Continuing Legal Education Programs and Workshops

Upcoming Continuing Legal Education Programs:

The State Constitution Education Clause: Educational Equity and School Finance: What Type of Education Does the State Have to Provide, PACLE approved for 3 substantive credits, April 19, 27, and May 4. Philadelphia, PA. **Note that April 13 session has been postponed until May 4.

PRESENTER: Sheilah D. Vance, Esq., President and General Counsel

The purpose of this continuing legal education program is to help attorney litigators, solicitors, administrators, legislators, and public policy advocates understand the importance of the state education clause to contemporary issues in educational equity and school financing.

The CLE will explain:

Ø why the state constitution education clause is important, a review of state constitution education clauses nationwide,

Ø the relationship between the state’s role in education and the federal role in education, from case law declaring that there is no federal right to education to federal education programs such as No Child Left Behind, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,

Ø the common threads in the language of various state education clauses,

Ø state education clause jurisprudence, focusing on how the clauses have been interpreted historically and today in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Kentucky, Colorado, and Washington,

Ø pending education clause litigation, focusing on Texas, California, and Illinois, and

Ø the impact that current federal laws and administrative regulations, like No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top, and state administrative programs, like the Common Core Standards in Math and English Language Arts that are being implemented in 48 states, have on the state’s role in education and the education clauses.

Understanding and Applying the Pennsylvania Education Clause, PACLE approved for 1 substantive credit, April 20, May 21, Philadelphia, PA.

PRESENTER: Sheilah D. Vance, Esq., President and General Counsel

The purpose of this CLE is to help the participant understand the education clause in the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and how it has been interpreted in the context of educational equity and public school financing—two areas of special interest in contemporary education law, legislative and public policy. This course should be helpful to attorney litigators, solicitors, administrators, legislators, and public policy advocates who are seeking to make changes in education administration, policy, planning and finance and to understand how the state constitution education clause can support those changes.

Topics covered include:

what the state constitution education clause says and why it is important,
how the state constitution education clause has been interpreted in the context of educational equity and financing,
how Pennsylvania courts' interpretation of the education clause compares to the interpretation of clauses with similar language in other states,
review of pending legislation to change the clause and/or its intepretation,
review of pending litigation related to the clause, and
how the clause can be applied to current public school financing and equity challenges.

Education in the 50 States: Understanding and Applying the History of State Constitutions and Laws About Education, PACLE approved for 2 substantive credits, April 30, May 15, June 4, Philadelphia, PA.

Presenter: Sheilah D. Vance, Esq., President and General Counsel, Institute for Educational Equity and Opportunity

Influenced by the Institute for Educational Equity and Opportunity's book, Education in the 50 States: A Deskbook of the History of State Constitutions and Laws About Education, the purpose of this CLE is to give the participant a unique look at the early federal and state role in education and how that is being used to influence contemporary education law in equity and financing on the state and federal level; to provide more information about the legislative history of the education clauses in all 50 states; and to illustrate why understanding this legislative history is important to current litigation and policymaking.

AGENDA

Part I

Overview of the early federal role in education (from the original founders through the early territories), focusing on the legislative histories, statutes, and administrative materials.
- The role of the Continental Congress
- The U. S. Constitution
- The Northwest Ordinance

Part II

Overview of how the state's role in public education originated and evolved, focusing on the legislative histories, state constitution education clauses, statutes, and administrative materials.
- The focus will be on Pennsylvania, Colorado, Washington State, Kentucky, and New Jersey
- All 50 states' early history will be covered with discussion of the regional history and time period sections in Education in the 50 Sates

Part III

Overview of how the early legislative history of state constitution education clauses has influenced contemporary jurisprudence

--common themes in current education clause jurisprudence

--Focus on state education clauses and court opinions interpreting those clauses in Pennsylvania, Colorado, Washington, Kentucy, and New Jersey:

Implications and influences of contemporary education clause jurisprudence on policymaking.