Category: State Government Actions

Report: Proposed Head Start Changes Would Adversely Affect Children (August 21, 2026)

According to a report by the Children’s Equity Project at Arizona State University, which included a 50-state policy analysis of state childcare licensing standards, as researchers compared states’ licensing standards to existing federal Head Start quality standards they found the quality of early care and learning programs with regard to state standards is too often not aligned with best practices and research. In fact, the report claims that proposed changes in federal standards by the Trump administration would result in most toddlers experiencing worse adult-to-child ratios and only two states would meet Head Start lead teacher qualification requirements. The report also revealed that if Head Start programs would began to follow state childcare licensing standards instead of the federal performance quality standards that have been in place for years, only five states would require Head Start centers to be accessible to children with disabilities, only about a third of states would require programs to accommodate children with disabilities in classroom activities, and there would be uneven implementation of disciplinary approaches whereby some states would  allow or not explicitly ban abusive language, rest-related punishment, physical restraint, and locked or dark-room timeouts.

The report also found that “high-quality early childhood experiences are unevenly distributed, varying based on state, program type, funding stream, and zip code.” It also avers that “State licensing answers one question: What is the minimum set of standards required so children are not in danger? By contrast, Head Start asks: What conditions produce lifelong improvements for children’s development, health, learning, and family well-being?”

For more details from K-12 Dive, click here.

Report: Proposed Head Start Changes Would Adversely Affect Children (August 19, 2026)

According to a report by the Children’s Equity Project at Arizona State University, which included a 50-state policy analysis of state childcare licensing standards, as researchers compared states’ licensing standards to existing federal Head Start quality standards they found the quality of early care and learning programs with regard to state standards is too often not aligned with best practices and research. In fact, the report claims that proposed changes in federal standards by the Trump administration would result in most toddlers experiencing worse adult-to-child ratios and only two states would meet Head Start lead teacher qualification requirements. The report also revealed that if Head Start programs would began to follow state childcare licensing standards instead of the federal performance quality standards that have been in place for years, only five states would require Head Start centers to be accessible to children with disabilities, only about a third of states would require programs to accommodate children with disabilities in classroom activities, and there would be uneven implementation of disciplinary approaches whereby some states would  allow or not explicitly ban abusive language, rest-related punishment, physical restraint, and locked or dark-room timeouts.

The report also found that “high-quality early childhood experiences are unevenly distributed, varying based on state, program type, funding stream, and zip code.” It also avers that “State licensing answers one question: What is the minimum set of standards required so children are not in danger? By contrast, Head Start asks: What conditions produce lifelong improvements for children’s development, health, learning, and family well-being?”

For more details from K-12 Dive, click here.

Office Hours for Act 13 & the FRCPP (August 14, 2026)

Act 13 Office Hours provide guidance and support on implementing Act 13 Educator Effectiveness requirements and processes. Each session provides answers to frequently asked questions and includes an open forum for participants to ask additional questions. To view the schedule of Act 13 Office Hours for the 2026-27 school year and to register, visit the Educator Effectiveness page on the SAS website under the Office Hours tab.

The Future Ready Comprehensive Planning Portal (FRCPP) Office Hours is an open session for attendees to ask questions about the plans and reports housed within FRCPP. Sessions are held the first Wednesday of the month from 2:30–3:30pm virtually via Microsoft Teams. After logging into the FRCPP through MyPDESuite, the passcode and meeting ID for these sessions can be found in the bottom left corner of FRCPP’s home screen.

Funding Opportunity: PDE Grant to Prioritize School Psychology Interns in High-Need Districts (August 12, 2026)

The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has been awarded federal School-Based Mental Health Services (SBMHS) grant funding to launch the “Prioritizing Attracting, Preparing, and Retaining School Psychologists” initiative. This program specifically targets the critical shortage of school psychologists in identified high-need and rural districts across the Commonwealth.

