Chris Clayton

For those that may be interested, out now is the PA Newsmaker TV Program episode where I join host, PSEA President Aaron Chapin, to discuss AI in the classroom, schools, and our world...

Check it out if you have a couple of minutes and are so inclined at:

youtu.be/pdjS6Xzlmes?...

PSEA President Aaron Chapin hosts Sunday's PA Newsmakers where he sits down with 2025 National TOY Ashlie Crosson to talk about her story. PSEA Assistant Director of Ed. Services Dr. Chris Clayton also talks about the impact of AI in our schools and communities. Watch: 11:30 a.m. on WGAL-TV.

It's about to be a great week of travel, connections, & professional learning presentations across Western PA.

Really looking forward to spending some time with Student PSEA Members at PennWest Clarion and PennWest Edinboro as well as W & SW Region PSEA members at their Leadership Conference!

We can't wait until Sunday either... you can watch the full segment now at newsmakerstv.com/shows/all-ab....

Woodland Hills teachers applaud newly approved 5-year contract A new five-year teacher contract will take effect in July at the Woodland Hills School District following a 9-0 board vote Wednesday night.

"'A common goal was to bring our bottom starting salary up to $60K by the end. So that’s a movement the PSEA has been pushing for, and we were able to achieve that in this,' explained Brad Zolnak, a Woodland Hills teacher & president of Woodland Hills EA."

“We need our mentoring teachers to share their wisdom, guidance, & experience with student teachers. Of course, that adds to their already heavy workload, but they see the value & make the sacrifice. Now we can reward them for what they share with the next generation of teachers."

Gov. Shapiro visits Lehigh Valley to tout grants for student teachers Governor Josh Shapiro stopped by Farmersville Elementary in Bethlehem Twp. Monday to rally support for a program offering stipends to student teachers.

"But since the PA Student Teacher Support Program's inception, applicants have far outnumbered available grants, the governor said. Ahead of the 2024-25 academic year, nearly 4300 people applied for a student teaching grant; about 2,200 got a check."

In less than 24 hours, 3,062 aspiring educators have submitted applications to PHEAA for student teacher stipends in the 25-26 school year. PSEA renewed its call for a state investment of at least $50M for stipends in the FY 25-26 budget. Full statement: buff.ly/amQSaMF

The Learning Launchpad is here!

"We Are" thrilled to announce that the annual Student PSEA State Conference and Convention on March 28-29, 2025 at the Penn Stater Hotel in State College, PA is now open for registration at: lnkd.in/eQ6Pp-Ut

@pseaorg.bsky.social @msoskil.bsky.social

We Are so excited to announce the second annual PA Educators Rising 2025 State Conference is open!

See: lnkd.in/egQRf3tj

The event takes place March 28, at the Penn Stater Hotel in State College & is for all PA Educators Rising high school students interested in a career as an educator.

Pennsylvania denies AI cyber charter school application Unbound Academy promised students would learn “twice as fast” with AI tutors instead of traditional teachers. The state of Pennsylvania said the school did not provide enough evidence to support that.

“‘There is no way that two hours of AI-guided learning in core subjects could replace direct instruction from a certified teacher or meet state academic standards,' Pennsylvania State Education Association President Aaron Chapin said in a statement." www.chalkbeat.org/philadelphia...

Teacherless AI-powered cyber charter school denied by Shapiro administration Pennsylvania Department of Education issued a scathing rejection of Unbound Academy, an AI-powered cyber charter school. However, the state’s charter school laws will allow the school to reapply in…

"'Pennsylvania’s nearly three-decade-old charter school law never envisioned a cyber school where human teachers were replaced with an AI program,' Aaron Chapin, President of the Pennsylvania State Education Association, said in a statement."

New podcast episode drop! Aaron and Jeff sit down with Brittney Ehrenzeller to hear how she started an Ed. Rising chapter at Phoenixville Area H.S. & hopefully inspire more future teacher leaders to start a chapter in their schools.

🎧 Full podcast: buff.ly/4hcU9CX

It's Ed. Rising Week! We're proud to be the PA state coordinator of this incredible, nationwide program designed to grow the next generation of educators.

Ed. Rising PA is growing rapidly, with dozens of students, school districts, & teacher leaders working hard to refill the educator pipeline.

Millions of dollars in stipends are being paid to student teachers in Pennsylvania The payments are part of an ongoing effort to address teacher shortages. See how the money impacted one student teacher in advancing her career.

"Because of limited funding for the program in its first year, not all eligible student teachers are receiving stipends. The Pennsylvania State Education Association is asking the state for $50 million in funding next year so more aspiring teachers have these opportunities."

Student teacher stipends have been life-changing for more than 2,000 aspiring educators across PA, including Melanie Williams, who recently completed her student teaching in the Centennial School District and was a guest in the state House chamber for Gov. Shapiro’s budget address on Feb. 4.

PA budget proposal boosts public education, student-teacher stipends Gov. Josh Shapiro's proposed state budget includes a significant increase for public education to address Pennsylvania's school funding issues and educator shortage. The proposed budget would boost…

"It honestly was a huge relief when I saw I'd gotten the stipend. Because if not, I would have had to work a part-time job on top of student teaching, which would have been really difficult for me... I didn't have to take out any loans."