Engaging students in an age of austere budgets

by Bill Hangley Jr. Posted in April 2013 Edition | Permalink

Comprehensive neighborhood high schools across the nation struggle with dropout prevention, and Philadelphia’s are no different. 

 “What you see in that research is that these schools tend to have a higher concentration of really at-risk kids,” said Kate Shaw, executive director of Research for Action. 

“In part because of that, the percentage of kids who graduate is much lower.”

And although principals at a handful of neighborhood high schools – Roxborough, George Washington, Germantown and Ben Franklin – said that helpful strategies aren’t hard to identify, most also acknowledged that implementing changes in an age of budget cuts, staff turnover, and districtwide strategic shifts is a constant challenge.

As school starts, no action against Philly principals where cheating is suspected

Submitted by Dale Mezzacappa on Fri, 08/24/2012 - 15:27 Posted in Latest news | Permalink

by Benjamin Herold and Dale Mezzacappa

For months, state and local education officials have had ample evidence pointing to likely cheating on standardized tests in some Philadelphia public schools.

Great Schools Compact asks Gates Foundation for $2.5 million

Submitted by Benjamin Herold on Wed, 08/01/2012 - 19:47 Posted in Latest news | Permalink

By Benjamin Herold for the Notebook and WHYY/NewsWorks

Seeking to create a “pipeline” of principals and teachers who are better equipped to deal with the real-world challenges found in Philadelphia’s toughest schools, city education leaders submitted a three-year, $2.5 million grant proposal this week to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Report: Instability of leadership an issue in high-poverty schools

by Samantha Byles Posted in Summer 2012 Edition | Permalink

With the District moving toward greater autonomy for schools, two local groups – ACTION United and Education Voters of Pennsylvania – are bringing attention to issues about the role and impact of principals.

An ACTION United report that looks at District schools for the 2010-11 and 2011-12 school years reveals that there is a significantly higher turnover rate among principals at the highest-poverty schools.