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School districts throughout Pennsylvania are attempting to implement new state regulations, including the establishment of new standards for high school graduation. As school districts consider standards, they should also make sure that all students have the opportunity to meet those standards. This includes insuring that all students leave third grade reading well enough to profit from subsequent instruction. The General Assembly also has a responsibility to make sure that all districts have the resources to provide all students with the opportunity to learn the skills needed for success in school and the workplace. Extra funding that is needed in high poverty schools could become part of the state's new foundation supplements. The idea of foundation financial support of foundation-skills development, as defined, might help insure adequate funding. Casting the need for foundation support of foundation skills as a serious economic problem may help motivate the public to solve it. Two tables illustrate the discussion. (Contains 15 references.) (SLD)

The large difference in average achievement test scores between white students and black students is exacerbated in Pennsylvania by the fact that 90% of the black students are enrolled in only 9% of the state's 500 school districts. The nature of this achievement gap was examined, focusing on the variation of the gap's size as measured within a school. In 154 elementary schools that served both black and white students, the achievement gap varied from very large to no gap at all. Using statistical procedures for studying many factors simultaneously, it was found that of the 88 school and home factors studied, providing more opportunities for preschool and kindergarten experiences for black students seems to have the best chance of reducing this achievement gap. Research also indicated that home stimulation had a positive effect on student performance. These results reinforce the need for Pennsylvania to address the first of the National Education Goals, starting school ready to learn, seriously. (Contains 3 figures, 1 table, and 12 references.) (SLD)

Comparison of student test scores between states, school districts, and even schools continues to be a popular measure of student achievement. However, these comparisons reveal little about the quality or effectiveness of educational programs, only the varying difficulty of educating different populations of students. This report uses U.S. Census data and information on Pennsylvania school districts to explain differences in the difficulty of the educational task. Demographic data on adult high school graduation rates, single-parent homes, and poverty levels can indicate the difficulty of educating students. Data indicate that as the percentage of children living in poverty in single-parent households with parents who did not graduate from high school increases, academic performance decreases. This analysis indicates that all three census variables affect student performance, and if any one were eliminated, performance could be expected to increase. Similarly, National Assessment of Educational Progress data from 42 states, when compared with census data, showed correlations between demographic characteristics and student performance. Changes should be made in how student test scores are compared and interpreted to provide a truer picture of student performance. (JPT)

Discussion of inequity in funding of Pennsylvania schools has tended to focus on differences between wealthy and poor school districts. In Pennsylvania, 180 school districts have filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the existing public school funding scheme. A study of the state's 500 school districts, grouped by market value of taxable property and personal income, examined another problem. From 1986 to 1991, poorer districts were forced to increase taxes to support schools while wealthier ones were able to reduce taxes. Since wealthier districts have faster-growing economies, their tax revenues for schools have grown faster than those in poorer districts. Consequently, poorer districts suffered a greater tax strain than wealthier ones. The state attempts to offset differences in district wealth through the Equalized Subsidy for Basic Education (ESBE). A National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) report recommends a three-tier approach to Pennsylvania school financing: (1) all districts would receive state funds for basic educational costs; (2) funds would be apportioned in relation to district-aid ratios; (3) and some funds would be raised solely by districts. Disparities in tax burden between districts is expected to worsen unless the state becomes involved in finding a solution. (JPT)

A state educational indicator system being developed by the Pennsylvania Educational Policy Studies (PEPS) project at the University of Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) is described. The extensive database that has been established as part of the PEPS project includes thousands of variables that are descriptive of the 500 Pennsylvania school districts. An indicator is defined as a numerical description of some important aspect of the educational system. Indicators will be joined in indicator systems according to models that facilitate analysis of the relationships existing among the indicators. A taxonomy of the types of indicators that are being developed serves as an initial organizing matrix, with three rows representing inputs, processes, and outcomes, and columns representing concerns for equity, quality, and efficiency. Some sample indicators for these concerns are discussed, with examples of the kinds of data that indicators encompass. From the indicators, models are derived that explain aspects of the educational system. Indicators will be useful in understanding the current educational system and how it is changing. This information will be useful for planning and for educating the public about the schools. Reader input is invited to help identify other indicators and to understand what valid inferences can be made from the indicators. Twenty-three figures and one table illustrate the indicators and models. (SLD)

