This edition of the Notebook NEWSFLASH is also available online at: www.thenotebook.org/newsflash/2005/october
Notebook NEWSFLASH:
October 2005
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Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell supports an initiative that would assign individual identifying codes to students in the ninth grade, as a way to eliminate the "invisibility" of school dropouts and to count their numbers.
Pennsylvania State Rep. James Roebuck, chair of the state House's education committee, this year introduced legislation that would require schools to conduct exit interviews with students who withdraw from school.
Meanwhile Pennsylvania Speaker of the House of Representatives John Perzel, in a written response to the Notebook, suggested "a comprehensive statewide plan to identify what more can be done to increase the number of students graduating from our schools."
The issue of youth leaving school (the theme of the Fall 2005 edition of the Notebook) has gained new notice from various branches of government - and for a variety of reasons.
Initiatives to keep students in high school have been spurred recently by such entities as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the National Governors Association. With these has come the realization that efforts to improve secondary education are hampered by an inability to estimate the size of the dropout problem.
Dropout definitions vary widely, and many states and school systems fail to collect accurate, comprehensive data on school dropouts. That shortcoming has been highlighted as states gather data to meet No Child Left Behind's myriad data requirements.
Pennsylvania reports a count of Philadelphia dropouts in 2003-2004 as about 5,000. But it is widely believed that that count omits hundreds, if not thousands of out-of-school youth.
"It's a huge problem, no doubt about it," a spokesperson for Governor Rendell's
policy office admitted. "I think it's probably fair to say that we've all failed
a lot of these kids."
Collective, multiple approaches
Shelly Yanoff, executive director of Philadelphia
Citizens for Children and Youth (PCCY), says it's only recently that she's
been excited by the action she's seen around the issue.
PCCY is one of dozens of local organizations that have come together in the Youth Transition Funders Group Collaborative, which is conducting a one-year strategic assessment funded by the Gates Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, of ways to improve outcomes for out-of-school youth and other vulnerable students.
Dropouts "have not been dealt with" by government entities, Yanoff said. "In some ways, it's been a conspiracy not to see them. Once we see them, we have to do something about them."
The Rendell-supported initiative that would allow school systems to track individual students wherever they are in school is one of any number of proposals that could be implemented around the issue in coming years.
Another proposal, endorsed by the state Youth Council and Workforce Investment Board of the Department of Labor & Industry, would fund a "youth intermediary organization" designed to connect schools and employers through career awareness, training, and development of high-quality, specialized programs.
Rendell's office stressed this is one of the "multiple pathways" the Governor envisions as an approach toward more directly exposing students to the benefits of education.
Roebuck on Oct. 8, in partnership with Community College of Philadelphia, at its West Philadelphia campus, is hosting a workshop for middle-school students and parents on "How to Survive High School."
"I think part of problem is kids aren't academically prepared when they enter high school," Roebuck offered. "They need information on how you make decisions about careers, how to make the right choices and what courses to take to get where you want to go."
Perzel noted, "Not all factors related to dropout
reduction can be controlled within the school setting,"
or by schools alone. He suggested three key steps:
- Continue implementing programs to identify students
at-risk of dropping out and provide more individualized
education services for them;
- Identify exemplary dropout prevention programs and
encourage their duplication in Pennsylvania school
districts with high dropout rates; and
- Encourage partnerships "between schools, teachers,
administrators, parents and parent groups, community-based
providers, businessleaders, and local governments
"to develop coordinated plans for dealing with
the many facets of the issue.
"As a society, we cannot afford the human and economic costs related to students dropping out of school," Perzel stated. "When a single student drops out after being enrolled in a Pennsylvania public school for 10 years, taxpayers lose an estimated $93,670 investment. And this staggering figure does not even include the long-term costs related to the lost potential of those who never graduate."
Roebuck's bill, introduced to the Pennsylvania House education committee in June, requires school superintendents to order reports from each school district on the whereabouts of and motivating factors for school dropouts. The interviews would be required for students absent and unexcused for more than three days. Parents would have to complete interviews of students who cannot be located or face a penalty of $50, funds that would go toward locating the student.
The bill drew a number of co-sponsors, including local representatives Harold James, Babette Josephs, Marie Lederer, Curtis Thomas, Ronald G .Waters and Rosita Youngblood.
Meanwhile, the state has already put into place some efforts aimed at preventing students from dropping out of school. They include Project 720 - named for the number of days in a typical high school career from ninth grade to 12th-grade graduation. Individual high schools may receive grant funds, but they must show proof of dropout re-entry, and research-based, dropout prevention strategies.
Two schools in Philadelphia - Carver and Lamberton - are receiving Project 720 grants.
