NEWS

Changing PA’s Charter Law: What Is At Stake In SB 1085?

After 17 years, the PA legislature is considering making major changes to Pennsylvania’s charter school law.  Improvements to the law are long overdue, but unfortunately, the legislation in the Senate (SB 1085) will not improve PA’s charter school law. Instead, it...

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Visit Your Legislator at Their Local District Office

Visit Your Legislator at Their Local District Office A Step-by-Step Guide to Meeting with Legislators Step 1 - Identify your state legislators: Find your legislator - just enter your address information. You can click on their name for more information, including...

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January 2015 Call to Action for Education

Final_Flyer_January_21_Call_to_Action.pdf Click HERE for tips on How to Call Your Legislator. This Wednesday, January 21 is the first Call to Action for Education day of the new administration. It is the first day that our new governor and state lawmakers will all be...

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It is time for a new era for education in Philadelphia

Take Action It is time for a new era for education in Philadelphia The Mayor and City Council are, at this moment, engaged in what is happening at the School District of Philadelphia in a way that we haven't seen in a long time, maybe longer.  They are talking about...

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Pennsylvania’s Charter School Law MUST Be Reformed

For a downloadable pdf of this brief, please click here: fixing_pa_charter_law_brief_dec_2014.pdf For a summary on what was wrong with last year’s proposal (and what to watch for in the future) click here:sb_1085_1_pager_final_afterward.pdf Funding Pennsylvania must...

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Governing the School District of Philadelphia

Wednesday, November 19, 2014 Governing the School District of Philadelphia. There is a conversation happening in the City around the issue of local control of the School District of Philadelphia, and moving away from a state run district. It is virtually inarguable...

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Ed Voter’s Common Enrollment Brief

Philadelphia should adopt a citywide common enrollment system for high school. For  PDF version click: Common Enrollment Brief For more details click: An Effective Common Enrollment System Philadelphia is in transition again. District leaders have said that they want...

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HB 1307 – State Takeover of Fiscally Distressed Schools

Click here for a PDF of HB 1307 State Takeover of Fiscally Distressed School Districts In May, the Senate Education Committee voted out HB 1307 which set forth procedures for the Department of Education to develop and implement parameters for declaring school...

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Debunking the Myths about Vouchers

Click here for a PDF version of Debunking the Myths about School Vouchers MYTH:  Vouchers will rescue poor kids who are trapped in failing districts. REALITY: The Senate's own fiscal note for SB 1 anticipates only 2,213 students out of the 70,044 that are eligible...

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Who Runs the School District of Philadelphia?

Click HERE for a PDF of our paper Who Runs the School District of Philadelphia What is the School Reform Commission? The School District of Philadelphia (SDP) is governed by the School Reform Commission (SRC) which was established in December 2001, when oversight of...

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Going to Court for Fair Funding

Pennsylvania’s system for funding public education is neither adequate, nor equitable; thorough, nor efficient. Learn more about the litigation, getting your community involved and joining a monthly conference call with more information.

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Every School Deserves a Nurse

Every School Deserves a Nurse

Today a 7-year-old died at Jackson Elementary school and there was no school nurse in the building because of budget cuts. Read the details here. We don't know if would have helped to have a nurse, but it's a problem that we even have to ask if the school had one....

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Philadelphia Budget Advocacy: Take Action

Take Action to Support Philadelphia’s public school students! Without sufficient funding, our schools can’t provide the basic programs and services that our children need to have an opportunity to learn. The state budget continues to be inadequate and unfair; however...

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NEW REPORT – Principles for Principals

Check our recent coverage our this report: The Philadelphia Notebook: Reports raise concerns about stability of principal corps in Philly schools. The Philadelphia Inquirer: At high-poverty schools, lack of stability starts at the top. For a PDF version,...

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