The Test of Essential Learning and Literacy Skills (TELLS) has been administered to all Pennsylvania students in grades 3, 5, and 8 since 1985. An analysis of results from the 1,505 public elementary schools that served both third and fifth graders between 1986 and 1990 show that in 150 of these schools more than 50 percent of the students scored below the minimum skill level. The figures also indicated that no matter for what grades or years scores are analyzed, schools tend to be consistent in their performance ranking. The achievement differences among schools are almost completely predictable from the socioeconomic status (SES) indicators of the families being served by them. Simple solutions for raising the basic skill level of students from homes with low SES, such as raising teacher salaries or reducing pupil/teacher ratios, do not look promising. Higher salaries can increase applicant pool quality but will not necessarily raise teaching staff quality. Smaller classes can be helpful if instruction is designed to take advantage of it. Proposals for improvement include investing in preschool experiences that increase school readiness skills. Four tables illustrate the data analysis. (8 references) (EJS)

To identify 5-year trends in revenues and expenditures for Pennsylvania's 500 school districts and to show how fiscal trends interact with changes in variables such as student enrollment, statewide school financial data from 1984-85 through 1988-89 are analyzed. The figures indicated that financial trends include increases in total district expenditures, expenditures per pupil, state and local revenues, and teachers' salaries. A decrease in the pupil/teacher ratio was also evident. Variances between the richer and poorer districts show that state funding and local revenues have increased more for the richer districts even though they have decreased their local tax efforts whereas the poorer districts have increased their local tax rates. Although changes in expenditures such as transportation costs were unrelated to changes in student enrollment, regular program expenditures, such as the number of teachers, were highly related. Seven figures and four tables are provided to help illustrate financial trends. (EJS)

The explanatory observational study investigated the relationships among curriculum content, instructional activity, teachers' expectations and reading performance for 52 children in six primary grade classrooms for the learning disabled. The analysis illustrates the utility of structural modeling in clarifying the probable causal relationships among the five variables studied. The model explains over 80% of the variance in end of year reading performance and reveals the ways in which the explanatory variables influence each other. Such models which may explain student achievement are seen as necessary prerequisites to evaluating educational innovations. (Author/CL)

A needs assessment was conducted to determine the degree to which Pittsburgh Public Schools were meeting the educational needs of their students. Different groups were surveyed to determine their perceptions of conditions in the district. Data collection and analysis established the status of children's educational needs. The district's most serious problems were: improving student achievement in basic skills; implementing procedures for personnel evaluation; attracting and maintaining students; managing the impact of enrollment decline to control costs and increase quality; and developing a strategy for individual school improvement. The results were disseminated through interactive slide show sessions and written reports. Utilization of needs assessment results are of concern to evaluators. Three categories of use are instrumental, conceptual, and persuasive. Factors influencing utilization are timing; identification of a primary client; evaluation design; avoidance of political attacks; variety of research strategies; substantive knowledge of education as a process and structure; preliminary testing of survey instruments; atmosphere for presentation of results; and the credibility of data. The authors recommend a client orientation approach for school district evaluation. (DWH)

Uses Pennsylvania census-derived variables to show that state, district, and school comparisons of National Assessment of Educational Progress scores often reveal little about program effectiveness. Differences in test results are attributable to differences in difficulty of educational task, which is related to populations served by different states, districts, or schools. Student score adjustments, with substantial finance reforms, are essential. (MLH)

To evaluate classroom processes for teaching basic reading and mathematics, particularly individualized instruction in the context of compensatory education, a model of classroom processes was applied to disadvantaged children from 400 schools, grades one and three. The model specified that criterion performance is a function of initial student performance and four classroom processes: opportunity, motivators, instructional events, and structure. Criterion performance was measured by achievement gains on the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills. A list of observable and measurable variables for each process was identified. Opportunity was the most powerful predictor of achievement gain. The most important findings for policy makers are the lack of clear evidence regarding the superiority of individualized instruction for compensatory education, and the insignificant relationship between extent of pull-out instruction and achievement. The strongest predictor of achievement gains, opportunity, refers to the degree of overlap between what was taught in a specific classroom and end-of-year achievement test content, as estimated by the teacher and by curriculum content analysts. The data imply that what is taught is more important than how. The appendix includes a rationale for the four processes and their respective variables, commonality analysis results, and correlations with gain for each predictor variable. (CP)