A number of readers have asked about the latest Pennsylvania Department of Education’s assessment of the public school districts in Delaware County. The 2011 – 2012 PA DOE Report Card for the 13 public school districts in Delaware County is available online and can be accessed by clicking on the top link under “Education” to the right.
These report cards are an important source of information about performance and accountability, and they allow districts to compare data in a consistent way and highlight opportunities for improvement. The School Report Cards will show not only the achievement of students overall, but also the progress that disaggregated groups are making in closing achievement gaps. Report card data help Pennsylvania school districts and the Pennsylvania Department of Education focus on specific groups of students who are currently not meeting academic standards.
Each District Report Card includes:
• Attendance and Graduation data for the previous school year.
• An Accountability Report showing the district’s performance compared with the goals set by No Child Left Behind. Student results from the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment PSSA).
• Assessment Report compares two years of PSSA academic performance and participation data for this district. These results are displayed by grade, subject, and disaggregated group.
• Adequate Yearly Progress Status showing the schools in the district and AYP status of each.
• Teacher Qualifications includes both numbers and percentages of teachers in the school who are highly qualified.
7 of Delaware County’s 13 school districts met the Department of Education’s Annual Yearly Progress targets in 2012. Report Cards for each school are also available on this site.
MADE AYP
• Garnet Valley School District 4 of 5 schools made AYP
• Haverford Township School District 6 of 7 schools made AYP
• Interboro School District 2 of 5 schools made AYP
• Penn-Delco School District 4 of 6 schools made AYP
• Radnor School District 5 of 5 schools made AYP
• Rose Tree Media School District 6 of 6 schools made AYP
• Wallingford-Swarthmore School District 3 of 5 schools made AYP
FAILED TO MAKE AYP - Status
• Chichester School District Warning 2 of 6 schools made AYP
• Marple Newtown School District Warning 5 of 6 schools made AYP
• Springfield School District Warning 4 of 5 schools made AYP
• William Penn School District Warning 0 of 11 schools made AYP
• Upper Darby School District District Improvement I 2 of 13 schools made AYP
• Chester-Upland School District Corrective Action II - 6th Year 1 of 9 schools made AYP
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Monday, September 24, 2012
It's not rocket science
A recurring theme of this blog has been … “Successful education, broadly defined as the preparation of our children to compete in the world, is dependent on three systems: Family, Community, and School.” All three of these elements of successful education are facing unprecedented financial challenges, with many facing huge deficits. The sooner we realize that there are no easy answers, the sooner we can start to look for long-term solutions. Viable options will not require rocket science, as some would have us believe, but will require an honest assessment of options. Reversing deficits will require either additional income or lower expenses or a combination of both.
Family. By and large, family income is earned through employment, and the current state of our economy has hit families hard. Across the country, in almost every demographic, Americans earn less today than they did 3 years ago. Since 2009, median household income has dropped 4.8 or about $2,500, and many families in Delaware County have been hit much harder. Many of our neighbors are having trouble making ends meet, and are not in a position to pay any additional taxes.
Community. 26 cities across the commonwealth that are stuck in the state's Act 47 program for financially strapped municipalities. These cities include: Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Reading, Scranton as well as Chester and Millbourne here in Delaware County. Many more cities are likely to join them in the near future. The Pennsylvania Public Employee Retirement Commission reported last year that local government pension plans owe more than $7 billion in unfunded liabilities. Cities across the state are struggling to keep their pension funds solvent and make required payments to retirees.
Schools. After months of anxiety about local school districts budgets and what budget items could be pared, schools are back in session. However the educational funding crisis is far from over. Local school districts did what they had to do to open the schools get the kids back in the classrooms, but the really hard decisions were not made. Educating our children is a very labor-intensive proposition. Personnel costs (salaries and benefits) account for about 70% of most school district budgets. Maintaining buildings, transportation, utilities, books, computers and consumable supplies are about 20% with the remainder paying off loans incurred to build the schools. Projected taxpayer contributions for the Public School Education Retirement System and the State Employees Retirement System will increase from $1.7 billion in 2011-12 to more than $6.2 billion in 2016-17—a 263% increase. The increase breaks down to more than $1,050 in additional tax payments per household/homeowner.
