PDF - Philadelphia Public School Notebook

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En español: El Centro de Estudiantes, p.13
Vol. 17 No. 5
April 2010
www.thenotebook.org
FOCUS ON
Dropouts,
disconnected
youth &
diplomas
16
An alternative
system
Harvey Finkle
20
‘Pushout’
crisis
Students Marlene Williams (left) and Sharidah Harper work on computers at the Re-engagement Center at 440 North Broad Street. Since opening in 2008, the center
has placed about 2,800 former students in various educational and diploma-granting programs.
Connecting the disconnected
The Re-engagement Center sees a steady stream of youth wanting to resume their education.
26
Immigrant
students
Also in this
issue:
Fight for
school aid
p. 6
Renaissance
Schools named
p. 7
Fresh content daily
on the Web at
thenotebook.org
by Bill Hangley Jr.
ing to state data, 6,000 students dropped out of Philadelphia’s
Demetrius Newton is sitting up straight in a chair at the
public schools, and the center was hailed locally and nationDistrict’s Re-engagement Center. He’s making eye contact
ally as a valuable tool in helping to get these youth reconwith Bill Simon, one of the center’s three caseworkers, and
nected to their education. It is a key component in Mayor
answering every question clearly and thoughtfully.
Michael Nutter’s plan to boost Philadelphia’s graduation rate
Newton is 20 years old, and for the last 18 months, “all day,
from 60 percent to 80 percent by 2014.
every day” his friends and family have been bugging him to go
Since its opening, about 4,000 former students have visited
back to school. So, now he’s making the effort.
the center and nearly 2,800 have been placed in a variety of
“But it’s been a struggle,” he says, ticking off a list of obschools and programs, including accelerated schools, EOPs (Edstacles that he thinks stand between him and a diploma.
ucational Options Programs), the Gateway to College program
He cites the age limit imposed by traditional public schools
at Community College of Philadelphia, GED programs, literacy
that makes him too old to enroll and
programs, online learning centers, Job
the credit requirements of alternative
Corps, charter schools, and comprehenAbout 4,000 former
schools, which Newton says for some
sive high schools. (see chart, p. 18).
out-of-school youth mean having to “find
Like Newton, many of those who
students have already
a school on your own and pay for it.”
come to the center are over-age and unvisited the center – many der-credited, so it’s no surprise that as of
Newton was dismissed from Shallcross, one of the District’s disciplinary
November 2009, only 21 had earned diof them over-age and
schools, as a result of verbal confrontaplomas, one for every 200 students who
under-credited.
tions with staff. A counselor there told
passed through the center’s doors during
him about the Re-engagement Center,
its first 18 months.
located on the first floor of District headquarters.
Newton had only 4.5 of the necessary 23.5 credits when comIn collaboration with city government and local nonprofing to the center. He took the required assessment tests, and
its, the District opened the Re-engagement Center in May
learned that his reading and math skills qualified him for an
2008, the first of its kind in the country. That year, accordContinued on page 18
tableofcontents
FOCUS ON DROPOUTS, DISCONNECTED YOUTH & DIPLOMAS
1
O
16
O
16
O
17
O
20
O
22
O
24
O
26
O
27
O
31
O
Connecting the disconnected: The Re-engagement Center
Large, varied system of alternative schools serves returning students
Ombudsman: A personalized path to earning credits and a diploma
El Centro: Trying to ‘ignite learning’
Dropped out? No, pushed out
Discipline schools charged with helping students graduate
Looking out for the most vulnerable
Immigrant students find school system didn’t have them in mind
Data: On-time graduation rate is down slightly
Quicktakes: Dropout crisis – What have been the biggest changes?
OTHER NEWS AND FEATURES
6
O
7
O
10
O
11
O
30
O
Rendell wants more school aid; fight expected
9 Renaissance Schools, 5 Promise Academies announced
Effective Teaching Campaign keeps focus on union contract
What went wrong in handling of S. Philadelphia violence?
Notebook membership drive tops 200
DEPARTMENTS
2
O
3
O
3
O
8
O
9
O
12
O
13
O
15
O
15
O
28
O
30
O
Our opinion: New paths to a diploma, Renaissance schools
Letters: High school choice, Improvement starts with cooperation
Eye on special education: Extended school year services
News in brief: HS admissions, PCHR hearings, college office
Activism around the city: PSU campaign, discipline policies
Español
School calendar
School snapshot: FIRST LEGO League Tournament
Who ya gonna call?
Sports stories – Spring in their steps
From the Notebook blog – Corrective Reading raises questions
More online at www.thenotebook.org
An independent news service and newspaper – a voice for parents, students, classroom teachers,
and others who are working for quality and equality in Philadelphia public schools.
Leadership board: Christie Balka, Ryan Bowers, Derrick Gantt, Abigail Gray, Helen Gym, Harold Jordan,
Linda Wright Moore, Len Rieser, Brett Schaeffer, Mary Ann Smith, Ron Whitehorne, Jeff Wicklund
Editorial board for this Issue: Lynne Blumberg, Jenny Bogoni, Sarah Burgess, Daniel Denvir, Tricia
Fussaro, Bill Hangley Jr., Gustavo Martínez Contreras, Ruth Rouff, Sheila Simmons, Debra Weiner,
Shelly Yanoff
Editor: Paul Socolar
Managing editor: Wendy Harris
Contributing editor: Dale Mezzacappa
Web editor: Erika Owens
Operations/business manager: Corey Mark
Marketing/outreach associate: Sheena Crenshaw
Design: Joseph Kemp
Photography: Kevin Cook, Harvey Finkle
Copy editor: Juli Warren
Cartoonist: Eric Joselyn
Spanish translation: Mildred S. Martínez
Editorial assistance: Joseph Blanc, Len Rieser, Sandy Socolar
Contributing writers: Benjamin Herold
Interns: Abigail Fox, Erin Gilbert, Charmaine Giles, Kate Nelson, Julissa Ventura, Michelle Welk
Distribution: Rebecca Bradley, Ron Whitehorne, Salvation Army
Special thanks to… Our members, advertisers, and volunteers who distribute the Notebook. Major
funding for this edition from Project U-Turn, with ongoing support from the Barra Foundation, Bread
and Roses Community Fund, Communities for Public Education Reform, Samuel S. Fels Fund, Patricia
Kind Family Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, The Philadelphia Foundation, Union
Benevolent Association, William Penn Foundation, and from hundreds of Individuals.
2 Philadelphia Public School Notebook
ouropinion
New paths to a diploma
In less than two years, 4,000 individuals
A look at the raw dropout numbers
have gone to the center to try to reconis almost as chilling today as it was five
nect with an academic program. Word of
years ago when a citywide campaign
mouth is strong, and demand is still outnow called Project U-Turn took on the
stripping the supply of open school slots.
challenge of publicizing and addressing
The jury is still out, however, on
this epidemic in Philadelphia.
whether these new schools are producCitywide, only 56 percent of stuing graduates in significant numbers and
dents who started high school in 2005
teaching the skills young people need
graduated on time in 2009.
to succeed after high school. We should
The graduation rate for that class will
know soon; current contracts with acgrow by several points as additional stucelerated school providers include dedents persist and earn their diplomas aftailed accountability
ter five or six years. But
provisions that can
still, nearly 40 percent of
The jury is still out
provide meaningful
each class fails to graduon
whether
the
new
evaluation data.
ate even after six years.
Along with this
Following several
schools are teaching
growing network of
years of upward movement in graduation the skills young people alternative schools,
it’s hopeful that an
rates, the most recent
need to succeed.
infusion of state and
data show a leveling off
federal funds this year has allowed Su– there is no steady, sustained progress
perintendent Ackerman to ratchet up
yet. While public awareness of the dropkey supports to help students stay on
out epidemic has grown, we still have
track: smaller class sizes in early grades,
miles to go in treating it.
a sorely needed expansion in counselWhat Philadelphia can point to, afing services, and a restoration of art and
ter a lot of hard work in the past year, is a
music to many schools, to name a few.
coherent set of initiatives that are showThe new alternative schools are
ing signs of re-engaging adolescent youth.
not a cure-all for the dropout crisis.
A broad array of alternative proThere is no escaping the need for early
grams is now available for re-connecting
intervention with struggling students
young people who were not making
before they start failing and lose interit in traditional high schools. There’s
est in school. Teaching literacy skills
been a major expansion in the number
early is key. Many of the students who
of slots for returning students in accelshow up at the Re-engagement Center
erated high schools, designed for those
or alternative programs are reading at a
who stopped attending and have earned
3rd or 4th grade level.
only a few credits. These small, alternaThese interventions urgently need
tive schools are run by outside providers
to be coupled with significant reorgaunder contract with the School District.
nization of the comprehensive high
Students in accelerated programs
schools that continue to hemorrhage
are finding more personalized learning
students. It’s not clear that the “turnenvironments and stronger student suparound” models proposed for high
ports than are available in most large
schools, such as Ackerman’s Promise
neighborhood high schools. The result
Academy blueprint, address the extent
is improved attendance and a safer and
to which the student experience at
more positive school climate.
these schools must be reshaped.
Steering students to these secondWith an array of alternative apchance schools is the nation’s first Reproaches, let us seize the opportunity to
engagement Center, an entry point for
evaluate them closely and decide which
young people who want to find a path
ideas are worthy of wider adoption.
to a diploma but need some guidance.
Will the District listen?
They said this time it would be different.
District leaders involved in planning for Renaissance Schools said that,
unlike the state takeover in 2002, the
turnaround process under Arlene Ackerman would be done with school communities and not done to them.
They said newly-created school advisory councils would have a major voice in
decisions about what happens to schools
that are targeted for transformation.
But in the Ackerman administration’s apparent desire to aggressively
transform low-performing schools, the
community is again getting trampled.
The District is going full-speed ahead on
plans to force-transfer whole staffs and
start over at 14 schools in time for the fall.
Through a whirlwind effort, the
District managed to recruit more than a
quorum to serve on the councils at each
of the 14 “Renaissance Eligible” schools.
On short notice, about 100 council
members turned out Saturday, March 20,
for an all-day training session.
They learned that each brand-new
council has only six weeks to make a
recommendation about putting their
school in the hands of one of a small
list of outside providers … who haven’t
even completed their applications yet.
They learned that the councils
would play no role in deciding whether
a school should opt out of the provider
matching and instead take their chances with Superintendent Ackerman’s asyet ill-defined Promise Academy model.
If the District wants the community on its side this time, it must start
giving school councils and communities the time, information, support, and
authority to decide what is the best way
forward.
April 2010
letterstotheeditors
The reality of high school choice
To the editors:
One year ago, in a meeting with the principal
of a Philadelphia K-8 school, a group of alumni
heard that getting into one of the District’s special
admissions high schools fundamentally shapes a
student’s educational outcomes. But with the publication of Research for Action’s recent study of the
freshman year transition, we now know that high
school choice is an illusion.
That prescient principal appealed to the alumni to raise funds for a school library. She argued
that it was her duty to ensure that the overwhelmingly low-income students under her care had easy
access to books and other learning resources. Her
goal was to target materials to 6th-8th graders and
to better equip them for applying and being admitted to one of the “more choice” high schools.
Egregious dropout rates among 9th grade students at neighborhood high schools are inexcusable. Superintendent Ackerman’s plan to “place
renewed emphasis on the freshman year” is sound,
but in the meantime, parents, teachers, and principals should aggressively guide students through
the still-murky high school choice process.
Sydelle Zove
The writer is an alumna of the Thomas K. Finletter
Elementary School and board president of 2andC Cares.
Improvement starts with cooperation
To the editors:
When administrators acknowledge the achievement gap is not created by teachers, we will then
have an atmosphere where teachers and administrators can work cooperatively on solving problems.
In 15 years of teaching, I’ve never met a parent who didn’t want the best for their child. Richard Rothstein, in his book “Class and Schools,”
reiterates the Coleman Report that verifies that the
home is the most important environment in determining a child’s academic success. He writes of
how parents from low socio-economic backgrounds
face difficulties in advocating for their children.
These “are complicated by children from low
socio-economic backgrounds having poorer vision,
perhaps stemming from a lower quality of prenatal care than their wealthier counterparts. They are
also more likely to have poorer oral hygiene, more
lead poisoning, more asthma, poorer nutrition, less
adequate pediatric care, more exposure to smoke,
and a host of other problems.”
Working respectfully, we can initiate proper
policy to assist parents in enhancing the home
environment. We can work with the community
to promote reading readiness in our preschool
children. That is how we eliminate the academic
achievement gap and improve our schools and
communities.
Responding to achievement gaps with reconstitution of staff and blaming teachers only serves
to hasten the end of public education. When that
happens, good schools will be hard to find in the
inner city.
Superintendent Ackerman recently stated that
problems in our schools are society’s problems. I
agree and I want to solve them. To others who
think this problem is too large to solve I say, lead,
follow, or get out of the way.
Keith Newman
The writer is a candidate for state representative for
the 194th District.
What’s YOUR opinion?
We want to know!
Write a letter to
Philadelphia Public School Notebook at:
3721 Midvale Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19129
Fax: 215-951-0342
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.thenotebook.org/contact
April 2010
eyeonspecialeducation
Extended school year services can help
students who regress during school breaks
by Janet Stotland
Sandra has a learning disability. She is in 4th grade
but reads at a 2nd grade level. Sandra can’t make reasonable progress in closing the gap because she forgets
what she has learned during the long summer break.
Juan is eight years old and has severe autism. He is
easily distracted and frustrated. If Juan’s behaviors are
not under control, not much learning occurs. During
the school year Juan’s behaviors gradually improve and
he starts to make progress in self-control and academic
learning. After each long school vacation, Juan’s progress disappears. When he returns to school, he has to
begin all over again.
Tamika, who is four, has cognitive and behavioral
delays. Her preschool early intervention program focuses on self-help skills. Early intervention services are
provided over a 12-month period with breaks of varying lengths up to four weeks. Tamika acquires skills
slowly, and loses them whenever a break lasts longer
than two weeks.
Which of these children is eligible for extended
school year (ESY) services during the breaks in their
school programs?
Probably all of them.
Children who lose skills or behaviors during program breaks that relate to goals or objectives in their
IEPs (called “regression”) and who have difficulty
catching up (called “recoupment”) are eligible for ESY.
Let’s debunk some myths about ESY:
Myth #1: ESY is limited to children with “severe” disabilities.
While it is true that the IEP team must pay particular attention to children with certain severe disabilities, IEP teams may not limit their consideration
of the need for ESY services to children with particular
types of disabilities or particular IEP goals.
Myth #2: School districts can set a fixed type and
amount of special education and related services for all
children who are ESY-eligible.
School districts can develop a “standard” ESY program that will work for most children. But decisions
about how much and what type of special education
and related services should be included in a child’s
ESY program – and what the program goals should be
– must be determined by the IEP team (which includes
the parents) based on each child’s needs.
The team’s decisions must be listed in the ESY section of the child’s IEP. That section should focus on the
parts of the student’s IEP that are particularly vulnerable to regression, and the amount of services should be
enough to keep the regression from occurring.
If the family does not agree with a school district’s
decision about whether the child is ESY-eligible or
what kind of ESY program the child needs, the family
can ask the school district for mediation or request a
special education hearing.
Myth #3: There are no deadlines for schools to decide
whether the child is ESY-eligible and what kind of services
she should get.
For children with certain severe disabilities, the
deadline for the IEP review to decide whether the
child is ESY-eligible is February 28 of each school year.
March 31 is the deadline to issue the written notice
(called a NOREP) to the family. For all other children
with disabilities, decisions about ESY eligibility are
part of the annual IEP review, or a parent can request
an IEP meeting to determine ESY eligibility at any
time.
For more details on ESY programs, visit www.elcpa.org/pubs/pubs_disabilities.html.