In his comments, Perzel also pointed to $15 million in state funding for alternative school programs and to the establishment of the School District of Philadelphia's RETI-WRAP pilot program, which provides a transitional step for students who have been adjudicated or incarcerated.
Local leadership
Among city government officials, the approach toward
addressing the dropout rate focuses around message-building,
supporting service-organization collaborations targeting
youth behavior, and encouraging local employers and
developers to support parent involvement and assist
schools in making education more relevant to future
employment opportunities.
"It's time to come together collectively, to sit down at the table and grapple with what kids are saying is viable," said Jacqueline Barnett, Mayor Street's newly appointed Secretary of Education.
Councilman Michael Nutter, a candidate for mayor, noted that he has encouraged employers to allow flexible schedules for parents wanting to support their school-age children by participating in activities during the school day. He has also introduced legislation that would require employers and developers seeking certain tax breaks for projects to provide work opportunities to school-age youth in Philadelphia.
"From the business and government standpoint, we have to make it more evident to young people that there are benefits to staying in school," he said.
And City Controller Jonathan Saidel, also a potential candidate for Philadelphia mayor, spoke passionately in an interview on the dropout problem. He argued the existence of a "direct correlation between education and economic development, not to mention a moral obligation."
"People in the generation before made sure we were educated," he said. "So we owe other generations the same thing."
Saidel cited specialty schools around job skills as an approach he favored.
Youth advocates indeed say they are looking for a mayoral candidate who will take leadership on the issue.
PCCY's Yanoff noted plenty of opportunity exists for political leaders and others to develop new strategies.
"There is some alternative programming being done," she said. "But there should be a whole host of alternatives inside and outside of the current school system. There should be a network of programs supporting these kids in getting the kind of education that allows them to be able to earn a living and face life."
"All of us have a job to do," she said.
Contact Notebook staff writer Sheila Simmons at 215-951-0330 x156 or sheilas@thenotebook.org.
In September, the School Reform Commission approved the following:
-A new and stiffer promotion policy for
2005-06
The District promises to review and get public input
before implementing a long-term policy. The new policy
specifies that students in grades 2-8 who score in
the bottom quarter nationally on the TerraNova standardized
test will be required to complete 120 extra hours
of remedial instruction after school and in summer
school and also pass a summer school exam to be promoted
to the next grade. An estimated 30,000 students are
affected by this new requirement. In addition, students
who score below the national norm on the TerraNova
will be encouraged but not required to attend the
120 extra hours of instruction.
-Changes in TerraNova testing
The TerraNova reading and math exams are being switched
from the spring to October for grades 3-8, with the
results used to trigger the mandated extra instruction,
which begins in January. The District will also start
to administer portions of the TerraNova test that
require written responses. Grades 1, 2, 9 and 10 will
continue to be tested in the spring (Next spring's
PSSA
testing will cover grades 3-8 and 11).
-Thomas Durham School property authorized
for sale
The former elementary school at 16th and Lombard Streets
closed in 2003 due to low enrollment. As determined
by District staff to have no future use, the property
will be listed through December 2005 with Allan
Domb. Final sale must be presented for approval.
SRC member Sandra Dungee Glenn pushed for an option
to drop sales plans in the event that an upcoming
master plan for school construction being developed
for the SRC suggests a need for a school building
in the area.
-Commission-based contract with Premiere
Sports Marketing for Super Site sponsorships
Premiere will secure advertising and sponsorships
for new "athletic super sites," state-of-the-art
stadiums shared among schools in a region. The one-year
contract, through August 1, 2006, provides a 20 percent
commission to Premiere. Sponsorship funds will be
used for maintenance and upkeep of five super sites,
two of which (Northeast and Germantown) have re-opened
after major improvements.
-$20.5 million from operating budget/capital
fund/categorical/grant fund to SchoolNet
SchoolNet
will continue to provide teachers and administrators
with online access to student data and instructional
tools, will implement web-based teacher professional
development, and will provide benchmark testing services
and support by SchoolNet subcontractors
Princeton Review through 2007. The newest addition,
known as "Familynet" and in implementation
this school year, gives parents online access to student
information such as attendance, grades, benchmark
test results, and standardized test scores.
-$175,000 from operating budget for settlement
in Matthew Gremo case
Settlement to be paid to Matthew
Gremo, a former student who was the victim of
a November 2001 assault at George Washington High
School.
