This edition of the Notebook NEWSFLASH is also available online at: www.thenotebook.org/newsflash/2005/december
Notebook NEWSFLASH:
December 2005
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While the "Center City Schools" website no longer touts "priority status" for students from Center City seeking to attend any elementary school in their region, members of the School Reform Commission are finally considering a plan for regionally based admissions preferences.
The District proposal now goes by the name "Secondary Regional Catchment Area Admission/Transfer Policy."
The policy would give students who live in a particular region of the School District an advantage in obtaining available transfer slots in any school within that region - not just the school in their immediate neighborhood catchment area.
SRC members were recently presented by District staff with a written proposal on the idea, which could affect not just students in Center City, but ones in the other nine geographic regions throughout the city - and could raise issues of racial and economic equity.
Having reviewed the draft, the SRC advised the District to gather community input on the policy, District Chief Academic Officer Gregory Thornton said in a recent interview.
"They wanted more outreach on this," Thornton said, explaining, "This is a major paradigm shift for us with respect to regional priority or regional catchment admissions."
The proposal draft -- a copy of which was obtained by the Notebook -- seeks to amend Board policy on "Assignment Within the District" by adding an additional paragraph with three elements:
1. Neighborhood children have the right to attend their catchment area schools within the region.
2. Children who apply using an EH 36 (transfer application) within the Region will be admitted in the following order:
-a. Transfers consistent with the current Desegregation Policy
-b. Children who reside in the Region
-c. Children who reside outside the Region
3. Information regarding size of enrollments in schools may be given to parents or other persons only by the regional office.
The new policy would appear to give first preference at racially imbalanced schools to transfer requests that would improve the racial balance. But the policy would advantage students transferring within regions, such as Center City, to those transferring from outside that region.
District officials have maintained that the proposed policy is part of an effort to offer students in every neighborhood greater choice, particularly with a host of new high schools coming on line with unique and specific themes that may or may not interest all students in their neighborhood.
But the Center City District and the Central Philadelphia Development Corp., who partnered with the School District to form a "Center City Schools" initiative, have been looking to the policy change as a way to market Center City to well-educated professionals with young families as a viable residential location with multiple public school options.
The Center City Region would be the first region to implement the policy, beginning Fall 2006, Thornton said. He said an SRC vote is anticipated in January.
Several elementary schools in Center City are among the most sought after in the District, and Center City Schools since April has been touting the "priority status" of its residents in seeking transfers within Center Cityl.
In the September 2005 Newsflash, the Notebook reported that the SRC would take up the admissions proposal in October. But the November 18 deadline for all students to apply for school transfers came and went, with only an education advocate, in testimony to the SRC at its November 9 meeting, mentioning the policy proposal publicly.
Len Rieser, co-director of the Education Law Center, told the SRC, "I want to recommend that the Commission create a more open process when it comes to developing admissions criteria in schools." He added, "When you change admissions patterns in one area, it affects other areas."
In his testimony, Rieser expressed concern about the new high school at 11th and Catherine Streets, called The Academy at Palumbo, that was designed to model the city's acclaimed magnet, Central High School, and its admissions criteria.
The school is considered a special admissions magnet school, requiring nearly all As and Bs and at least an 88th-percentile ranking on citywide TerraNova exams. But other literature about the school's admissions refers to a neighborhood preference.
A brochure distributed at the District's high school fair in late October stated "Admission to The Academy is limited to academically focused students living south of Market Street or in Center City." Meanwhile, a more extensive information packet on Palumbo said that 75 percent of students would be drawn from the area south of Market Street, with the remaining 25 percent open to all students. (CAO Thornton said in the interview that the configuration allowed for distribution of students between Palumbo and Central High School. Central is six miles north of Market Street but admits students without regard to neighborhood).
"I am not here to say that those decisions are wrong," Rieser told the SRC. "My point is that those decisions have important consequences."
Rieser reminded the Commission that the District was still under "court order" to deal with issues of racial equity, and should consider whether its new admissions criteria would improve or worsen inequities in educational opportunity.
Historically, many children from other areas of the city have looked to Center City school transfers as a route to escape the troubled schools in their own poor, often racially segregated neighborhoods.
"As we open new schools, I think it is important that we not repeat history," Rieser testified. He called an open process "the best way to avoid distrust and legal challenges," but said that the District had missed opportunities to "share with us what was on the table."
Following Rieser's November 9 testimony, all the commissioners in attendance at the meeting declined to offer their views on the potential policy, citing lack of knowledge on "preferred choice." That is the term the District had previously applied to the policy, rather than referring to a "Secondary Regional Catchment Area."