Next edition: ESY programs in Philadelphia
Janet Stotland is general counsel of the Education Law Center.
aboutthenotebook
The Philadelphia Public School Notebook is an independent news service whose mission is to promote informed public involvement in the
Philadelphia public schools and to contribute to the development of a strong, collaborative movement for positive educational change in city
schools and for schools that serve all children well. The Notebook has published a newspaper since 1994. Philadelphia Public School Notebook
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April 2010
INTRODUCING THE PATHWAY TO TEACHING PROGRAM
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April 2010
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districtnews
Rendell wants more school aid; fight expected
by Paul Socolar
Bucking national trends, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell says he will
continue the state’s effort to increase
funding for school districts in the coming school year despite a weak economy
and a ballooning state budget deficit.
The governor is seeking passage of
a 2010-11 budget that includes a $355
million boost to its basic education subsidy to districts.
In his final year in office, Rendell
proposes for the third straight year to
distribute education dollars using the basic education formula adopted in 2008,
funding districts based on characteristics
including enrollment, poverty rates, tax
effort, district size, and local cost of living.
Over the long term, the increases
in education aid aim to attain a funding
adequacy target for each district. Targets
reflect a statewide analysis of the level of
resources needed to ensure that each student reaches academic proficiency.
The state has been able to sustain
its education funding increases by using $700 million in federal stimulus dollars available in 2009 and 2010. It will
be hard-pressed to find a way to replace
those funds for 2011-12.
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With the additional state aid and direct economic stimulus dollars from the
federal government, the School District
was able to increase its current budget by
an unprecedented $300 million, or nearly
12 percent, adding 1,100 positions, mostly teachers and counselors.
According to Chief Business Officer Michael Masch, the District will see
less growth in 2010-11 – about $90 million in additional state subsidy via the
Rendell budget proposal in what is now
a $3.1 billion overall budget.
“The basic ed subsidy increase is the
only meaningful increase we’re going to
get for next year, so it’s not going to be a
big expansion year,” Masch said.
The District’s per pupil allocations to
schools generally remain the same or a little higher in new school budgets, he said.
What could change that is if the state
or the District is successful in one or more
of the Obama administration’s competitive grant programs, the largest of which
is known as Race to the Top.
Not all line items in the Pennsylvania Department of Education budget fared
well. Charter school reimbursements are
frozen at this year’s level, while Head
Start and the state’s tutoring program are
among two dozen areas facing cuts.
Last year, partisan battles delayed
adoption of a state budget more than three
months beyond the June 30 deadline.
While nobody is predicting a repeat
Weighted student funding
The School District is putting in place a
new system for allocating resources to schools
and developing school budgets known as
weighted student funding.
A group of 57 schools is part of a pilot
program, using a site-based decision-making
process this spring to develop action plans and
budgets. These schools receive greater budgetary
flexibility and an additional $150 in discretionary
funds per student. Information on weighted student funding
is available at www.philasd.org.
of that scenario, the governor’s chief policy advisor, Donna Cooper, told a group of
advocates in February, “This is going to be
a huge fight.”
But she said the governor remained
committed to his six-year timetable for
closing the adequacy gaps facing many
of the state’s school districts. “More than
half the districts in the state still have
gaps of more than $2,000” per student,
she said, meaning that they spend that
much less than their adequacy target.
Cooper says Pennsylvania is the
only state in the nation that is persisting
in its efforts to increase state education
aid in the face of the national recession.
And she said it has paid off with “seven
straight years of academic improvement
from 2002 to 2009.”
Contact Notebook editor Paul Socolar at
[email protected].
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* Contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education or endorsement by the Federal Government.
April 2010
districtnews
9 Renaissance Schools, 5 Promise Academies announced
by Dale Mezzacappa
Moving on a lightning-fast timeline,
the School District plans to turn over
nine low-performing schools to outside
managers by September – the majority
probably as charter schools – while trying
to jump-start educational improvement
at another five under a model overseen
by Superintendent Arlene Ackerman.
The District announced March 30
that all 14 schools designated as Renaissance Eligible will go through some
kind of turnaround process this year.
Officials had said that some might be
able to avoid it if a February school review process found progress. Ackerman
said that she decided to proceed with all
14 because after studying the reviews,
all needed radical intervention now.
The decision means that the entire
faculty of the 14 schools will be forcetransferred and if they want to stay
on, will have to reapply for their jobs.
Under the union contract, at Renaissance Schools that continue to operate
within the District, including Ackerman’s Promise Academies and so-called
“innovation” schools, no more than 50
percent of the teachers can be rehired.
For the five Promise Academies,
Ackerman chose two elementary, one
middle, and two high schools. According to a District blueprint, they can all
expect a longer school day and year, uniforms, and extensive use of Corrective
Reading and Corrective Math – similar
to current Empowerment Schools.
The nine designated to be Renaissance Schools will be courted by one
or more of six private providers (see p.
10) that have passed the District’s first
round of scrutiny as turnaround managers, although it is possible that not all
six will make the next cut. The final
list of approved providers will be announced on April 9.
School advisory councils at each
school will have between then and April
30 to recommend the best provider. The
councils will not have the option to decide there is no good match. Ackerman
and the School Reform Commission will
make the final decisions. An SRC vote is
scheduled for May 19.
Ackerman decided to put under the
Promise Academy banner several schools
that had been requested by providers.
For instance, both Mastery Charter and
Young Scholars Charter said they would
like to work with Dunbar. Mastery also
said it wanted to tackle Vaux.
Two Latino-focused agencies, Congreso de Latinos Unidos and ASPIRA,
which both run charter schools, had expressed interest in the three predominantly Latino schools on the list – Clemente,
Stetson, and Potter-Thomas. But Clemente was named a Promise Academy.
Ten of the 14 schools completed
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Turnaround schools
Renaissance Schools Promise Academies
To be matched with
Under the supervision of
an outside provider
Elementary Schools
Guion S.Bluford
Samuel H. Daroff
Frederick Douglass
William F. Harrity
William B. Mann
Potter-Thomas
Franklin Smedley
Middle Schools
John B. Stetson
High School
West Philadelphia
Superintendent Ackerman
Elementary Schools
Ethel D. Allen
Paul L. Dunbar
Middle School
Roberto Clemente
High Schools
Roberts Vaux
University City
For more information, go
to www.thenotebook.org/
renschools
a Promise Academy application. They
were asked to provide signatures from
community members and supporting
documents to indicate the depth of interest in this option. Some schools had
hundreds of signatures for the Promise
model while others had only a few.
West Philadelphia High School
had been a particular point of contention. The school’s active community
partners and its staff argued that it was
on the road to improvement under
third-year Principal Saliyah Cruz and
needed more time to pursue the direction it was going. Ackerman, however,
cited proficiency rates in the single digits as a reason why the school needed
“drastic” intervention. She said many
parents supported her.
In late March, the School Advisory
Council at West met with representatives from Johns Hopkins University/
Diplomas Now to hear its plan for reshaping the school and with Benjamin
Rayer, who heads the District’s Renaissance Schools initiative, on what a
Promise Academy would look like.
Parent Joy Herbert, a council member and mother of a 10th grader at West,
said she came away with no clear sense
of the Promise Academy vision. “They
gave us no model, no track record, no
proof this method works,” she said.
On the other hand, Johns Hopkins
“structured a whole program around
kids and academics. I loved that they’re
working in small teams” of students and
teachers, Herbert said.
Teacher Neil Geyette said that
West has already adopted much of the
Diplomas Now model, including the
Talent Development program’s intensive focus on 9th grade. He said changing direction didn’t make sense.
Hopkins proposes to operate
schools under an “innovation” model,
meaning they are run within the District, under the union contract.
The other providers have all said
they want to convert their schools to
charters, but they will be required to
take all students from the feeder area.
The Cross City Campaign for
School Reform has urged the District to
make more use of the innovation model
and give more support and time to the
advisory councils. Teams from West
Philadelphia and University City High
had both submitted proposals to reform
themselves under the “innovation” option. However, the District rejected
both proposals.
Contact Contributing Editor Dale Mezzacappa
at [email protected].
April 2010
newsinbrief
Reports urge changes in
high school admissions
Philadelphia’s high school admissions
process is complex, stratified, inequitable,
and further destabilizes already struggling
neighborhood high schools, according to
a series of reports released this winter by
Research for Action.
The District could take some immediate action that would improve the
situation: speeding up the admissions
timeline for selective schools, making the
process more informative for families, and
improving record-keeping so that neighborhood high schools can plan better for
their incoming class, the reports said.
RFA also recommended that the
School Reform Commission convene a
citywide body to examine the politically
dicey issues involved in high school admissions, including whether standards
should be changed and the process centralized. Now, principals at selective
schools have final say on whom to admit.
However, the chance of any change
may have been jeopardized by a false start
in March, when circulation of a draft
District proposal slated for discussion by
a focus group caused a furor among parents at special admissions schools. The
document recommended centralizing
the process and using a point system that
would rate students on criteria including
neighborhood and income level along
with academic and behavior records.
In response, Superintendent Arlene Ackerman said that changing the
70+
admissions criteria was not a priority for
her, although after seeing the RFA report she had ordered her staff to present
her a plan by early March.
Kate Shaw, executive director of
Research for Action, said the District’s
“troubling” sorting policy contributes
to the “concentration of poor Black,
Latino and special education students
in neighborhood high schools,” some of
which graduate less than a third of their
entering ninth graders.
Shaw said that implementing a
shortened admissions timeline would
help neighborhood schools know earlier who will be attending. She said 17
percent of students in those schools
start after the year has begun.
“The larger issue of how to address
the sorting pattern itself is a thornier issue,” Shaw said. “As we saw, it is not
an issue that can be dealt with in a topdown fashion or quickly.”
-Dale Mezzacappa
Human Relations hearings
focus on school violence
The violence at South Philadelphia
High School last December served as a
catalyst for the Philadelphia Commission
on Human Relations (PCHR) to schedule a series of public hearings on the topic.
School violence victims, parents, administrators, and teachers have already
attended two of 11 scheduled meetings
to speak about their experiences.
“Our goal is to focus on finding
ways to ameliorate a part of the prob-
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“South Philadelphia High is not an
exception to the rule … [it is just] one
example.”
First-hand accounts of unchecked
school violence dominated the initial
hearing held in January.
At the second hearing, held in West
Philadelphia in March, members of the
Philadelphia Student Union, City Year,
and other education and youth organizations suggested solutions.
The need to engage students and establish an open dialogue with their peers
and educators was a common thread
throughout the night’s testimonials.
Timothy McKenna, principal at
Furness High School, explained how
he curtailed violence in his school. He
said he reminds students every morning
and afternoon over the PA system that
teachers and faculty are there to listen.
Should conflict arise, the adults care
and will be there to help.
Although the PCHR hearings are
independent of the School District,
commissioners encouraged attendees
to submit their stories and ideas to the
District, with the expectation that District staff will implement any suggestions by the end of the yearlong process.
“We really want to get the data together, and it is our hope the District
will pay attention,” Alpert said.
For a schedule of future hearings,
visit www.phila.gov/humanrelations.
-Michelle Welk
One-stop shop for college
now open at City Hall
In Philadelphia, only 20 percent of
the population has a bachelor’s degree.
A college graduate can expect to
earn at least $2 million over his lifetime. A high school dropout will make
less than one-fourth of that.
The PhillyGoes2College office, which
opened in February at City Hall in Room
115, is designed to encourage a more positive trend.
“Philadelphia’s future depends on
increasing the number of our citizens
with college degrees,” said Mayor Nutter of the need for the office.
A “one-stop shop” for all collegerelated needs, the office helps Philadelphia residents, regardless of age and
education completed, locate the tools
required to continue their education.
A student looking for scholarship
opportunities, a parent in search of resources for their college-bound child, or
an adult looking to go back to school –
all should find resources here.
Visitors can get help locating SAT
prep courses, filling out financial aid
forms, developing a college budget, and
many other services.
“[We are] trying to simplify what can
be a very daunting and confusing process…down to its essentials,” said Lori
Shorr, the mayor’s chief education officer.
Financed by private contributions
and partnerships with major corpora(continued on page 9)
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April 2010
activismaroundthecity
Student Union campaign
aims to quell school violence
Philadelphia Student Union activists believe that respect and open
communication between students and
administrators can stop most school
violence before it starts. Through its
Campaign for Non-Violent Schools,
PSU organizers hope to improve relations among these groups citywide.
PSU announced the campaign at
a School Reform Commission meeting
in February. In March, PSU organizer
DeVante Wilson testified before the
Philadelphia Commission on Human
Relations about lessons he learned from
the recent violence at South Philadelphia High School.
“One thing that was going around
the school was that the African American students felt that the Asians had
more resources,” Wilson said.
“We found that wasn’t true, but the
News in brief
(continued from page 8)
tions like PriceWaterhouseCooper and
Wachovia, the office operates on a
$200,000 budget with a full-time staff of
two, as well as experienced volunteers.
The office is open during normal
business hours. Appointments can be
scheduled.
For 24-hour access to these resources, visit www.PhillyGoes2College.com.
-Michelle Welk
whole breakdown of communication
brought that [violence] on.”
Wilson, a senior at Carver High
School, told the commissioners that
students are more receptive when administrators give respect and attention
to their ideas.
Organizers say they’ll support anything that helps students and administrators better understand each other.
PSU members have been invited to
join the District’s blue-ribbon anti-violence panel, and they’re conducting
a survey to assess specific problems at
particular schools.
By next year they hope to replicate
successful initiatives, such as Sayre’s decision to involve students in the training of security guards.
What PSU organizers don’t want
are more metal detectors and bars on
the windows.
“It’s hard to learn when you’re being treated like a prisoner,” said Mariah
Porter, a senior at Overbrook.
For more information on the campaign, go to www.phillystudentunion.org.
-Bill Hangley Jr.
Public gatherings discuss
impact of disciplinary policies
Education Not Incarceration-Delaware Valley is holding a series of public
gatherings on the “school-to-prison” pipeline, including discussion about school
climate and zero-tolerance policies.
A panel discussion at the second
gathering in January addressed the ori-
Pennsylvania Art:
From Colony to Nation
gins of zero tolerance and student
rights in the disciplinary process.
Sheila Simmons, education director of Public Citizens for Children and Youth, recalled the impact of the attacks at Columbine
High School in 1999 and the 1995
adoption of Pennsylvania’s Act
26, which defined zero-tolerance
weapons offenses.
David Lapp of the Education Law Center took participants
through the steps of the disciplinary process, and explained requirements for parental notification and
translation of documents when
needed. He said that schools have
broad authority in what incidents
they can punish students for, pointing out that an incident in school
or with a “substantial connection”
to school can be pursued.
Harold Jordan
Student activists from Youth
Participants in a recent Education Not IncarceraUnited for Change described how tion gathering included Mark Davis, a student and
school discipline affected their member of Youth United for Change (top).
school experience. Ebony Baylis, a
the problems” with school climate.
member of YUC’s new pushout chapter,
Small group discussions concluded
said, “After a time, it becomes harder
that to make schools student-friendly
and harder to hold out for a change,
places requires getting at the root causes
and that’s how you begin to feel pushed
of the problem and tackling larger, sysout.”
temic issues; inconsistent rules and
Members of Philadelphia Student
enforcement; an overemphasis on testUnion said that supports for students
ing; and schools’ disconnect from their
would help improve school climate,
communities.
and told of their organizing work to adTo learn more about ENI-DV or get
vocate for those changes.
involved, email [email protected].
Lapp said, “Kids who are in a place
they want to be in will eliminate a lot of
-Erika Owens
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districtnews
Effective Teaching Campaign
keeps focus on union contract
Peer review and expanded
site selection are key new
provisions to be monitored.
by Dale Mezzacappa
The Effective Teaching Campaign,
which advocated for a union contract
that promoted the more equitable distribution of teachers, now plans to
closely monitor the implementation of
the pact signed by the District and PFT
in January.
The campaign, a coalition of more
than 20 groups led by the Education
First Compact and the Cross City Campaign for School Reform, hailed the
agreement as a major breakthrough.
Still, it plans to continue its work to
ensure some of the contract’s more farreaching provisions are carried out successfully, said spokesperson Brian Armstead, community outreach coordinator
for the Philadelphia Education Fund.
In particular, he said, it will look
at how the expanded site-selection system works in practice and how the peer
review process for teacher evaluation
is developed and implemented. It will
also encourage the District to do more
work around principal leadership and to
undertake an intense assessment on the
contract’s major initiatives.