-$210,000 Categorical/Grant Fund acceptance
from Pennsylvania Department of Education; $59,000
contact with Eastern University for Lamberton High
School
Project 720 grant from the state runs through June
30, 2008, to support efforts to establish Lamberton
as an Early College High School. Eastern will provide
curriculum development and teacher professional development,
in connection with the Early College initiative, which,
beginning in fall 2006, will allow Lamberton students
to earn up to two years of college credit while in
high school. Contracts for educational services between
the District and K12,
Inc., Drexel, Chestnut Hill College, West Chester
University, Rosemont College, St. Joseph's,
Lincoln, University of the Arts, Arcadia, Holy Family,
LaSalle, and Academy of the Natural Sciences were
also ratified.
back to top
At District
HQ:
Gregory Shannon has been named Assistant
Superintendent in the office of Transition and Alternative
Education. . . . Deputy Chief Safety Officer James
B. Golden Jr., takes over acting duties from
former Chief Safety Officer Dexter Green,
who retired in September. . . . Naomi Gubernick
is the new Executive Director of School Operations,
in the Chief Academic Officer's office. . .
. Florence Mickens has been named
manager of the Parent Leadership Academy. Parents
Teresa Duncan and JoAnne
Eggleston are co-chairs of the Parent Advisory
Board to the Parent Leadership Academy. . . . Diane
Castelbuono has left her position as senior
policy advisor to CEO Paul Vallas to become Pennsylvania
Deputy Secretary of Education in the Office of Elementary
and Secondary Education.
In schools:
David Baugh is the new principal
at Duckrey. . . . Bea Mickey is new
principal at Dunbar. . . . Sonya Harrison
is new principal at Alexander Wilson.
In the city:
At the Philadelphia
Student Union, Taina Asili is
the new director of organizing; Sheddy Rollins
is the new director of leadership; and Courtney
Lewis is the new director of finance. Current
PSU Executive Director Eric Braxton
will remain in a part-time transitional capacity with
the group.
In the state:
Governor Edward G. Rendell nominated acting Secretary
of Education Gerald L. Zahorchak
for the post permanently. Zahorchak has also served
as deputy secretary for elementary and secondary education
and superintendent of the Greater Johnstown School
District.
"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 sheilas@thenotebook.org.
Oct. 8: Tri-State Get Smart about Parent Power Fair 2005. 9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Hyatt Regency/ Penn's Landing, 201 S. Columbus Blvd. Panel discussions, interactive workstations, exhibitors, vendors, keynote presentation and entertainment. Free. Lunch included. Pre-registration required. Sponsored by Pennsylvania Parent Information & Resource Center. Call 215-763-0883.
October 8: How to Survive High School. 10 a.m. - 12 noon. West Regional Campus, Community College of Philadelphia, Community Room. 4725 Chestnut St. For middle-school students and parents. Topics: High school selection, course selection, special admission programs and schools, career choices. Representatives from: Philadelphia School District, Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, Tuition Assistance Program, Philadelphia Police Dept., organized labor, Community College of Philadelphia, Philadelphia magnet schools. Sponsored by St. Rep. James Roebuck & Community College. Call 215-724-2227.
Oct. 22: Juvenile Injustice: A Proposal for Reform. 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Moore College of Art & Design, 20th Street and Ben Franklin Parkway. Features author and Harvard professor Charles J. Ogletree Jr., with Bilal Qayyum, Father's Day Rally Committee, and Robert G. Schwartz, Juvenile Law Center. Free. Refreshments at 5:30 p.m. Book signing, 8:30 p.m. RSVP and register at 215-563-5848, ext. 11, or by clicking on "Forging the Future," on www.pccy.org.
Oct. 12: Basic Tutor Training (session 1 of 3). 5:30p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Municipal Services Building, 1401 JFK Blvd., 16th floor. Sponsored by Mayor's Commission on Literacy. For information, contact Linda at 215-686-5256.
Oct. 12: GED Tutor Training (session 1 of
3). 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. Municipal Services
Building, 1401 JFK Blvd., 16th floor. Sponsored by
Mayor's Commission on Literacy. For information,
contactl Linda at 215-686-5256.
Oct. 15: Serve-A-Thon. 9 a.m. -
3 p.m. Waterview Recreation Center, 5826 McMahon Street.
City
Year Greater Philadelphia, on its annual day of
volunteer service, will provide services such as refurbishing
the basketball courts, painting fences, , and removing
graffiti from the Germantown-area playground. Contact
Michael Flynn
to volunteer or for more details.
Oct. 18: The neglected importance of connections: The role of student engagement in the transition to high school. 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, 7 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy. Speaker: Dr. Christopher C. Weiss. For information, or to RSVP, call 215-665-1400. By Philadelphia Education Fund as part of Fall 2005 Distinguished Educator Lecture Series.
