Category: Education

Philly Charter School Beats Springfield

The Pennsylvania Department of Education has launched paschoolperformance.org giving residents greater access to the balance sheets of Pennsylvania’s schools, says State Rep. Jim Cox (R-129).

He says the website shows school spending by district, including total revenue, total expenditures, per-pupil expenditures and average staff salaries, albeit we could not find the average staff salaries and we had to figure out the per-pupil expenditures ourselves.

The website also tracks charter and cyber charter schools, and comprehensive career and technology centers, Cox says.

And it includes academic performance.

We decided to have some fun with it comparing Philadelphia Academy Charter School with the Springfield School District  in Delaware County.

Philadelphia Academy spends $9.475 million on instruction for 1,180 pupils which is $8,029 per pupil.

Springfield spends $34,054,290 for 3,907 pupils or $8,716 per pupil.

The extra $687 per pupil — which translates to $2,684,109 per year to the taxpayer — isn’t something to sneeze at but if it means more engineers and doctors and a cure for cancer who will object, right?

Some cynic here might chime in and and ask what if it doesn’t, well, we’ll get to that.

Philadelphia Academy’s total spending is $15,598,815 or $13,219 per pupil.

Springfield’s is $59,441,901 or $15,214 per pupil.

Philly Charter School Beats Springfield High SchoolThat’s $1,995 more per pupil which adds up to $7,794,465 per year to the taxpayer. While salaries to attract great teachers might be justifiable, one can see where the extra money for non-instructional use and support might make someone laid off or living on a fixed income feel a mite resentful.

But if a cure for cancer is coming, it is worth it, right?

Which gets us to the academics.

We should note here that 33 percent of Philadelphia Academy’s pupil population is “economically disadvantaged” with 20.76 percent in special education compared to 14.5 percent “economically disadvantaged” with 15.87 percent in special education for Springfield.

The school performance of Philadelphia Academy is higher than Springfield High School for mathematics/algebra (84.22 percent proficient or advanced on PSSA to 75.27) and science/biology (68.71 percent to 42.96) although SHS wins on reading/literature (87.36 percent to 77.28)

Regarding elementary education specifically, at least with regard to reading, Springfield wins with 89.7 percent of Scenic Hills pupils and 83.65 percent of Sabold’s pupils being  proficient or advanced on reading as per the PSSA while  Philadelphia Academy’s score was 80.6 percent.

We kind of think the great engineers and doctors and the cure for cancer are more likely to come out of Philadelphia Academy.

Really Springfield, a 42.96 percent proficiency in science/biology?

Hey, let’s build a $144 million Taj Mahal. That’ll fix it.

Philly Charter School Beats Springfield

Philly Charter School Beats Springfield
As per paschoolperformance.org a Philly charter school beats Springfield public school district.

Yes, a Philly charter school beats a highly regarded suburban school district on several metrics.

And Philly charter school Philadelphia Academy Beats Springfield

School Choice Kickoff Is Jan. 22

Choice Media‘s Philadelphia Kickoff of National School Choice Week is 9 -11 a.m., Thursday, Jan. 22, from 9-11 a.m. at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, reports Commonwealth Foundation..

The event includes breakfast and a screening of The Ticket, a documentary that takes viewers on a historic whistlestop train tour across the country, featuring different forms of school choice and the children served.

Following the documentary, a distinguished panel of experts — including Commonwealth Foundation’s James Paul — will lead a conversation about school choice.

The other panelists are:

Bob Bowdon – director of The Ticket and Executive Director of Choice Media
David Hardy – spokesman for PhillySchoolChoice.com
Ina Lipman – executive director of Children’s Scholarship Fund Philadelphia
Mike Wang – managing mirector of the Philadelphia School Partnership

Tickets are  $1 plus a $1.04 service charge and  can be acquired here.

School Choice Kickoff Is Jan. 22

School Choice Kickoff Is Jan. 22

 

Stan Saylor Chairs Education Committee

Below is a list of those chairing Pennsylvania House committees courtesy of PoliticsPa.com.

We see that Stan Saylor is heading the Education Committee. We can’t say that he is the best choice in a state where the biggest obstacle to good schools is the teachers union.

Did you know that Saylor, who represents the conservative 94th District,  and liberal Democrat Gov.-Elect Tom Wolf had the same big donors this election?

Aging and Older Adult Services:

  • Republican: Rep. Tim Hennessey, 26th Legislative District, Chester and Montgomery counties.
  • Democrat: Rep. Steve Samuelson, 135th Legislative District, Lehigh and Northampton counties.