On site selection, in which prin-
cipals and school leadership teams fill
vacancies instead of accepting assignments through seniority, the campaign
plans to “do work in individual schools,
getting feedback on the ground,” Armstead said.
It will also “talk to teachers and administrators about peer review and how
it is rolling out.”
It will seek anecdotal evidence,
but also encourage the District to work
with Research for Action to do “a real
evaluation around teacher effectiveness,” he said.
The campaign had sought more incentives to get teachers into hard-to-staff
schools. That work will continue primarily by promoting a more detailed look at
school leadership. Teachers overwhelmingly cite leadership in making decisions
to stay in a school or transfer out.
The campaign would like to study
how principals operate in different
types of schools and pinpoint what’s
needed to improve teacher quality.
“If a principal is responsible for
many things across the board, given
that, what supports are necessary to
carve out the time to be an effective instructional leader and what training do
they need?” Armstead asked.
“We’d love to work with the District
and the union to figure that all out.”
Six providers are finalists
for Renaissance Schools
Mastery Charter has the most experience in
turnaround, after taking over three District middle
schools and boosting test scores by focusing on
school climate and skill-building. Its first charter
high school, Mastery at Lenfest, opened in 2001.
Universal Companies runs a charter school,
founded in 1998, and operates two other South
Philadelphia schools as an education management organization (EMO). The schools are part of
a broader community development strategy for
South Philadelphia.
Johns Hopkins University/Diplomas Now is
a national model based on the Talent Development program that emphasizes transforming the
9th grade experience. It operates several charters elsewhere. It is the only provider proposing
an in-district “innovation” model rather than
charter conversion.
Young Scholars Charter School is an
11-year-old North Philadelphia charter school
that has undergone its own turnaround under
new management and wants to extend its reach.
It focuses on creating a strict school climate and
building student skills.
Congreso de Latinos Unidos is a Latinofocused community group that launched Pan
American Academy Charter School in 2008. It
is interested in one turnaround school and will
make heavy use of community partners to provide mentoring and other services.
ASPIRA is a Latino community organization
operating two charters in North Philadelphia – one
that is 12 years old – that use a dual languageimmersion model. It wants to apply the same curriculum in up to three turnaround schools.
-Dale Mezzacappa
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April 2010
districtnews
What went wrong in handling of S. Philadelphia violence?
by Gustavo Martínez Contreras
Former South Philadelphia High
School student Hao Luu is now attending a private school his family can
scarcely afford, is repeating 9th grade,
and is not receiving any formal Englishas-a-second-language instruction.
Beaten after school on December 2,
the day before an explosion of violence
against Asian immigrant students, Luu,
a 17-year-old student from Vietnam,
ended up spending months fighting disciplinary charges and then countering
accusations that he is a gang member.
The School District said it has now
mailed him a letter for his file that clears
him of any gang involvements. But he,
his grandmother, and the School Reform Commission (SRC) are still awaiting a formal explanation of why he was
suspended in the first place, transferred
to a disciplinary school, and then prevented from returning to South Philadelphia, even after the charges against
him were dismissed.
The series of mass assaults at South
Philadelphia on December 3 injured 30
students and sent 13 to area hospitals,
prompting an eight-day boycott of the
school by dozens of Asian students.
The Asian American Legal Defense
and Education Fund filed a federal civil
rights complaint with the Department of
Justice, charging the District and school
with “deliberate indifference” to a history of harassment of Asian students.
Responses to the violence
Since the violence, the District has
implemented new security measures at
the school, hired a diversity consultant
for staff training, and organized crosscultural activities and groups.
But 18 speakers at a March 17 SRC
meeting, including Hao Luu’s grandmother and nine Asian students, criticized the District for its handling of the
aftermath. The testimony pointed to a
failure to communicate with families,
an inadequate investigation of the violence, and a lack of action against school
staff who responded inappropriately.
Speakers also said that the District
had failed to acknowledge a pattern of
violence against Asian students, reacting
instead by accusing Hao Luu and others
of being gang members and implying
that they were somehow responsible.
The tearful testimony of his grandmother, Suong Nguyen, and Hao Luu’s
story made front-page news, becoming
the latest illustration of the District’s
puzzling and as yet unexplained handling of the incident.
“Review Hao’s case and clear him
from wrongful accusations,” said Nguyen.
A distressed Commissioner Johnny Irizarry pushed the issue with SRC
Chair Robert Archie.
“Mr. Archie, I would just like to request that the staff provide us an explanation for this,” Irizarry said.
“Rest assured, they will,” Archie
Harvey Finkle
At a School Reform Commission meeting, Asian students protest the District’s response to the
replied.
December
3
attacks
on
students
at
South
Philadelphia
High
School.
District spokesman Fernando Gallard
and a group of African American stusaid the District was preparing a response
in the Walgreen’s driveway,” he said.
dents in a stairwell at South Philadelon the handling of the case and would
His grandmother went to school
phia High School on December 2. The
not comment until the SRC sees it.
the next day to file a report. Luu stayed
report said this confrontation led to a
Counting Luu’s case, five of the 19
home on December 3 due to his injuconflict after school that day – what the
suspensions meted out after the Deries, and then participated in the eightjudge called the “Walgreen’s incident.”
cember attacks on Asian students were
day Asian student boycott.
The judge’s report offered four conoverturned, Gallard said.
Luu first heard he had been susflicting versions of what happened outThe District did not offer the Notebook
pended when he returned to school
side that Walgreen’s store on December
a breakdown of how many of the suspendafter the boycott. He then received
2 while not resolved South Philadela transfer to a disciplinary school and
phia students were Hao Luu and his grandmother ing contradictory
missed weeks of school while challengreports about who
African American or
ing the charges.
said they went public
attacked whom
Asian, though previAdvocates said Luu’s paperwork
to try to clear his record
and whether a
ously they had told
showed numerous due process errors,
“crippled/disabled
the press that eight
including untranslated notices and reand reputation.
African AmeriAsians were among
peated failure to contact the family in a
can student” cited in these accounts
those suspended. Nor did the District retimely manner.
was a victim or an attacker. The report
lease the ethnicity of the students whose
With the help of Cecilia Chen, an
recommended that the school and the
suspensions were overturned.
attorney from the Asian American LeDistrict interview witnesses about what
Luu and his grandmother said they
gal Defense and Education Fund, Luu
really happened.
went public to try to clear his record
prevailed in a disciplinary hearing on
Giles pointed to rumors about the
and reputation.
January 29. The hearing officer overWalgreen’s incident as triggering the
“The school is accusing me of someturned the transfer and reenrolled Luu
attacks on Asian students December
thing that I’m not guilty of,” Luu told
at South Philadelphia.
3. Ackerman, in her first public statethe Notebook through an interpreter in
But when he tried to return, he was
ment about the violence, referenced
February. “They are messing up my reagain denied entry and presented with
one hearsay version of the incident,
cord. They have gone too far, and that’s
yet another transfer signed by Principal
saying the conflict at the school “began
why I continue making this an issue.”
LaGreta Brown and approved by a reas an unwarranted off-campus attack on
While not mentioned by name,
gional superintendent. In a follow-up
a disabled African American student.”
Luu was a central figure in the official
conversation in early February, Chen
School District report on the South
was told by a District lawyer that the
Hao Luu’s story
Philadelphia violence – an investigaschool couldn’t guarantee Luu’s safety
tion conducted by a retired federal
because he was involved with a gang.
Hao Luu said after an incident in the
judge, James Giles, at the request of SuSoon after, having missed so much
stairwell in the afternoon, he and four
perintendent Arlene Ackerman.
school, Luu enrolled in the private school.
friends were followed after school that
The Giles report describes an inIn a subsequent meeting with school
day and attacked twice by a group of 10 or
cident involving a Vietnamese student
officials, Luu was accused of being inmore students. “I got beat down and fell
volved in a fight at the school a year before, Chen said. But he had been living
in Virginia at the time. He had only been
attending South Philly High for three
months when he was attacked, and he had
no disciplinary record at either school.
Luu said he regrets not being able
to stay at South Philadelphia “because
they have a good ESL program.”
“The family has gone through so
much,” attorney Chen noted. “And
they’re still distressed after how the
school dealt with their responsibility.”
+HOSLQJIDPLOLHV
For video of the March 17 testimony
),1'6(/(&7DQG
at the SRC by Suong Nguyen and others,
go to www.thenotebook.org/south-philly3$<IRUFKLOGFDUH
testimony.
.,'6
April 2010
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Gustavo Martínez Contreras, a freelance
journalist, covers immigrant student issues
for the Notebook.
enespañol
¿Se fue porque quiso? No, lo forzaron
Ser forzado fuera de la escuela
es un problema de derechos
humanos, y activistas jóvenes
de la ciudad están tratando de
resolverlo.
por Wendy Harris
Como muchos estudiantes de 9no
grado, Tiffany Burgos estaba entusiasmada al entrar a la Escuela Superior
Kensington de Comercio, Finanzas y
Empresarial. Esperaba con gusto sus
clases, apreciaba la oportunidad de
estudiar materias nuevas, y quería comenzar el proceso de preparación para
la universidad.
Pero no pasó mucho tiempo para
que Burgos se desinteresara. El currículo le parecía redundante; dice que
era como repetir la escuela intermedia.
Aparte de eso, se convirtió en víctima
de la incesante intimidación de otra estudiante.
Se quejó de la intimidación con el
principal, pero éste no hizo nada, dijo
Burgos. En décimo grado, cuando peleó
con la estudiante que la atormentaba,
terminó en el sistema de disciplina del
Distrito sin poder regresar a Kensington
pero tampoco asignada a otra escuela debido a retrasos constantes en el proceso.
Técnicamente, Burgos abandonó la
escuela. Pero, ¿no habrá sido realmente
“forzada” a hacerlo?
Nacionalmente está surgiendo un
movimiento para reconsiderar el problema de abandono escolar como la
negación de derechos humanos básicos
a millones de jóvenes, principalmente
a las minorías de color en escuelas urbanas que apenas gradúan la mitad de
su estudiantado. Una campaña llamada Dignity in Schools (Dignidad en las
escuelas) que hasta la fecha incluye 200
organizaciones, se basa en la idea que
“a demasiados estudiantes se les están
negando oportunidades educativas” y
“están siendo forzados a abandonar la
escuela debido a ambientes degradantes
y políticas disciplinarias severas que
menoscaban su aprendizaje”.
YUC organiza
La incidencia oficial de abandono
escolar en el Distrito todavía está a más
o menos 40 por ciento, y los estudiantes
como Burgos están buscando reclasificarse como “forzados a abandonar la
escuela”. El grupo local de Youth United
for Change, YUC creó el año pasado un
capítulo específico para esta población
estudiantil, y Burgos es ahora uno de sus
110 miembros.
La campaña Dignity in Schools,
que está circulando una resolución
nacional y tratando de influenciar al
Congreso mientras trabaja para reautorizar la Ley de Educación Elemental
y Secundaria, define como pushout a
un estudiante que se siente forzado a
abandonar la escuela no sólo debido a
disciplina severa, sino por maestros y
personal que no lo apoyan, demasiados
estudiantes en la escuela, falta de seguridad, currículos rígidos basados en
exámenes, recursos inadecuados y falta
jóvenes que no están
de servicios de apoyo al estudiante.
asistiendo a la escuela,
Los factores académicos son tamlos entrevistarán y
bién enormes. “Cada vez más se ha noconvocarán grupos
tado un vínculo entre los exámenes de
de enfoque para reaptitud y los estudiantes que se ven forzacopilar datos sobre
dos a dejar la escuela”, dijo Liz Sullivan,
las causas de esta cridirectora del programa de educación de
sis. Después, la YUC
la NESRI (National Economic & Social
creará un informe
Rights Initiative, Iniciativa Nacional de
y se lo distribuirá al
Derechos Económicos y Sociales).
Distrito y a grupos de
Según el informe 2010 de Adla comunidad preocuvancement Project titulado Test, Punpados con la crisis de
ish, and Push Out: How “Zero Tolerabandono escolar.
ance” and High Stakes Testing Funnel
Branden Williams,
Youth Into the School-To-Prison Pipeline,
de 18 años, miembro
(Exámenes, castigos y abandono esAnand Jahi
de la YUC y estu- Branden Williams, David Overton, Alex Lopez, Mark Davis, Tiffany
colar forzado: Cómo la “Cero tolerandiante en una escuela Burgos, y Ebony Baylis son miembros de un nuevo capítulo de Youth
cia” y los exámenes de aptitud ponen a
alternativa nueva lla- United for Change que reúne a los que sienten que fueron forzados
los estudiantes en la ruta de la escuela
mada El Centro de fuera de la escuela.
a la prisión) el aumento en el uso de
endo lograron que cada vez sintiera meEstudiantes, dijo que se sintió forzado a irse
exámenes estandarizados y las consenos deseos de estar en la escuela”, dijo.
de dos escuelas superiores antes de termicuencias atadas a éstos ha impactado
nar en el programa alternativo.
muchísimo el problema de los estuUn llamado a la acción
“En Tomás Edison a los maestros no
diantes que se ven forzados a abandonar
les importaba, cada vez que quería hacer
la escuela. Pensilvania no tiene un
Burgos, Williams y Baylis decidipreguntas no me hacían caso, así que …
examen de salida, pero está preparáneron reconectarse a la escuela porque se
me fui a Overbrook en 10mo grado”.
dose para implementar una serie de
dieron cuenta de que sus oportunidades
En Overbrook, dijo, fue obligado a
exámenes de materias específicas que
serían sumamente limitadas sin tener
estar de pie en un salón por horas como
los estudiantes deberán pasar para poder
un diploma de escuela superior.
castigo por llegar tarde. Su mamá lo
graduarse.
“Estaba buscándomelas como podía,
matriculó en la Escuela Chárter Freire,
Los estudiantes que están avergonpero no iba a ganar dinero porque
pero para ese entonces ya estaba “haszados y desmotivados por no desempeningún trabajo me iba a contratar”, dijo
tiado” y quería ganar dinero, por lo que
ñarse bien en la escuela a menudo se
Williams.
dejó de asistir.
portan mal hasta que los problemas de
Burgos, que ahora tiene cinco meAunque este tipo de situaciones en
conducta resultan en suspensión, expulses de embarazo y también es estudiante
que un estudiante se siente forzado a
sión o el traslado a una escuela alternaen El Centro de Estudiantes, dijo que
dejar de ir a la escuela ocurren con más
tiva. Según el informe, esos estudiantes
quería ser un ejemplo positivo para su
frecuencia en la escuela superior, de
tienen más probabilidad de meterse en
bebé y también para su hermanito. Y
acuerdo con la campaña
problemas adicionales y
Baylis quiere tener la opción de contar
desubicarse académica- La incidencia oficial Dignity in Schools puecon una carrera, no un simple trabajo.
den empezar tan temmente, y finalmente se
En YUC, están participando en el
sienten forzados a dejar de abandono escolar prano como en Kinder
proyecto de investigación y asisten a
la escuela.
en el Distrito todavía y afectan de manera reuniones semanales para hablar de la
desproporcionada a estu“Es un problema
labor del capítulo.
complicado y creo que lo está a más o menos diantes de color, de bajos
Igual que la YUC, la Philadelphia
ingresos, los que están
estamos tratando de ataStudent Union (PSU) está también
40 por ciento.
aprendiendo inglés, incar por dos puntos difehaciendo campaña para prevenir el
capacitados y otros tipos de estudiantes
rentes” dijo Rebecca Reumann-Moore,
abandono escolar (ya sea voluntario o
desmotivados.
asociada de investigación en Research
forzado), y ha creado un CD con tres
Ebony Baylis, de 20 años y que obfor Action.
canciones – y apropriadamente titulado
tuvo su GED el mes pasado en el centro
“Definitivamente existen pro“Pushed Out” (forzado a irse) – y tres
E3 de Olney (uno de los cinco centros
blemas sociales que afectan la escuela,
cortas obras teatrales de motivación.
de Educación, Empleo y Capacitación
son relevantes y necesitan resolverse.
