HARRISBURG, Pa. – Education advocates want Gov. Tom Wolf to include increased funding in the next state budget for some of the state's most marginalized students.

A letter to the governor from the Education Law Center asks him to propose an increase of at least $400 million for basic education funding and $100 million for special education.

Federal law requires states to provide a free, appropriate public education for all students with disabilities, in the least restrictive environment.

According to Reynelle Brown Staley, the center's policy director, from 2008 to 2016, special education costs in Pennsylvania increased by more than $1.5 billion, while state support for those costs increased by only $72 million, forcing local districts to make up the difference.

"Local districts have varying ability to come up with the money, so we're asking the state to meet their legal obligation to ensure that students with disabilities have access to the educational services that they need," she states.

Staley points out that inadequate state funding has led to Pennsylvania having the largest funding gap between rich and poor school districts of any state in the nation.

Staley notes that the additional funds need to be distributed through the state's fair funding formula, which takes varying levels of need into account.

"Students who have significant disabilities require additional levels of state support,” she stresses. “So, putting money through the formula will direct funds to the districts that have students with the greatest educational needs."

Staley adds that charter schools also should get tiered funding based on the severity of the disabilities of the students they serve.

She says an indicator of how well a school funding system works is how well it serves students who are the most marginalized.

"When we have that, we'll know that we're making efforts to ensure that all students across Pennsylvania have access to a quality public education," she states.

Wolf is scheduled to deliver his annual budget address on Feb. 5.


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The State of California is launching a new program that will pay college students $10,000 to volunteer doing public service work for a year.

Announced on Tuesday, some 6,500 students will be able to join the new Californians for All College Corps and will be required to put in 450 service hours, working on issues such as COVID-19 recovery, climate change and education.

Josh Fryday, chief service officer for the state, said it's a way to help low-income students afford college, earn credits and gain valuable work experience.

"Like the G.I. bill," he said, "if you are willing to serve your community and give back in meaningful way, we are going to help you pay for college."

Across the state, 45 campuses will take part - including schools from the University of California and California State University systems, plus community colleges and some private institutions. On a Californians for All College Corps website, you can find a list of schools and details on how to apply.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said the shared experience of giving back is intended to foster a new generation of civic-minded leaders.

"And if this thing works, we can go back to the Legislature and take it to a whole another level," he said. "We can take it to the rest of the country, because nobody else is doing this. Nobody!"

Unlike AmeriCorps, this program will be open to the "Dreamers" - undocumented students who were brought to the United States as children. Students who receive Pell Grants also will be able to count the $10,000 grant toward their required personal contribution to their education expenses.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.

New research suggests Tennessee's system for rating a teacher's effectiveness by observing them in the classroom may not be equitable - at a time when public schools are struggling to boost teacher diversity.

Vanderbilt University researchers analyzed data from the first eight years of the classroom-observation system, and found Black and male teachers in Tennessee consistently received lower scores than white and female teachers.

Study co-author - Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor of Public Policy and Education at Vanderbilt University Jason Grissom - explained that race and gender gaps remain, even when comparing similarly qualified teachers.

"Even when they had the same experience levels and education levels as their white and female colleagues," said Grissom, "and when their students achieved similar test scores and were similar on other outcomes."

While more teachers of color are being recruited than in previous decades, districts trying to diversify their staffs continue to struggle with high turnover rates, lack of mentoring and preparation, and inadequate teaching conditions, according to the Learning Policy Institute.

Grissom said the race gap appears to be driven by several factors, including the racial makeup of the school's faculty and the observers, and the types of students who tend to be assigned to Black teachers.

"But partly because they teach students who come into their classrooms with greater challenges," said Grissom, "it seems to be that's one of the drivers of why their observation scores are lower."

Grissom said he believes school districts should be aware of these factors in order to improve the fairness of the system.

"School districts, I think," said Grissom, "have an obligation to take a close look at their scoring processes and the scores that they're giving, ensuring that those scores are accurate."

Research indicates having a teacher of color correlates with improved academic performance in Black and Brown students, including higher reading and math test scores, graduation rates and college plans.

Colleges and universities typically provide in-person programming and supports to strengthen bonds between students and build a sense of community. But the pandemic curtailed both in-person learning and campus-wide events.

As students return to classrooms, new research shows what schools might do to rebuild those bonds. Ithaka, a nonprofit that works to improve educational opportunities, encourages higher-ed institutions to step up community-building.

Research by Emily Schwartz - senior program manager with the Ithaka S+R's educational transformation team - found a greater sense of belonging can improve a student's academic experience, and boost their chances of graduating.

"A lot of students that are entering college now," said Schwartz, "they haven't had the chance to have the in-person experience, and without those roots of the connections made in person, I think it can be very challenging."

Schwartz said schools need to make sure they're listening to students and student leaders about what they need to succeed in a post-pandemic world.

Undergraduate enrollment at colleges has fallen 6.6% since fall of 2019, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

For most college students, the pandemic eliminated one-on-one advising appointments, career development workshops and mentorship programs. Schwartz said that's been especially tough on students from historically underrepresented backgrounds, lower-income students and students of color.

She said she thinks it will be important, particularly for community colleges, to offer more diverse activities and programs to rebuild a sense of community.

"If you're offering some sort of activity that's at 7 p.m. every night, and a student has a family and kids, that time might not work for them," said Schwartz. "So, having variety in programming, I think, is really important."

She added that the pandemic also magnified existing societal inequalities in access to technology, including disparities in access to broadband and digital devices.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.