The Notebook

The District's transformation blueprint

Thomas Knudsen At the end of April 2012, the School District released a reform plan - a "blueprint" to radically transform public education in the city by closing dozens of schools, expanding charters, and reorganizing the School District into decentralized "achievement networks" run primarily by private entities.

The blueprint comes in the midst of a facilities master planning process that guided school closings for the next school year and an ongoing school turnaround effort, Renaissance Schools.

Keep up with the latest developments on the plan and community reaction here.

Transformation plan news and info

Cómo seleccionar una escuela superior: Preguntas comunes

Por Dale Mezzacappa Posted in "Fall Guide" 2012 Edition | Permalink

¿Cómo comienzo?

Partnership has raised more than $50 million to give to 'great' schools

Submitted by Dale Mezzacappa on Thu, 08/23/2012 - 22:45 Posted in Latest news | Permalink

The two-year-old Philadelphia School Partnership, at the center of the city's strategy to support "great" schools regardless of who runs them, announced Thursday that it was more than halfway to its goal of raising $100 million from area foundations, corporations and individuals.

At a press conference attended by Mayor Nutter and School Reform Commission Chairman Pedro Ramos, PSP executive director Michael Gleason said that his group has commitments for $51.9 million.

Lessons on portfolio management, here and elsewhere

Submitted by thenotebook on Fri, 08/03/2012 - 16:15 Posted in Latest news | Permalink

Can Philadelphia establish a robust, accountable "portfolio management" system for schools at the same time it faces huge budget shortfalls?

Research for Action this week released an issue brief on portfolio management that examines the implementation of the model in Chicago, New Orleans, and New York City. It also looked at Philadelphia's past experience with what was then called a "diverse provider" model.

Report detailing Boston Consulting Group findings and recommendations released

Submitted by Dale Mezzacappa on Thu, 08/02/2012 - 07:35 Posted in Latest news | Permalink

By Dale Mezzacappa and Benjamin Herold

The School District released a 119-page document on Thursday that summarized the analyses and recommendations of the Boston Consulting Group, an outside firm retained at private expense to help the District avert a financial meltdown by radically overhauling its business operations and delivery of education.

The document details BCG’s work and thinking on hot-button topics ranging from charter expansion to labor negotiations. It also includes the previously unreleased analyses behind controversial District proposals to close dozens of schools and reorganize those that are left into decentralized, independently managed “achievement networks.”

Job Roles Shifting for Districts' Central Offices

Submitted by thenotebook on Mon, 07/30/2012 - 15:24 Posted in Latest news | Permalink

The Notebook has a content-sharing agreement with Education Week, where this piece originally appeared. It outlines the experiences of some other cities that have moved toward a system of "portfolio management" for schools.

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By Christina A. Samuels

As "chief talent officer" for the Hartford, Conn., school district, Jennifer Allen finds herself in a different role from many central-office personnel who work in human resources.