"At this point, I'm waiting to be briefed on it," said Chairman James Nevels. "We had a preliminary hearing, a preliminary discussion this morning about it. We're looking to the Chief Academic Officer to brief us fully on it."
Of the mention of "priority status" in admissions for Center City residents on the "Center City Schools" website and at a "Center City Schools Fair" held at the Convention Center October 22, Nevels offered, "I'm not aware they advertised that."
Other commissioners at the November 9 meeting also seemed unaware of details about "preferred choice" or any Center City "priority status."
"News to me," Commissioner Daniel Whelan said.
Commissioner Martin Bednarek noted, "I just heard of ("preferred choice") this morning. The staff is going to brief us next week."
Echoed Commissioner Sandra Dungee Glenn, "I'm just being briefed on it. It's news to me. That's all I can say."
Contact the Notebook at 215-951-0330 x107 or flash@thenotebook.org.
In November, the School Reform Commission voted down a proposal to terminate a contract with K12 Inc.
By a 3-2 vote, K12 Inc. maintains its $3 million contract to provide science materials to grades K-3 (The company also has a $250,000 contract for professional services to Hunter School). Commissioners James Nevels, James Gallagher and Dan Whelan voted against the proposal, submitted by Sandra Dungee Glenn after an offensive racial statement broadcast by K12 co-founder William Bennett on his radio show. Commissioner Martin Bednarek voted with Glenn.
The SRC voted to approve the following resolutions:
-Authorization for negotiations on 4601 Market
Street site for new West
Philadelphia High School
District representatives will negotiate with nonprofit
Urban Education Development Research and Retreat Center,
Inc., for purchase of 4601 Market. The 15-acre site
is proposed for the construction of a new West Philadelphia
High School.
-$2.6 million from general fund to Kaplan
K12 Learning Services for curriculum development
and benchmark testing
The contract would provide scoring and data reports
for all secondary benchmark assessments in math, science,
and English; consulting services for development of
three 12th-grade courses; and continued support for
staff on core curriculum. Kaplan received a $4.5 million
contract in 2003 and 2004.
-$39 million to Academic Books Services
from various funding sources for reconditioned textbooks
Books will be purchased from September 2005 to August
2009.
-$55,000 in operating funds to Heidrick
& Struggles, Inc. for General Counsel search
The employee search will fill the position left vacant
by Wendy Beetlestone, who headed the District's law
office.
-$490,000 in operating funds to
Philadelphia Arts in Education Partnership for
artist-in-residency program
The program will take place in elementary and middle
schools that do not offer music or art education under
the guidance of certified specialists. The SRC separately
approved $60,000 in operating funds to the Philadelphia
Museum of Art to provide a "comprehensive arts
educational experience" for fourth graders.
-$2.7 million in operating funds for four "small schools transition managers" to provide consultative services to a total of 12 schools under conversion to small schools. Covers October 2005 - June 2006. This is the second contract for each of the companies at these same schools:
-$450,000 to SchoolWorks for Motivation and Robeson High Schools, two transitional schools that had been part of Bartram High School.
-$900,000 to Princeton Review for Lamberton, Sayre, Vaux, and Parkway West High Schools, four transitional schools that had formerly been middle schools or part of a larger school.
- $675,000 to Kaplan K12 for Carroll, formerly an alternative school; Lankenau, and Randolph High Schools, formerly satellite campuses of a larger high school.
-$675,000 to ResulTech for Communication and Technology High School and the Philadelphia High School for Business and Technology, formerly part of Bartram; and Parkway Center City High School, formerly a Parkway satellite campus.
-$540,000 in categorical/grant funds to EducationWorks
for National School and Community Corps
Will go toward operations in nine schools and span
September 2005 to June 2006.
At District
HQ:
Joseph Meade left the District, where
he was most recently Assistant Director of Parent
& Community Relations . . . John Suggs,
special projects assistant in office of Faith-based
and Community Relations, to YMCA in St. Louis, where
he joins former District aide Michael Johnson. Also
in St. Louis, as Chief Accountability Officer for
the public schools is former SchoolWorks representative
and former District Chief Accountability Officer,
Joe Jacovino.
"Comings & Goings" is a feature of the Notebook Newsflash that reports personnel changes within the institutions and organizations that focus on public education in Philadelphia. We welcome any knowledge you'd like to share on recent or upcoming personnel moves. E-mail us at flash@thenotebook.org.
Dec. 2-9: Philadelphia Young Playwrights produce winning high school plays. 11 a.m. (Dec. 5-9); 8 p.m. (Dec. 2, 3). Plays & Players Theater, 1714 Delancey St. Winning high school plays by students are professionally produced and staged. $15, students & seniors: $12. Group and family rates available. Visit phillyyoungplayrights.org or call 215-665-9226.
