Focus on School Climate
Winter 2009 Vol. 17 No. 3
Students get ready to start the school day at Philadelphia Learning Academy South, one of two new alternative District schools for students who have been expelled or are awaiting an expulsion hearing.
See Also
District disciplinary schoolsA growing expulsion pipeline
by Wendy Harris
Unlike some 11th graders, Kyle Mechin knows exactly what he would like to do after high school.
“I want to go to UCLA film school. I want to be a horror movie director,” he said.
An A and B student at Swenson Arts and Technology High School, Mechin was on his way to achieving his goal. He was taking a digital media arts class to learn filmmaking, and was encouraged by news that a friend who took the same class received a full scholarship to the college of her choice because of her work in that course.
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West: More talking and less fighting
by Ron Whitehorne
It’s the period before lunch in the tiny office of Christina Taveras, student advisor for the 9th grade academy at West Philadelphia High.
A girl enters quietly. “Miss, I need to talk to you. That girl called my house and wants to fight me.”
Taveras goes to work. Over the next 45 minutes, she establishes a truce of sorts by speaking with the two antagonists and getting them to promise to keep talking to each other. It isn’t easy.
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Behavioral health supports are expanding in the District
by Ruth Rouff
A child’s emotional state can have a profound impact on his or her ability to learn, as any classroom teacher knows. Emotional issues often lead to problem behaviors.
With many of the District’s 167,000 students coming from stress-filled environments, the District and the city Department of Behavioral Health have been collaborating to increase access to school-based behavioral health programs for District students.
Today, almost 100 schools have teams of behavioral health staff, and more than 11,000 students received school-based services last year.
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Table of Contents
Theme articles
- A growing expulsion pipeline by Wendy Harris
- KIPP: Earning the right to learn by Nicole Gervasio
- Mastery-Shoemaker: Sweating the small stuff by Jenny Seng
- West: More talking and less fighting by Ron Whitehorne
- Web Exclusive What is a persistently dangerous school? by Nicole Gervasio
- New program, planned for 20 schools, will be citywide by Dale Mezzacappa
- PBS: Changing behaviors by changing school culture by Lynne Ratliff
- Behavioral health supports are expanding in the District by Ruth Rouff
- Assaulted student knows the need for services by Ruth Rouff
- Zero tolerance: Is it moving the District toward safer schools?
- Web Exclusive Principals struggle with gray areas in a zero-tolerance environment by Sarah Peterson
- No easy road, Part 4: Stormy weather by Benjamin Herold
- Students speak out on teacher-student conflict
- New school offers nurturing alternative for expelled students by Sarah Burgess
Other news & features
- Scaled-back budget still has a record spending increase by Paul Socolar
- Renaissance Schools plan moves ahead as debate continues by Wendy Harris
- Backdrop to contract talks: 163 new teachers are emergency-certified by Dale Mezzacappa
Notebook news
- Membership drive: A chance to connect
Cartoon
- Winter edition cartoon by Eric Joselyn
In our opinion
- Take the positive approach
- Yes, transparency
From our readers
- New YUC chapter addresses 'pushouts'
- Multiple admissions are not problematic
Eye on special education
- An unlikely partnership helps families get needed social services for kids by Dennis Barnebey
School snapshot
- William Dick Elementary
News in brief
- School annual report cards give picture of performance by Paul Socolar
- Cafeteria workers vote, but union dispute continues by Gustavo Martinez Contreras
Activism around the city
- Language issues are central to school overhauls, parents say by Gustavo Martínez Contreras
- Youth groups push for voice in national education tour by Jenny Seng
- Training program boosts skills in special education advocacy
Sports stories
- Growing up 'with a ball on their feet' by Benjamin Herold
- Web Exclusive Soccer match between Washington and Bartram
En español
- Aumento en las expulsiones por Wendy Harris
- KIPP: Donde aprender es un derecho que se gana por Nicole Gervasio
- Programas bilingües son esenciales para la transformación, dicen los padres por Gustavo Martínez Contreras
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