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Improving Pennsylvania's Education Policies in 2011

Are you concerned about Pennsylvania’s education agenda for the coming year? You’re not alone.

Knowing that the start of the Corbett Administration is a good time to take inventory of the education reforms that would make the biggest difference for disadvantaged students and schools, the Education Law Center has drafted a list of ideas for improving education policies and practices around the state.

These proposals address the needs for greater parent involvement, stronger school accountability, increased teacher quality, a healthier and safer school climate, and practical reforms benefiting students who often struggle in school. Many potential reforms are quite simple and either cost nothing or can lower costs. Other ideas are more complicated and could require additional resources.

Take a look at ELC’s Policy Priorities for 2011, attached as a PDF and available on the ELC website here. Are there proposals you find particularly appealing? Are there important issues you think haven’t been addressed?

Tags: 2011, policy, priorities

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ELCPolicyPriorities1.9.11.pdf, 34 KB

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Permalink Reply by Jordan Crosby on March 21, 2011 at 12:12pm

The section on school and student assessment was most compelling. Many people from Pennsylvania arts and arts education communities continue to express frustration and shock over the following: despite the fact that the arts are considered core curriculum at a federal level--and that Pennsylvania has policies in place that say districts must assess student learning in the arts--many students in our public schools do not have access to arts courses and are not being challenged, nor assessed, in the many skills these courses foster. We are cheating our students, and future generations of 21st-century workers, by denying them opportunities to cultivate creativity, effective and empathetic communication skills, a capacity for innovative thinking, critical reasoning, problem solving, and a sense of meaningful, joyful engagement with their learning communities. Where is the accountability? How do we raise awareness and affect change about the fact that all over our Commonwealth, existing education policies are not being implemented?

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Permalink Reply by Jenny Stanley on March 27, 2011 at 11:00am

Jordan...Bravo! I can't even begin to say how appalled I am that with all the problems in our educational system only one person has posted here. WHAT? I guess it's up to you and me to get this ball rolling Jordan...I'm up for it, how about you?

First, as smart as I am, I felt that the ELC's suggestions were written like a bunch of politicians...something we need less of!

Here are my idea's...FIRST.....we MUST stop doing the same old tired things as they have PROVEN they are NOT effective. Next....(which involves the first) get rid of Unions! Hey, they were good when they were needed but we have other things in place to protect all of our workers and utilizing unions is a tired old system. I won't even get in to the logistics of that broken down system until someone comes along to fight to the death for that system. NEXT, we must deeply investigate the administrative system and find out where all the monies are going and why our schools are in this condition. Let's face it, they hold a LARGE amount of responsibility in this mess. Next, we must FIRE..not layoff, ineffective teachers...no matter how long they have been teaching. The conditions of some schools is dangerous, both physically and mentally...use the community to get these schools to the point where our kids will WANT to be educated. I've heard stories of leaky roofs, mice and bugs, mold....are you kidding me? And how about if we parents teach our kids to color in the lines before beginning school so that our teachers do not have to spend an entire marking period to teach kids how to color in a little bubble. I, personally, believe that ALL SCHOOLS all across our country should be uniform in the courses taught, there should be a federal support of this change. I mean, really, to educate kids with a different criteria doesn't seem to make any sense. And before dismissing teachers (except the ineffective one's) we should be dismissing administrators. To get our schools in shape...hey, let's get the community together if we can't cough up the money. Why can't places like Home Depot and local (to each area) contractors to donate of their time and supplies and the community (including children) and fix our schools. Make it a place they want to come and learn. And, yes, PARENTS NEED TO BECOME PARENTS AGAIN. It is YOUR JOB!! We need, as Jordan suggests, an updated system that involves 21st Century educating....hands on, real life examples and help our children to think...truly think. They are bright...now we need to be bright!