Through this grant, students planning to intern in these priority districts for the upcoming academic year may be eligible for a supplemental stipend. Applications for stipends will be processed based on districts indicating they have secured a school psychology intern for the upcoming school year.
Key Program Details:
• Selective Funding: Awards are not guaranteed. Applications will be reviewed using a competitive rubric, with funding assigned to the highest-scoring districts first until funds are exhausted. We are currently accepting applications on a rolling basis until funding has been exhausted.
• District Eligibility: Only interns placed in districts on the identified eligible list (meeting specific high-need criteria) are eligible for this additional funding. Districts not on this list are ineligible for these specific supplemental funds.


Application Process
Eligible districts who have an intern can complete the Rolling Enrollment: Prioritizing Attracting, Preparing, and Retaining School Psychologists in High-Needs LEAs application<https://forms.cloud.microsoft/g/2fY9jWZUGu>.

Quick Q&A
Which districts are eligible for this funding? Eligibility is limited to high-need and rural Local Education Agencies (LEAs).
How is “High-Need” defined? Eligible districts are defined as those with high student-to-school psychologist staffing ratios and high rates of economic disadvantage. This federal grant also provides additional rubric points for districts identified as rural, reflecting the rural focus of the program. Funding allocation prioritizes districts with the highest psychologist-to-student ratios (indicating significant staffing shortages) and higher percentages of students identified as economically disadvantaged.
How much funding do interns receive? Interns from in-state graduate programs receive $25,000 and are encouraged to apply for the PA HELPS grant, which can bring the total internship funding to $50,000. Interns from out-of-state programs receive $30,000 to supplement the Out-of-State School Psychologist (OOSP) grant through BSE, also bringing the total funding to approximately $50,000.
Who is eligible to apply? Interns from both in-state and out-of-state graduate programs are eligible if they are placed in an identified high-need or rural Pennsylvania LEA.
When we districts receive notification regarding funding decision? Funding determinations will be made by June 15, 2026, and all districts who have applied will be receive written notification of decision.
What are the requirements for recipients? Participants must agree to complete their entire internship in an identified eligible district.
Are there other benefits besides the stipend? Yes. The grant covers Praxis exam fees ($156) and provides specialized PREPaRE Workshop 2 training and materials at no cost to the intern and their supervisor.
When are payments disbursed? Supplemental payments are issued in two installments to the district: one in December and one in May of the internship year.
What is required of the district? Districts must agree that all grant funding will be provided directly to the intern. Districts must also allow the intern and their supervisor to attend training provided by the PaTTAN/PDE team, including PREPaRE training, which helps strengthen the capacity of both the intern and the supervisor. In addition, districts must provide quality supervision, host site visits, and complete an end-of-year survey.

Contacts
Questions on the grant can be directed to either contact below:
Dr. Angela McMasters (amcmasters@pattanpgh.net) – Program Manager
Dr. Dana Milakovic (damilakovi@pa.gov) – Program Director

Click here to view the SBMH List by IU.

PA Joins ITMC to Make it Easier for Out-of-State Educators to Teach in Penna., Strengthen Teacher Pipeline (August 11, 2026)

On August 6, 2026, PA Department of Education (PDE) Secretary Dr. Carrie Rowe announced that Pennsylvania has officially joined the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact (ITMC), a multi-state agreement designed to make it easier for licensed, qualified teachers to move between states and get quickly back to work in the classroom — opening up a new avenue to strengthen Pennsylvania’s teacher pipeline and help schools hire experienced teachers.

The ITMC allows educators who hold eligible licenses in member states to more efficiently obtain equivalent certification in another member state. The ITMC is intended to reduce barriers for qualified educators, particularly those in military families, and to help states address persistent educator shortages.

Joining the ITMC helps member states expand their educator pipeline by lowering administrative barriers for out-of-state teachers and increasing the pool of qualified applicants for Pennsylvania schools, particularly in hard-to-staff subject areas and regions. It also provides support for military families by reducing licensure barriers for military spouses, reinforcing Pennsylvania’s commitment to workforce participation and family stability.