The Notebook

Stories tagged: class size

Closings: Do no harm

Posted in December 2012 Edition | Permalink

One principle that School Reform Commission members cited in their decisions about school closings earlier this year was “Do no harm.” Commissioners rejected a staff recommendation to close two schools, E.M. Stanton and Sheppard, when confronted with evidence that the schools were solid performers with strong community support.

Now District officials say they need to close dozens more underutilized schools by next fall. The SRC’s commitment to do no harm will be sorely tested.

Commentary: What's at stake in the Chicago teachers strike?

Submitted by Ron Whitehorne on Tue, 09/11/2012 - 14:37 Posted in Commentary | Permalink

Twenty-five thousand Chicago teachers, members of the Chicago Teachers Union, are on strike.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel portrays the action as “a strike of choice” that victimizes parents and children. Union president Karen Lewis responds that they hoped to avoid a strike but the actions of Emanuel and the Board of Education left them little choice.

Willing to listen

by Benjamin Herold Posted in December 2011 Edition | Permalink

For the first time in recent memory, Patrice Berrian-Marrujo felt that somebody in power was listening to her.

A classroom assistant for students with severe emotional problems at Levering Elementary in Roxborough, Berrian-Marrujo describes herself as a "low-level employee" in the School District of Philadelphia.

But she is passionate about her work, and she is concerned about what the District's recent proposal to close Levering will mean for her students. So on a crisp November Saturday, she joined roughly 100 other parents, students, and teachers at a community meeting at Roxborough High School to discuss the District's plans.

26 escuelas consideradas para cierre

Posted in Octubre 2011 Edition | Permalink

Según un informe preliminar en marzo, al menos 18 escuelas elementales e intermedias y ocho escuelas superiores se están considerando para un posible cierre:

Escuelas Elementales/Intermedias:

Blankenburg
Drew
Dunbar
Fitler
Gideon
Harrison
L.P. Hill
Levering
Nebinger

Se avecinan los anuncios sobre cierres de escuelas

por Benjamin Herold Posted in Octubre 2011 Edition | Permalink

En casi 100 escuelas de Filadelfia un futuro incierto pronto se esclarecerá.

School-closing announcements loom

by Benjamin Herold Posted in October 2011 Edition | Permalink

At almost 100 Philadelphia schools, an uncertain future should soon become clearer.

On June 25, the Notebook published online a confidential draft District document that identifies more than two dozen schools as possible targets for closure. Dozens more are listed as possible targets for consolidation, grade reconfiguration, renovation, or boundary changes. All told, the document lists 84 potential steps the District might take in order to meet its goal of shedding 34,000 empty seats by 2014.

26 schools named in preliminary list

Posted in October 2011 Edition | Permalink

According to a preliminary report in March, at least 18 elementary and middle schools, and eight high schools were being looked at for possible closure:

Elementary/Middle Schools:

Blankenburg
Drew
Dunbar
Fitler
Gideon
Harrison
L.P. Hill
Levering
Nebinger

Which Philadelphia high schools stand out for ...

Posted in Fall Guide 2011 Edition | Permalink

… high teacher attendance*?

Academy at Palumbo
Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush
Carver HS of Engineering & Science
Girard Academic Music Program – GAMP
Phila. Military Academy at Elverson
*data not available for charter schools

… a low out-of-school suspension rate?

Academy at Palumbo
Girard Academic Music Program – GAMP
Hope Charter School
Kensington Urban Education Academy
Central
Franklin Learning Center
Masterman
Science Leadership Academy

School profiles

Posted in Fall Guide 2011 Edition | Permalink

Here you can find a list of all of the public high schools in Philadelphia. NOTE: These profiles still list information about the schools from 2010. We are working to update them with information from the 2011 Fall Guide.

Fight is on to restore budget cuts, but they may get worse

by Paul Socolar Posted in Summer 2011 Edition | Permalink

A year ago, some warned of an impending "tsunami" in the 2011 budget process when the School District would be buffeted by the loss of federal stimulus dollars and by rising costs.

The tsunami is here.

The District has prepared a budget that eliminates more than 3,800 positions – nearly one of every six jobs in the system.

According to this May draft budget, spending must be reduced $428 million, or 13 percent.