Education Law Center

ELC provides legal and advocacy support to the SEPA CPER groups to ensure they are routinely informed by, and (when appropriate) make express reference to, applicable legal mandates in order to help ensure:

• The new leadership of the Philadelphia School District makes and implements specific commitments to engage students and parents in decision-making concerning high school improvement;
• The Philadelphia School District adopts a policy supporting small high schools as a reform strategy;
• The new teachers' contract contains meaningful incentives and/or other provisions aimed at improving teacher quality at the district's hard-to-staff schools;
• Organizing groups are recognized by the district and schools as necessary partners in school improvement planning, receive relevant information and have their demands and proposals seriously considered;
• Pennsylvania adopts new school funding measures that reflect findings of the statewide "costing-out study;
• Pennsylvania adopts accountability provisions; and
• Pennsylvania establishes some mechanism (such as a legislative commission) for review and revision of state funding levels on an ongoing basis.

Additionally, by serving as the fiscal sponsor for the Cross-City Campaign coordinator, ELC helps the SEPA CPER-funded groups collaborate with one other and build broader support for their campaigns.