Philadelphia wins Gates Foundation recognition with compact pitch
by Avi Wolfman-Arent on Dec 20 2011 Posted in Latest news
A compact promising to support and try to replicate the highest-performing District, charter, and even parochial schools has earned Philadelphia a long-awaited chance at Bill Gates’ millions.
In a Tuesday ceremony held at Renaissance Charter Stetson Middle School, representatives from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation added Philadelphia to a list of 14 other school districts already eligible to compete for $40 million in grants the foundation will make available next year.
Don Shalvey, deputy director of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s College-Ready Programs and a Philadelphia native, said the foundation took special note of Philadelphia’s intention to collaborate with parochial schools. Shalvey said Philadelphia’s Great Schools Compact is the only one among the 15 approved to bridge a partnership with parochial providers.
Though the foundation passed over Philadelphia’s compact a scant two weeks ago, a recent re-submission included a more detailed timeline and a more ambitious plan to convert 50,000 seats in low-performing schools into seats in high-performing schools through closings and charter conversions by 2016.
“It got bolder and more specific,” Shalvey said of Philadelphia’s plan. “It’s more than just intention, it’s moving intention into commitment.”
Philadelphia will receive a $100,000 implementation grant, with more to come if the District can sell Gates on the breadth and ingenuity of their compact. Should Philadelphia win a Gates grant more public schools could go the way of Stetson, a public school handed over to the charter provider ASPIRA through the Renaissance Schools initiative.
Mayor Michael Nutter, SRC Chair Pedro Ramos, and Interim Superintendent Leroy Nunery attended and spoke at the ceremony, held in Stetson’s cafeteria. All three offered high praise for the ccompact and for the Gates Foundation’s school reform efforts.
Addressing a uniform-clad fleet of students, Nutter called for new thinking on education policy.
“We have to be less handcuffed by tradition, structure, and the way we used to do things,” Nutter said.
Nutter also took a moment to praise the new SRC he helped assemble, saying, “This is quite possibly...the best five people that have served together on the SRC in its 10 years.”
The students and media also heard from Global Leadership Academy Charter School CEO Naomi Booker, ASPIRA CEO Alfredo Calderon, and Philadelphia School Partnership Executive Director Mark Gleason.
Philadelphia School Partnership has an expressed interest in strengthening parochial schools and a goal of raising $100 million to invest in high-performing schools by 2016.
The plight of the city's Catholic schools has come into focus following Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput's recent announcement that the archdiocese will recommend school closures in January. Parochial schools in the five-county Philadelphia archdiocese educate 49,000 students, down from a high of 208,000 in 1965. Parochial school advocates hoped a proposed voucher bill would bolster those numbers, but the legislation's defeat in the Pennsylvania State House puts those hopes on hold.
Comments (6)
Submitted by Ms.Cheng (not verified) on Tue, 12/20/2011 - 20:34.
Wow does it really cost so much to close low performing schools and convert schools to charters? (I guess the cost of paperwork has really gone up.) Weren't they already doing this/tasked to do this under Title I... and in the case of saving money (the fmp), with the promise to go slow... seeing that there is sometimes a correlation between "low performing" and underutilization? Does the money provide transportation for students then, or just more empty jobs/fancy cars for a few SD insiders? Perhaps it will in addition pay for a much needed oversight with legal teeth? Then again,it could all go to "replication", the cost of which one shouldn't underestimate.
And how does this help the parochial schools? Is the Gates foundation going to pay parochial school tuition? Or just give them money for promising to replicate a successful traditional public or charter school? Or give them money if their system is replicated? Kind of like a copyright? Hmmm, in that case while they're at it they might as well also help out the homeschoolers who are getting good results... it would seem only fair.
This "compact" seems designed to dismantle the competitive framework and lessen the incentive for real innovation rather than ensure school improvement. The measures of achievement including standardized tests are far from agreed upon... which means there will not be consensus as to which models are the "successful" ones and no unambiguous ways to replicate these.
I thought it particularly humorous that in the preliminary compact the SD promised to help parents find the "better" schools... So it's really about taking away choice then...
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 12/20/2011 - 21:08.
So, if the "new" compact is "bolder and more specific," where is it? Who has seen it?
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 12/20/2011 - 21:25.
Be careful what you wish for. The Gates' history is filled with the quid pro quo in a big way.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 12/21/2011 - 01:50.
Waaaao ASPIRA Excellent work with the schools is now an exelllent work from the Philadelphia school district, who give the school to ASPIRA in first place because they can not handle.
Submitted by Bobbie Cratchit (not verified) on Wed, 12/21/2011 - 17:34.
It's blood money.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 12/21/2011 - 18:33.
FYI:
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html
How many of our students have the resources to buy an Apple computer?
Notwithstanding the concept of freedom, the best way to bridge the widening digital divide is to empower students, families and communities in the use and propagation of free software. Software unencumbered by EULA and handcuff mechanisms.
The total cost of a Gates grant should be investigated. In the light of the widely available and growing alternatives, with Gates, we are looking into a deep dark cave.
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