Archived Updates
Below is a list of recent Education Updates (pdf). CLICK HERE for the current Update.
April 17: Schools Turn To AI To Detect Weapons. But Some Question The Tech's Effectiveness; PA Issues The Lowest Number Ever Of New Teaching Certificates As Educators Shortage Worsens; Pennsylvania Launches Program To Teach Students Disability Inclusion; What Happened When A District Decided To 'Mess With High School' and more in this edition of the Education Update.
April 3- Students Push Schools To Overhaul Dress Codes: Their Success Stories and Lessons Learned Making Education In PA 'Look Different' Focus Of Senate Budget Hearing; PA Lawmakers Propose Stipend Program For Student-Teachers and more in this edition of the Education Update.
March 27- One Way To Set Up Students For Success: Let Them Sleep; Supreme Court Rules Deaf Student Can Sue School District Over Alleged Failures; Shapiro Touts Proposed K-12 Spending In Pittsburgh, Saying It Gives Every Kid 'A Fair Shot' and more in this edition of the Education Update.
March 20 - Mental Health And The Pandemic: What U.S. Surveys Have Found; With Gun Control Far From Sight, Schools Redesign For Student Safety; PA Advocates Push For New Level Up Funds Ahead of 2023-24 Budget Negotiations; Shapiro Plan Tackles Teacher Shortage; New Pennsylvania Program Aims To Train Students To Become Teachers and more in this edition of the Education Update.
March 13- Teachers of Color Are Most At Risk In Upcoming Layoffs, Reports Says; President Biden's Budget Advances Equity; PA Budget Hearings Set; Schweyer Named Education Committee Majority Chairman; Gov. Josh Shapiro Calls Historic School Funding Ruling 'A Call To Action.' Here's What His Budget Would Do For PA Schools and more in this edition of the Education Update.
March 6- Keying in K-12 Equity; Shapiro To Propose Tax Credit For Frontline Personnel; Teachers Should Make At Least $60K Annually, Education Official Tells PA Senate Committee; A District's Long-Term Investment In Cultivating Future Teachers Is Paying Off and more in this edition of the Education Update.
February 28 - Teen Morale and Optimism Are On The Rise. Are You Surprised?; How One School's Mentorship Program Paid Off Big In Academic Gains; A Perfect School Funding System Is Hard To Find. As PA Searches For A Fix, Here's What Other States Do; and more in this edition of the Education Update.
February 21 - Universal School Meals Improve Attendance for Youngest Students; Pennsylvania Schools Team With Police on New App; Report: PA's Budget Future 'Almost Paradoxical' and more in this edition of the Education Update.
February 13: - PA Court Declares State's System for Funding K-12 Public Schools Unconstitutional; Four Countries Want Students To Help Their Schools Fight Cyber Threats; New Report Offers Solutions To 'Dire' Teacher Shortage Crisis In Pennsylvania and more in this edition of the Education Update.
January 30: -The Ongoing Challenges, and Possible Solutions, to Improving Education Equity; PIAA Holds Webinar on NIL; Experts, Advocates Focus on Expanding the Job Pipeline for Black Male Teachers and more in this edition of the Education Update.
January 9: -8 K-12 Trends to Watch in 2023; Shapiro Nominates Secretaries of Education, Labor and Industry, and Administration; What Does PA and Federal Law Say About Transgender Student Rights? and more in this edition of the Education Update.
January 2: What Researchers Learned From Analyzing Decades of Civil Rights Complaints Against Schools; How School Funding Falls Short, by the Numbers; Teachers in the U.S. Face Low Pay Relative to Their Level of Education and more in this edition of the Education Update.
December 19: Educators Largely Support Universal Free Meals for Students, But Worry About Complications; The Coming Education Wars; Teachers Would Make at Least $60K Under New Federal Bill and more in this edition of the Education Update.
December 12: School Kids Should Eat More Fish, Federal Agency Says; Schools are Resegregating. There's a Push for the Supreme Court to Consider That; PA Officials Say School-Based Health Centers are Needed to Bridge Equity Gaps and more in this edition of the Education Update.
