Law and Regulation
Founders
Free School Act of 1834
Mandates and Trends
School Boards in Pennsylvania
100
The mid-20th century consolidation of Pennsylvania laws pertaining to the public school system, and also to private and parochial schools.
What is the Public School Code of 1949?
100
True or False: Thomas Jefferson believed that education should be under the control of religious organizations.
What is false? Jefferson believed that education should be under the control of the government, free from religious biases, and available to all people
100
This Pennsylvania law established a free school system in each ward, township, and borough.
What is the Free School Act of 1834?
100
This Pennsylvania law requires all records to be considered public, unless under certain exemptions.
What is the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know law?
100
Today, there are this many school boards in Pennsylvania.
What is 500?
200
The 1954 Supreme Court decision that declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional.
What is Brown v. Board of Education?
200
True or False: William Penn believed that children of wealthy parents only, should receive a good education in the colony of Quakers that became the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
What is false? The Quakers' “frame” (constitution) recommended that “… poor as well as rich may be instructed in good and commendable learning...”
200
True or false: The Pennsylvania Free School Act of 1834 provided for the election of local school directors to form a school board, whose duties were to supervise the formation of public schools and certify teachers.
What is true?
200
True or False: School districts must allow home-schooled students to participate in extracurricular activities.
What is true?
200
The length of a school board member's term (currently).
What is four years?
300
The Pennsylvania law that sets an inflation index each year that serves as a cap on each school district’s allowable tax increase unless the district either obtains approval from the voters to increase taxes above the index OR applies and qualifies for one of the limited and specific referendum exceptions provided in the Act.
What is Act 1 of 2006?
300
Benjamin Franklin's model of a quasi-public school system with two parts – the Latin School (teaching the classics) and the English School (instruction in English).
What is the Academy model?
300
True or false: All Pennsylvanians supported the Free School Act of 1834.
What is false? Some parents reacted negatively because there was already a network of Protestant parochial schools, and the Pennsylvania Germans saw these new schools where English was the language of instruction, as a threat to their traditions.
300
This testing is a graduation requirement and used for federal reporting purposes.
What are the Keystone Exams?
300
Prompted by changes in public education, a group of Pennsylvania school directors, created the beginnings of PSBA in this year.
What is 1895?
400
This 1970 law allowed public school teachers in Pennsylvania to strike.
What is Act 195?
400
Joseph Nice, who came to America to study the schools and make recommendations on their governance, said the schools should be under this kind of control.
What is state? (as opposed to federal).
400
Duties included general administration of the schools; authority to determine the number of schools; pay necessary expenses; and “appoint capable teachers at liberal salaries.
What were the duties of a school board director under the Free School Act of 1834?
400
True or False: PSSA's have been totally replaced by other exams.
What is false? In grades 3-8, PSSA's are still given in reading, writing, math, and science In grade 11, the PSSA replaced by Keystone Exams for Algebra I, Literature, and Biology Also in grade 11, the PSSA was a graduation requirement, but now is an option for local assessment
400
True or false, in the mid-1900's (1955) there were fewer school districts in Pennsylvania
What is false? In 1955, there were 2,437 school districts in Pennsylvania.
500
This Pennsylvania law required financial disclosure by all elected or appointed public officials.
What is Act 170, the Public Officials' Ethics Law
500
April 11, 1835
What is the date of Thaddeus Stevens' speech to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, which is credited to saving the Free School Act of 1834 -- considered to be a turning point in public education.
500
DAILY DOUBLE! Lancaster and Philadelphia.
What are the first two school districts? Philadelphia in 1818 and Lancaster in 1821
500
16
What is the number of cyber-charter schools in Pennsylvania?
500
9
What is the number of school board members on a Pennsylvania School Board?
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