Candace Carter de la PSU, una
de la ciudad), dijo que ella empezó a
Pero además tenemos que trabajar con
de las cantantes del CD, dijo que usar
sentirse forzada a abandonar la escuela
la transición de escuela intermedia a
música para difundir el mensaje era una
mientras estaba en la Escuela Elemental
superior, cuando muchos de los niños
opción natural porque “sabemos que los
Lowell.
están perdidos o empiezan a perder inestudianes escuchan música y queríamos
Como Burgos, Baylis fue víctima
terés y se desmotivan”, dijo ella.
comunicarles que aunque está ocurride intimidación. Cuando se acercó a la
Los miembros del capítulo de YUC
endo por todos lados siempre hay una
maestra para hablar del problema, dice
para pushouts incluyen estudiantes que
manera de detenerlo…. Sólo es cuestión
ella que le negaron apoyo.
están asistiendo a escuelas alternativas,
de trabajar juntos para lograrlo”.
“Después de haber sido rechazada
aceleradas y de disciplina, programas
El CD, que cuesta $5, ha sido estantas veces empecé a portarme mal y
de GED y programas de reintegración
cuchado en las estaciones de radio
a manejarlo a mi propia manera para
para jóvenes que han estado encarcelalocales y distribuido en las escuelas,
así sentirme más protegida en el salón”,
dos. Algunos no están conectados con
reuniones del capítulo de la PSU y dudijo ella.
ningún programa escolar.
rante noches de micrófono abierto. La
Baylis fue suspendida por pelear. Se
En colaboración con la RFA, la
PSU también ha desarrollado un currímetió en más problemas con el paso de
YUC está conduciendo un proyecto
culo junto con el CD que le están dislos años, cuando tuvo situaciones simide investigación para determinar cómo
tribuyendo a los maestros.
lares y las manejó a su propia manera
resolver el problema. Los miembros de
También se ha usado como la música
después de pedir ayuda y no recibirla.
la YUC dicen que el proyecto fue inspien los videos sobre el tema creados por
Llegó a ser expulsada de una escuela y
rado por otra investigación conducida
la campaña de Dignity in Schools (DSC).
finalmente dejó de asistir por dos años
por VOYCE (Voices of Youth in Chicago
Desde al año pasado, más de 200
antes de matricularse en el Centro E3
Education), una coalición de grupos de
grupos de 40 estados han firmado la
de Olney-Logan.
jóvenes en la ciudad de Chicago.
resolución de la DSC, la cual no sólo
“Las situaciones que seguían ocurriEllos harán una encuesta entre los
(continúa en la p. 13)
April 2010
enespañol
Una escuela que “prende la chispa del aprendizaje”
por Charmaine Giles y Julissa Ventura
El salón parece más una cómoda
sala de hogar, ya que tiene una vela con
fragancia, un sofá y mesitas.
Diez estudiantes están discutiendo los personajes y las escenas de su
proyecto, una obra teatral de asuntos de
adolescentes, con la orientadora Khara
Schonfeld y un profesional de teatro
visitante.
Una de las estudiantes, Mary Cruz
González, está nerviosa. “¿Tengo que
hacer esto frente a un público?”
Schonfeld la tranquiliza. “Mary, yo
sé que tú puedes. Llegó tu momento”.
Moviendo los muebles un poco, el
salón de clases se convierte en espacio
de ensayos. Los varones improvisan una
escena sobre la presión de grupo; las niñas les dan sugerencias en voz alta.
El Centro de Estudiantes, ubicado en
el segundo piso de lo que antes era una
escuela católica cerca de Norris Square
en Kensington, abrió sus puertas en septiembre como una colaboración entre Big
Picture Learning y el Congreso de Latinos
Unidos. En Centro tiene aproximadamente 150 estudiantes y es una de seis
nuevas escuelas aceleradas este año.
La organización sin fines de lucro
Big Picture ha establecido su modelo de
aprendizaje en base a proyectos en más
de 60 escuelas de EE.UU. e internacionalmente, basándose en el lema “un
estudiante a la vez”.
“Esta estrategia se basa en proyectos
y en trabajar con los muchachos donde
están”, dijo David Bromley, director
ejecutivo de Big Picture Philadelphia. “Es
determinar cuáles son sus pasiones e
intereses, pero también sus fortalezas y
áreas débiles”.
Los estudiantes, dijo Bromley, “han
batallado mucho en su pasada experiencia educativa, y no fue su culpa”.
Muchos vienen con niveles bajos de
alfabetismo y matemáticas. Muchos de
los varones tienen antecedentes en el
tribunal de delincuencia juvenil, y mu-
No, lo forzaron
(continúa de la p. 12)
define el problema sino que sugiere
estrategias positivas para solucionar la
epidemia.
Harold Jordan, organizador comunitario de la American Civil Liberties
Union (ACLU) la cual es una de las
organizaciones principales de la DSC,
dijo que se espera tener un día nacional de acción sobre el problema de los
pushouts en el que personas de todo el
país comunicarán el mensaje frente a
consejos municipales, juntas escolares y
otros grupos.
“Tenemos que reconocer que este
problema en el que muchos estudiantes
se están sintiendo forzados a abandonar
la escuela es algo que afecta negativamente el futuro de esos niños, sus comunidades y la sociedad en general”, dijo.
Comuníquese con Wendy Harris, editora
administrativa del Notebook, escribiéndole a
[email protected].
Traducción por Mildred S. Martinez.
April 2010
Harvey Finkle
El estudiante Ricky Rosario y su mamá María en el salón de clases de Rosario en El Centro de Estudiantes, una nueva escuela superior acelerada
cerca de Norris Square.
Kofa cómo ser menos confrontacional
con el mismo grupo de 15 estudiantes
chas de las muchachas están embarazay ahora está en camino a graduarse en
hasta que se gradúen. Los orientadores
das o tienen hijos.
más o menos un año.
se apoyan entre sí enseñando todas las
En El Centro, ellos escriben obras de
Si todo sale bien, saldrá con un
materias.
teatro y actúan en ellas, hacen documendiploma y también con experiencia
La Principal Laura Davis trabajó
tales, mantienen crónicas de los cambios
en el campo que le interesa, cine. Está
por tres años en Capitol Hill antes de
en el vecindario y trabajan en sus negotrabajando en un video sobre las metas
completar su grado
cios y organizaciones.
futuras de sus compañeros.
en educación. Antes
María Guaranda,
El Centro de
En el salón de Schonfeld, Ricky
de unirse a Big Picde 17 años, abandonó
Estudiantes
abrió
sus
Rosario y Víctor Rivera (compañeros
ture Philadelphia, trauna escuela disciplinaria hace un año y
puertas en septiembre bajó como maestra de de Kofa) están dibujando en sus cuadernos y concentrados en la obra de teatro
la intermedia y
medio. En El Centro
como una colaboración escue
sobre la presión de grupo. Rivera, cuyo
orientadora fundadora
ha encontrado una
personaje es un vendedor de drogas,
de una escuela de Big
nueva dirección.
entre Big Picture
está tratando de convencer a Rosario de
Picture en Nashville.
“Trabajamos
a
Learning
y
el
Congreso
que “lo defienda” en la esquina.
Durante el venuestro propio paso
Rosario titubea. Está entre la esparano, ella y otro emy escogemos nuestros
de Latinos Unidos.
da y la pared; quiere ayudar a su amigo
pleado se acercaron a
propios
proyectos”,
pero no desea meterse en más probgrupos comunitarios, pusieron mesas
dijo Guaranda. “Si quiero hacer un
lemas.
en la entrada de tiendas, y tocaron
proyecto sobre mi mamá, puedo hacer
“No quiero ir a la cárcel”. Y se va
puertas en Kensington para reclutar
un proyecto sobre ella. Sólo tengo que
caminando.
estudiantes. Sólo hay un requisito para
asegurarme de incluir matemáticas, lecDurante la presentación final ante
ser admitido: asistir a una orientación
tura y estudios sociales”.
la escuela varias semanas después, los
u open house.
Los estudiantes en El Centro pasan
estudiantes aplaudieron encantados y
“Para que tengan éxito en este tipo
tres días en la escuela y dos días en prácquerían más.
de escuela, los estudiantes y sus padres
ticas. “Me gusta trabajar con la juven“A los otros estudiantes de la
tienen que creer en su filosofía”, dijo ella.
tud y por eso estoy haciendo la práctica
escuela les gustó mucho porque se traAgatha Kofa, de 17 años, abandonó
en The Attic, un centro de jóvenes”, dijo
taba de asuntos que ellos enfrentan en
la Escuela Superior Lincoln después de
Guaranda.
la vida”, dijo Schonfeld. “Fue un tritener a su hija. Por no tener suficientes
Otros estudiantes están en cenunfo para nosotros”.
fondos para pagar una escuela católitros de cuidado de niños, hospitales,
ca, se matriculó en El Centro un mes
estudios de grabación, talleres de hojadespués de inaugurado.
latería, gimnasios y tiendas de ciclismo.
Charmaine Giles y Julissa Ventura son
“Al principio fue difícil porque [mi
“Lo que nos interesa es encontrar cualseniors en Swarthmore College y practicantes
maestro y yo] peleábamos mucho”, dijo
quier cosa que encienda la chispa del
en the Notebook.
Kofa. Pero el orientador le enseñó a
aprendizaje”, dijo Bromley.
Traducción por Mildred S. Martinez.
Los orientadores (como se les llama
SCHOOL CALENDAR
2009-2010
CALENDARIO DE LA ESCUELA
a los maestros) fomentan la confianza
5/31 Memorial Day – Schools/
Día de la Recordación – Escuelas/Oficinas
de sus estudiantes. “Los maestros no son
admin. offices closed
administrativas cerradas
sólo un maestro en la escuela; son como
6/18 Last day for pupils
Último día de clases
un segundo padre o madre”, dijo Gua6/21 Last day for staff –
Último día de trabajo para los maestros
randa. Cada orientador está certificado
Organization day
– Días Organizacional
en un área de contenido y permanece
Team Clean’s Dirty
Business Practices...
...Bad for Schools,
Bad for Workers.
Every day, hundreds of Team Clean employees keep 22 of Philadelphia’s largest high schools
sanitary and safe, but despite their hard work, many live in poverty. Team Clean custodians
do the same great work as the cleaners employed directly by the school district but earn significantly less. Considering that workers’ wages are only half of the $1 million a month Team
Clean charges the school district, the company can afford to provide a family sustaining salary.
It’s time for Team Clean workers to get the fair wages and quality benefits their families need.
Service Workers United • WWW.SERVICEWORKERSUNITED.ORG • www.seiu.org
330 West 42nd Street, Suite 900, New York, NY 10036 • Toll-free: 1-888-SWUnion (1-888-798-6466)
April 2010
schoolsnapshot
whoyagonnacall?
School District of Philadelphia
Arlene Ackerman (Superintendent): 215-400-4100
Pamela Brown (Interim Chief Academic Officer): 215-400-4200
Regional Superintendents
Benjamin Wright (Alternative Schools): 215-400-4230
Marilyn Perez (Central): 215-351-3807
Francisco Duran (Central East): 215-291-5696
Michael Silverman (Comprehensive HS): 215-684-5132
Gregory Shannon (East): 215-291-5680
Lucy Feria (North): 215-456-0998
Lissa Johnson (Northeast): 215-281-5903
Penny Nixon (Northwest): 215-248-6684
Ralph Burnley (South): 215-351-7604
La Verne Wiley (Southwest): 215-727-5920
Diane Hathaway (West): 215-823-5530
School Reform Commission
Robert L. Archie, Jr.: 215-400-6270
Denise Armbrister: 215-400-6273
Joseph Dworetzky: 215-400-4010
David Girard-diCarlo: 215-400-4010
Johnny Irizarry: 215-400-6266
Courtesy of Daniel Burke, Burke Photography
Eighth grade C.A.A. Baldi Middle School students Jonathan Xavier (left) and Jafari Jackson
watch their school’s robot, the product of eight weeks of hard work, perform at the Fourth
Annual FIRST LEGO League Tournament, hosted by the University of Pennsylvania in January.
Teams from 22 area schools participated in the competition, which encourages students to
problem-solve using robots that they design and construct. Awards are given to the teams
that create the best robot, as well as those that display teamwork, spirit and eye-catching Tshirts. Baldi took home honors in the Teamwork; Spirit and Sportsmanship; Project Presentation; and Champion’s Award categories.
YOUR AD COULD BE HERE
60,000 copies are distributed six times a year
Call the Notebook for ad rates:
215-951-0330, ext. 2160
City of Philadelphia
Mayor Michael Nutter (D): 215-686-2181
City Council Members-at-Large (elected citywide)
W. Wilson Goode, Jr. (D): 215-686-3414
Bill Green (D): 215-686-3420
William K. Greenlee (D): 215-686-3446
Jack Kelly (R): 215-686-3452
James F. Kenney (D): 215-686-3450
Blondell Reynolds Brown (D): 215-686-3438
Frank Rizzo (R): 215-686-3440
District City Council Members
Frank DiCicco (D): 215-686-3458
Anna C. Verna (D): 215-686-3412
Jannie L. Blackwell (D): 215-686-3418
Curtis Jones, Jr (D): 215-686-3416
Darrell L. Clarke (D): 215-686-3442
Joan L. Krajewski (D): 215-686-3444
Maria D. Quiñones-Sánchez (D): 215-686-3448
Donna Reed Miller (D): 215-686-3424
Marian B. Tasco (D): 215-686-3454
Brian J. O’Neill (R): 215-686-3422
To find out which District City Council member, State
Senator, State Representative, or member of Congress
represents you, call The Committee of Seventy at
1-866-268-8603.
1 O O %
“
I am now a much better
teacher as a result
of being in the program.
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Governor Ed Rendell (D): 717-787-2500
State Senators
Lawrence M. Farnese, Jr. (D): 215-560-1313
Christine Tartaglione (D): 215-533-0440
Shirley M. Kitchen (D): 215-227-6161
Michael J. Stack, III (D): 215-281-2539
Vincent J. Hughes (D): 215-471-0490
LeAnna Washington (D): 215-242-0472
Anthony Hardy Williams (D): 215-492-2980
State Representatives
Louise Williams Bishop (D): 215-879-6625
Brendan F. Boyle (D): 215-676-0300
Vanessa Lowery Brown (D): 215-879-6615
Mark B. Cohen (D): 215-924-0895
Angel Cruz (D): 215-291-5643
Lawrence H. Curry (D): 215-572-5210
Robert C. Donatucci (D): 215-468-1515
Dwight Evans (D): 215-549-0220
Kenyatta J. Johnson (D): 215-952-3378
Babette Josephs (D): 215-893-1515
William F. Keller (D): 215-271-9190
Kathy Manderino (D): 215-482-8726
Michael P. McGeehan (D): 215-333-9760
Thomas P. Murt (R): 215-674-3755
John Myers (D): 215-849-6592
Dennis M. O’Brien (R): 215-632-5150
Michael H. O’Brien (D): 215-503-3245
Frank L. Oliver (D): 215-684-3738
Cherelle L. Parker (D): 215-242-7300
Tony J. Payton Jr. (D): 215-744-7901
John M. Perzel (R): 215-331-2600
James R. Roebuck (D): 215-724-2227
John P. Sabatina Jr. (D): 215-342-6204
John J. Taylor (R): 215-425-0901
W. Curtis Thomas (D): 215-232-1210
Ronald G. Waters (D): 215-748-6712
Jewell Williams (D): 215-763-2559
Rosita C. Youngblood (D): 215-849-6426
U.S. Congress
Senator Arlen Specter (D): 215-597-7200
Senator Robert Casey (D): 215-405-9660
Rep. Chaka Fattah (D): 215-387-6404
Rep. Robert Brady (D): 215-389-4627
Rep. Allyson Y. Schwartz (D): 215-335-3355
Rep. Patrick Murphy (D): 215-348-1194
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April 2010
dropouts, disconnected youth & diplomas
Large, varied system of alternative schools serves retur
by Dale Mezzacappa
Philadelphia has created a diverse,
privatized system of alternative education designed to recapture disengaged
teens, while also launching a first-of-itskind Re-engagement Center to match
those who wish to return with programs
that meet their needs.
