to… Read More
Debate over PA Charter Schools Gets Swirled into Larger State Budget Talks
A bill that would substantially revise Pennsylvania’s charter school law for the first time since its inception nearly twenty years ago is being hotly debated in the capitol. Click here… Read More