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Equity, community input needed in District’s new school choice plan
To the editors:According to the Notebook’s September 2005 Newsflash, the District is considering a “preferred choice” plan that will give Center City students preferential access to certain schools....
View ArticleState Board of Ed backs off proposal for ‘dual certification’
Differences in the skills and knowledge of teachers are crucial factors in determining where students with disabilities can receive the best education. Regular classroom teachers are expected to know...
View ArticleNuevo curso es resultado de años de lucha
Más de 65 por ciento de los estudiantes del Distrito escolar son afroamericanos. Pero a pesar de la predominancia de estudiantes afroamericanos en el salón de clases, nunca se ha tenido un currículo...
View ArticleCharter school strives to make African culture part of every day
Reflections of African culture are prominent at Imani Circle Charter School, located at Greene Street and Chelten Avenue in Germantown. Imani is one of several Philadelphia charter schools with an...
View ArticleOpinion: Black history - correcting the record
In February 2005, the Philadelphia School Reform Commission voted unanimously to mandate African and African American history for high school students. Finally, the District stopped telling the...
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New course grew out of years of struggle
More than 65 percent of the School District's students are African American. Yet despite the predominance of African American students in the classroom, a comprehensive curriculum reflective of their...
View ArticleSRC resolution for African American studies
Passed unanimously by the School Reform CommissionWHEREAS, on December 23, 1968, the School District of Philadelphia in an effort to address the academic and cultural needs of its African American...
View ArticleContinuing the pressure for state funding equity
As state legislators carry on a special session in Harrisburg aimed at adopting property tax reform, public education advocates continue to pressure the legislature to fix the state's regressive...
View ArticleMandated course draws strong, varied reactions
Academic, political and civic leaders both locally and nationally have weighed in on the Philadelphia School District's mandated high school course in African American history. Here are some of the...
View ArticleFinding economies in small school size
Conventional wisdom is that small schools serving just a few hundred students, while they may be supportive and effective learning environments, are more expensive than larger schools to build and...
View ArticleELECT program for teen parents provides academic, social supports
To the editors:Your Fall 2005 edition on out-of-school youth mentioned the ELECT (Education Leading to Employment and Career Training) program, a partnership between the state Departments of Education...
View ArticleReport notes obstacles to public involvement
A nonprofit research group's report has urged the School District to “refocus” its attention on building community engagement in Philadelphia's public school reform efforts.The September 2005 report,...
View ArticleClass notes: 10th graders on the new course
The Notebook collected written comments from five 10th graders of racially diverse backgrounds who are taking African American history at W. B. Saul High School of Agricultural Sciences in the city's...
View ArticleState grant supports stipends for parents
A $1.7 million state “Parent Scholars Grant” will allow the School District to expand its program of Parent Assistance Desks (PADs) at schools as well as involve more parents in monitoring safety in...
View ArticleCurso obligatorio de historia afroamericana incita reacciones fuertes y variadas
Los líderes académicos, políticos y cívicos tanto a nivel local como nacional han opinado sobre el curso obligatorio de historia afroamericana del Distrito Escolar de Filadelfia. Estas son algunas de...
View ArticleOut-of-school youth: much work lies ahead
To the editors:I want to thank everyone at the Notebook for the broad and incisive coverage of Philadelphia's school dropout situation (Fall 2005 edition). You did an excellent job of introducing the...
View ArticleClassroom resources for infusing African American studies
The Notebook asked several respected educators and education advocates locally and nationally to suggest a resource that could be tapped to infuse African American studies into the K-12 classroom....
View ArticlePreparing teachers in African American history: a major focus
Good professional development for teachers is vital to the success of the School District's new mandated high school course in African American history.“We have numerous teachers whose educational...
View ArticleMandate for change
In 1967, thousands of Philadelphia high school students boldly walked out of school, taking their demand for African American curricular inclusion to the School Board. In 2005, almost four decades...
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