Agriculture and Rural Affairs:

  • Republican: Rep. Martin Causer, 67th Legislative District, Cameron, Potter and McKean counties.
  • Democrat: Rep. John P. Sabatina, 174th Legislative District, Philadelphia.

Children and Youth:

  • Republican: Rep. Kathy Watson, 144th Legislative District, Bucks County.
  • Democrat: Rep. Louise Bishop, 192nd Legislative District, Philadelphia County.

Commerce:

  • Republican: Rep. Adam Harris, 82nd Legislative District, Franklin, Juniata and Mifflin counties.
  • Democrat: Rep. W. Curtis Thomas, 181st Legislative District, Philadelphia County.

Consumer Affairs:

  • Republican: Rep. Robert Godshall, 53rd Legislative District, Montgomery County.
  • Democrat: Rep. Peter J. Daley, 49th Legislative District, Fayette and Washington counties.

Education:

  • Republican: Rep. Stan Saylor, 94th Legislative District, York County.
  • Democrat: Rep. James Roebuck, 188th Legislative District, Philadelphia County.

Environmental Resources and Energy:

  • Republican: Rep. John Maher, 40th Legislative District, Allegheny and Washington counties.
  • Democrat: Rep. Greg Vitali, 166th Legislative District, Delaware and Montgomery counties.

Finance:

  • Republican: Rep. Bernie O’Neill, 29th Legislative District, Bucks County.
  • Democrat: Rep. Jake Wheatley, 19th Legislative District, Allegheny County.

Game and Fisheries:

  • Republican: Rep. Keith Gillespie, 47th Legislative District, York County.
  • Democrat: Rep. Ted Harhai, 58th Legislative District, Westmoreland County.

Gaming Oversight:

  • Republican: Rep. John Payne, 106th Legislative District, Dauphin County.
  • Democrat: Rep. Nick Kotik, 45th District, Allegheny County.

Health:

  • Republican: Rep. Matt Baker, 68th Legislative District, Bradford, Potter and Tioga counties.
  • Democrat: Rep. Florindo (Flo) Fabrizio, 2nd Legislative District, Erie County.

Human Services:

  • Republican: Rep. Gene DiGirolamo, 18th Legislative District, Bucks County.
  • Democrat: Rep. Angel Cruz, 180th Legislative District, Philadelphia County.

Insurance:

  • Republican: Rep. Tina Pickett, 110th Legislative District, Bradford, Sullivan and Susquehanna counties.
  • Democrat: Rep. Tony DeLuca, 32nd Legislative District, Allegheny County.

Judiciary:

  • Republican: Rep. Ron Marsico, 105th Legislative District, Dauphin County.
  • Democrat: Rep. Joseph A. Petrarca, 55th Legislative District, Armstrong, Indiana and Westmoreland counties.

Labor and Industry:

  • Republican: Rep. Mauree Gingrich, 101st Legislative District, Lebanon County.
  • Democrat: Rep. Marc J. Gergely, 35th Legislative District, Allegheny County.

Liquor Control:

  • Republican: Rep. Chris Ross, 158th Legislative District, Chester County.
  • Democrat: Rep. Paul Costa, 34th Legislative District, Allegheny County.

Local Government:

  • Republican: Rep. Kate Harper, 61st Legislative District, Montgomery County.
  • Democrat: Rep. Bob Freeman, 136th Legislative District, Northampton County.

Professional Licensure:

  • Republican: Rep. Julie Harhart, 183rd Legislative District, Lehigh and Northampton counties.
  • Democrat: Rep. Harry Readshaw, 36th Legislative District, Allegheny County.

State Government:

  • Republican: Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, 12th Legislative District, Butler County.
  • Democrat: Rep. Mark Cohen, 202nd Legislative District, Philadelphia County.

Tourism and Recreational Development:

  • Republican: Rep. Dave Hickernell, 98th Legislative District, Lancaster and Dauphin counties
  • Democrat: Rep. Thaddeus Kirkland, 159th Legislative District, Delaware County.

Transportation:

  • Republican: Rep. John Taylor, 177th Legislative District, Philadelphia County.
  • Democrat: Rep. William F. Keller, 184th Legislative District, Philadelphia.

Urban Affairs:

  • Republican: Rep. Scott Petri, 178th Legislative District, Bucks County.
  • Democrat: Rep. Thomas R. Caltagirone, 127th Legislative District, Berks County

Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness:

  • Republican: Rep. Stephen E. Barrar, 160th Legislative District, Chester and Delaware counties.
  • Democrat: Rep. Christopher Sainato, 9th Legislative District, Lawrence County.

