Blog posts from School District of Philadelphia parents.
ACTION United meets with top District staff
Submitted by Deborah Russell... on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 18:46 Posted in Parent perspectives | Permalink
Who was it that said the joke about pit bulls and hockey moms?
Oh, right.
Well, how about asking what's the difference between pit bulls and Philly parents? On Feb. 4 you would have had to say "nothing."
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Philly parents' long-anticipated date with Ackerman approaching
Submitted by Deborah Russell... on Mon, 01/24/2011 - 14:22 Posted in Parent perspectives | Permalink
Arlene Ackerman has agreed to a February 4 date for a public forum/meeting with interested parents and community members sponsored by ACTION United.
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A New Year, a new blogger
Submitted by Deborah Russell... on Thu, 01/06/2011 - 16:55 Posted in Parent perspectives | Permalink
For the last year few years I’ve had the pleasure of working with parents from ACTION United (the organization formerly known as ACORN) on issues pertaining to our neighborhood schools. In 2011 I am joining the Notebook blog to share parent voices and the success and challenges of citywide parent activist groups. As we start the spring semester, here are two interesting stories.
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Mastery Charter summer school dilemma
Submitted by Samuel Reed III on Tue, 08/03/2010 - 13:41 Posted in Parent perspectives | Permalink
If you have followed my posts about charter schools you may surmise that I am both a supporter and detractor of charter schools. Now, I have a personal dilemma with Mastery Charter Schools' summer school program and I am asking my readers for some advice.
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Notes from the news, Oct. 20
Submitted by Erika Owens on Tue, 10/20/2009 - 10:13 Posted in Parent perspectives | Permalink
Pa. expediting education and welfare payments following budget deal Philadelphia Business Journal
Gov. Rendell said, “We were able to make all priority payments within four business days after the budget passed." Among them, funds for education, child care, and pre-K Counts.
Report says stimulus preserved education jobs The Washington Post
Nationwide 250,000 jobs have been created or saved. Locally, the AFT released a statement yesterday indicating that stimulus dollars helped Philly stave off lay-offs and pay for 200 counselors.
African American woman first to head school WHYY
Girard College, a private boarding school for low-income children being raised in single-parent households, just welcomed a new president.
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Parents: Schools need your vote today!
Submitted by Helen Gym on Tue, 05/19/2009 - 08:08 Posted in Parent perspectives | Permalink
Today is election day.
Some studies show that almost 85% of Philadelphia voters will stay home and give up their right to vote. But if you care about where the money goes in the Philadelphia public schools, here's hoping you won't be one of those people staying at home.
That's because today is the election for the City Controller, one of the most important offices for school parents. The City Controller is an independent auditing agency which is responsible for auditing a host of institutions and that includes the School District of Philadelphia.
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Election Day is not a School Holiday
Submitted by Helen Gym on Mon, 04/27/2009 - 09:41 Posted in Parent perspectives | Permalink
As a parent, I’ve never been a fan of the policy to close school on election days – a ridiculous practice that has been going on since the Vallas administration. But the latest news that the city is forcing schools to add two extra days to the school calendar because they want to close schools for the May 19th election has me particularly irritated.
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Tax abatements: Do they rob a generation of Philly kids?
Submitted by Helen Gym on Mon, 04/20/2009 - 09:24 Posted in Parent perspectives | Permalink
Yesterday I was listening to "Radio Times" on WHYY discuss property tax abatements, which are coming to the end of their 10-year term. One strand largely absent in the dialogue was the impact of property tax abatements on school district financing.
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In a shocker, Dungee Glenn out
Submitted by Helen Gym on Wed, 03/25/2009 - 09:37 Posted in Parent perspectives | Permalink
In a shocking turn of events, both the Inquirer and the Daily News are reporting that School Reform Commission Chair Sandra Dungee Glenn may be off the SRC. Media reports say that she may be replaced by attorney Robert Archie.
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Imagine 2014 draws 300 to West Philly
Submitted by Helen Gym on Fri, 03/13/2009 - 12:25 Posted in Parent perspectives | Permalink
Last night, I joined hundreds of parents and community members at the School of the Future for the District’s latest “Imagine 2014: Strategic Plan” meeting. District officials said more than 300 people came, overflowing spaces and workshops and filling up the auditorium at the School of the Future.
Students, teachers, parents, community organizations, and at least one City Council member – Curtis Jones Jr. (setting a bar for other Council members) – came out to the two-hour session. The amazing turnout and level of engagement were a rebuff to the dismissive tone the media took when labeling an earlier meeting as “surprisingly low” turnout and reporting most of the comments on the lack of parent involvement.
For those considering going to future meetings, and to any district officials who might be looking for suggestions, here’s how things went down with some suggestions for improvement:
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