But it is a daunting task. There are
tens of thousands of casualties of the
District’s traditional schools, older teens
who attended for years but never progressed past a 4th- or 5th-grade reading
level or passed many courses.
Once they decide to come back, they
are presented with options – the so-called
“multiple pathways” touted by the city
and District as the best strategy to boost
a graduation rate that, at its highest, has
barely cracked 60 percent.
“Whether it’s working independently
or collaborative group work, every school
is different,” said Courtney Collins-Shapiro, the District’s director of multiple
pathways to graduation.
Students who have reached an educational dead end find various models
for repairing the damage and launching them on a path to success – from
working solo on computerized lessons to
building academic skills through intense
community projects that often dramatize their own lives and struggles (see
adjoining stories).
But the District really doesn’t know
yet how well these approaches are
working.
For the first time this year, the provid-
Philadelphia’s Multiple Pathways Programs
ACCELERATED HIGH SCHOOLS
Accelerated high schools give students the chance to get back on track by earning credits
toward graduation in less than two years. Here is a list of the District’s accelerated schools
and the number of students each provider is contracted to serve.
Big Picture School (165)
El Centro de Estudiantes
Camelot Schools (635)
Excel Academy
2010 N. Mascher St.
Phila., PA 19122
6600 Bustleton Ave.
Phila., PA 19149
Ombudsman (175)
Northeast Accelerated
13550 Bustleton Ave.
Phila., PA 19115
Excel Academy South
4641 Roosevelt Blvd.
Phila., PA 19124
Communities in
Schools (150)
Performance Learning
Center SW
4224 N. Front St.
Phila., PA 19140
54th & Grays Ferry
Phila., PA 19143
South
Northwest Accelerated
IECI/ One Bright Ray (390)
Fairhill
2111 Eastburn Ave.
Phila., PA 19138
2820 N. 4th St.
Phila., PA 19133
West Accelerated
N. Phila. Community HS
1575 N. 52nd St.
Phila., PA 19131
1142 E. Erie Ave.
Phila., PA 19124
ers all have performance-based contracts,
key to which are requirements that the
schools significantly increase attendance
and rapidly improve student literacy levels. The contracts hold schools accountable for boosting reading skills by two
grade levels for each year a student attends – a feat that few traditional schools
could accomplish.
“Our first priority is to see the outcomes of the accelerated schools, and
then determine the best way to analyze
the data,” said Collins-Shapiro. But the
whole evaluation enterprise, she added,
is so complicated that it is “mind-boggling.”
In addition to 13 “accelerated” schools,
You First/CEP
Accelerated
Academies (575)
Hunting Park
2101 S. Broad St.
Phila., PA19148
Southwest
CADI/OIC (145)
OIC CADI
2401 S. 67th St.
Phila., PA 19142
1225 Vine St.
Phila., PA 19107
Source: School District of Philadelphia
which allow over-age students to quickly
accumulate credits, there are eight lateafternoon programs within regular high
schools, called EOPs (Educational Options
Programs), at which students age 17 and
over can earn up to six credits a year.
For those who can read at an 8th
grade level or above – and there are
few dropouts in this category – there is
Gateway to College, in which students
can earn high school and college credits
simultaneously through courses at Community College of Philadelphia.
Facing the tide of dropouts, the District added nearly 1,000 seats to the accelerated schools this year, for a total of
2,300. It had planned to add more before
EDUCATIONAL OPTIONS
PROGRAM (EOP)
The Educational
EOP programs
Options Program can be found
(formerly Twilight) at the following
allows students
high schools:
17 years and
Bartram
older to continue Edison
earning credits
Frankford
towards a high
Germantown
school diploma.
Northeast
Classes are held
Olney East
at eight locations Overbrook
from 3-6:30
South Philadelphia
p.m. Mon.-Thurs.
Participants can
earn up to six
credits each year.
yielding to budget limitations.
Helping students find the right
“match” among the programs is crucial, a
process that starts at the Re-engagement
Center.
“Part of the engagement is knowing who the young
people are, and walkFacing th
ing the line between
dropouts, t
what they want and
what they need,”
added nea
Collins-Shapiro said.
seats
to the
While it is most important to find a proschools t
gram that is suited to
the student’s learning style, she said,
often they choose where to go based
Ombudsman: A personalized path to earning credits and a diploma
by Sarah Burgess
Walk into Ombudsman West, a new
accelerated high school on 52nd Street
near Lancaster Avenue, and you will see
a spacious room with 23 computers. On a
typical day, it is filled with students busily
working, each following an individualized
program of study aligned with state standards.
Ombudsman, a national company
based in Illinois, has developed a model
used in 16 states in which students spend
80 percent of their four-and-a-half-hour
school day at the computer. Using a program called “A-Plus,” they complete a
customized series of lessons that include
core content areas like history and chemistry along with basic reading, writing,
and math skills.
Students work at their own pace and
decide the order to complete the fourstep lessons. First, they “study,” clicking
through a series of slides and taking notes;
then, they “practice,” answering multiple
choice and fill-in-the-blank questions.
Next, a teacher activates the ten-question
“test,” which the computer immediately
grades. If they pass, their record is marked
with an apple icon, and they move to the
next topic. The final “essay” is optional.
Director Beverly Jones, whose background is in special education, sees advantages to this model. Students are comfortable with the technology and happy
“It’s just you and your computer and going
not to be in competition with peers, she
home.”
said. “They don’t have to feel stressed
The small size and low student-toabout showing their weaknesses in an acstaff ratio are also appealing. Currently,
tual class.”
55 students are enrolled. Each OmbudsFor senior Erik Dunhan, 20, who is
man program has 60 slots, split between
a few credits short of a diploma, this apa morning and afternoon session. In addiproach works. “I like the sequence,” he
tion to Jones, who also teaches language
said. “The way it’s computerized, you
arts, there are three teachers, one each for
can’t get over it; you have to go through
social studies, math, and science.
it. It gets tiring, but I think it’s the best
Teachers
received
way to do it.”
a two-week orientation
He attributed his
Students work
from Bill Listanski, opnewfound success to the
at their own pace
erations manager for the
program. “I didn’t make
out until I came here,” and decide the order seven Ombudsman sites
in the Philadelphia rehe said. “Never in a milto complete the
gion – three accelerated
lion years I thought I’d be
and four discipline, or
learning about Greece and
four-step lessons.
“transition,” schools for
Rome.”
about 400 students.
Chesique Pope, 16, attended several
According to social studies teacher
schools before Ombudsman West, inKyle Bowen, his job is to “walk around,
cluding Bartram and West Philadelphia.
monitor behavior, [and] make sure every“I like it,” he said. “They give you someone is on task.” Bowen, who spent his first
thing to study first. As soon as you’re done
year teaching at a more traditional charstudying, you practice. So then when you
ter school, likes the model.
go to your test, you pass.”
“I’ve definitely seen some successes
Senior London Eley, 17, likes being
with students getting credits,” he said.
in control. She moved around during
He attributes this to the individualized
her early high school career, and then
approach and one-on-one attention stumissed a lot of school when her daughdents receive.
ter was born. She noted that the program
One disadvantage, Listanski acminimizes distractions while laying out a
knowledges, is the lack of socialization.
rapid path to earning credits. With just a
“Some of these kids don’t get that sohandful of students and few temptations,
cial interaction that you would in a traditional high school,” he said. So in late fall,
Ombudsman West and the other sites began to do daily “pullouts,” or small-group
lessons. These “break the monotony, because you can’t sit at a computer for four
hours every day,” Listanski said.
Students also receive two-and-a-half
hours per week of a curriculum designed
to develop social skills. They discuss such
topics as how to control their behavior
and how to deal with others’ emotions.
Jones also invites in guest speakers,
such as a 22-year-old Wawa manager who
outlined how she gained her position of
responsibility.
Jones said the current challenge
facing the center is attendance, which
dropped off when the warm weather hit.
Still, she is hopeful. She noted that students are talking more about their postgraduation plans, which she attributes to
“being in a small community and us talking to them.”
“Our philosophy is all about choices
and a belief that each kid can be a productive member of society,” added Listanski. “We get to really see the difference
that we’re making with this population of
kids.”
Sarah Burgess is on the Notebook editorial
board and a student at the University of
Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education.
April 2010
rning students
on proximity to home, child care needs,
or a desire for a shorter day, as with the
computer-based options.
“You can try to convince them what is
best for them,” Collins-Shapiro said, “but if
they have something different in mind, it’s a
choice.”
Once settled, keeping the students engaged is another struggle.
“There are different things going on in
their lives,” Collins-Shapiro said. “Today
they’re motivated, Friday my brother gets shot
and that’s that. They disappear. But we’ll start
all over again if he shows up again six months
later.”
Though there are many options, certain groups don’t fit neatly into any. Many of
the accelerated programs aren’t equipped to
handle the very low-level reader, 3rd grade
or below. Another group not easily served is
students with more than 13.5 credits, but still
years from graduation.
For young people like Kelvin Castrow, 17,
an aspiring artist who moved from New York
City and promptly got lost at Lincoln High
School, the system is working as intended. At
first, he was indifferent when he was one of
150 Lincoln students referred to alternative
schools because of poor attendance and few credits.
he tide of
“I thought it was just
the District
going to get worse,” he said.
But at Excel Acadarly 1,000
emy South, an alternative
accelerated school run by Camelot
(which also operates sevthis year.
eral discipline schools), he
says he has found his path.
“It changed my life completely. I never
miss a day of school now. And my art – this
school is finding a way for me to express myself.”
At the same time, many of the schools
have trouble keeping up attendance, even
though all – whether computer-based, project-focused, or in between – are very small
and have low student-teacher ratios.
Collins-Shapiro acknowledged the burden being put on these programs to rapidly
accelerate students’ literacy levels. Even
though they theoretically don’t take young
people with reading skills below 4th grade,
many of the newly re-engaged test below
that level.
Last fall, the District took 25 teachers
from 12 of the 13 accelerated schools to the
University Park Institute for Student Success
in Worcester, Mass., which trains educators in
using literacy across the curriculum based on
its very successful middle-high school, which
is affiliated with Clark University.
“The literacy piece is important,” Collins-Shapiro said. “For us, if they don’t move
the literacy number, we can’t attempt to have
them graduate at a 5th grade reading level.”
Contact Notebook Contributing Editor Dale Mezzacappa at [email protected]. Sarah Burgess
contributed reporting.
WEB EXTRA
To read a profile of
another new accelerated
school, Excel Academy
North, go to
www.thenotebook.org/excel
April 2010
Harvey Finkle
El Centro student
Ricky Rosario
reads from his
journal about
peer pressure in
preparation for a
play about teen
issues.
El Centro: Trying to ‘ignite learning’
by Charmaine Giles and Julissa Ventura
With a scented candle, a couch,
and tables, the classroom has the ambiance of a cozy living room.
Ten students are discussing the
characters and scenes for their advisory
project, a play about teen issues, with
their advisor Khara Schonfeld and a
visiting theater professional.
One student, Mary Cruz Gonzalez, is nervous. “Do I have to do this in
front of people?”
Schonfeld reassures her. “Mary, I
believe you can do it. It is your time.”
With a few furniture moves, the
classroom becomes a rehearsal stage.
The boys improvise a scene on peer
pressure; the girls shout out suggestions.
El Centro de Estudiantes, on the
second floor of a former Catholic school
near Norris Square in Kensington,
opened in September as a partnership
between Big Picture Learning and Congreso de Latinos Unidos. With approximately 150 students, El Centro is one
of six new accelerated schools this year.
Big Picture, a nonprofit organization, has established its project-based
learning model in more than 60 schools
in the U.S. and internationally, with
the motto “One student at a time.”
“The project-based approach is
about meeting kids where they are,” said
David Bromley, executive director of Big
Picture Philadelphia. “It’s finding out
what their passions and interests are, but
also their strengths and need areas.”
The students, Bromley said, “through
no fault of their own, have struggled severely in their past educational experience.” Most come with low literacy and
math skills. Many of the boys have juvenile court records; many girls are pregnant
or young mothers.
At El Centro, they write and act in
plays, make documentaries, chronicle
neighborhood change, and work at neigh-
borhood businesses and organizations.
Maria Guaranda, 17, dropped out
of a disciplinary school a year and a half
ago. She’s found a direction at El Centro.
“We work at our own pace and we
pick our own projects,” Guaranda said.
“If I want to do a project about my mom,
I can do a project about my mom. I just
have to make sure that I include math,
reading, and social studies.”
Students at El Centro spend three
days a week in school and two days at
internships. “I like working with youth
El Centro de Estudiantes
is one of six new
accelerated schools
to open this year.
so for my internship I’m … over at the
Attic, which is a youth center,” Guaranda said.
Other students are at child care
centers, hospitals, recording studios,
auto body shops, gyms, and bike shops.
“We’re about finding anything to ignite learning,” Bromley said.
Advisors, as the teachers are
called, build trust with their students.
“The teachers are not just your teachers in school; they are like your second
parent,” Guaranda said. Each advisor is
certified in one content area and stays
with the same group of 15 students
until graduation. The advisors support
each other in teaching all subjects.
Principal Laura Davis worked for
three years on Capitol Hill before getting a degree in education. Prior to
joining Big Picture Philadelphia, she
worked as a middle school teacher
and founding advisor for a Big Picture
school in Nashville.
Over the summer, she and her
staff went to community groups, set
up tables outside stores, and knocked
on doors in Kensington to recruit students. There is one admissions requirement – attend an orientation or open
house.
“In order for students to be successful in this type of school model,
students and parents must believe in
[its] philosophy,” she said.
Agatha Kofa, 17, dropped out of
Lincoln High School after giving birth
to her daughter. Unable to afford Catholic school, she enrolled in El Centro a
month after it opened.
“At first it was hard ‘cause we [my
teacher and I] argued a lot,” Kofa said.
But her advisor taught Kofa how to
be less confrontational, and she is on
track to graduate in approximately a
year.
If all goes well, she will leave with
a diploma and experience in her field
of interest, film. She is working on a
video about her classmates’ future
goals.
Back in Schonfeld’s room, Kofa’s
classmates Ricky Rosario and Victor
Rivera, drawing on their daily journals,
are deep into their peer pressure scene.
Rivera, playing a drug dealer, is trying
to convince Rosario to “have his back”
on the corner.
Rosario hesitates. He’s caught between his friend and his desire to stay
out of trouble.
“I don’t want to go to jail.” He
walks away.
At the final schoolwide performance several weeks later, students
cheered and wanted more.
“The other kids in the school really liked it because it was issues from
their lives,” Schonfeld said. “It was a
triumph for us.”
Charmaine Giles and Julissa Ventura, seniors at Swarthmore College, are Notebook
interns.
Connecting the disconnected
The Re-engagement Center’s record
Educational Referrals
High School Diploma Referrals
high schools, cutting the wait
by Program Type
by Program Type
list from 1,200 to about 500,
July 2008-February 2010
July 2008-February 2010
and have opened a satellite
center at 4224 North Front
Charter School, Online,
Skill Building 5%
Gateway 2%
Street in the Hunting Park
Job Corps 3%
section of North Philadelphia,
an area that has provided the
original Re-engagement CenAdult
ter with over a third of its visiDiploma
tors.
15%
The satellite center is
GED
open one day a week, but in
EOP
8%
May it will operate full time
31%
Accelerated
with two on-site caseworkers.
57%
District officials say they hope
the newest location will boost
High School Diploma
the overall number of stu72%
A slow climb
dents served. Predominantly
Latino neighborhoods nearby
The city’s Chief Education Officer
have some of the city’s highest
Lori Shorr says the center shows progdropout rates.
ress where there was none before.