December 5: COVID Hurt Student Learning: Key Findings From a Year of Research; PA School Test Scores Still Trail Pre-Pandemic Levels; PA Property Tax Relief Supporters Have a New Friend in Josh Shapiro and more in this edition of the Education Update.
November 28: What Schools Can Do to Ease Students' Anxiety; PA Releases Anti-Racist Guidelines as Part of Teacher Prep Overhaul; After a Rash of Student Suicides, This School District Stepped Up and more in this edition of the Education Update.
November 21: Later School Start Times Could Help Teachers, Too; Study Finds 'Huge' Increase in Children Going to the Emergency Room with Suicidal Thoughts and more in this edition of the Education Update.
November 14: Building an Effective SEL Program: Lessons From 3 Districts; USDA Invests $50 Million for Schools & Food Industry to Work Together to Strengthen School Meals; How My District Overcame Our Dire Bus Driver Shortage; How "Education Freedom" Played in the Midterms and more in this edition of the Education Update.
November 7: Kids' Mental Health is in Crisis. Schools Can Get Them Help Through a $1 Billion Fund; School Funding, Property Taxes & 'Parental Bill of Rights' on the Line in PA Gov. Race; The Learning Recovery Strategy Districts Are Overlooking and more in this edition of the Education Update.
November 1: - Girls and Students of Color are Unfairly Targeted by School Dress Code, National Report Says; Big Changes Needed to Reverse Plunging Student Achievement, Education Secretary Says; Why Some Schools are Adding 'Directors of Wellness' to Their Leadership Teams, updates to SB 492, HB 365, SB 786 and SB 996 and more in this edition of the Education Update.
October 17: Want Test Scores to Improve? Make Engaging Families a Top Priority; Rep. Conklin, State College School District Call for Universal Free Meals for K-12 Students; One-Time PD is Not Effective. Why Do Districts Still Rely on It? ; and more in this edition of the Education Update.
October 10: PASA Education Update Briefing Set for Oct. 11; To Improve Students' Mental Health, School Take a Team Approach; PA Department of Education Celebrates Educators at Manheim Central School District; Return of Free Breakfast in Schools Welcomed by Students; Spending on Children Surged During the Pandemic. It Didn't Last; and more in this edition of the Education Update.
October 3: PASA Education Update Briefing Set for Oct. 11; More States Are Allowing Children to Take Mental Health Days; Honoring Education Leaders of PA; AASA to Help Launch 'Here for the Kids' Campaign on Oct. 4 and more in this edition of the Education Update.
September 26: Changes to SNAP Income Thresholds Will Expand Eligibility for Benefits, Wolf Admin Says; 10 Pa. Schools Named National Blue Ribbon Schools; Pa. Waived Its Basic Requirement for Educators. Will it Attract More Teachers? and more in this edition of the Education Update.
September 19: PASA hires Michele Balliet as its next Director of Professional Development; Josh Shapiro Supports 'Lifeline Scholarships' Championed by School Choice Proponents; Chair of the PA Senate Education Committee Outlines Biggest Legislative Priorities for Schools and more in this edition of the Education Update.
September 12: Free breakfast on tap for schoolchildren starting Oct 1; School bus drivers play critical role for PA students; Wolf announces funding for free healthy snacks in PA schools and more in this edition of the Education Update.
August 22: State Bill Introduced to Continue Free Meals in Pennsylvania Public Schools; New Discipline Guidance Can Help Kids with Disabilities; Ortitay Appointed to Basic Education Funding Commission and more in this edition of the Education Update.
August 15: CDC's Latest COVID Guidance for Schools Ends 'Test-to-Stay,' Quarantine Recommendations; School Leaders With Disabilities: It's Important to Share That You're Not Alone;' PA Releases New App to Connect Students and Families Experiencing Homelessness with Resources and more in this edition of the Education Update.
