Pennsylvania lacks a long-term plan for preserving and strengthening its 3,300 public schools, which serve 1.8 million children in the commonwealth. Leadership and commitment are absent on the key issues. And the reform proposals getting the most attention often ignore the changes needed to improve teaching and learning at the classroom level, especially for struggling students.
First, some background. Following the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), there was a push for every school district to raise academic outcomes for students, especially for disadvantaged children. As a result, student assessment results in Pennsylvania improved for children with disabilities (298 percent increase since 2001), English language learners (217 percent), and students in poverty (211 percent).