Dec. 3 – 7: 37th Annual National Staff Development Council (NSDC) Conference: A Declaration of Professional Learning: The Revolution Begins. Pennsylvania Convention Center, 1101 Arch St. Focus on: leadership, high-performance culture, race and class culture, and advocacy. Includes keynote speaker Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum (Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?) lectures, roundtables, and workshops featuring teacher leaders, instructional coaches, principals, administrators and superintendents. Sponsored by Houghton-Mifflin, Temple University, Harcourt Publishers, CORE, Inc. Visit www.nsdc.org.
Dec. 4: The Big Block! at the Philadelphia
Museum of Art. 10:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Museum of Art, Ben Franklin Pkwy at 26th Street, Education
Corridor, Ground Floor. Day of displays, demonstrations,
workshops and printing culminates semester project
by The Philadelphia Print Collaborative with schools
and community organizations around print technique
of woodcut. Contact Caitlin Perkins at 215-701-6148
or cperkins@solfopro.com.
Dec. 6: Frank McCourt, author of Teacher
Man and Angela's Ashes 8 p.m.
Free Library of Philadelphia, Central Branch’s
Montgomery Auditorium, 1901 Vine Street. A Pulitzer
Prize-winning author, Frank McCourt retired after
teaching in New York City Public Schools for 30 years.
$12, $8 for students. For more information, call 215-567-4341.
Dec. 7: School Reform Commission Planning Meeting. 1 p.m. School District of Philadelphia Education Center, 400 N. Broad Street. To register to speak, call 215-400-4040 by 4:30 pm the day before the meeting.
Dec. 7: Parenting After Violence Symposium II. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Temple Health Sciences Building, 4th Floor, Broad & Ontario Sts. For information, call 215-683-6048.
Dec. 8: Mifflin School in East Falls Open House. 9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. 3624 Conrad Street. Coffee with the principal and tour of the school included. If interested, RSVP to the School at 215-951-4007 or East Falls School Committee at efschoolcommittee@mac.com.
Dec. 12: Philadelphia Education Fund Distinguished Educator Lecture Series: Creating Conditions to Promote Learning and Youth Development: What it Takes to Leave No Child Behind, featuring Dr. Pedro Noguera, award-winning educator, author (City Schools and the American Dream: Reclaiming The Promise of Public Education), activist and director of the Metropolitan Center for Urban Education. United Way Bldg, 7 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy, 1st Floor. For information, go to http://www.philaedfund.org/pdfs/distinguisheddec.pdf.
Dec. 13: Kensington High School planning meeting: Final meeting & celebration. 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Kensington School of Culinary Arts, 2463 Emerald St. Community members, Philadelphia Education Fund, Concordia planning and design consultants, parents, students, teachers and business leaders conclude new school planning. For more information, contact Tia Keitt, Philadelphia Education Fund, at 215-665-1400.
Dec. 14: West Philadelphia High School Steering Committee Meeting: Final meeting & celebration. 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. School’s Room 207, 48th & Walnut Streets. Community members, Philadelphia Education Fund, Concordia planning and design consultants, parents, students, teachers, business leaders and others conclude new school planning. Refreshments and childcare will be provided. For more information, contact Tia Keitt, Philadelphia Education Fund, at 215-665-1400.
Dec. 14: School Reform Commission Action Meeting. 1 p.m. School District of Philadelphia Education Center, 400 N. Broad Street. To register to speak, call 215-400-4040 by 4:30 pm the day before the meeting.
Dec. 16: Youth Development Conference to Inspire Community Action. 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. Pennsylvania Convention Center, 1101 Arch Street. Town Hall meeting, lunch and workshops such as "Peace in the Streets," "Building Youth Power through Partnerships," "Connecting Cultures," and more. Sponsored by Greater Philadelphia Federation of Settlements and United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania. To register and for more information, visit http://www.greatsettlements.org/2005_conf/overview.htm.
Now through Jan. 13, 2006: Applications accepted for Youth Service America Grants. Youth Service America and Disney offer $500 grants to students ages 5 - 14 or the teachers, schools, and organizations that engage them to implement service projects on National and Global Youth Service Day, April 21-23, 2006. For more information and application, visit http://www.ysa.org/awards/award_grant.cfm#nowavailable.
Every Thursday: Talk radio program with Sandra Dungee Glenn, School Reform Commission member. 10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. WURD 900 AM. Call-in number: (215) 426-1310.
School Calendar
Dec. 13: K-8 Report Cards Distributed.
Dec. 14 - 16: K-8 Parent Teacher Conferences / Early Dismissal.
Dec. 26 - Jan. 2: Schools and Administrative Offices closed for Winter Recess.
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