August 8: Wolf Touts Education Spending Increase, Discusses Accountability for Historic Investment; A Call for a Temporary Extension of Access to Free School Breakfasts and Lunches; The State Budget's Impact on Student Mental Health and School Safety; and more in this edition of the Education Update.
August 1: The Public School Problem We're Not Talking About; Masks Optional for Most U.S. Public Schools for Start of Classes; Judge to Decide if Pennsylvania Sufficiently Funds Education and more in this edition of the Education Update.
July 25: Federal Judge Halts Enforcement of Protections for LGBTQ People in Schools and Workplaces; Wolf Traded Charter School Reform for Education Funding; Biden Calls for Additional Tutors to Help Students Recover from Pandemic and more in this edition of the Education Update.
July 18: How to Challenge Normative Gender Culture to Support All Students; A Basic Safety Feature Missing at Uvalde School May Also Be Missing from Your School; How One District is Working to Improve Equity and Inclusivity and in this edition of the Education Update.
June 27: State budget negotiators continue to debate school code bill, budget; several right to know bills move forward and the U.S. Supreme Court rules on two bills affecting public schools
June 20: State budget negotiators pushing for early budget, as PASA pushes for increased school funding; numerous controversial education bills still on committee and floor calendars.
June 13: Bills that would establish a voucher program and impact school district decisions regarding books, curriculum and discussions on Senate Education Committee agenda this week; work on policy, budget decisions ramps up in Harrisburg
June 6: Lawmakers return to Harrisburg, with school ‘choice’ bills still pending in both the House and Senate; both Republican House and Senate appropriations chairmen lose primary bids, sparking concerns over budget negotiations going forward
May 23: Lawmakers return to Harrisburg, with school choice again on the agenda; regulatory review commission approves final-form Chapter 4 regulations
May 16: Capitol quiet as lawmakers prepare for tomorrow’s primary; school choice money a big factor in PA election
May 9: State revenues hit record high in April; AASA urging advocacy to extend school nutrition waiver
May 2: House passes voucher bill, resolution to overturn recently adopted charter school regulations; Senate, House in recess until May 23
April 25: House Education Committee to consider several behavior/mental health bills this week; State Board of Education revisions to Chapter 49 now in effect
April 18: No final vote on House voucher bill last week; State Board of Education submits final-form regulation with revisions to Chapter 4
April 11: House voucher bill could be considered this week; numerous education bills remain poised for action in both the House and Senate
April 4: Voucher, EITC expansion bills could be on the Republican agenda this week; attack on the recently approved charter school regulations continues at the Capitol
March 28: Regulatory Review Commission approves charter school regulations amid Republican opposition; House Education Committee poised to consider voucher bill this week
March 21: PA Supreme Court approves legislative redistricting map; proposed charter school regulations to be considered for approval this week, amid opposition from House, Senate Republicans
March 14: Commonwealth Court hears closing arguments in school funding trial; Congress approves FY2022 spending package, a mixed bag for education
March 7: State revenues continue to rise above estimates; PDE releases 2021 state assessment results
February 28: CDC issues new guidance on mask wearing; PDE to release 2021 state assessment results this week
February 14: Gov. Wolf proposes state budget with large increases for education; PA Department of Education publishes final-form regulations regarding charter school management, process for requesting district payments
February 7: Latest school district budget report finds widespread concern about rising costs of mandates, staff shortages; Democratic leaders unveil their education budget plan, as Gov. Wolf prepares to deliver budget address tomorrow
January 31: School masking continues as an issue in the courts; report outlines serious lack of accountability for cyber charter school funding
January 24: IFO report critical of lack of EITC program accountability, excessive cost, as Senate panel votes to increase EITC tax credits 25%; House Education Committee to consider collective bargaining bills this week
January 17: USED announces federal assistance for school COVID testing; State Board of Education approves final-form regulation/science standards update
January 10: COVID surge challenges school opening after the holidays; General Fund revenues continue to come in strong