October 18-21: Child Advocacy Leadership Institute. Doubletree Hotel, 237 S. Broad Street. National event hosted by Voices for America's Children will offer workshops on school readiness, racial inequities, message framing, working with state administrators, message framing and more. For more information, contact Arohi Pathak at pathak@voices.org or 202-289-0777 ext. 220. Register at or visit www.voices.org.
Oct. 19: School Reform Commission Planning Meeting. 1 pm. School District of Philadelphia Education Center, 440 N. Broad Street. To register to speak, call 215-400-4040 by 4:30 p.m. the day before the meeting.
Oct. 20: Struggles of the Shadows: Philadelphia's Free African Youth. 10 p.m. airing on WHYY-TV 12. Half-hour documentary follows five Philadelphia School District teenagers as they explore the free African community in Philadelphia while slavery still existed in the United States. The students researched, scripted, and produced the film with the support of Scribe Video Center. The film includes footage of local historic sites, student interviews, scholars' comments, and talks with tour guides.
Oct. 22: Philadelphia Cares Day. A team of 10,000 volunteers head into 100 Philadelphia public schools to paint murals and hallways, landscape schoolyards, whitewash graffiti and more in an effort to beautify schools. Contact Isabel Mapp for further information at 215-898-2020 or sammapp@pobox.upenn.edu.
Oct. 22: Center City Elementary School Fair. 12 Noon - 3 p.m. Pennsylvania Convention Center, 12th and Arch Streets, Hall D. Principals, staff, teachers and involved parents from over 30 public, parochial, independent, and charter schools in Center City will be on hand to answer questions. Event is free and family entertainment provided. For information, call 215-440-5500 or visit www.CenterCitySchools.com.
Oct. 24 - 28: 21st Annual VOMA International Training and Conference: Restorative Justice: Imagining the Possibilities. Holiday Inn Historic District, 400 Arch Street. Sponsored by Victim Offender Mediation Association. Documentary and broad spectrum of trainings that include victim offender mediation/conferencing, implementing restorative processes in schools, dialogues in crimes of severe violence, mediating parent-teen conflicts, addressing sexual abuse restoratively and more. To register, visit www.voma.org/conf05.shtml. For more information, contact Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz at lsa@mcc.org. or 612-874-0570 or 717-859-1151.
Oct. 25: Addressing the academic achievement gap. 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, 7 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy. Speaker: Belinda Williams. For information, or to RSVP, call 215-665-1400. By Philadelphia Education Fund as part of Fall 2005 Distinguished Educator Lecture Series.
Oct. 26: School Reform Commission Action Meeting. 1 p.m. School District of Philadelphia Education Center, 440 N. Broad Street. To register to speak, call 215-400-4040 by 4:30 p.m. the day before the meeting.
Oct. 27 - 30: 34th Annual NSEE Conference. Loew's Hotel, 21 S. 12th Street. The National Society for Experiential Education hosts workshops, roundtable meetings, panels, awards ceremonies, luncheons, and more for administrators, K-12 educators, counselors, support staff, and students. To register and for more information, visit www.nsee.org.
Nov. 2: Educators Workshop: Philadelphia's Free Black Community. 5 p.m.-7 p.m. The Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 1300 Locust St., hosts the first of a series of workshops for teachers exploring the history of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society and Philadelphia's free black community during the antebellum period. Free and open to the public. To register, or for information, call 215-732-6200, extension 412, or send an email to events@hsp.org.
Nov. 3 - 5: National Middle School Conference. Pennsylvania Convention Center, 12th and Arch Sts. Largest conference in the world specifically focused on middle school education. Offering nearly 500 concurrent sessions, workshops, and keynote presentations by known leaders in middle- level education. Topics include: classroom management, differentiated instruction, diversity, curriculum, technology and more. To register or for more information, visit the NMSA or Pennsylvania Middle School Association websites at www.nmsa.org or www.pmsaweb.org.
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.
Now through Oct. 31: Applications accepted for the National Liberty Museum's annual Young Heroes Award. Teachers and mentors invited to nominate a child or teenager in the Delaware Valley. Nomination forms available at www.libertymuseum.org, or by calling 215-925-2800, ext. 112, and at the museum, 321 Chestnut St. Award honors young people who "creating positive change in their communities, and who have shown optimism, leadership and creativity through non-violent, volunteer, civic and artistic work.
Ongoing: ASAP/After School Activities Partnerships offers School District staff the opportunity to lead chess clubs, proven to improve children's performance, in their schools. The School District will grant extra-curricular money and ASAP will provide training and materials. If interested, contact Ben Cooper at bcooper@phillyasap.org or 215-545-3072.
School Calendar
Oct. 10: Schools and Administrative Offices
closed for Columbus Day.
Oct. 13: Schools and Administrative Offices closed for Yom Kippur.
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