Pennsylvania
State Governance
State Board of Education
The Pennsylvania state board of education consists of 17 members, each serving a six-year term. Board members are appointed by the governor and must be confirmed by the senate. Majority and minority chairs of the legislative Education Committees comprise four additional state board members. The chairperson of the Professional Standards and Practices Commission is a nonvoting ex-officio member of the board.
The state board has the authority over:
- Content Standards Adoption
- Teacher Licensure
- Summative Assessments
- Authorizing Charter Schools, Among Other Authorizers
Governor
Chief State School Officer
Pedro A. Rivera
Appointed by the governor
State Context
State Demographics
Public Education Enrollment by Special Populations:
Free and Reduced Price Lunch: 43.1%
English Language Learners: 2.8%
Served by IDEA: 16.7%
2015 NAEP State Data
Reading scores for Grade 4 by state average, race/ethnicity, and NSLP-eligibility compared to the national average:
Reading scores for Grade 4 by race/ethnicity between 2003 and 2015, additional national average data is included:
Mathematics scores for Grade 8 by state average, race/ethnicity, and NSLP-eligibility compared to the national average:
Mathematics scores for Grade 8 by race/ethnicity between 2003 and 2015, additional national average data is included:
Graduation Rates
Adjusted cohort graduation rates between 2011 and 2015:
Charter Schools
Year Charter School Law was Enacted: 1997
Number of Charter Schools in the 2014-15 Year: 176
Number of Students Served by Charter Schools in the 2014-15 Year: 132,531
Charter School Cap Law: None
ESSA Plan & Implementation
Learn about Pennsylvania’s ESSA plan.