School boards should take a look at ending private retreats

Even the perception that decisions are made behind closed doors is bad By Mike McGann, Editor, the Times Like most boards of education in Chester County, the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District board has held regular “retreats” — informal sessions where information is discussed and at times, the future direction of the district is discussed. A district resident, Mark Stookey, has questioned...

County Cup wins national recognition

Representatives from the Chester County Intermediate Unit (CCIU) joined Chester County Commissioners’ Chair Terence Farrell in accepting the National Association of Counties (NACo) Achievement Award for Employment and Training at NACo’s annual conference in Long Beach, California. Pictured from left to right are: Dr. Jacalyn Auris and Mr. R. Scot Semple from the CCIU, County Commissioner Terence...

Truitt bill to encourage IT, computer students signed into law

State Rep. Dan Truitt (R-156) Careers in computer science and information technology usually pay good wages while offering excellent benefits. Unfortunately, courses in these fields often don’t count toward high school graduation requirements, leaving Pennsylvania’s students at a disadvantage when competing for jobs or applying for college to major in these areas. That’s about to change, thanks...

Was your dentist there?

Continuing education allows your dentist and their staff to stay up to date By Dr. Stephanie McGann, DMD FAGD, Columnist, The Times Two weeks ago I attended the 30th annual Greater Philadelphia Valley Forge Dental Conference. This annual meeting of the dental community is primarily focused on continuing education. As a member of the organizing committee I had a chance to speak with dentists, vendors...

Local congressmen applaud passage of bipartisan education bill

Expected to be signed by Pres. Obama, law would return local control to states By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times Chester County Congressmen Pat Meehan (Left, R-7) and Ryan Costello (Right, R-6) backed revisions to federal education laws, passed by the U.S. House of Representatives this week. Two Chester County Congressman praised the passage by the U.S. House of Representatives, Wednesday, of legislation...

UCF board member questions teacher tech education courses

Officials update progress of Patton renovations, other projects By Karen Cresta, Staff Writer, The Times EAST MARLBOROUGH – The agenda for the Unionville Chadds Ford School Board’s work session on Monday night went rather quickly but board member Keith Knauss added a statement that was not included in the agenda regarding courses being taken by teachers that he felt were unnecessary and fall into...

Op/Ed: The cost disease in K-12 public education

What every school board director, school administrator, teacher, staff member, parent, and taxpayer needs to know By Michael T. Rock[1], Samuel and Etta Wexler Professor of Economic History, Bryn Mawr College Michael T. Rock Every year school Boards in Pennsylvania like mine, the Unionville Chadds Ford School District, grapple with how to set next year’s school district budget. Historically, annual...

Op/Ed: Does high-stakes testing improve education?

By Michael T. Rock, Director, Unionville-Chadds Ford Board of Education Michael T. Rock As the debate on No Child Left Behind and the Common Core heat up and as Pennsylvania’s school districts gear up for implementation of the Keystone exit exams it is time to take stock of what we know about the impact of high stakes testing. Supporters see tests as a way to close the gap in performance between...

Are we ‘prepping’ our kids for too much stress?

A few thoughts on navigating today’s increased anxiety-filled world By Kim Chiomento, Staff Writer, The Times As a teen in the 1980’s, the terms “prep, prepper, and preppy” evoke strong memories of a serious fashion statement: Tretorn tennis shoes, gravity-defying, up-turned collars, going sockless and the syrupy scent of Ralph Lauren’s Lauren perfume.  The above was often tied together...

Letter: DA’s back pre-K to fight crime

To The Editor, The passage of the 2014-15 state budget included an important funding increase for future crime prevention – a $10 million increase for PA Pre-K Counts. What does Pre-K have to do with crime prevention? Considering that approximately 70 percent of our nation’s state prison population failed to receive a high school diploma, education is a pivotal factor between incarceration and...