STATEWIDE NEWS
As coronavirus closes schools, wealthier districts send laptops home with students. What about poorer districts?
As school districts from Lower Merion to Cherry Hill prepared to give students Chromebooks this week, Shaxi Ortiz picked up worksheets and reading materials from a Camden elementary school for her two daughters. “I only have one computer,” said Ortiz, as she left the...
What K-12 education needs during the pandemic
We’re in an unprecedented time that will require unprecedented action to ensure the health and well-being of all, including children, is at the forefront of any action taken by our government. To limit the effect the coronavirus pandemic will have on Americans, we...
Restarting Kids’ Education Won’t Be Easy
It’s looking more and more likely that Pennsylvania schools will be closed beyond the initial 2-week shutdown mandated by Gov. Tom Wolf. The shutdown was implemented to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19. The issue is that many school districts are not prepared to offer...
Amid School Closings, Some Students Have More Resources Than Others
School districts across the country are in an unprecedented situation. They face the challenge of educating millions of children at home. This obstacle has highlighted the divide between wealthy and poorer districts. While some districts prepared to give students...
In November 2014, The Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia and the Education Law Center of Pennsylvania filed a lawsuit on behalf of six school districts, PA Association of Rural & Small Schools, NAACP and parents; suing the commonwealth for violating the state constitution.
The lawsuit asserts that without adequate and equitably distributed resources students are not able to meet the proficiency standards set by the state legislature, as evidenced by the fact that state test scores declined across all districts following the 2011 state cuts.
The petitioners are asking for a court order that will force the legislature to comply with the state constitution and ensure all students receive access to a high-quality public education.