Notes from the news, Sept. 2

Submitted by Erika Owens on Thu, 09/02/2010 - 09:37 Posted in Notes from the news | Permalink

Asian leaders express doubt on South Phila. High plan The Inquirer
Asian adult and student leaders held a press conference to respond to the announced changes at South Philly and call for more dialogue with the community.

See also: Asian students at South Philly High prepare for a new year WHYY
U.S.: S. Philly High didn't protect Asian students from harassment Daily News
Asian students, advocates getting ready for another year at S. Philly High The Clog
District to work on fixing inaction Philadelphia Tribune
The School District Needs the Feds to Tell Them What to Do?! PhillyNow

Working to keep black, Latino males in school Daily News
SRC Chair Robert Archie and Commissioner Johnny Irizarry collaborated on a report from The African-American and Latino Male Dropout Taskforce. They will present recommendations based on the report today.

See also: High Drop Out Rates Among Phila. Black, Hispanic Males KYW
New plan to cut Philadelphia's dropout rate WHYY

'A brand new day' The Notebook blog
Mastery Charter and Young Scholars Charter School opened their Renaissance Schools a week early to give students at the four schools a leg up on the year.

See also: Mastery Charter Schools' big test in Philadelphia The Inquirer

Making Bache-Martin a neighborhood school MyCommunity
The Notebook gets another citation - for a July blog post that referenced the District's desegregation busing program. Bache-Martin was one of the schools that had kids from outside the neighborhood bussed to it.

School Open House Season Begins Philly School Search blog

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Notes from the news, Sept. 1

Submitted by Erika Owens on Wed, 09/01/2010 - 09:54 Posted in Notes from the news | Permalink

New resources, people lead efforts to end ethnic strife at South Phila. High The Inquirer
Superintendent Ackerman spoke at the new student orientation where students learned about new programs and a zero-tolerance policy for violence.

See also: Ackerman promises a new day at S. Philly HS The Notebook blog
Editorial: Setting the right tone The Inquirer
South Phila. HS Officials Hope for Violence-Free Year KYW

Roebuck Congratulates Student Poster Contest Winner UC Review

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Ackerman promises a new day at S. Philly HS

Submitted by Dale Mezzacappa on Tue, 08/31/2010 - 19:34 Posted in Latest news | Permalink

Things will be different this year.

That's the promise that Superintendent Arlene Ackerman made to a group of South Philadelphia High School freshmen and their parents at orientation Tuesday morning.

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Notes from the news, Aug. 31

Submitted by Erika Owens on Tue, 08/31/2010 - 09:59 Posted in Notes from the news | Permalink

Fewer teacher vacancies as school is about to start Daily News
Thirty-eight vacancies remain and the hiring freeze was lifted, in certain subject areas, last Friday.

Expert: Feds will pressure settlement for South Philly High WHYY
A law professor says the feds have gotten involved in similar situations before, which can even grow to include civil litigation against the District.

Another look at the AYP news The Notebook blog
Three bloggers reflect on the recent news of continued increases in PSSA scores and AYP attainment.

See also: Have we reached a tipping point? A skeptic weighs in The Notebook blog
Sharing credit for AYP gains The Notebook blog
Attendance and AYP The Notebook blog
Meade School: Good job! Good job! The Notebook blog

Finishing the Pa budget: additional money should not just go to schools Patriot-News (opinion)
Spending on public schools has come at the expense of other things like higher ed and libraries.

Phila. Kids Get Backpacks in Back-to-School Giveaway KYW

Crew try-outs for Philadelphia public schools WHYY

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Another look at the AYP news

Submitted by Erika Owens on Mon, 08/30/2010 - 16:00 | Permalink

An eighth straight year of PSSA improvement and big AYP gains have been cause for celebration, and for reflection. Notebook bloggers Ron Whitehorne and Frank Murphy and teacher blogger Kristin Luebbert share their thoughts:

• What is the result of the emphasis on standardized testing?
• Several District leaders, and countless principals and teachers, have laid the groundwork for this AYP growth.
• How attendance affects student performance on the PSSAs.
• One school's experience dramatically improving its scores.

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Have we reached a tipping point? A skeptic weighs in

Submitted by Ron Whitehorne on Mon, 08/30/2010 - 15:50 | Permalink

Superintendent Arlene Ackerman, flanked by the governor and the mayor, has been on a public relations offensive this summer. Citing eight years of improved test scores and a dramatic rise in the number of schools that made AYP this year, the message is that the School District has reached, in the mayor’s words, a "critical tipping point.” Ackerman added, “To all the naysayers who say an urban school system can’t be successful: Watch Philadelphia!”

I’d like to be a believer. Students, teachers, and principals have all worked hard to achieve these gains. Urban public schools do get a bum rap from the media and the political establishment. But I can’t jump onto this bandwagon.

Comments (14)

Sharing credit for AYP gains

Submitted by Frank Murphy on Mon, 08/30/2010 - 15:46 | Permalink

A hearty congratulation is due to everyone who is responsible for the continuing increase in the Philadelphia School Districts PSSA test scores. The continuing improvements that our students have demonstrated during the last eight years are a result of several different converging factors.

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Attendance and AYP

Submitted by Guest blogger on Mon, 08/30/2010 - 15:26 Posted in Community voices | Permalink

This guest blog comes from Kristin Luebbert, a current teacher who blogs at A Good Day Teaching.

Most of us involved in education in Philadelphia were quite happy about the positive AYP news for Philly. But the convoluted rules for meeting AYP targets remain quite mysterious to most educators, let alone parents. Attendance is listed as a goal for AYP, but it is not the kind of attendance that would really show why a child did or did not perform at a proficient or advanced level.

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Meade School: Good job! Good job!

Submitted by Frank Murphy on Mon, 08/30/2010 - 15:01 | Permalink

Eight years have passed since that first day when I opened a package that contained the PSSA test scores for Meade School. The results were dismal. Only four of my 48 5th grade students scored at the proficient level in either the reading or math test. An additional handful of students scored in the basic category and the remaining 80 percent were below basic performers. 

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