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is to put tax dollar expenditures and other monies used or spent by our federal, state and/or city governments before your eyes and in your hands.

Through our website, you can learn your rights as a taxpayer and parent as well as to which programs, monies and more you may be entitled...and why you may not be able to exercise these rights.

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Who We Are »
Betsy Combier

Help Us to Continue to Help Others »
Email: betsy.combier@gmail.com

 
The E-Accountability Foundation announces the

'A for Accountability' Award

to those who are willing to whistleblow unjust, misleading, or false actions and claims of the politico-educational complex in order to bring about educational reform in favor of children of all races, intellectual ability and economic status. They ask questions that need to be asked, such as "where is the money?" and "Why does it have to be this way?" and they never give up. These people have withstood adversity and have held those who seem not to believe in honesty, integrity and compassion accountable for their actions. The winners of our "A" work to expose wrong-doing not for themselves, but for others - total strangers - for the "Greater Good"of the community and, by their actions, exemplify courage and self-less passion. They are parent advocates. We salute you.

Winners of the "A":

Johnnie Mae Allen
David Possner
Dee Alpert
Aaron Carr
Harris Lirtzman
Hipolito Colon
Larry Fisher
The Giraffe Project and Giraffe Heroes' Program
Jimmy Kilpatrick and George Scott
Zach Kopplin
Matthew LaClair
Wangari Maathai
Erich Martel
Steve Orel, in memoriam, Interversity, and The World of Opportunity
Marla Ruzicka, in Memoriam
Nancy Swan
Bob Witanek
Peyton Wolcott
[ More Details » ]
 
Why Can't the NYC DOE Provide Taxpayers With True, Readable, Data?
Pennsylvania Department of Education Provides a New, Clearer System of Reporting PSSA, AYP Results
          
Pennsylvania Department of Education Introduces New, Clearer System of Reporting PSSA, AYP Results
Tuesday May 25, 3:20 pm ET

HARRISBURG, Pa., May 25 /PRNewswire/ -- PA Secretary of Education Vicki L. Phillips today introduced a reporting system that will help parents and educators gain a new understanding of the annual PSSA and Adequate Yearly Progress reports.
"A system like this becomes invaluable in a time of new federal requirements as well as our own emphasis on creating a useful body of student performance data," Secretary Phillips said. "Everyone will be able to see exactly how a student, school or district is performing. Comprehensive reports in the past have been an afterthought but we believe they are an integral part of the educational process."

Using a system created by PDE employees and several outside data firms, the new accountability and assessment reports will be available in printed form and on the department Web site.

These reports are part of an ongoing process by the PDE to collect data to build a collection of tools for the PDE, districts and parents that creates an accurate picture of the state of education in Pennsylvania and how it needs to improve.

"We need to know where we are if we are going to make any improvements," said Carina Wong, director of the PDE's division of Assessment and Accountability. "There is too much data collected to be unveiled in large pieces. We have to present data in a way that shows how it relates to a bigger picture and also where and how positive changes must be made."

Grow Network, of New York, has been working closely with PDE to create the reports. Grow was initially contacted by officials in the Ridge-Schweiker administration to work on the project. Secretary Phillips initiated a bid process and Grow was chosen to create the reports.

"From the reports they've produced in Chicago and New York, it was clear they had the expertise to provide the reports we needed," said Wong.

In addition to the reporting and charting of assessment results, the reports include listings of resources for any deficiencies shown by the student.

The reports will be used to show the results from the annual PSSA assessments as well as the AYP requirement of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The reports are scheduled for public release in mid-August, after review by school districts.

"Having lots of data is not very helpful unless it is available in understandable and useable forms," said Stinson Stroup, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators. "The reports work and make the data work."

CONTACT: Keith Pierce, Penn. DOE
717-783-9802

 
© 2003 The E-Accountability Foundation