Penn Literacy Network is a Key Partner in a 3-year HS Professional Development Initiative with Annenberg and the PA Department of Education...more >

PAHSCI HELPS TEST SCORES RISE
Education is a shared priority, and the Pennsylvania General Assembly
right now is working with Gov. Ed Rendell to target limited state resources
to programs proven to enhance student achievement. Serious consideration should be given to PAHSCI, where results demonstrate the success of one-on-one instructional coaching, mentoring, and professional
development.

Over the last two years PAHSCI schools have shown progress in reading and math standardized test scores. With the help of instructional coaching in the PLN framework, eighteen schools exceeded the state in the percentage of students earning advanced or proficient in math, and fifteen schools in reading. SciTech High School, part of the Harrisburg School District, has a student population of which 86% is classified as economically disadvantaged, and is racially diverse (78% African American, 11% Hispanic, 7% Caucasian, and 4% Asian). After two years of participation in PAHSCI, the percent of students scoring proficient or advanced increased from 50% to 73% in Reading; 50% to 99% in Writing; and 31% to 38% in Math. This work’s success has led to a fourth year extension of the grant and a long-term commitment of $1.4 million a year by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.  more >

Preliminary data from the last two years show marked progress in math
and reading scores in schools supported by the Pennsylvania High School
Coaching Initiative (PAHSCI). Eighteen of 21 schools with data for 2004
and 2007 exceeded the state percentage change in the proportion of students reaching “advanced” or “proficient” in math, and 15 of 21 schools
exceeded the same in reading. ...more >

'Ticket-Out': Educators' Experiences with PAHSCI Coursework 
Penn Literacy Network documents their work in the Pennsylvania High School Coaching Initiative in a research report. ...more >

Press Release: PA COACHING INITIATIVE APPLAUDS GOVERNOR RENDELL FOR BUDGET COMMITMENT TO EDUCATION.

ASK MORT - Conversations with PLN's Founder:
As Senior Advisor and founder of PLN, I used the Blackboard Academic Suite, to respond to issues/concerns of self selected teachers who were enrolled in PLN seminars throughout the state. This enabled interested teachers to pose questions or present issues that were related to the objectives of the seminars. In the rest of this piece I present their questions and my responses with a few edits to make them coherent. I feel privileged to have had this opportunity. ...more>

Pennsyvania High School Initiative Web Site PAHSCI