Comprehensive
There are no plans to add
“We’re moving the needle,” she
7%
School District of Philadelphia
caseworkers at the main center,
says, adding that while there is no inditell students that accelerated programs
but Shorr says the city is looking at ways
leave with books, a classroom seat, and
cation how many students are on track
require at least a 4th grade reading level.
to build networks of adult volunteers to
a roster [of classes] that’s accurate to
to earning their diplomas, she expects
There are some literacy programs
coach youth through the re-engagement
your needs,” he says.
the center’s graduation numbers to jump
for such students. In fact, about 5 perprocess.
“They actually believe that if they
significantly in the months to come.
cent of the total number of the center’s
Shorr says the center has now respent two years in [foster care] in Lacka“If we’re looking at 40 [graduates]
visitors have been referred to so-called
solved most of the data-sharing and
wanna County, their transcript will be
this time next year, then I think we’ll
“skill-building” courses that focus on
staffing issues that surfaced during its
sent here. They don’t understand how
need to go back [and re-work the probasic literacy, but Simon says there
inaugural year.
they’ve got zero credits in Philly.”
gram],” she says. “At the end of the day,
aren’t nearly enough of them.
Still, “I can’t imagine there’s not
To get students back on track, Siit’s all about the numbers.”
What isn’t a problem is demand. The
room for improvement,” she says.
mon first unravels whatever red tape
Meanwhile, the District is taking
center depends on only word-of-mouth
An increasing number of students
entangles them. Some students are on
other steps to boost graduation rates.
referrals from school counselors and stucoming through the center can’t read well
probation and have judicial orders to
District officials say they’ve added 1,000
dents’ friends and families.
enough to earn a diploma. Center staff
comply with. The vast
new slots in the popular accelerated
An increasing
On any given day, it may
majority, Simon says,
host 50 to 60 students.
open files with the
number of students have
Zamir Dukes of North
Department of Human
Philadelphia walked into coming through the Services (DHS), which
the center on the advice
be trying to address
center can’t read may
of a friend.
anything from homelesswell enough to
“My ‘old head’ told
ness to drug addiction to
me that I need a diplochild care.
earn
a
diploma.
ma,” says Dukes of his
Many students still
19-year-old friend Ish.
have one of the District’s Individual“He’s like my big brother, and he
ized Education Programs (IEPs), legally
didn’t graduate.”
binding documents that require the
Dukes, 15, was kicked out of three
District to provide counseling or other
schools for fighting, but finds that deassistance. But IEPs are sometimes years
spite his disciplinary problems, he is
old and carry demands with which acstill eligible for a computer-based learncelerated programs can’t comply.
ing program that could allow him to
It’s the caseworker’s job to help regraduate on time.
solve any conflicting issues while connecting students with helpful resources.
Making a case to reconnect
And that’s been made easier with the
coordination of computer systems beSimon can relate to most of the
tween the District and agencies that it
students
that
come
through
the
center’s
Does your student…
relies on to help place students.
doors. Although now a caseworker, 40
• Attend a Philadelphia neighborhood public high school?
Still, a student’s initiative is what
years ago he was a dropout.
• Qualify for free or reduced price lunch?
matters most.
“I was 17 years old, and I had a
• Achieve good grades, attendance, and behavior marks in school?
Caseworkers say the assertive
brand-new baby,” he recalls. “So I went
• Have the desire to excel in school, attend college, and obtain a college degree?
and persistent students stand the best
to work on Erie Avenue at a knitting
chance of getting what they need and
mill. But my mother and my father saw
The Sponsor-A-Scholar Program can give students the skills, resources,
that there is little time to track down
fit to ambush me one day. And when
and experiences they need to succeed in college and in life, including:
those who drift away.
your mother cries, you don’t say no.”
• A mentor
• Personalized college guidance
Demetrius Newton says he has
Simon says that “90 percent of the
• $6,000 for college related expenses • Assistance with financial aid
learned his lesson about drifting and
youth come in ready to continue their
• Academic enrichment classes
• Access to computers
now wants to take control of his life.
education,” and on a busy day he’ll see
• Individual tutoring
• Sporting events and cultural performances
“If you take that time off, two things
over a dozen students.
• Summer programs
• Film and book clubs
are gonna happen – either you’re not goHe often shares his personal experi• Visits to college campuses
• Leadership opportunities
ing to want to go back, or your brain is
ences with students to help make a case
not going to be in shape,” he says.
for reconnection, but then tells them to
“School prepares you for the outside
make good use of available resources,
Applications are now being accepted for
members of the Classes of 2012, 2013 and 2014.
world, [so] I want to graduate for myself.”
ask questions no matter how simple
For more information, please call 215-790-1666 ext. 16
they may seem, and plan to work hard.
PHILADELPHIA
or visit www.philadelphiafutures.org.
FUTURES
“They think it’s like the old days,
Bill Hangley Jr. is a freelance writer based in
where you can talk to one person and
West Philadelphia.
accelerated program at a school in the
Northeast or one in Germantown.
Newton chooses a program at a
charter school in Germantown because
it’s close to home, so Simon calls the
school to schedule an interview.
“I think you’re going to do well,”
the caseworker tells Newton. “But it’s a
zero-tolerance situation [so] you can’t be
missing class or acting out.”
Newton has two weeks to wait to
see if he is accepted. While he can expect calls from his caseworker over the
next few months to check in on his
progress, Simon points out that it will
be up to him to stick with the program.
Philadelphia Futures helps students
achieve their dream of a college education
April 2010
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Visit www.nmsa.org/annual for more information.
April 2010
Dropped out? No, pushed out
Being driven out of schools is
a human rights issue, one that
local youth activists are trying
to address.
by Wendy Harris
Like many 9th graders, Tiffany
Burgos was excited when she entered
Kensington High School for Business,
Finance, and Entrepreneurship. She
looked forward to her classes, relished
the opportunity to study new subjects,
and wanted to start the process of preparing for college.
But it wasn’t long before Burgos
became disengaged. The curriculum
seemed redundant – like warmed-over
middle school, she said. And she became a victim of incessant bullying by
a female classmate.
She complained about the bullying to the principal, who did nothing,
Education Act, defines a pushout as a
“are pushed out of school by degrading
student who feels forced out of school
environments and harsh disciplinary
not just due to harsh discipline, but
policies that undermine their learning.”
because of unsupportive teachers and
The District’s official dropout rate
staff,
overcrowding,
still hovers around 40
lack of safety, rigid testpercent, and students
driven curriculum, inlike Burgos are lining
adequate resources, and
up to reclassify themlack of student support
selves as pushouts.
services.
The local organizing
Academic factors
group Youth United
A national push
loom large. “There have
for Change (YUC) last
been growing links beyear created a chapter
Nationally, there is a growing movetween high-stakes testtargeted specifically to
ment to reframe the dropout issue as a
ing and pushout,” said
this student populadenial of basic human rights to millions
Liz Sullivan, education
tion, and Burgos is now
of young people, primarily those of colprogram director for the
one of 110 members.
or in urban schools that graduate barely
National Economic &
Dignity in Schools,
half their students. A campaign called
Tiffany Burgos
Social Rights Initiative
which is circulating a
Dignity in Schools (DSC), which so far
(NESRI).
national resolution and
includes 200 organizations, is based on
According to the Advancement
lobbying Congress as it works to reauthe belief that “too many students are
Project’s 2010 report Test, Punish, and
thorize the Elementary and Secondary
denied educational opportunities” and
Push Out: How “Zero Tolerance” and
High Stakes Testing Funnel Youth Into the
School-To-Prison Pipeline, the increased
use of standardized tests and exit exams
and the higher stakes attached to them
have greatly impacted the pushout
problem. Pennsylvania doesn’t have an
exit exam, but is preparing to implement a series of subject tests students
must pass to graduate.
Students embarrassed and discouraged because they don’t do well in
school often act out until misbehavior
causes them to be suspended, expelled,
or referred to an alternative school. According to the report, such students are
likely to get into additional trouble and
fall off course academically, thus being
pushed out.
“It’s such a complex problem and I
think we are trying to address it on two
different ends,” said Rebecca ReumannMoore, senior research associate at Research for Action.
“It’s certainly true that there are
societal issues that affect the school
and those are relevant and need to be
addressed. But we also have to address
the transition from middle school to
high school when a lot of kids are lost
or start to drop out and become disenSpecial Summer Pricing and Discounts!
gaged,” she said.
Burgos said. In 10th grade, when she
got into a fight with her tormenter, she
wound up in the District’s discipline
pipeline, unable to re-enter Kensington, but not assigned elsewhere due to
repeated procedural delays.
So she stopped going to school at
all.
Technically, Burgos is a dropout.
But is she actually a “pushout?”
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YUC organizes ‘pushouts’
Participants in YUC’s pushout
chapter include youths attending alternative, accelerated, and disciplinary
schools, GED programs, and reintegration programs for formerly incarcerated
youth. Some are not connected to any
school-based program.
Partnering with RFA, YUC is conducting a research project to determine
how to address the problem. YUC
members say the project was inspired by
research conducted by Voices of Youth
in Chicago Education (VOYCE), a coalition of Chicago-based youth organizing groups.
Members will survey out-of-school
youth, and conduct interviews and
focus groups to collect data about the
causes of this crisis. Afterward, YUC
(continued on page 21)
April 2010
Pushed out
ing at the Olney-Logan E3 Center.
“Situations that kept happening
just made it harder for me to want to be
in school,” she said.
Harold Jordan, community orgato prevent pushout and dropout, and
nizer for the American Civil Liberties
has created a soundtrack containing
Union, which is a core member of DSC,
three songs – one aptly named “Pushed
said a national day of action on school
Out” – and three motivational skits.
pushout is expected
Candace Carter of
to take place this fall
PSU, one of the CD’s lead
where people nationartists, said using music to
wide will deliver the
spread the message was
message in front of
a natural choice because
city councils, school
“we know that kids lisboards, and other
ten to music a lot so we
groups. Jordan is
wanted to let them know
also a member of the
that while it’s happening
Notebook’s leadership
all over the place, there
board.
are ways for us to stop it….
“We have to recWe just have to work toognize that kids being
gether to do it.”
pushed out of school
The CD, which costs
Branden Williams
in large numbers is a
$5, has been played on
bad thing in terms of the outcomes for
local radio stations and distributed to
those kids, their immediate communischools and at PSU chapter meetings
ties, and society at large,” he said.
and open mic nights. PSU has also developed a curriculum to go along with
it, which they distribute to teachers.
Contact Notebook Managing Editor Wendy
It’s also been used as background
Harris at [email protected].
music for school pushout videos created
WEB The District’s Imagine
by the Dignity in Schools Campaign.
2014 strategic plan
Since last year, more than 200
emphasizes dropout
groups from 40 states have signed the
prevention.
DSC’s resolution, which not only deRead more about
fines the problem but suggests positive
EXTRA targeted programs at
approaches to dealing with the epiwww.thenotebook.org/prevention
demic.
will create a report and distribute it to
the District and to community groups
A call to action
concerned with the dropout crisis.
Branden Williams, 18, a YUC
Burgos, Williams, and Baylis decidmember and student at a new alternaed to reconnect to school because they
tive school called El Centro de Esturealized that their opportunities were
diantes, said he was pushed out of two
severely limited without a high school
high schools before ending up in the
diploma.
alternative program.
“I was hustling, but I couldn’t get
“At Thomas
no money because
Edison, teachers
no job would really
didn’t care, man,
hire me,” Williams
and blew me off
said.
every time I wantBurgos,
now
ed to ask quesfive months pregtions, so … I left
nant and a student
there and went to
at El Centro de EsOverbrook for the
tudiantes, said she
10th grade.”
wanted to set a posAt
Overitive example for
brook, he said, he
her new baby and
was punished for
her little brother.
Ebony Baylis
lateness by being
And Baylis wanted
forced to stand in a room for hours.
the option of having a career, not just
His mother got him into Freire Charter
a job.
School, but by then he was “fed up” and
At YUC, they are participating in
wanted to earn money, so he stopped
the research project and attend weekly
going.
meetings to discuss the chapter’s work.
While pushout occurs most often
Like YUC, the Philadelphia Studuring high school, it can start as early
dent Union (PSU) is also campaigning
as kindergarten, and it disproportionately affects students of color, low-income children, English language learners, students with disabilities, and other
disenfranchised youth, according to the
Dignity in Schools campaign.
Ebony Baylis, 20, who last month
earned her GED through Olney’s E3
center (one of the city’s five Education,
Bring a FREE interactive student/teacher ReadAloud to
Employment, and Empowerment cenyour school, camp, group or other educational reading program.
ters), said she began experiencing pushReadAloud is in its seventh year of sharing The Whimsical Sage, a
out while at Lowell Elementary School.
Like Burgos, Baylis was teased.
hardback collection with playful illustrations of words at play for
When she approached the teacher
all ages. Have fun with words including homonyms, similes,
about it, she said, she was denied any
support.
puns, definitions, expressions, and words within words.
“After being turned down so many
Readings are for grades 2nd through 6th, appropriate for
times, it caused me to act out and hanstudents
of ANY ability, including differently-abled students.
dle it on my own to make myself feel
more safe in the classroom,” she said.
Baylis was suspended for fighting.
She got into more trouble over the
years when she took similar situations
into her own hands after school staff
did not help her. She was even expelled from one school and ultimately
7RVFKHGXOHD)5((5HDG$ORXGDWVFKRRODQGRWKHUHGXFDWLRQDOYHQXHVFRQWDFW-RDQ6DJHMRDQ#WKHZKLPVLFDOVDJHRUJRU
stayed out for two years before enroll-
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April 2010
RESEARCH FOR ACTION
free publications at
www.researchforaction.org
Discipline schools charged with helping students graduate
At Shallcross, run by Camelot,
accumulating credits toward a
diploma is now an explicit goal.
privileges for good behavior, and meet
each day to talk about what is bothering them.
“It’s inspiring,” said Rebecca Terby Daniel Denvir
milus, 14, an 8th grader who left Ethan
Allen School after a physical altercaEvery morning students stream out
tion with a teacher. She likes the calm.
of buses that pull up at Thomas P. Shall“People don’t listen at other schools,”
cross Academy and quickly form neat
she said.
lines. They carry no bookbags; these are
Historically, however, the system
banned. Still, they are scanned first by a
of disciplinary schools in Philadelphia,
hand-held and then by a walk-through
before and after being privatized more
metal detector before filing through a
than a decade ago, has been a pipeline
line of teachers to class.
for dropping out. It was valued primarShallcross, located on a sprawlily for getting troublesome students out
ing campus on Woodhaven Road in
of regular schools, and until recently,
the Northeast, is a disciplinary school,
little was done to track students once
made up of students assigned there for
they left the system.
“level 2” infractions
Historically, the system
But now, the proof the District’s code
of conduct, usually of disciplinary schools in viders have contracts
with requirements to
involving fighting.
Philadelphia has been a improve attendance,
Run by a company
called Camelot, it is pipeline for dropping out. boost reading and
math performance,
one of more than 20
provide social services, help students
disciplinary schools and programs in
get promoted and accumulate credits,
Philadelphia, all operated by outside
and send them back to neighborhood
providers, with more than 1,650 stuschools. Even their designation has
dents from 3rd through 12th grade.
changed, from “disciplinary” to “transiDespite – or, perhaps, because of
tional” school.
– the no-nonsense regimentation, stu“This is the first time we had acdents seem to like Shallcross, which can
countability systems built in,” said Ben
accommodate up to 440 5th through
Wright, the regional superintendent for
12th graders but this winter had fewer
alternative schools.
than 250. Here, they say, they don’t
Despite a plethora of new inforhave to worry about hallway chaos,
mation, however, it is still difficult to
can concentrate on schoolwork, earn
Kyle Mechin and Nadine Bonner
Shallcross Academy science teacher Noelle McMullin reviews classwork with students (from
left) Felix Rodriguez, Shariff Wood, Allen Griffin, and Allen Parks.
determine whether the schools are putting students on a path to graduation.
Shallcross, for instance, provided data
that indicated it was not meeting some
contract benchmarks, including those
related to improving attendance and
increasing math and reading levels –
which for most of its entering students
is very low, no higher than 3rd grade.
Wright said that boosting attendance and restoring at least 25 percent
of the students to regular schools per
year are the District’s top priorities –
although the latter benchmark is not
specified in the contracts.
