Education News

Valentines exchange changing in schools

“There is a big emphasis on kindness and supporting one another,” said Judy Castrogiovanni, principal of Jefferson Elementary in North Pocono School District. “It’s more about feeling included and cared about. It’s really a nice message… More

Advocates want Gov. Tom Wolf to declare Philadelphia schools a ‘disaster’ area because of asbestos

A group of federal and local officials is preparing to ask Gov. Tom Wolf to issue a formal disaster declaration for the Philadelphia School District, citing the growing number of school closures because of potentially toxic asbestos exposure… More

State orders school districts to release details of what online content they block

The Central Bucks and Neshaminy school districts must release records that show how students are monitored and protected while surfing the net… More

Early budget battle brewing over school safety grants

An early state budget debate is brewing over the future of state grants provided to school districts to pay for a range of projects to improve student safety. Gov… More

U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick meets with Parkland families, Trump on school safety measures

U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-1st District, met privately Monday in the Oval Office with the families of victims of the Parkland shooting and President Donald Trump. Fitzpatrick, who has been advocating for legislative reform for school safety with Parkland families, presented Trump with an update on bills currently under consideration to enhance school safety measures… More

‘Safe2Say Something’ tops 40,382 tips

On the one year anniversary of the Safe2Say program, Attorney General Josh Shapiro today announced Pennsylvania’s anonymous reporting system for schools, students and community members, “Safe2Say Something PA” has reached over 40,000 tips from across the commonwealth… More

Guest substitutes help fill the gap as the number of teachers declines

The guest substitutes help school districts while at the same time giving a flexible option to people who seek part-time work, are potentially interested in pursuing careers in education or want to work with children in their communities… More

Plan for new teacher evaluations would limit impact of standardized tests

The current system — created by Aument's 2012 bill — is based half on in-class observation and half on students' performance on standardized testing. The new iteration would change that to 70% observation and 30% testing… More

Clairton and West Jefferson Hills school districts among nation’s starkest economic divides

Three school districts in Western Pennsylvania were identified on a national report showing stark economic differences between neighboring districts. ”Fault Lines,” released Thursday by the nonprofit EdBuild, named America’s 50 “most segregating school district borders” — defined as neighboring districts with strong differences in student poverty rates and resources allocated to students… More

GOP eyes shake-up of Pennsylvania’s Democratic-majority court

For the first time in three decades, Republicans in Pennsylvania are facing the redrawing of legislative and congressional districts without a friendly state Supreme Court majority to referee disputes, but perhaps not for long… More