He found little purpose in school but decided to finish
He walked into the room, took off his hat, and introduced himself with a firm handshake – not exactly the behavior one would expect of an “out-of-school youth.”Actually, Mykel (his full name is being...
View ArticleTaking action in sixth grade to prevent future dropouts
A recent study looking for predictors of students likely to drop out has found that as early as sixth grade there are powerful warning signs pointing to children at extreme risk.Following up on the...
View ArticleEscuelas abren . . . pero algunos no regresan
En septiembre las escuelas superiores de Filadelfia abren sus puertas, dándole la bienvenida a miles de estudiantes nuevos que sienten la mezcla de entusiasmo y ansiedad que desde tiempos de antaño se...
View ArticleSound bites don't capture test score results
“Strong progress, but a long way to go,” is how the summer's news about test scores in the School District has often been reported.But this neat sound bite does not adequately describe the current...
View ArticleYouth pushed aside
The word “dropout” often conjures up a negative image – someone who does not care about school or about getting ahead in life.But dismissing dropouts as young people who don't care sweeps under the...
View ArticleParent questions hostile treatment
To the editors:I am the parent of a fifth-grader who has attended schools in West Philadelphia since kindergarten. Whenever I have needed to contact the school regarding my child, I have been greeted...
View ArticleNew efforts to stem flow of dropouts from Philadelphia schools
Young people in Philadelphia who have left school have most likely experienced one of the defining features of the city's massive dropout problem – the invisibility of out-of-school youth.Dozens of...
View ArticleDetermined teen mom: why didn't her credits add up?
Born in Jersey City and raised in North Philadelphia, 18-year-old Stephanie Jackson never intended to drop out of high school.A mother at 17, and the youngest of three sisters, she describes having...
View ArticleStudent activists attend youth research camp
When Jerry Zuviri observed his “teacher” raising her voice at his friend Malcolm Seawright, he knew just what to do. He quickly rose from his seat, loudly called out “Pause!” and stopped the entire...
View ArticleTwo communities develop new high school designs
After months of meetings to help determine the design of new buildings for Kensington and West Philadelphia High Schools, community participants in both neighborhoods expect to finalize their design...
View ArticleAt the SRC . . .
In September, the School Reform Commission approved the following:-A new and stiffer promotion policy for 2005-06 The District promises to review and get public input before implementing a long-term...
View ArticleComings and Goings
At District HQ: Gregory Shannon has been named Assistant Superintendent in the office of Transition and Alternative Education. . . . Deputy Chief Safety Officer James B. Golden Jr., takes over acting...
View ArticleOfficials: new measures needed on out-of-school youth
Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell supports an initiative that would assign individual identifying codes to students in the ninth grade, as a way to eliminate the “invisibility” of school dropouts and...
View ArticleWill new high schools combat old problems?
When eighth-grade students this month select which high school they’d like to attend next year, they’ll have five more schools to choose from than the class before them, with new choices built around...
View ArticleAt the SRC . . .
In October, the School Reform Commission considered but did not yet approve the following resolutions (an October action meeting for voting on resolutions was postponed to November 9):-Authorization...
View ArticleSteps taken to change ‘total curriculum’ in all grades
At the same time that the School Reform Commission voted in February 2005 to mandate an African American history course in all high schools, the commissioners approved a provision calling for “the...
View ArticleReview: new history modules provide package of lessons
The most powerful segment of the new “African and African American History” modules developed by the School District for elementary grades is the introduction included in each grade level teacher...
View ArticleArt Sanctuary offers ‘Hip Hop 101 Guide’
It’s been over 25 years since the Sugarhill Gang first encouraged the American public to hip hop and don’t stop. From its roots in the creative expression of Black and Latino youth in the Bronx, New...
View ArticleAsante on required course: ‘It’s about time’
Since the Philadelphia School Reform Commission passed a resolution mandating that all students take an African American history course, Molefi Kete Asante says his phone has been ringing off the...
View ArticleHot debate about revoking K12’s science contract
Back in 2002, throngs of protestors regularly descended on School Reform Commission meetings for raucous debates about contracts for private companies to provide educational services to the...
View Article