Instead of keeping students a year,
as in the past, the schools are now expected to send students back, shapedup, within 90 days. Wright said that
125 students were restored in January
and another 65 in March.
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Never stop exploring
April 2010
Discipline schools
measuring how many students who
pass through Shallcross and other
transitional schools graduate within
six years of entering 9th grade.
As far as consequences for not meeting all the contractual goals, Wright
Following ‘protocol’
said: “As long as [providers] did all the
due-diligence work they were supposed
The only items students are permitto, we wouldn’t penalize them.
ted to carry into Shallcross are a folder,
“Quite frankly,” he added, “[Shallpocket money and house keys. Everycross] probably had the lowest-performthing else is provided on campus. Kids
ing kids in the Diswalk “in protocol:”
trict.”
in a straight line
Schools
are
now
expected
Camelot, which
with hands clasped
to send students back,
took over Shallcross
behind their back.
from the District in shaped-up, within 90 days. In the morning,
2005, was allotted
they are expected
more spaces this
to look teachers in
year in its two transitional and two acthe eye and shake hands.
celerated schools. Executive Director
“If a kid won’t shake a hand, someBob Lysek said this reflects the District’s
thing may have happened last night,”
satisfaction.
said Lysek.
Camelot’s schools “have promoted
First thing in the morning and last
and graduated a higher percentage of
thing in the afternoon, students – who
their students than the other providers,”
are divided by grade level into 17 teams
he said. Last year, according to its data,
and four halls – attend a “townhouse”
23 students graduated from Shallcross.
meeting, where the teacher shares
This year, the District added a
thoughts on the day completed and the
contract benchmark that will begin
day ahead.
The disciplinary regimen is built
around a “status” system. All entering
students are “neutral,” the well-behaved become “bulldogs,” and a select
group earn the title “executives.” The
bulldogs and executives don’t have to
walk in protocol and have other privileges and responsibilities. Kids who
misbehave are labeled “concern.”
Termilus is a bulldog, and she supports the disciplinary code, the status
system, and the discussion sessions.
“You don’t have townhouse at other
schools,” she said. “You just have loudspeakers.”
But Termilus is worried that her
grades and behavior will regress if she
returns to her neighborhood school.
Many share her concern. Shallcross
says that 44 students have written letters to the District requesting to stay.
Eighth grader Quideem Willis, 15,
was transferred from Harding Middle
School after fighting with a security
guard. At Shallcross, he’s a bulldog, and
he likes the structure.
“Everyone wants to be a bulldog,”
he said, walking down the hall with his
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hands freely by his side.
In the classrooms, students seemed
relatively engaged, particularly the
younger ones. Sixth grade social studies teacher Kirsten Kirschner presided
over a lively discussion of the American
Revolution.
“Given the nature of the alternative environment, it would be easy for
academics to be ignored for the sake of
‘holding down the fort’ but that’s not
the case at Shallcross,” Kirschner said.
“The drive for academic success is huge.
Currently, we’re really rallying behind
the PSSA flag.”
Before this year, however, when its
contract demanded fully qualified teachers, only about half the teachers were
adequately certified. Programs were not
being scrutinized for academic rigor.
From Shallcross to college?
Eleventh grader Kyle Mechin was
sent to Shallcross after bringing twoinch scissors into Swenson Arts and
Technology High School. While he
still thinks the District overreacted, he
has come to like the school. The Notebook profiled Mechin in the Winter
2009 edition.
“If I go back to a normal high
school, I’ll be a much better student
than before,” he says. “It gave me a lot
of structure I didn’t have.”
But Mechin worries that, beyond
the disciplinary blot, a curriculum
geared towards remediation has slowed
his education.
“I don’t see myself getting into a
college of my choice after this,” he says.
The contract also requires that students receive social and emotional support services. The school has 10 behavior counselors, primarily concerned with
managing discipline, who work alongside a student services director trained in
social work. There appear to be few active partnerships with outside organizations to provide more extensive services.
Students also spend an hour a day
in a group discussion called Guided
Group Interaction, a less intense form
of group therapy taken from a residential treatment model.
At the end of the day, the townhouse meetings are mixed. Some teachers congratulate their students, others
warn that behavior must change.
Ninth grader Washington Concepción, 16, is still getting used to Shallcross. Dismissed from Fels for fighting,
he has been at the school just a week
and is still in neutral status. So far, he
likes it. “There’s not as many fights,” he
said as he left school for the day. “I can
focus more on work.”
Sixteen-year-old Tishon Bradford,
another neutral status 9th grader new
to Shallcross, isn’t yet sold. “It’s fair, but
it’s not fun,” he said. “Because I’m not
really into school.”
Daniel Denvir is a freelance writer based in
Philadelphia.
WEB
Spirit Intellect Purpose
www.sju.edu/graduate
To get a glimpse into the
discipline schools’ contract
requirements and some of
Shallcross’s data, go to
EXTRA www.thenotebook.org/shallcross
April 2010
Looking out for the most vulnerable
The city and District have
focused dropout-prevention
work on some key populations.
by Sheila Simmons and Lynne Blumberg
Project U-Turn, a citywide education collaborative campaign, came together in 2004 to tackle the city’s high
dropout rate – with a particular focus on
pregnant and parenting teens, adjudicated youth, and children in foster care.
While research indicated that
youth in these three categories were a
minority of those who left school without graduating, they did drop out at
much higher rates than their peers.
In fact, between 70 to 90 percent of
these three groups of youth left school
without graduating.
Since then, several steps taken
to reduce high dropout rates, including an overhaul of the juvenile justice
curriculum and the opening of a Reengagement Center (see p. 1) as well
as an Education Support Center in the
Department of Human Services, have
been developed with an eye to these
populations.
Here is a closer look at programs
targeted to these categories of students,
along with those who have been homeless, to keep them on track to graduation.
Pregnant and parenting teens
An estimated 10,000 to 12,000
Philadelphia teenagers are mothers.
According to Project U-Turn, about
70 percent are not likely to graduate
due to demands of raising children, finances, lost academic time, and lack
of child care.
The District and its Project UTurn partners have countered these
challenges with several strategies, including a public awareness campaign,
programs with more flexible academic
scheduling, on-site child care programs, and teen parent classrooms in
27 schools designed to help students
graduate and transition to a career.
Administered by the District,
ELECT/CTC (Education Leading
to Employment and Career Training/Cradle to Classroom) Teen Parent Classrooms is an initiative of
the state’s departments of education
and public welfare. Run by Communities in Schools, it provides teen
parents with academic and social
service supports, individualized case
management, group sessions, and
home visits.
About 1,000 of the city’s pregnant
Adjudicated youth
According to Project U-Turn, students who re-enter high school from
juvenile placement have a 90 percent
dropout rate, one of the highest of any
student population in Philadelphia.
Among students who’ve received
the District’s RETI-WRAP (Re-Entry
Transition Initiative) services, that rate
is closer to the “low 60s,” said Benjamin
Wright, regional superintendent for the
Alternative Education Region.
RETI-WRAP is a 10-day assessment
program for students returning from placement. It is often the only way the District
can connect with these former offenders.
Wright credits the lower dropout rate to
more appropriate school matches and support as students transition back to a regular school environment.
In each regional office, there is a “transition liaison” who prepares students for
re-entry by meeting with counselors and
the principal at the sending and receiving
school before enrollment is completed. The
liaisons consider a student’s status, academic
and behavioral issues, and design a learning
plan, then review the student’s progress every 30 days for the first few months.
“Now there’s some continuity in
his or her education,” Wright said.
To increase the chances of a smooth
transition, the District ended the process
of returning adjudicated youth to regular
classrooms in mid-semester. Instead, they
will remain in an extended RETI-WRAP
program, with a chance to earn credits,
until the start of the next semester.
The Open Doors program is another
avenue for adjudicated youth. Located at
North Philadelphia Community High
School, and managed by One Bright Ray,
it is a career and technical education program offering hands-on learning.
Thirty-five seats in Open Doors are
reserved for students returning from juvenile placement, as are 100 in accelerated
schools. Others are counseled into a neighborhood school or an alternative “Oasis
program” within a neighborhood school.
Officials have recently aligned the
curriculum in juvenile facilities with that
in Philadelphia. The Pennsylvania Academic and Career/Technical Training Alliance (PACTT) assessed the academic
programs of the six largest residential facilities serving Philadelphia youth to ensure
that their curricula aligned with the state
Department of Education standards and
Philadelphia graduation requirements.
Four of the facilities have now adopted Philadelphia’s curriculum, which
is aligned to state standards.
Wright said that he expects the
District to serve about 1,200 students
returning from juvenile placement this
school year, compared with about 800
in 2008-09. He attributes the 50 percent
jump to a rise in juvenile arrests.
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April 2010
Pregnant
Homeless youth
Philadelphia has more than 5,000
homeless children, said Dainette Mintz,
director of the city’s Office of Supportive Housing (OSH). Of the 118 homeless 12th graders tracked by the District
in 2008-09, only eight graduated.
Homeless students often don’t get
what they are entitled to under legislation like the McKinney-Vento Act, a
federal law that supports homeless children.
Federal legislation says that homeless students must receive money for
uniforms, class dues, and transportation.
Even if they don’t admit their situ-
and parenting teens use the classrooms. Others enroll in one of the
Multiple Pathways to Graduation
programs, such as the Educational
Options Programs (EOPs), which offer late afternoon and evening classes
for working parents or those with
child care issues during the day.
Students can also enter one of
the District’s accelerated schools,
which allow them to earn credits at
a more intense pace. But some have
long waiting lists. Slots at Fairhill
Community High School, an accelerated school that has an on-site day
care center, are quickly filled.
The District has also partnered
with Project U-Turn’s Pregnant &
Parenting Teens Subcommittee on a
poster campaign targeted to dropouts
among this group.
Posters are now being delivered
to public health centers and other
sites, encouraging young parents to
visit the Re-engagement Center to
reconnect to school and receive a
child care referral.
“We recognize that it can be hard
to get back in or stay in school once a
teen becomes pregnant,” said Colleen
McCauley, PCCY’s health director.
“But over 90 percent of pregnant
and parenting girls get prenatal care.
So 750 posters will go where they are,
trying to catch kids who have left
school,” she said.
Youth in foster care
Foster care students typically
change elementary schools three to
four times. According to a 2009 report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, they lose four to six months of
learning with each move. They also
experience trauma as they are shuffled between grandparents or other
extended family, group homes, and
private foster homes. Many live in
homeless shelters for a period.
Given these challenges, Project
U-Turn found that out of the 597
foster care students tracked in 2007,
75 percent dropped out.
The new Education Support
Center within the Department of
Human Services acts as a liaison be-
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ation to school officials, students who
enter the city’s shelters and transitional houses are counted. They are not
counted, though, if they are doubled up
and living with family or friends due to
financial hardship, live in substandard
housing with or without parents, have
run away or are awaiting foster placement.
Officials plan to improve how they
track these students by merging data
systems between the city’s Department
of Human Services, OSH, and the District. The District now asks for more details about a student’s living conditions,
including if they are doubled up with
extended family.
Community agencies are collabo-
rating through a program that began
last year called Promising Practices for
Providers Serving Homeless Students.
But participants like Joe Willard of the
People’s Emergency Center, said more
detailed data profiles of students and
their schools are needed for coordinated efforts to be successful.
Another initiative is The Appletree
Alternative School, a partnership between the District and OSH. Students
can attend the school during the intake
process into shelters. Some months, the
school averages 10 students per day.
After-school tutoring and summer
learning enrichment programs are provided at 14 of the 19 city shelters that
admit children.
tween the District and child welfare,
making sure that elementary foster
care students stay at one school and
receive needed supports. Foster care
students typically enter 7th to 9th
grades four to five grade levels behind in reading.
Liza M. Rodriguez, director of the
new center, said that coordinating efforts so students remain in one school
will make a “huge difference” in their
social and academic performance.
Arise Academy, the first public
charter high school specifically for
foster care students, also offers stability and safety for this vulnerable
population.
Arise, which opened in 2009,
serves “over-age and under-credentialed” students from 14-21 years,
said Jill Davis, board president.
Arise, which is almost at its full
capacity of 200 seats, creates a safe
haven because even if living conditions change, students stay at the
same school. Attendance is enforced
with follow-up calls, and mentors and
faculty listen to student concerns.
Thomas Jefferson University is
opening a school-based behavioral
health satellite clinic at Arise this
month. All students will take part in
groups to deal with the trauma of being without parents or stable caregivers.
Sheila Simmons is education director for
Public Citizens for Children and Youth
(PCCY). Lynne Blumberg is a freelance
writer for the Notebook.
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Immigrant students find school system didn’t have them in mind
National data show high
dropout rates, but locally
there are no studies.
mind, and reform policies “fail to consider
their particular needs or
realities,” according to
researchers Marcelo and
Carola Suarez-Orozco of
New York University.
As a result, these
children often wind up
in inappropriate settings, receiving inappropriate instruction.
Nationally, the consequences for immigrant
youth are apparent. In a
2005 study, the Pew Hispanic Center found that
while only 8 percent of
the nation’s teens are
foreign-born, nearly 25
percent of teen dropouts
Harvey Finkle
were born outside the
José Ángel Torres (left) and his brother David
United States.
that by not keeping track of immigrant
“The dropout rate for teens with
children’s academic achievement and
school problems before migration is in
their families’ needs, many problems go
excess of 70 percent, in comparison with
undetected. Schools lack services not
8 percent for other foreign-born youths,”
only for these youth but for their famistated the report.
lies as well, which increases the chance
The Pew study said many of these
they’ll drop out.
were poorly educated before arriving.
In Philadelphia, the only availThe study also found that many imable graduation data related to immimigrant youth never enrolled in school
grants are the School District’s records
in the United States; the purpose in mifor English language learners (ELLs)
grating for many youth was probably to
– whose graduation rate is 57 percent,
seek employment.
This and other research suggests
April 2010
of music like Eminem, 50 Cent, Tupac
and Biggie; I liked what they did with
language,” he said.
Growing up in Philadelphia was
by Gustavo Martínez Contreras
not easy. He faced violence in and out
of school and classrooms that felt more
When José Ángel Torres arrived in
like a prison than like a learning hub.
the United States seven years ago, the
“I would start cutting class one day
most difficult thing was trying to underhere and there with my friends, but
stand what was going on around him.
nothing serious until last year,” he said.
He was only 10 and did not speak
It took a while to realize that “I wasn’t
English. Nonetheless he was expected
going to school at all.”
to be like any other 5th grader, learnTorres
rememing math, science, and
bers having at least
other subjects. He said
These children
70 absences before
no one bothered askoften wind up in
he stopped attending him if he needed
any help.
inappropriate settings, ing Furness High in
South
Philadelphia
Torres is one of
an untold number of receiving inappropriate last year. He said no
one approached him
immigrant youth who
instruction.
to push him to return
have dropped out of
to school until his mother pleaded with
Philadelphia high schools.
him to go back and finish.
One recent national study found
“I don’t really want to go to school,
that immigrants make up nearly one
but I’m doing it because of my mom and
quarter of the country’s teen dropouts.
now because of the baby my girlfriend
“I didn’t like school from the beand I are expecting,” he said.
ginning because I didn’t understand
Torres is now enrolled at Perforanything,” Torres recalled. “I felt I was
mance Learning Center SW, an acceldumb, especially with the vocabulary
erated school for over-age and underexams; those really screwed me up.”
credited students run by Communities
Lost and lonely in a new world, his
in Schools.
mind was set only on going back to his
His story is typical of what many
native Mexico – until hip hop came
immigrant children face when they
into his life, teaching him lessons he
come to this country. The education
did not find in the classroom. system was shaped without them in
“I started listening to the radio, lots
On-time graduation rate is down slightly
The District’s on-time graduation
rate slipped a point last year. At 56 percent it is still four points above the rate
four years earlier. This is the percentage of students who entered 9th grade
in fall 2005 and finished high school in
2009.
These rates are called cohort graduation rates, based on tracking individual students over time. They show the
percentage of students who started 9th
grade together that have graduated four
and six years later. The rates are adjusted for students who transferred out of
the District. This method for tracking
graduation rates is endorsed by the city,
the District, and community partners.