With the current local economies being what they are, the logical direction would seem to demand that cities and school districts cut their spending. Raising taxes and borrowing more money will only exacerbate the problem. Real solutions will require the state legislature and local officials to work together and change state laws to give municipalities the ability to control unaffordable and unsustainable personnel costs. Rather than voting for a candidate based on his or her party, we should make sure that our elected leaders are willing to roll up their sleeves and make the hard decisions that we need. That's the all important first step towards educational success.
Family. By and large, family income is earned through employment, and the current state of our economy has hit families hard. Across the country, in almost every demographic, Americans earn less today than they did 3 years ago. Since 2009, median household income has dropped 4.8 or about $2,500, and many families in Delaware County have been hit much harder. Many of our neighbors are having trouble making ends meet, and are not in a position to pay any additional taxes.
Community. 26 cities across the commonwealth that are stuck in the state's Act 47 program for financially strapped municipalities. These cities include: Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Reading, Scranton as well as Chester and Millbourne here in Delaware County. Many more cities are likely to join them in the near future. The Pennsylvania Public Employee Retirement Commission reported last year that local government pension plans owe more than $7 billion in unfunded liabilities. Cities across the state are struggling to keep their pension funds solvent and make required payments to retirees.
Schools. After months of anxiety about local school districts budgets and what budget items could be pared, schools are back in session. However the educational funding crisis is far from over. Local school districts did what they had to do to open the schools get the kids back in the classrooms, but the really hard decisions were not made. Educating our children is a very labor-intensive proposition. Personnel costs (salaries and benefits) account for about 70% of most school district budgets. Maintaining buildings, transportation, utilities, books, computers and consumable supplies are about 20% with the remainder paying off loans incurred to build the schools. Projected taxpayer contributions for the Public School Education Retirement System and the State Employees Retirement System will increase from $1.7 billion in 2011-12 to more than $6.2 billion in 2016-17—a 263% increase. The increase breaks down to more than $1,050 in additional tax payments per household/homeowner.
With the current local economies being what they are, the logical direction would seem to demand that cities and school districts cut their spending. Raising taxes and borrowing more money will only exacerbate the problem. Real solutions will require the state legislature and local officials to work together and change state laws to give municipalities the ability to control unaffordable and unsustainable personnel costs. Rather than voting for a candidate based on his or her party, we should make sure that our elected leaders are willing to roll up their sleeves and make the hard decisions that we need. That's the all important first step towards educational success.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Tom Corbett's Missed Opportunity
After his election as Governor, I wrote a post entitled “Tom Corbett’s Incredible Opportunity”.
The election cycle in 2010 had been full of partisan rhetoric with labels like conservative, liberal and the relatively new “tea-bagger” being hurled at opponents with great disdain. Tom Corbett had pledged a balanced budget, and with less funding coming into our communities from Harrisburg, the big question was “What will these new political and economic realities mean to local communities?” While a balanced budget presented a tremendous challenge, it also afforded Governor Corbett an incredible opportunity to identify the core mission of state government and perhaps redefine the state’s roles. Local and county governments and school districts were put on notice and prepared for drastic reductions in funding. Last year school boards and administrations throughout the County and Commonwealth scrambled to identify where to cut their budgets.
Tom Corbett’s incredible opportunity turned out to be an opportunity lost. Rather than bringing his leadership to the State’s troubled educational system by engaging local community leaders, school districts and families, a year later we find ourselves in the same situation…. Projected budget deficits with few places to cut and in a very rough economy that has seen many residents lose all or part of their income, little stomach in many communities for any tax increase.
