Tuesday, November 27, 2012

The EPLC Education Notebook (current and past editions) also is available by visiting the EPLC web site at http://www.eplc.org/publications-reports/weekly-policy-notebook/   

LEGISLATIVE BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE   

In early November, the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee (LBFC) released two education-related reports. The first report "Museum Funding in Pennsylvania" came about as a result of the adoption of Senate Resolution 268 of 2012, which directed the LBFC to evaluate current museum funding and make recommendations for improving how the Commonwealth funds museums. Among the key LBFC findings:  

• The economic impact of museums on the overall economy of the state and in the communities in which they are located is significant.
• State funding for museums has occurred primarily through three agencies. Museums have received funds through the PA Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC), the PA Council on the Arts (PCA), the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), and through specific nonpreferred line item appropriations. While this rather disjointed "system" is not unusual among states, it has been criticized as lacking coordination.
• Funding has been dramatically reduced for both state-owned and nonstate-owned museums.
• Museums cite consistency of funding as the most important factor in any new grant program.  

The second report of interest to the education community is an "Interim Report on Pennsylvania's Continuing Professional Education Program" pursuant to Act 105 of 2012 which charged the LBFC to study the cost and benefits of Pennsylvania's continuing professional education program requirement for professional educators (Act 48 of 1999) and issue an interim report in November 2012. The LBFC interim findings show:  

• Almost all states have continuing professional development requirements for teachers to maintain active teaching certificates.
• Continuing professional development helps promote teacher quality and can lead to improved student performance.
• Continuing professional development also helps meet federal and state mandates, and supports state and local education reform initiatives.
• Most Pennsylvania school district professional educators meet Act 48's requirements through public school offerings.
• Statewide, the average number of Act 48 hours per public school district professional educator substantially declined from FY 2008-2010 to FY 2011-2012.  

The LBFC final report on continuing professional education, due in March 2013, will include the costs of Act 48 requirements for the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) and public school districts --based on a statewide sample of districts.

Click here to read the full text of the reports mentioned above and their highlights. Click here for additional information on Act 48 requirements/moratorium update from the PDE.

On November 14, Governor Corbett's thirty-one member  Advisory Commission on Postsecondary Education issued its report including recommendations. The commission, created by  Executive Order 2012-01, was charged with considering and making recommendations around critical issues and challenges affecting the delivery, quality, and sustainability of postsecondary education.

The commission identified the following four key goals under which recommendations are framed: (1) affirm opportunities for lifelong learning; (2) ensure greater public access, affordability, and usability of postsecondary education; (3) recognize and support diversity and richness of the postsecondary education system; and (4) enhance Pennsylvania's economic vitality and the ability for the Commonwealth to compete globally. The following list includes some of the Commission's recommendations presented in the report:

• Establish a long-term finance and accountability funding model, and link any future increase in funding to performance and outcome-based measures;
• Create an online presence to help students and their parents make informed choices about higher education or training programs as well as financial plans;
• Implement targeted, flexible, work-ready dual enrollment programs that will produce graduates ready for careers;
• Examine opportunities for postsecondary education institutions and programs to consolidate and collaborate;
• Advocate for tax incentives and in-kind contributions for businesses to contribute to science and technology programs;
• Improve access to programs that will help ease the transition for students from high school to postsecondary education, with special attention on adult family literacy and job training programs;
• Encourage and improve specific programs such as the PA Targeted Industry Program, offering scholarships in specific areas producing graduates who will meet the state's workforce needs;
• Develop outreach programs to veterans informing them of postsecondary education opportunities, grants and scholarships;
• Make every effort to increase affordability through tuition containment, identifying potential barriers and possible solutions for traditional and non-traditional, part-time and/or adult students; and
• Promote research in fields of science, engineering, energy and medicine, and expand research opportunities in order to support and finance future programs to keep Pennsylvania competitive.  

Click here to read the Advisory Commission's full report with recommendations.

On November 13, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan recognized 314 schools as 2012 National Blue Ribbon Schools. The National Blue Ribbon Schools program recognizes schools in one of two performance categories. The first category is "Exemplary High Performing," in which schools are recognized among their state's highest performing schools, as measured by state assessments or nationally-normed tests. The second category is "Exemplary Improving," in which schools where at least 40 percent of students are from disadvantaged backgrounds demonstrate the most progress in improving student achievement levels, as measured by state assessments or nationally-normed tests. The following eight Pennsylvania schools were honored as 2012 National Blue Ribbon Schools:      

• Allegheny One Elementary School (Hollidaysburg Area SD)
• Infinity Charter School (Penbrook)
• Juniata Elementary School (Altoona Area SD)
• Paradise Elementary School (Spring Grove Area SD)
• Ridge Park Elementary School (Colonial SD)
• Seneca Valley Middle School (Seneca Valley SD)
• Spring-Ford Middle School 8th Grade Center (Spring-Ford Area SD)
• Windber Elementary School (Windber Area SD)  

 Click here for a complete list of the 2012 National Blue Ribbon Schools and to learn more about the program.  

• A newly released report by the  Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children (PPC) on School Readiness in Pennsylvania shows that the Commonwealth needs to get back on track with making investments in early childhood education. While the report delivers some good news, it also reveals some troubling indicators that significant progress is lacking in many critical areas that affect young children and their families. The PPC report reveals:  

• There are 303,555 Pennsylvania children ages 4 and under living in low-income families, only slightly fewer children than a year ago.
• About 1 in 20 Pennsylvania children between birth through age 4 still lack health insurance- roughly the same ratio as last year and a slight increase from other recent years.
• Access to child care subsidy has remained flat, with fewer than 42,000 slots available to infants, toddlers, and preschool children whose families are income-eligible. In most cases, these children are in households at or below poverty level, making the subsidy a critical part of their parents' efforts to be employed and achieve economic self- sufficiency. 
• For more information on the 2012 School Readiness in Pennsylvania report and to see county-specific data tables, click here.  

• On November 9, the  National Student Clearinghouse Research Center released a snapshot report that examines the postsecondary outcomes of students who transferred from two-year to four-year institutions in three different academic years. According to the report, about 60 percent of all two-to-four transfer students graduated with a bachelor's or higher degree within four years of transferring. In addition, 12 percent of all transfer students had not yet graduated, but were still enrolled at a four-year institution in the last year of analysis. In total, about 72 percent of students either graduated or persisted. Graduation rates were highest for the students who transferred after receiving an associate's degree. About 71 percent of these students earned their bachelor's degree within four years, and nearly 80 percent either graduated or persisted at a four-year institution.  

• Recently, the Education Commission of the States  (ECS) released the "2012 Education-Related Ballot Measures" report which provides the results from 35 ballot initiatives that immediately impact on education policy or could have an effect in the near future. Ballot measures include: civil rights/equity; school choice; postsecondary education; teacher issues; and finance-taxes/revenues.  

DATEBOOK    

• The House Select Committee on Property Tax Reform will meet to consider its final report pursuant to HR 774 on Thursday, November 29 at 11:30 AM in Harrisburg. Click here for details.  

• The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics will hold its 2012 Fall Conference in Chicago, IL November 28-30. Click here  for details.  

• The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) will hold its 2012 Fall Forum in Washington, DC December 5-8. Click here for details.