The Notebook

Personal Info

: First Name

Deborah

Last Name

Wei

Organizational Affiliation

Bio

Debbie Wei is a founder, parent, principal and CEO of the Folk Arts-Cultural Treasures Charter School in Chinatown. Prior to moving to FACTS, she worked for the School District of Philadelphia as an ESL instructor and as a curriculum specialist in Asian Pacific American Studies. Debbie also taught for 2 years in Hong Kong.

Recent Blog Entries

More by Debbie Wei

Pay to Play and NCLB, Pennsylvania style

Submitted by Debbie Wei on Wed, 05/27/2009 - 10:44 | Permalink

OK, so who is it that actually does the PSSA testing in Pennsylvania – by that I mean, who designs the tests, does those reports we get back, and thinks up ever more ways to spend our money administering more tests – some of which don’t even “count” for anything?

Columnist Paul Carpenter followed the money in the testing biz and boy, it didn’t smell very good.

English Only…Not

Submitted by Debbie Wei on Fri, 05/08/2009 - 09:57 | Permalink

This may be the only country in the world where knowing more than one language is considered as a bad thing.

I just read an ASCD blog about how ELLs are doing in Boston ever since the public passed a referendum to make sheltered immersion (throw them in and give them English only for support) as the default program for ELL’s in Boston.

To quote the blog:

Casinos are an education issue -- and not because of funding

Submitted by Debbie Wei on Fri, 04/10/2009 - 09:03 Posted in Social justice in education | Permalink

I am ashamed to admit I did not join the fight against casinos until a location on the front steps of Chinatown was proposed. Either location for Foxwoods at this point threatens the community – the Gallery site is 50 feet from the nearest resident, the Strawbridge’s site is less than 200 feet from one of our daycare centers. But now that I’ve learned more, my passion against the casino plan is fueled by much more than the threat to my community.

Go, Johnny, go, Johnny, go, go, go!

Submitted by Debbie Wei on Wed, 04/01/2009 - 13:28 Posted in Social justice in education | Permalink

Helen’s and Len’s blogs on lack of transparency in the SRC process are on point. Philadelphia has always had a Jurassic Age system of an appointed board, unlike most other places in the country where the school board is democratically elected.