Our Agenda

Here are some of the things that ELC hopes to accomplish in 2010. We’ve included contact information in case you have suggestions, would like to work with us, or just want more information.  We welcome your call!

Ensuring All Children Have Access to School

• Eliminate barriers to school access and continuity — especially for children in institutions, children living apart from their parents, homeless children, and others who have difficulty getting into school, remaining in the same school, or transferring smoothly between schools. For more information, contact Maura McInerney or Nancy Hubley.
• Make sure that Pennsylvania’s youngest children, including children with disabilities and others with special needs, have access to an expanding array of early childhood and early intervention programs.For more information, contact Maura McInerney or Nancy Hubley.
• Curb overly broad “zero-tolerance” policies that exclude children from school for long periods — or permanently — for behavior that does not warrant such extreme consequences. For more information contact David Lapp.
• Limit the use of “seclusion,” a dangerous technique currently applied to some students with disabilities. For more information contact Janet Stotland.

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Supporting Parents, Students, and Advocates

• Through consultation, hands-on assistance, and new on-line tools, support parent, student and community groups seeking to improve their local schools or to shape state education policy. For more information contact Baruch Kintisch or Sandy Zelno.
• Provide informational materials , videos , training opportunities, and other resources that can help families, advocates, and professionals solve specific school problems. For more information contact Jenny Lowman.

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Improving Opportunities to Learn

• Keep in place, for a third year, the new school funding formula, which is helping target resources to poor and disadvantaged students. For more information, contact Baruch Kintisch or Sandy Zelno.
• Bring students with disabilities into the new funding formula, so that they are on a level playing field with their peers. For more information, contact Baruch Kintisch or Sandy Zelno.
• Raise standards for “alternative schools,” to make sure that children assigned to those schools receive services comparable in quality to those provided to other students. For more information contact David Lapp.
• Promote school-wide positive behavior support programs , which can improve school climate and reduce the use of punitive practices. For more information contact David Lapp.
• Strengthen state policy affecting English language learners, including requirements on teacher preparation and service delivery. For more information contact Len Rieser.

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