PSS Community

MAPN Annual Kindergarten Discussion Group

The Mt. Airy Parents’ Network (MAPN) has been mentioned already on this blog. You should also be familiar with the group’s Annual Kindergarten Discussion Group. For three years, MAPN has sponsored a discussion group for families exploring their education options (despite the name, it’s not just limited to kindergarten discussions). Notices are usually posted on the MAPN discussion board in May,...

Len Lipkin

Open House at the Waldorf School

This was posted by a user to the Fairmount Parents Forum. For those who are interested in finding out about The Waldorf School of Philadelphia, there is an Open House this Saturday, January 30th at 10 AM. You are welcome to come with your family to visit the classrooms, view students’ work, and ask questions of the faculty, staff and parents. During the morning, the faculty will present an overview...

Len Lipkin

Reactions to the New Philadelphia Teachers Contract

I posted before that I feel positive about the contract from what I had heard at that point but that I was interested to hear what the experts had to say.  Here are some more reactions from local media sources. Valerie Russ, The Daily News, 1/23/2010, Teachers, school district approve contract Dale Mezzacappa, The Notebook, 1/23/2010, AFT president: New contract a breakthrough Ron Whitehorne, The...

PSS Community

Great Resource: PhillySpeaks Forums

By Anonymous I don’t know whether you ever get on philadelphiaspeaks.com (formerly phillyblog), but there seems to be a post at least every couple weeks about people dealing with school choice issues. Here are some recent discussion threads: Recommend Schools in Mt. Airy Area? Where to Live Charter Schools Best...

PSS Community

Contribute Your Experiences to the Philly School Search Blog

This blog started one month ago to document the school selection process of one family. The goal was to get feedback from others who are doing the same, and for helping future school researchers navigate the educational waters. We are hoping that this is a community blog–we want it to reflect the experiences of many regional parents and not just the specific experiences and biases of its...

Len Lipkin

New Philly Teacher Contract Has Performance Incentives

It is definitely nice to see a contract negotiation that has such a prominent component targeted at improving the system, not just boosting the (admittedly low) salaries and benefits of teachers in the district.

Len Lipkin

Are Elementary School Test Scores Important?

I am divided over how to use standardized test scores mandated as a part of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) as a input into the elementary school selection process. On the one hand, I scoff at NCLB because it encourages schools to 'teach to the test' instead of teaching to the student. On the other hand, I admit that I care how well the students do on standardized tests at the schools that I am considering.

Len Lipkin

Another Argument for Going Local for Education

Back in one of my original posts, I wrote about how community is an important factor that my family is considering in our selection of a school.  It turns out that another Philadelphia blogger who writes about their public and private school experiences agrees.  Here’s what “A Very Public Education” has to say on the...