JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Education Secretary Pedro A. Rivera met with education stakeholders at a roundtable at the Greater Johnstown Area Senior High School today to gather input that will be used to inform the development of new strategies for school accountability and achievement.
The gathering was first in a series of grassroots events focused on school accountability the Wolf Administration will hold in 2016.
“Education is our number one priority, and as we work in Harrisburg to secure historic investments in our schools, it is also important to get a first-hand look at what makes a good school and what challenges our schools face,” Governor Wolf said. “The goal is to use these discussions to shape our education policy priorities moving forward.”
“Today’s meeting is an important first step in launching a comprehensive discussion around how we support schools and help Pennsylvania students succeed,” Education Secretary Pedro A. Rivera said. “Every stakeholder brought a unique and valuable perspective that will inform education policy going forward in Pennsylvania.”
Secretary Rivera was joined by Senator John Wozniak, school administrators and teachers, as well as parents and students. School board members from other local districts, community college and career and technology center directors, business community leaders, local library staff, early childhood providers, and education advocacy groups were also represented.
With improving education as the hallmark of his administration, Governor Wolf has directed the Department of Education (PDE) to examine several policies that define education in the commonwealth. Those include lessening the reliance on standardized tests in measuring school and student achievement; modifying the metrics that comprise the School Performance Profile score; and restoring the billions of dollars cut from school funding under the prior administration.
Rivera said that the Johnstown event is emblematic of the Wolf Administration’s new approach to education.
“There are great things happening in education around the commonwealth,” Rivera said. “The discussion today gave us an opportunity to celebrate those, while exploring the ideas for how the entire community can work together to support student success.”
Governor Wolf is continually fighting for a historic increase in education funding that will help to improve schools across the commonwealth and restore the devastating cuts made under the previous administration. The increased funding will make a significant investment in K-12 education, and will also boost funds to higher education. The governor also continues fighting for at least $50 million in Pre-K funding.
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