Hat tip Donna Ellingsen.

Stan Saylor Chairs Education Committee

Stan Saylor Chairs Pennsylvania House Education Committee
Stan Saylor Chairs House Education Committee

Stan Saylor Chairs Education Committee

Good New Year’s News

Matthew Brouillette of Commonwealth Foundation informs us that for the first time in seven years new charter school applications  — there are 40 of them — are under review in Philadelphia.

This gives a bit of hope to those poor kids stuck on waiting lists.

He notes that in October, legislation was passed in October allowing thousands of more kids to attend a school of their parents choice.

You think school choice is bad thing? Then just imagine if you had to use the supermarket/electrician/lawyer/doctor the government picked for you.

School choice is a good thing just as being able to choose your supermarket its.

Brouillette also tells us some not-so-good New Year’s news. Seven Pennsylvania government union PACs have shoveled $7.6  million to candidates in 2013-14. This is an increase of 53 percent in just two years.

Brouillette notes that this money comes from dues collected at taxpayer expense as per a corrupt law.

Good New Year's News

Good New Year’s News

Blaine Amendments Hurt Children

Lindsey Burke of the Heritage Foundation and Breitbart News’ Jarrett Stepman have released a peer-reviewed article in with the Journal of School Choice outlining the impact of how obsolete laws inspired by vehement anti-Catholicism are impacting the school choice movement and leaving millions of children stuck in bad schools or with bad teachers.

The laws were passed in the late 19th century and are generally known as “Blaine Amendments” after Maine Congressman and Speaker of the House James G. Blaine who promoted them.

A type of Blaine Amendment is on the books in 38 states including Pennsylvania.

Hat tip Tom Coniglia

Blaine Amendments Hurt Children

Blaine Amendments Hurt Children

 

Water Valley Beating Shows School Choice Need

The brutal beating of 13-year-old Destiny Hughes, a seventh grader at Water Valley High School in Mississippi, was caught on camera by fellow students, who it should be noted also stopped the assault as the teachers must have been otherwise preoccupied.

“You know, the school has a policy against bullying and violence, but if they’re not going to enforce it, it’s not worth the paper it’s printed on,” said Destiny’s mother, Rhonda, who pointed out that her daughter had had numerous run ins with the girl prior to the assault captured on camera.

Mrs. Hughes is now suing the school and said she will be homeschooling her children.

Here is the video of the assault that originally ran on on WTVA in Tupelo.

If parents had the power to fire their schools — and teachers — this sort of thing would be far less frequent as those getting the money would have a strong incentive to nip it in the bud.

It should further be noted that school choice is not the end of public education as by definition voucher dollars would be tax dollars. Vouchers would expand education and increase its quality actually.

Further, if one opposes school choice ask yourself this: If parents cannot be trusted to choose their children’s teachers why can they be trusted to vote?

If one is honest one will conclude that since they can be trusted to vote (and choose their children’s doctors and food products and clothing), then then can be trusted to choose their children’s teachers and schools

Water Valley Beating Shows School Choice Need

Water Valley Beating Shows School Choice Need

 

Hat tip IJReview

Apollo-M Sells Music Lesson Via Subscription

Noted Australian musician Gary Turner tells us that we can now get music lessons online via a new Netflix-type subscription service called Apollo-M.Com, which is based just down I-95 in Wilmington, Del.

“Roughly 300 million people in the world play, teach or are learning to play a musical instrument,” Turner said.

Turner is the founder of Koala Music Publications which morphed into LearnToPlayMusic.com.

An Apollo-M subscription goes for $4.95 a month.

An excellent idea.

Apollo-M Sells Music Lesson Via Subscription

Apollo-M Sells Music Lesson Via Subscription

Act 194 Makes Trade Schools EITC Eligible

Pennsylvania House Bill 91, was signed into law as Act 194 of 2014 on Oct. 31 by Gov. Tom Corbett.

The new law gives public career and technical schools eligibility to participate in two nationally acclaimed tax credit programs, the state Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) programs, says State Rep. Jim Cox (R-129)

The EITC and OSTC programs allow eligible businesses that contribute to scholarship organizations affiliated with public or private schools to receive a tax credit equal to 75 percent of its contribution, up to a maximum of $750,000 per taxable year. The OSTC program targets students residing within the boundaries of low-achieving schools.