Successful education, broadly defined as the preparation of our children to compete in the world, is dependent on three systems: Family, Community, and School. A child needs at least one of the systems to be working well if he or she is to have any chance to succeed. With one of the systems functioning, the other two could be overcome. If a school system does its job well, educators could overcome family strife, and could overcome a poor community, and get their students prepared. But schools are only part of the educational process. Family and community have equally important roles in education, and a student coming from a great family support structure, can live in a poor community and go to a poor school, and still have a chance to compete. Ideally our children have strengths in all three systems, but the reality is all three are being strained with some near the breaking point. Schools are feeling financial constraints, as are families, especially single-parent households. Many communities haven’t quite figured out what their role in education is. Success in education requires getting all relevant stakeholders working from the same game plan, and aligning their efforts within a common framework.
We need leaders to step forward and engage ALL of the community’s stakeholders who can hammer out a long-term plan for public education. Our children’s future depends on it.
The election cycle in 2010 had been full of partisan rhetoric with labels like conservative, liberal and the relatively new “tea-bagger” being hurled at opponents with great disdain. Tom Corbett had pledged a balanced budget, and with less funding coming into our communities from Harrisburg, the big question was “What will these new political and economic realities mean to local communities?” While a balanced budget presented a tremendous challenge, it also afforded Governor Corbett an incredible opportunity to identify the core mission of state government and perhaps redefine the state’s roles. Local and county governments and school districts were put on notice and prepared for drastic reductions in funding. Last year school boards and administrations throughout the County and Commonwealth scrambled to identify where to cut their budgets.
Tom Corbett’s incredible opportunity turned out to be an opportunity lost. Rather than bringing his leadership to the State’s troubled educational system by engaging local community leaders, school districts and families, a year later we find ourselves in the same situation…. Projected budget deficits with few places to cut and in a very rough economy that has seen many residents lose all or part of their income, little stomach in many communities for any tax increase.
Successful education, broadly defined as the preparation of our children to compete in the world, is dependent on three systems: Family, Community, and School. A child needs at least one of the systems to be working well if he or she is to have any chance to succeed. With one of the systems functioning, the other two could be overcome. If a school system does its job well, educators could overcome family strife, and could overcome a poor community, and get their students prepared. But schools are only part of the educational process. Family and community have equally important roles in education, and a student coming from a great family support structure, can live in a poor community and go to a poor school, and still have a chance to compete. Ideally our children have strengths in all three systems, but the reality is all three are being strained with some near the breaking point. Schools are feeling financial constraints, as are families, especially single-parent households. Many communities haven’t quite figured out what their role in education is. Success in education requires getting all relevant stakeholders working from the same game plan, and aligning their efforts within a common framework.
We need leaders to step forward and engage ALL of the community’s stakeholders who can hammer out a long-term plan for public education. Our children’s future depends on it.
Monday, April 30, 2012
160 Year Old Education Collaboration
One of the earliest collaborations between community and family coming together to support education here in southeast Pennsylvania started over 160 years ago.
In 1838, 50 years after the ratification of the US Constitution, the Pennsylvania State Legislature passed a law making the Protestant King James Bible a mandatory textbook in public schools. All students began each day with a Bible reading. 4 years later, Philadelphia’s Bishop Kenrick requested that Catholic students be permitted to use the Douai-Rheims version of the bible, and the School Board of Controllers decided that children could use whatever Bible their parents wished. Anti-Catholic and Nativist groups, called “Know Nothings” viewed Bishop Kenrick’s request as an attack against the ”true” Bible, and tensions between Protestant and Catholic escalated. In May of 1844, these tensions erupted into anti-Catholic rioting. Two churches, St. Michael's in Kensington, and St. Augustine's in Southwark, were burned to the ground, along with many Catholic homes. Over 50 Catholics were killed by the rioters, and religious hostility between Protestants and Catholics in Philadelphia would remain until the late 1850’s.
