Parents work to rejuvenate a public school
It was a two-page wish list, full of goals both lofty and practical: "reopen the school libary," "establish a language program," remove "bars/grates/fencing if possible."
A handful of playground moms brainstormed the plan and presented it to a Philadelphia School District official last fall as a blueprint for a vibrant neighborhood school.
The school, Andrew Jackson Elementary at 12th and Federal, has failed to meet state standards for several years running. Seventy-six percent of its students are poor. Student outcomes have caused the district to classify Jackson an "empowerment" school, among the lowest performers in the city.
Still, the moms want to send their children, now toddlers, there. With the encouragement of the district, the dozen core members of the Passyunk Square Civic Association's education committee - architects, stay-at-home moms, a lawyer, even two women who don't yet have children - plan to check off every item on that list, from installing a science lab to incorporating yoga programs into classroom routines.
All they've got to do, they figure, is reshape curriculum and teaching, lower class size, and sell Jackson to a neighborhood highly skeptical of city public schools.
The needs of the nondescript brick school building are big, but they will raise money, they swear. They will volunteer and scrub and recruit and work with officials and do whatever it takes to make Jackson a top public school.
"We can make the most impact at a school that's struggling," said Terry Jack, one of the moms. "We can
District chooses 6 nonprofits as potential Renaissance school operators
District support staff gets raise in new contract
A handful of playground moms brainstormed the plan and presented it to a Philadelphia School District official last fall as a blueprint for a vibrant neighborhood school.
The school, Andrew Jackson Elementary at 12th and Federal, has failed to meet state standards for several years running. Seventy-six percent of its students are poor. Student outcomes have caused the district to classify Jackson an "empowerment" school, among the lowest performers in the city.
Still, the moms want to send their children, now toddlers, there. With the encouragement of the district, the dozen core members of the Passyunk Square Civic Association's education committee - architects, stay-at-home moms, a lawyer, even two women who don't yet have children - plan to check off every item on that list, from installing a science lab to incorporating yoga programs into classroom routines.
All they've got to do, they figure, is reshape curriculum and teaching, lower class size, and sell Jackson to a neighborhood highly skeptical of city public schools.
The needs of the nondescript brick school building are big, but they will raise money, they swear. They will volunteer and scrub and recruit and work with officials and do whatever it takes to make Jackson a top public school.
"We can make the most impact at a school that's struggling," said Terry Jack, one of the moms. "We can
District chooses 6 nonprofits as potential Renaissance school operators
Six nonprofits have been selected to radically reform nine failing Philadelphia School District schools, officials announced Tuesday. Five organizations currently operate charters and are planning to turn district schools into charter schools. Another wants to take over schools but staff them with district teachers.
District support staff gets raise in new contract
More than 3,000 Philadelphia school aides, bus drivers, building engineers, cleaners, and maintenance workers have a new contract. The four-year pact between the Philadelphia School District and 32BJ Service Employees International Union District 1201 gives workers an 8 percent wage increase, employer-paid health care, and training.