“Many of Pennsylvania’s 82 career and technical schools have limited options to receive scholarship donations,” said Cox. “This new law makes them eligible to take part in these popular tax credit programs that will improve the educational experience for students on a technical career path.”

Act 194 Makes Trade Schools EITC Eligible

Act 194 Makes Trade Schools EITC Eligible

HB 803 Awaits Corbett’s Signature

The Pennsylvania General Assembly presented HB 803 to Gov. Tom Corbett for his expected signature on Oct. 23.

The bill  allows schools to be  proactive in preventing allergic reactions in students, said State Rep. Jim Cox (R-129).

The legislation requires that  schools  may keep a supply of epi-pens, on the condition that they are in a secure location.

The bill also requires the Pennsylvania Department of Health to provide staff with  training for the administration of this medicine in emergencies

The bill also provides civil immunity to those who administer this injection in good faith.

 

HB 803 Awaits Corbett's Signature

HB 803 Awaits Corbett’s Signature

Common Core Crony Capitalism On Global Scale

This article by JaKell Sullivan we have entitled Common Core Crony Capitalism On Global Scale is courtesy of Joanne Yurchak

By JaKell Sullivan

Ezekiel Emanuel, the architect of Obamacare, bragged earlier this year in a New Republic article about Obamacare’s intent to kill the insurance industry, nationalize health care and collect data on every person in order to track and control personal lifestyle choices. He condescendingly wrote, “Be prepared to kiss your insurance company goodbye forever.”

A logical correlation can be drawn that the federal intent behind recent education reforms is the same. What’s in it for crony capitalists?

In 2004, Microsoft signed a technology contract with the United Nation’s education arm, UNESCO, to globalize education. This profit-venture started a chain of events that dismantles our 10th Amendment right to control education, realigns the world’s entire education system on the backs of U.S. taxpayers, and endlessly profits elites. The U.N. announced that the joint venture would foster “web-based communities of practice including content development and worldwide curricula reflecting UNESCO’s values.” Did local parents vote on these curriculum values?

This year, Microsoft joined with the Obama administration’s ConnectEd Initiative to provide one-to-one devices for every child in order to replace textbooks. Meanwhile, legislators across the country are working with groups like Jeb Bush’s Digital Learning Now to implement this federal agenda which profits conservative and liberal foundations joined at the hip with government. Foundations profit from federal “turn around” school mandates that turn public district schools into public charters based on data controlled by assessment companies receiving federal grants.

The implications behind this reality are obvious. Big data becomes the new global commodity. Technology turns teachers into facilitators, local districts into administrators and students into social activists working to improve “democracy” and solve “global issues;” poverty, health rights and global warming — using governments as the solution. Collectivism in, individualism out.

UNESCO’s values rise as one-to-one technology puts real-time, updatable curricula and tests outside the review of parents. Federal privacy laws, stripped in December 2011 now allow the federal government and third parties to collect information from children’s class work and tests (tying existing databases together for third party research, health data, workforce data, criminal data, census data and family information). America is being prodded toward a skills-based economy where education control is further centralized, test scores slot children into workforce tracks, elites pool taxpayer money into global coffers and crony capitalists benefit from cheap labor by standardizing our children’s educations.

Politicians claim that “education should be aligned to the needs of the workforce” and that “the future of our economic prosperity” requires us to align education to jobs. Renowned author Hugh Nibley wrote that scriptural principles reveal “when the Economy becomes the main and engrossing concern of a society — the economy will self-destruct.”

Do Utahns have the fortitude to change course? Most recognize that the family is the fundamental unit of society, yet our politicians tout the economy as the fundamental unit. This gives rise to early childhood education initiatives that undermine and harm childhood attachment to family. Workforce aligned education systems make children beholden to, and fearful of, test scores that decide their future. The state becomes master and parents are marginalized.

Charles Krauthammer said that insurance companies are “becoming wholly owned subsidiaries” of the federal government. And, as federal education reforms turn local school districts and boards into wholly owned subsidiaries, families will suffer the loss of local control over what children learn — and taxpayers will watch our savings dwindle while crony capitalists reap the rewards of big government.

JaKell Sullivan graduated from Utah State University and is an advocate for parental rights in education. She is a mother of two and resides in Sandy, Utah. This article originally ran, Tuesday, in the Deseret News of Salt Lake City

Common Core Crony Capitalism On Global Scale

Common Core Crony Capitalism On Global Scale
Common Core Crony Capitalism On Global Scale
Common Core Crony Capitalism On Global Scale

Common Core Crony Capitalism On Global Scale

Common Core Crony Capitalism On Global Scale