The District monitors both on-time
and six-year graduation rates. Many
students do not complete high school
in four years but persist and graduate
within a year or two of their peers. For
the class slated to graduate in 2007, the
graduation rate of 53 percent as of 2007
grew to 61 percent by 2009.
Mayor Michael Nutter has set a
goal of a six-year graduation rate of 80
percent by 2014.
About this edition
Major funding for this edition of the Notebook
was provided through a partnership with Project
U-Turn, a citywide campaign to focus public attention on Philadelphia’s dropout crisis and design
strategies and leverage investments to resolve it.
School District of Philadelphia Graduation Rates
70%
60%
57%
61%
59%
6-yr rate
to come
in 2010
6-yr rate
to come
in 2011
DVHS-Kelly
4333 Kelly Drive
50%
T: 215-677-6107
Two Logan Square – 19th Floor
40%
52%
53%
52%
57%
DVHS-Bucks/Montco
299 Jacksonville Road
Warminster, PA 18974
56%
30%
www.dvhs.org
20%
Board members proudly serving the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania, Fifteen (15) Local School Districts,
including the Philadelphia School District
10%
0%
Board members striving to effectuate positive change
to improve statewide standards for alternative education
in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Class of 2005
Class of 2006
On-time graduates
Class of 2007
Class of 2008
David T. Shulick, Esquire, President
Class of 2009
Licensed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Accredited by the United Private Academic School
Association
Students graduating in six years or less
Source: Office of Accountability, School District of Philadelphia
The Project U-Turn campaign is led by a citywide collaborative whose members include representatives of the District, city agencies, foundations, youth-serving organizations, parents, and
young people. The collaborative, managed by the
Philadelphia Youth Network, was established
by the Philadelphia Youth Council in 2004. Key
accomplishments of the collaborative to date
include groundbreaking data analyses and work
with the District and others to create programs
and pathways that reconnect out-of-school and
struggling youth.
For general information for youth and families, call 1-877-TURN-180 (Project U-Turn hotline).
Alliances:
Judith B. Shulick Memorial Foundation –
www.jbshulick.org
City Year – www.cityyear.org
M.E.T., Inc. – www.met-corp.com
Philadelphia Youth Network – www.pyninc.org
Additional Local Community Alliances to
Support Student Success
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The University of the Arts
April 2010
sportsstories
Spring in their steps
Across Philadelphia, girls
in the middle grades get ready
for another season of softball.
by Benjamin Herold
A group of boys is outside Austin
Meehan Middle School in Mayfair,
scooping up the melting snow for one
last snowball fight.
Inside the school’s gymnasium,
however, a group of girls is already engaged in an annual rite of spring – softball tryouts.
Health and physical education
teacher Sue Newnam stands in front of
16 hopefuls, laying out her ground rules
before calling on Devinne Corson, the
team’s returning shortstop, to demonstrate basic fielding techniques.
As Newnam rolls ground balls her
way, Corson looks to already be in midseason form, cleanly plucking each one. “See how her center of gravity is down
low and her head is up?” calls the coach.
On cue, Corson loses her focus and
lets a ball roll through her legs. The lapse
earns a teasing rebuke from Newnam
and laughs from the rest of the girls.
At the middle grades level, interscholastic sports is all about having fun
and learning the game, says District
Athletic Program Manager Rick How-
ard. And in recent years, the District’s
middle grades athletics offerings have
expanded dramatically.
“Before, we only had pure middle
schools playing sports, so there were only
44 schools eligible to compete,” he explains.
“Since we aligned with the PIAA in
2004, any school with grades 6 through
8 can field a team. Now, there are 136
eligible schools.”
The biggest interscholastic middle
grades sports are track, basketball, volleyball, baseball (for boys), and softball
(for girls). Districtwide, says Howard,
there are 152 teams with upwards of
2,000 students participating.
Furthermore, Superintendent Arlene
Ackerman’s Imagine 2014 strategic plan
includes a directive for every school with
middle grades to offer at least two intramural athletic programs.
“That we have middle grades athletics at all is something to be proud of,”
Howard says.
“A lot of districts don’t have those
developmental opportunities.”
•••
But there are still wide disparities
across schools in resources and skill levels.
Stephanie Lackey, a reading teacher at Kearney Elementary School in
Northern Liberties, started the school’s
Kevin Cook
Austin Meehan 8th grader Devinne Corson, 13, readies a throw during a fielding drill at spring tryouts.
entire athletics program from scratch
just four years ago.
“When I came to Kearney, it was a
K-5 school, so there were no athletics,”
she explains.
Lackey says the biggest challenge
was trying to introduce the game with-
out proper facilities and equipment.
“Most of these kids have never played
softball,” she says.
“I had to teach them how to throw
a ball, where to set up, and how to field.
But it’s completely different trying to do
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April 2010
sportsstories
Season of softball
grams. Then kids were interested in
playing sports, but there was no equip(continued from page 28)
ment. These are kids who otherwise
wouldn’t be playing sports.”
that on concrete.”
•••
On a bright but brisk March day of
While that’s true for many District midpractice outside the school, the chaldle grades programs, it’s different for schools
lenges are still evident.
in the river wards and the Northeast.
During a throwing drill, softballs
“There’s haves and have-nots in
are flying everywhere. Errant tosses
Philly,” explains Richard Kirby, who for
scoot out into oncoming traffic. A few
the past seven years has coached softball
girls, underdressed in shorts or T-shirts,
at Conwell Middle School in Kensington.
mutter into their gloves about the cold.
“Some teams have trouble getting
Just when the team starts to settle
12 kids with a completed physical. It’s
into a rhythm, the wind picks up and
exciting when a girl can catch a ball in
blows a plastic dumpster into the middle
the outfield.”
of their makeshift field.
Kirby adds, “We make the playoffs
But thanks in no small part to
every year, but then
Lackey’s infectious enwe run into the teams
thusiasm, most of the
At Kearney School,
who are all kids whose
girls stay focused and
the biggest challenge parents can afford priupbeat.
It helps that this
was trying to introduce vate coaching.”
Meehan’s Newyear they have thousands of dollars worth the game without proper nam knows she is one
of new equipment.
facilities and equipment. of the lucky ones.
Not only does she
“I wrote a grant
have a big indoor gym that is available
through an organization called Good
for practices; her teams are usually built
Sports,” says Lackey.
around girls who have years of softball
“We got a ton of equipment – about
experience at local athletics clubs.
30 gloves, four or five bats, a brand new
Devinne Corson is a perfect example.
set of catcher’s equipment, and new balls.”
“I started playing softball two years
Good Sports, a nonprofit organiago for Mayfair Athletic Club,” says the
zation, has donated over $4 million in
5’1”, 100-pound shortstop.
sports equipment to disadvantaged youth.
She started learning important les“Kearney exemplified why we do what
sons early.
we do,” says Davin Lencz, community
“I stopped being scared of the ball
partnerships manager at Good Sports.
after the first time I got hit,” Corson
“Three years ago, they had no pro-
JOIN THE ACTION!
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Kevin Cook
Meehan softball coach Sue Newnam demonstrates catching techniques to her girls during a
March tryout for the middle school’s team in the gymnasium.
says matter-of-factly.
“It was a practice, and the ball
bounced up and hit me right in the face.
I’ve never been scared of it since.”
In fielding drills during Meehan’s
second week of tryouts, Corson’s confidence is evident. As the rest of the
girls rotate through the different infield
positions and take grounders, Corson
remains a fixture at shortstop, cleanly
fielding everything thrown her way
while also giving the other girls direction and encouragement.
“She will definitely be my captain,”
says Newnam. “She’s a natural leader,
and she knows the game so well. It really cuts down on the amount of stuff I
have to demonstrate myself.”
Seven other girls trying out for
Meehan’s team have played organized
softball before, most for neighborhoodbased athletic clubs like Mayfair.
Now in its 46th year, the Mayfair
Athletic Club currently has about 60
girls ranging in age from 7 to 18 playing
on their softball teams, says treasurer
Cathy Gibson. Teams participate in the
Northeast Peanut League, playing 16
regular season games each spring. “Baseball and softball are still the
number one sport in our neighborhood,” says Gibson. “Up here, it’s still
the American game.”
No one knows that better than
Newnam, who was raised in the neighborhood and attended St. Hubert’s, a
Catholic school right down the street
from Meehan.
“Growing up, I was always playing
stickball or cornerball in the streets,”
she recalls fondly. “I still remember
watching Phillies’ games with my father
every summer.”
With a few weeks to go before Meehan’s first game on April 13, the girls
still haven’t taken batting practice at
all, and there are still possible cuts to be
made and positions to assign.
But Newnam, Corson, and the rest
of the team are more than ready for
spring to finally arrive.
“I just love softball,” says the coach.
“I can’t wait for the season to get here.”
Benjamin Herold is a freelance writer and the
Notebook sports columnist.
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April 2010
notebooknews
Notebook membership drive tops 200
The Notebook’s 2010 membership drive surpassed the 200-member mark in March. Thanks to
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From the Notebook blog
Corrective Reading raises questions
by Molly Thacker
will actually lead to success on the
PSSA, considering that the test inAs teachers, our daily interaccludes full reading passages that retions and lessons attempt to validate
quire students to understand context
students’ experiences, affirm their
clues and make inferences – not just
identities, and build trust in order to
repeat and recognize word patterns.
forge authentic relationships that alMy greatest concern is that
low us to teach them well. schools will not be able to retain
Do we fall short some days? Absoteachers who are required to ignore
lutely. But the purpose of making real
the humanity of their students and
connections with students is there.
themselves in favor of a script and
I have been grappling with finding
a dog clicker. Teaching requires the
the purpose behind the Corrective
cultivation of a
Reading curriculum
To reduce the art of
human
relationin place at Empowerment Schools.
teaching and learning ship. To reduce the
art of teaching and
Corrective Readto discrete word lists
learning to discrete
ing is a direct instruction phonics program must be demoralizing for word lists must be
demoralizing
for
that promotes word
students and teachers. students and teachand sound recogniers. tion, involves student
We cannot ignore the issue of
repetition of words in a “call and restudents reading below grade level,
sponse” format, and requires the teachbut there are other strategies to proer to follow a scripted lesson plan and
mote literacy achievement. Literacy
use a snap, pencil tap, or dog clicker to
instruction can be empowering and
mark the rhythm of the lesson. critically engaging for all students. Despite the issue of students reading below grade level and the necessity to be successful on the PSSAs, I
Check out the discussion of Corrective Readquestion this intervention. ing and Math at www.thenotebook.org/
It concerns me that the program
cr-cm
teaches reading fluency as separate
from reading comprehension. DeMolly Thacker is a Philadelphia teacher who
coding instruction cannot be diblogs regularly at www.thenotebook.org/
vorced from understanding mateblog. A team of Notebook bloggers publishes
rial, and strategies must be provided
fresh content every weekday on this page,
for both. I doubt that this program
and comments are welcome.
Immigrants
close to the District average. That ELL
rate, however, is a composite of rates for
an array of nationalities that sheds no
light on the performance of particular
ethnic groups.
Moreover, ELLs and immigrant
populations do not coincide – students
from Puerto Rico are citizens whose first
language is Spanish while some immigrants are native English speakers.
“The District doesn’t have a direct
indicator of immigrant kids because it
is illegal to ask kids who are registering whether they have a Social Security number,” explained Mary Yee, who
ran the District’s now-extinct Office of
Family Engagement and Language Equity Services.
Even when determining where a
student was born, “that doesn’t tell you
everything you need to know. You don’t
know who are the children living with
immigrant families,” Yee said.
Some say they spot the immigrant
students when the time comes to fill out
college applications.
“Almost 50 percent of my students,
most of them the brightest in their
class, don’t fill them out because they
won’t be able to attend college due to
their status; the door is almost shut for
them,” said Nilza Lozada, Edison/Fareira High School’s multicultural SLC
coordinator.
The School District did not re-
spond to requests for information about
current initiatives to help immigrant
students.
Like Torres, many immigrant youth
in Philadelphia face violence and discrimination.
“We encountered a lack of resources at schools; the language barrier was
also an issue because all letters to my
parents were never translated and this
is still the case today in many schools,”
said Xu Lin, a Chinese youth organizer
and a Furness High graduate.
He also pointed to family economic
needs.
“Most immigrant students come
from working class families,” he said.
“Their family prefers them to work than
to attend school; they are pressured to
work to support the family.”
This is the case for Javi, whose
full name the Notebook is withholding
due to his immigration status. He left
his family in Mexico when he was 15
to provide for his mother after finishing the Mexican equivalent of middle
school.
“Down there, you only think of
coming here to work – not to go to
school,” he said.
“I would like to get an education,
but I would have to fully learn the language first and that takes time. Right
now I need to make money to send it
back home.”
Gustavo Martínez Contreras covers immigrant student issues for the Notebook.
April 2010
quicktakes
After five years of public attention and millions of dollars directed at the dropout
Photos and interviews
crisis, what have been the biggest changes for students and families?
by Benjamin Herold
-RKQQ\,UL]DUU\
/RUL6KRUU
SRC commissioner and director of
the Center for Hispanic Excellence,
University of Pennsylvania
Chief education officer,
“We’ve seen more accelerated schools open, the
implementation of the
Re-engagement Center
and the new DHS Education Support Center,
and the strengthening of
behavioral health services
in schools – all of which
work together to both
prevent dropout and reengage youth. There is
also a new public will to
make real change.”
“A surge of research confirmed
what we already knew. The
District has taken on the
Re-engagement Center and
alternative schools. The problem is we’re losing students
faster than we’re getting them
back. We’ve got to stop the
bleeding, but we don’t get
as outraged as we should
because primarily AfricanAmerican and Latino students are dropping out.”
5XWK&XUUDQ1HLOG
Research scientist,
Johns Hopkins University
“For students who were close to
graduation when they dropped
out, there are more opportunities to re-engage, earn a
diploma and even college
credits. The vast majority of
dropouts, however, are overage, with very few credits and
low literacy skills. It’s tougher
to figure out how to help
them. We’re also still very
weak on preventing students from dropping out
in the first place.”
/DZUHQFH0DKRQH\-RQHV
Board member and alumnus,
Philadelphia Student Union
“The blunt answer is not much.
People definitely talk about
the dropout problem more,
but the new programs out
there only work for a small
amount of people. People
in these programs still
aren’t being prepared for
life after high school, and
the environments in most
schools hasn’t changed
enough to really affect
the dropout
rate.”
7D\ORU)URPH
6HWK:LOOLDPV
Executive director,
Youth Empowerment Services
District attorney,
“There is a greater understanding that investing in
dropouts is worthwhile,
so there is less shame for
students who want to come
back. The District has
reduced disciplinary slots
and created more slots for
accelerated credit retrieval programs, which is big. But we have to
resolve the tension between
funds for dropouts
and funds for students in school.”
“Because of budgetary
issues, many truancy
programs have recently
been cut in Philadelphia. The city, School
District and District
Attorney’s office all
need to work together to
develop new programs that
will hold both students and
parents accountable
for this very serious
problem.”
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April 2010
Do Something Extraordinary
at Cabrini College
Cabrini College offers convenient programs for teachers.
All Cabrini Graduate
Education courses count
for ACT 48 credit
Graduate Degrees
s -ASTEROF%DUCATION
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Teacher Certifications
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Office of Graduate and Professional Studies
610 King of Prussia Road, Radnor
610-902-8500 / www.cabrini.edu/med
NEW: PIL Act 45 PDE-endorsed
credits for school administrators
ACT 45 Course: Distributive Leadership
and Change Processes
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PRACTICALAPPLICATIONSINORDERTOIMPROVE
INSTRUCTIONALDELIVERYSCHOOLSERVICES
ANDENHANCEDLEARNEROUTCOMESFOR
PRACTICINGPRINCIPALSANDOTHERSCHOOL
LEADERS
Offered at two locations:
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Details at www.cabrini.edu/act45 or
contact Dr. Dave Noyes at 610-902-8500
April 2010

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