Pennsylvania

News, analysis, and opinion about K-12 education in Pennsylvania
Benton's Callie Hess, left, battles Plum's Saphia Davis, right, during the first found of the PIAA High School Wrestling Championships in Hershey, Pa., on March 7, 2024. Girls’ wrestling has become the fastest-growing high school sport in the country.
Callie Hess, left, battles Saphia Davis, right, during the first round of the PIAA High School Wrestling Championships in Hershey, Pa., on March 7, 2024. Girls’ wrestling has become the fastest-growing high school sport in the country.
Matt Rourke/AP
Equity & Diversity Girls Are Falling in Love With Wrestling, the Nation's Fastest-Growing High School Sport
A surging number of states have sanctioned the sport, with bolstering from various groups.
The Associated Press, March 13, 2024
6 min read
Conceptual of file folders and a label that says myths.
SinArtCreative/iStock/Getty
School & District Management Principals Would Like You to Know They Don't Just Sit in Their Offices
Top misconceptions about a principal's job are about their visibility and connection to their schools.
Olina Banerji, December 18, 2023
4 min read
Karen Smith, the new president of the Central Bucks County, Penn., school board, took her oath on a stack of contested library books at a Dec. 4, 2023 meeting.
Karen Smith, the new president of the Central Bucks County, Pa., school board, took her oath on a stack of contested library books at a Dec. 4, 2023 meeting.
Courtesy of Kimberly Cambra
School & District Management This School Board President Took Her Oath on a Stack of Contested Books. Here's Why
The school board for Central Bucks County, Pa., has been at the center of divisive political debates.
Evie Blad, December 11, 2023
8 min read
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear speaks during an election night rally after he was elected to a second term in Louisville, Ky., on Nov. 7, 2023. At right is his wife Britainy Beshear.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear speaks during an election night rally after he was elected to a second term in Louisville, Ky., on Nov. 7, 2023. At right is his wife Britainy Beshear.
Timothy D. Easley/AP
States Liberals Win Hotly Contested School Board Races in Backlash to Conservative Control
A Democrat who championed teacher pay raises was also reelected Kentucky's governor and Democrats won legislative majorities in Virginia.
Libby Stanford, November 8, 2023
6 min read
Randal Lutz, superintendent of Baldwin-Whitehall school district near Pittsburgh and a soon-to-be certified school bus driver, climbs aboard a bus prior to dismissal.
Randal Lutz, superintendent of Baldwin-Whitehall School District in Pittsburgh and soon-to-be certified school bus driver, climbs aboard a bus prior to dismissal.
Photo courtesy of Randal Lutz
School & District Management Why This Superintendent Is Taking the School Bus Driver Shortage Into His Own Hands
This school leader is hoping to reverse his district's shortage of bus drivers, by becoming one.
Elizabeth Heubeck, October 12, 2023
5 min read
budget school funding
iStock/Getty
Budget & Finance Pa. Hasn't Fixed Its School Funding System, and Educators Are Frustrated
After Pennsylvania's school funding formula was deemed unconstitutional, state legislators failed to come up with a solution this session.
Lydia McFarlane & Mark Lieberman, August 17, 2023
9 min read
Photo of empty school library
E+ / Getty
School & District Management One of the Country's Largest Districts Is Turning School Libraries Into Discipline Rooms
The Houston school district's decision to shut down libraries in 28 schools reflects a growing trend, according to advocates.
Elizabeth Heubeck, August 3, 2023
6 min read
Teaching Video Teachers, Try This: A Two-Minute Exercise to Foster Student Creativity
Through a two-minute weekly exercise, this Pennsylvania teacher fosters a sense of creativity in her students that extends across subjects.
Jaclyn Borowski , July 27, 2023
4:26
Edha Gupta at a protest at Central York School District, where students, teachers and community members gathered to fight against a ban on 300 books and educational resources.
Edha Gupta at a protest at Central York School District, where students, teachers and community members gathered to fight against a ban on 300 books and educational resources.
Courtesy of Ben Hodge
Reading & Literacy What Happened When Students Led Fights to Reverse Book Bans
The stories of two student groups that found success in organizing to fight district book bans.
Eesha Pendharkar, July 18, 2023
7 min read
Illustration of a diverse group of 7 professionals helping one another climb a succession of large bars with some using a ladder.
iStock/Getty
School & District Management Q&A A District’s Coaching Program for Principals Takes a Holistic Approach to Address the Struggle With Stress
A large urban district adopted a coaching program to support school leaders' individual needs and behaviors, not just instructional concerns.
Elizabeth Heubeck, July 14, 2023
5 min read
Illustration of a man holding oversized money.
Nuthawut Somsuk/iStock/Getty
Education Funding School Funding Debates Are Raging in States, With Districts Caught in the Middle
School choice, historically inequitable funding, political partisanship, and funding predictability are among the issues at stake.
Mark Lieberman, July 14, 2023
6 min read
Blue comic book strip with the word WOW! in red in the center.
iStock/Getty
Teaching 4 Ways to Use Comics and Graphic Novels to Engage Students
A social studies teacher uses comics to make history feel relevant to his high school students.
Alyson Klein, July 5, 2023
4 min read
Eliza Walton of Boise and Josie Backus of Nampa participate in a demonstration to read book titles that the Nampa School District is working to remove as dozens of people read those books sitting in the lawn in front of the school administration office during a school board meeting on June 16, 2022, in Nampa, Idaho.
Eliza Walton of Boise, Idaho, and Josie Backus of Nampa, Idaho, participate in a demonstration to read book titles that the Nampa school district is working to remove. The demonstration took place during a school board meeting on June 16, 2022, in Nampa, Idaho.
Sarah A. Miller/Idaho Statesman via AP
Reading & Literacy From Our Research Center How Students Are Reacting to Book Bans in Their Schools
When students know about bans, their interest in the titles increases, one-third of library staff said in a survey.
Eesha Pendharkar, June 28, 2023
4 min read
Photo of gavel and school building
Getty
Education Funding What Happens (or Doesn't) After Courts Order States to Improve School Funding
Pennsylvania is the latest state working on school funding reforms after a judge ruled its current approach unconstitutional.
Mark Lieberman, June 23, 2023
8 min read