On October 20, 2010, The Education Policy and Leadership Center honored Governor Edward G. Rendell with the Edward Donley Education Policy Leadership Award at the Center's annual awards reception.

Edward G. Rendell was elected Governor in 2002 and re-elected in 2006. Throughout his eight years as Governor, he has prioritized education policy issues. With his leadership during this period, Pennsylvania has made great strides toward providing a high-quality education for every child. 

The Center for Education Policy - a leading national educational research organization - cited Pennsylvania as the only state to make across-the-board academic gains from 2002 to 2008. This accomplishment no doubt reflects many of the education policy initiatives of the Rendell Administration.

During Governor Rendell’s two terms, Pennsylvania began to provide funding for pre-kindergarten programs and now thousands of young children have access to these important school district and community programs. Other initiatives such as Classrooms for the Future and Dual Enrollment have expanded access to technology and post-secondary programs especially for high school students.

The Governor’s commitment to strengthening requirements for prospective teachers as well as professional development requirements for teachers and administrators has moved Pennsylvania forward to ensure a strong educator workforce. New regulations pertaining to high school graduation in future years are designed to better ensure high school graduates are ready for success in workplace and post-secondary education. For college students, new efforts at articulation agreements within the college community better assure students earning credits at more than one institution can graduate with lesser requirements for costly and redundant course-taking.

Perhaps most significantly, Governor Rendell has been the Commonwealth’s most important advocate for improved funding for public education. His tenacious and unrelenting commitment to increasing state funding for school districts, initially through Accountability Block Grants, and during the past three years primarily through a new funding formula based upon the 2007 Costing-Out Study, has resulted in a rational K-12 basic education funding formula and significant increases in funds for school districts. These new funds have emphasized closing opportunity gaps for students and have been accompanied by accountability provisions intended to assure dollars are spent effectively.

Governor Rendell has indeed established “Education Champion” as a major part of his legacy as Governor of Pennsylvania.

The Center also recognized with the EPLC Partner Award the Children's Coalition of the Lehigh Valley and the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials.

The Children’s Coalition of the Lehigh Valley (CCLV) has been a very important partner with EPLC, often co-sponsoring public forums as well as workshops for school board and legislative candidates. The Children’s Coalition also has hosted and co-sponsored EPLC’s Parent and Community Leadership Institute program in the Lehigh Valley on several occasions..

During the past three years, as a key partner with EPLC and other organizations working together as the Pennsylvania School Funding Campaign, leaders of the Children’s Coalition have made major contributions to the organizing and implementation of advocacy efforts to support K-12 school funding reform.

Established in 1993 under the auspices of the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, the Children’s Coalition of the Lehigh Valley is a community based, nonpartisan advocacy organization with the mission to advocate for the creation and support of policies and practices that protect and promote the well-being of children in the Lehigh Valley. The Children’s Coalition focuses its advocacy for children and their families on educating and engaging the community on the value of quality early childhood education, on the need for adequate and equitable public school funding, and to ensure the health, safety and security of children.

The Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials (PASBO) has played a major role in EPLC’s policy forums, leadership and candidate workshops, finance symposiums, and other major events throughout the past twelve years. PASBO staff and leaders have given generously of their time to serve as speakers and panelists for these events several times every year in all regions of the state. PASBO also has provided an annual scholarship for one or more school district business managers to participate in EPLC’s year-long Education Policy Fellowship Program. In addition, PASBO has played a major role on the Steering Committee and Management Team of the Pennsylvania School Funding Campaign since its inception, and has been a key partner to EPLC in all of the advocacy work to improve school funding in Pennsylvania.

PASBO is a professional association whose members are engaged in or provide products and services for school business management. Currently, PASBO has more than 3,000 members who are primarily employed full time by K-12 local education agencies in Pennsylvania, including school districts, intermediate units, and career and technical centers. PASBO programs and services promote the highest standards of school business management practices, member recognition, professional growth and the effective use of educational resources. The association strives to continually provide professional and personal development opportunities to the membership through its workshop program, its annual conference and exhibits, specialty events and informative publications. The association also disseminates state legislative and executive branch information to school business officials.

In addition, the Center presented the EPLC Leadership Program Alumni Award to Lynn M. Cromley and Carey Harris.

Lynn Cromley graduated with the 2004-2005 class of EPLC’s nationally-recognized Education Policy Fellowship Program. She has generously given of her time whenever asked to serve as a resource for various EPLC policy and leadership programs.

Since 1995, Lynn has served as the Director of the Center for Schools and Communities, a statewide training and technical assistance organization located in Camp Hill. Under Lynn’s direction, the Center has established multiple statewide networks and conducted evaluation with university partners in an effort to improve the body of knowledge on effective education policies, services and practices.

The Center for Schools and Communities is a division of the Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit, where Lynn has held a number of positions since joining the staff in 1983. Throughout her career, at both the state and regional levels, Ms. Cromley has been instrumental in the development and implementation of an array of K-12 education programs and services intended to improve outcomes for students through effective policy and practice.

Lynn is currently a Doctoral student at Temple University, and she also earned her Master’s Degree in Education Administration from Temple and her Bachelor’s Degree from Bloomsburg University.

Carey Harris graduated with the 2004-2005 class of EPLC’s nationally-recognized Education Policy Fellowship Program and remains an active member of EPLC’s statewide Leadership Network. She is a regular participant in EPLC policy programs in Western Pennsylvania and a consistently supportive voice for the work of EPLC.

Carey is the Executive Director of A+ Schools which is an independent advocate for improvement in public education that informs, engages and mobilizes families, youth and the community in the issues of governance, equity and teaching. 

Prior to joining A+ Schools in 2003, Carey was the Executive Director of South Side Local Development Company, a community development organization that develops residential and commercial real estate, develops and manages community plans, and engages in a variety of programs to develop South Pittsburgh. Before joining South Side LDC, Carey worked at the Mon Valley Initiative as a community organizer.

In her recent work with A+ Schools, Carey has implemented the organization’s annual “Report to the Community on Public School Progress,” detailing individual district and charter school information including achievement results, demographics, and programmatic information. A+ Schools also runs Board Watch, a citizen-led effort where volunteers are trained to observe and evaluate Pittsburgh Public School board governance results which are then used to issue report cards on the school board. Carey also manages A+ Schools' School Works, an action research program where volunteers are recruited and trained to interview staff about teaching and learning conditions in schools, and conducts research for the purposes of defining the issues the community can act upon.

Carey earned a Master’s Degree in Social Work and a Master’s of Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Temple University and is a Certified Economic Development Professional.