As European immigration swelled the number of Catholics coming to Philadelphia, the challenges to church leaders in providing spiritual and economic direction to their faithful grew. The novelty of American religious freedom required a new way of thinking by Church leaders. Not only were new churches required but institutions to meet the needs of a city life that never existed before were needed. The solution to the needs of Philadelphia’s Catholics would be a blend of ancient church practices and the new strength of American community volunteerism to impact education, health and economics. Some of the new Catholic institutions created during the tense times of the “Know Nothing Riots” include: Villanova College (1842), Catholic Philopatrian Literary Institute – “Philo” (1850), St. Joseph’s College (1851), St. Joseph’s Prep (1851), St. Joseph’s Hospital (1851), Beneficial Savings Fund Society (1853).
It was at an 1851 Philo reception, that Bishop Kendrick first began a discussion of the establishment of a parish-based Catholic school system. Philo and its members enthusiastically supported the idea, and the school system was begun the following year under the direction of John Neumann, the 6th Bishop of Philadelphia. Since 1960, the Catholic Philopatrian Literary Institute has recognized a Catholic who by achievement and exemplary life has made contributions to Catholic ideals. The Sourin Award, named after the organization’s founder, Edward J. Sourin S.J., has been presented by the Philo to a distinguished list of honorees that includes cardinals, governors, professors, mayors and judges. On April 19th, the 50th Sourin Award was presented to Rosalie Mirenda, President of Neumann University. Congratulations to Rosalie and her husband Tony for this well-deserved honor!
In 1838, 50 years after the ratification of the US Constitution, the Pennsylvania State Legislature passed a law making the Protestant King James Bible a mandatory textbook in public schools. All students began each day with a Bible reading. 4 years later, Philadelphia’s Bishop Kenrick requested that Catholic students be permitted to use the Douai-Rheims version of the bible, and the School Board of Controllers decided that children could use whatever Bible their parents wished. Anti-Catholic and Nativist groups, called “Know Nothings” viewed Bishop Kenrick’s request as an attack against the ”true” Bible, and tensions between Protestant and Catholic escalated. In May of 1844, these tensions erupted into anti-Catholic rioting. Two churches, St. Michael's in Kensington, and St. Augustine's in Southwark, were burned to the ground, along with many Catholic homes. Over 50 Catholics were killed by the rioters, and religious hostility between Protestants and Catholics in Philadelphia would remain until the late 1850’s.
As European immigration swelled the number of Catholics coming to Philadelphia, the challenges to church leaders in providing spiritual and economic direction to their faithful grew. The novelty of American religious freedom required a new way of thinking by Church leaders. Not only were new churches required but institutions to meet the needs of a city life that never existed before were needed. The solution to the needs of Philadelphia’s Catholics would be a blend of ancient church practices and the new strength of American community volunteerism to impact education, health and economics. Some of the new Catholic institutions created during the tense times of the “Know Nothing Riots” include: Villanova College (1842), Catholic Philopatrian Literary Institute – “Philo” (1850), St. Joseph’s College (1851), St. Joseph’s Prep (1851), St. Joseph’s Hospital (1851), Beneficial Savings Fund Society (1853).
It was at an 1851 Philo reception, that Bishop Kendrick first began a discussion of the establishment of a parish-based Catholic school system. Philo and its members enthusiastically supported the idea, and the school system was begun the following year under the direction of John Neumann, the 6th Bishop of Philadelphia. Since 1960, the Catholic Philopatrian Literary Institute has recognized a Catholic who by achievement and exemplary life has made contributions to Catholic ideals. The Sourin Award, named after the organization’s founder, Edward J. Sourin S.J., has been presented by the Philo to a distinguished list of honorees that includes cardinals, governors, professors, mayors and judges. On April 19th, the 50th Sourin Award was presented to Rosalie Mirenda, President of Neumann University. Congratulations to Rosalie and her husband Tony for this well-deserved honor!
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