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

Hite looking to implement, not rethink, plan to overhaul Philly schools

Submitted by Benjamin Herold on Tue, 07/03/2012 - 13:20 Posted in Latest news | Permalink

by Benjamin Herold for the Notebook and WHYY/Newsworks

New Philadelphia Superintendent William Hite says that he will not reconsider the direction and reform strategies set forth by the School Reform Commission, maintaining that “some of those things have already left the station.”

Listen to excerpts of reporter Benjamin Herold's interview with Dr. Hite.

An edited transcript of the interview is now available.

Martinez faces public, explains his vision for improving the District

Submitted by thenotebook on Mon, 06/25/2012 - 23:09 Posted in Latest news | Permalink

by Dale Mezzacappa, Benjamin Herold and Katie McCabe

Pedro Martinez is on board with the need to “increase quality seats” in Philadelphia schools, endorsing the primary reform strategy of the School Reform Commission that is considering whether to hire him as the next superintendent.

But while Martinez described himself as a strong supporter of school choice, he emphasized that charter schools are part of the solution but “not a magic bullet” and said that the cornerstone of lasting reform are strong principals and well-supported teachers.

"My belief is that the key to really showing significant and sustainable gains is to work with staff," he said. "When principals and teachers are on your side, there is no limit to the potential of the school district."

Currently the deputy superintendent for instruction in Clark County, NV (Las Vegas), Martinez, 42, is one of two finalists for the District's top job. The other, William Hite, is the superintendent of the Prince George's Country, Maryland School District.

Listen to Benjamin Herold's radio report for WHYY News.

In Chicago, local student activists support federal civil rights complaints

Submitted by Benjamin Herold on Thu, 06/21/2012 - 16:56 Posted in Latest news | Permalink

by Benjamin Herold
for the Notebook and WHYY/NewsWorks

Students and organizers from local groups Youth United for Change and the Philadelphia Student Union joined grassroots activist groups from across the country Thursday in decrying “top-down” school closings and school turnarounds as a violation of students’ civil rights.

“We are letting the School Reform Commission know that they are closing the schools which serve communities of color, including Black and Latino youth,” said YUC member Tone Elliot, 18, speaking at a press event in Chicago.

Explosions: Looking back at the past school year

Submitted by Timothy Boyle on Tue, 06/19/2012 - 15:38 Posted in Boyle's law | Permalink

My education world has exploded this school year. I feel like this is true for a lot of teachers across the nation, and especially in Philadelphia. Not that each year of teaching doesn’t bring about pain and change, but this year was something else. And I mean explosion in a lot of different ways. Some explosions were bad, some explosions were fantastic.

Ex.plo.sion - n. a violent and destructive shattering or blowing apart of something

Commentary: Plan must consider students' basic needs

Submitted by Guest blogger on Mon, 06/18/2012 - 15:01 Posted in Community voices | Permalink

This guest blog post responding to the District's transformation plan comes from Cathy Weiss, executive director of the Stoneleigh Foundation, and Paul DiLorenzo, member of the Stoneleigh Foundation’s board of directors.

In the midst of the drama that surrounds the School District of Philadelphia, perhaps it might be worth considering another perspective.

What if we agreed that the challenge is not just about education, organizational structure, and finance?

What if we focused on the growing number of children who come to the educational environment already at a disadvantage? It’s not just that they are poor. They suffer from inconsistent health care and early learning deficits; some of them are deprived of food and, increasingly, of hope. We have found no research that shows that children facing these odds will succeed, unless something is done.