Parents sharing the process of searching for a school in Greater Philadelphia. What kind of school are you looking for? Charter, public, private, city, suburban?
I went to an open house at Independence Charter this morning. I am still processing the experience and may write another post about the visit, but I thought that I’d post this photo of a flyer with the 2010-2011 application dates. The key ones are the deadline (Feb 25) and the lottery date (March 10th). Click on the image to a larger view where all of the dates are legible. If you are... 
I haven’t made a decision yet, but, like I said I would, I have submitted my first application (to Germantown Friends School , aka GFS). More to... 
The recent teacher contract at the School District of Philadelphia greatly expands the use of site selection across the district. 
As much as all of us who are sending our kids to kindergarten next year talk about schools, there is so much that we don't say to one another. We don't want to offend, we don't want others to feel judged for their priorities. 
Last week I visited two schools which lacked diversity at opposite extremes. 
The private school application process includes an old nemesis of mine from high school--the application essay question. I hated the 'tell me about yourself' or 'who would you most want to spend a weekend with and why?' questions from my college application days. I felt compelled not only to produce a piece of good writing, but to also have a "hook"--something that would make me stand out among the multitudes of talented applications. I remember orientation week freshman year in college talking to my peers about what they wrote. One wrote a poem that she folded into an origami swan, another a story of feeding homeless children in Africa. I'm sure that most of you have heard similar anecdotes.
Now here we go again.
Do you like the idea of homeschooling for being able to tailor your child’s eduction, but you are also attracted to traditional schools for the structure and support that they provide? Maybe you can do both.
A “co-op” school may offer the best of both worlds. Co-op schools require a higher level of parental involvement in the school than traditional public or private schools. ... 
Last month I wrote about lawn signs that had popped up all over my neighborhood for private schools advertising their open houses. As I have been following and struggling with our neighborhood “Going Local” movement, the fact that our local public school has gotten into the lawn sign act has been an interesting development.
I contacted a member of the Jenks Home and School Association and... 
Len Lipkin
PSS Community