January Newsflash
At the SRC . . .
At its January 18 meeting, the School Reform Commission:
Approved three charter school applications, while tentatively delaying the opening of these schools until September 2007 for budgetary reasons.
For all three new schools, the District is suspending a provision of the charter school law in order to establish an attendance zone for the school and to give admissions preferences to students who live in that zone.
Pan American Charter School, a K-8 school to be located at 3039 "B" Street in Kensington, is affiliated with Congreso de Latinos Unidos, and its curriculum will emphasize cultural awareness and respect.
Southwest Leadership Academy, serving grades K-7, will open at 2240 S. 71st Street and is affiliated with the education management company Victory Schools; a focus of the school will be character and leadership development.
TrueBright Science Academy Charter School, at 5201 Old York Road in Logan, is a grade 7-12 school partnering with some area corporations, universities and Einstein Hospital to offer a curriculum focusing on science and technology.
-Rejected seven other charter applications, including a proposal for an all-boys charter high school.
That application for the Southwest Philadelphia Academy for Boys had drawn criticism and raised questions about the legality of single-sex schools.
-Approved an extension to May 31, 2006 of a contract with Counselors Collaborative Inc.
The firm has been working since 2004 to develop a "Strategic Facilities Plan" for the SRC to guide the District’s capital projects and selection of school sites.
-Approved the creation of a new International Studies High School in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania and the Asia Society.
The new high school is to open with ninth graders in September 2006. The school will stress issues of global citizenship, will require four or more years of foreign language study, and will offer both virtual and actual exchanges with schools around the world. The college preparatory school will ultimately serve up to 500 students and be a citywide admission high school requiring grades of C or better, with priority to students from West Philadelphia.
-Approved $1.5 million in contracts to six local organizations for implementation of a state-funded parent involvement initiative
The program will recruit, train, and provide stipends to parent volunteers to staff "Parent Welcome Desks" and participate in safety patrols in and around schools. Communities in Schools of Philadelphia is slated to receive up to $900,000 in funding, with the rest of the funds earmarked for Black Alliance for Educational Options, Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia, Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Southeast Asian Mutual Assistance Associations Coalition, and West Philadelphia Coalition of Neighborhoods and Businesses.
-Approved a $270,000 contract with Princeton Review to provide materials and support for a standardized test preparation program.
The PSSA preparation program will take place on six Saturdays targeting 9,500 students in grades 3-8 this winter.
-Approved an $850,000 contract with Catapult Learning (formerly Sylvan Education Solutions) to provide afterschool and parental involvement programs through August 2006.
At its December 14 meeting, the SRC:
-Approved a $180,000 contract renewal with O’Donnell Associates.
The firm of former state representative Robert W. O’Donnell will again provide services as a legislative analyst and lobbyist for 2006.
-Approved a $4.4 million lease renewal for a five-year lease with New Covenant Church of Philadelphia.
The lease is for the Parkway Northwest High School for Peace and Social Justice, including renovations of two buildings and a gymnasium.
-Approved a new "District Wide Parent Involvement Policy."
The new policy commits the District to developing a parental involvement plan with input from its Title I Parent Advisory Committee and from other parent groups. Among its many provisions, the seven-page policy mandates that schools "conduct meetings at various times of the day to obtain parent input on the School Improvement Plan (SIP)."
-Approved a $420,000 contract with the College Board to cover fees for 11th graders to take the PSAT and SAT exam this school year.
In a second resolution, the District committed to funding an SAT preparation course for 2,500 high school juniors in advance of the May 2006 SAT test through a $500,000 contract with Thomson Peterson’s. In both 2004 and 2005, just under 4,000 Philadelphia 11th graders took the SAT test in the spring.