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Reinventing Education Actof 2004

Parent Community Network Center (PCNC) Facilitators

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Act 51What is the underlying philosophy?

• Student achievement will improve if:

– the state DOE establishes academic targets that all students should meet.

– individual schools decide how best to get their students to meet the targets.

– individual schools are held accountable for student results.

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What does it do at the school level?

• Allocates money to schools based in part on student characteristics (WSF).

• Gives principals more discretion on how to spend the money (academic and financial plans)

• Establishes school community councils to give stakeholders a voice and advise and assist principals.

• Facilitates parental involvement by providing Parent-Community Networking Center parent facilitators in every school.

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Weighted Student Formula

• The theory: How much money a school gets should depend not only on how many students it has, but on how much it costs to bring students with different characteristics to academic proficiency.

• Student characteristics that receive extra money, or weights, (subject to BOE approval):

– Economically disadvantaged (0.10)

– Not proficient English speakers (0.23)

– Special Ed (0, because SpEd students are already weighted).

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Weighted Student Formula

• The reality: there are no additional funds for schools. WSF is a different way of cutting the same sized educational pie.

• The reality: under WSF, some schools will get more money, some will get less.

• Still to be determined:

– Weights (if any) for gifted/talented, mobile/transient, “at risk”.

– Factors (if any) for school level (elementary, middle, high, combined).

– Extra money for small schools.

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Who decides how the schools spend their money?

• Now: most resources come to schools as “positions,” not as dollars.

• Act 51: schools will get dollars and will decide how to spend them to improve student achievement.

• Principals, with input from the school community (teachers, other school staff, school community councils, general school community) will prepare academic and financial plans that determine how the schools will spend their money.

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How are academic and financial plans prepared?

• Schools analyze student data.

• Based on student data and research, schools determine what to do differently (with the given level of resources!) to improve student achievement.

• The result is the academic plan (what the school will do) and the financial plan (what it will cost).

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What does it mean for principals?

• Much more work and responsibility:

– Must analyze data, prepare academic and financial plans.

– Must work with school community councils.

– Must review academic and financial results and stay within budget.

– Are accountable for improved student achievement.

– Must work under performance contracts.

– Must work with other principals in the complex to coordinate curricula and personnel, share and implement best practices.

– Must be the instructional leaders for their schools.

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What does it mean for teachers?

• Act 51 provides money for national certification.

• Principals may create new positions or terminate existing positions (following procedures) to implement the academic plan.

• Teachers will be more frequently coached and held more accountable for student achievement.

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What does it mean for the state DOE office?

• The state office must assume responsibility for school construction, repair, and maintenance, and civil service employee personnel management.

• State and district offices will support schools, not tell them what to do.

• The state office will need to price and “sell” some of its services to the schools. Schools may go elsewhere if a state office service is not competitive in quality and price.

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What does it mean for students?

• Schools will be able to tailor their programs to the needs of their students.

• Research-based programs and instructional practices will improve student achievement.

• Students and their parents will be able to choose the schools that best suit their needs (long-term outcome).

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What does it mean for parents?

• Act 51 directly provides money for PCNC parent facilitators at every school.

• Schools know that parent engagement in their children’s learning is crucial for student success; schools will be able to direct resources toward research-proven programs that achieve this.

• School community councils give parents a voice in what the school does.

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What is the ultimate intent?

• All students are proficient learners.

• All students meet the General Learner Outcomes:

– Responsible for their own learning

– Involved in complex thinking and problem solving

– Recognize and produce quality products

– Communicate effectively

– Use a variety of technologies ethically

– Work well with others