Pennsylvania leadership holding back ‘parent power’ in education
By Jana Benscoter
Watchdog.com
June 16, 2015
Pennsylvania ranked 14th in the 2014 Parent Power Index, The Center for Education Reform determined.
According to the nonprofit organization, Parent Power Index is a web-based report card that evaluates and ranks states based on qualitative and proven state education policies. The higher a state’s grade, the more parents are afforded access and information about education options that can deliver successful educational outcomes for their children.
The nonprofit does not score state education laws as “good” or “bad.” It calculates which states have multiple policies that allow a maximum number of parents educational choices. The index has been offered since 1999.
Factors that determine each state’s grade assessed, include: charter school opportunities; school choice options; teacher quality; transparency; online learning; parent trigger laws (the ability to turnaround a a failing school); Governors; and media reliability. Based on those factors, the organization gave Pennsylvania a 74 percent, or a “C.”
In a statement, President of The Center for Education Reform Kara Kerwin said, “While it’s true some states have made progress, it’s not nearly enough to meet demand. Simply put, we need more learning options available to more families, and we need them fast.”
When the index was released, Kerwin noted that “Out of the over 54 million k-12 students nationwide, only an estimated 6.5 million students are taking advantage of charter schools, school choice programs such as vouchers or tax credits, and digital or blended learning models.”
“With the United States’ school-aged population expected to grow at unprecedented rates in the next 15 years, how will our school system be able to meet demand when we already have wait lists for charter schools and oversubscribed scholarship programs?”
Pennsylvania earned higher marks for its Educational Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit. The credit for students in low-performing districts, and the Educational Improvement Tax Credit Scholarship for low-income families, both allow for students attending Pennsylvania public schools to have the opportunity to attend private school, the Center reports.
Combining both offers over 60,000 students opportunities, which shows the state permits some choices among traditional public schools, but state law restricts such choice within other districts. The Center pointed out that districts are not required to participate, limiting parents’ options.
A wrinkle in earning a higher overall mark in the index is leadership. The Center reported, that for more than four years, Pennsylvania has unsuccessfully been able to improve and expand the state’s charter law. Many districts oppose charter schools, and withhold needed resources as a condition of their oversight. Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat who began his term in January, said he does not want any new charter schools.
“The law has little hope of improving in the near future with the election of a new governor who has repeatedly opposed school choice,” according to the Center. “The School Reform Commission of Philadelphia, for the first time in seven years, was forced to accept and approve charter applications. Thirty-nine applied, and only five were approved in early 2015. Yet, 40,000 students remain on waiting lists in just that city alone.”
The top 15 states with the highest marks, despite most not surpassing 80 percent:
1) Indiana
2) Florida
3) Arizona
4) District of Columbia
5) Georgia
6) Utah
7) Louisiana
8) Ohio
9) Wisconsin
10) Minnesota
11) Oklahoma
12) Colorado
13) Michigan
14) Pennsylvania
15) South Carolina
