This article presents the author's views about the school district deconstruction in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He discusses his 30-year experience as a principal and central office administrator with the School District of Philadelphia and his involvement in the efforts to lead urban school reform in the country. He also describes the reform…

Summer school makes an unlikely candidate for a bright spot in education reform during these difficult economic times. It occupies a long-held negative place in U.S. culture, prompting dread in the hearts of many former and current students. Summer school conjures up images of sitting in hot classrooms and receiving remedial instruction while…

School choice improves parents' satisfaction with their children's schools, and public schools that face competition have shown improved performance, yet opponents continue to oppose reforms that give parents the opportunity to choose their children's schools. State and federal policymakers should reform existing education policies to give all…

Examines the impact of private labor rulings on Pennsylvania's public employee laws, public sector strikes and their implications, and Pennsylvania's public employee laws and the right to strike. Available from Duquesne Law Review, 901 Rockwell Hall, 600 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219; sc $3.50. (Author/IRT)

This document on housing for the physically disabled contains four parts: a commentary; a list of bibliographical references for the commentary; a resource guide; and a selected bibliography of government publications. The commentary portion discusses the psychological, social, and physical problems which physical disability presents to the…

Using data from one "successful" school district, I argue that, contrary to its egalitarian rhetoric, No Child Left Behind (NCLB) provides a mechanism for identifying the many whom Hernstein and Murray would exclude from schooling beyond the elementary grades because they cannot learn enough to justify the expense of their teaching. To…

Discusses controversy involving state funding of Pennsylvania cyber charter schools. (PKP)

This paper first explains outcome-based education and then considers specific questions related to serving gifted students in an outcome-based education school community, with special application to Pennsylvania. Outcome-based education is defined in terms of its emphasis on establishing learning outcomes, developing appropriate measures, and…

Discusses the problems presented by the plain language bill proposed for use in Pennsylvania. (FL)

This document reports the proceedings of a five-day workshop for guidance leadership personnel--including local directors of guidance and pupil personnel services, career education coordinators, state department of education specialists and counselor educators--in Pennsylvania. The focus of the Institute was on the relationships between career…

An attempt is made to clarify the language of the Adult Education Act of 1966 to yield operational criteria for identifying its goals within a needs assessment/treatment framework. Criteria for general and special target populations are set forth. Singled out are the group of those with four or less years of formal education and those determined…

This is a congressional oversight hearing on the vocational rehabilitation program in Pennsylvania. It looks at the present program in light of the Federal statutory requirements and legislative intent. Testimony includes statements, prepared statements, letters, supplemental materials, etc., from a state senator, a Representative in Congress, and…

Intended primarily for educators, legislators, and the general public in the state of Pennsylvania, this public affairs brochure addresses the question of whether binding arbitration should be legislated in that state as a means of resolving labor disputes between a local school district and its employees. The brochure reviews the history of…

The feasibility of an educational voucher plan proposed by the Pennsylvania legislature is assessed in this paper. Reasons against passing House Bill 1133 and Senate Bill 992 include the large initial cost; lack of evidence that the plan would expand choice; the fact that market forces increase inequities; the need to distinguish choice from…

The Pennsylvania Summer Youth Service Corps (SYSC) is an effort to assimilate the ideals of community service exemplified by the Peace Corps, VISTA, and the Civilian Conservation Corps with the long-established Summer Youth Employment and Training Program (SYETP). SYSC differs from the existing summer youth employment program by its focus and…