Monthly Archives: January 2012

Co-Operative Homeschooling

I wrote before about co-operative schools being sort of a bridge for families who like the idea of homeschooling but for various reasons want a more traditional classroom environment for their kids. Closer to the the homeschooling side of that continuium are homeschooling co-ops like The Mt. Airy Homeschooling Co-op. Whereas a co-operative school allows (expects) parents to get involved in school and curriculum management, homeschool co-ops are designed to provide opportunities for broader social engagement and collaborative learning for homeschooling families.

New Jersey Bedevils Philadelphia Parents

Leave a reply

I am a Jersey boy. I was born in Philly, but my parents moved to the NJ suburbs before I started kindergarten (I’ll give you one guess why). I had a great education at one of the best districts in the region. I had a pretty good experience and I have good memories of the place. In fact, I drove by my old house last month for pure nostalgia. Still, when I was engaging in my school search, and I considered moving to the suburbs, NJ never really made it onto my radar. Miriam Hill, on her Inquirer blog, had the same lament earlier this month. Sure, Lower Merion is considered one of the top districts in the country, but some of the nearby Jersey districts are just as good, and relatively free of spying scandals and allegations of systemic racism. So why not NJ? It wasn’t the commute–that wasn’t going to be any different for my family in deciding between the NJ and PA ‘burbs. I think personally it had to do with my perception (founded or unfounded) of the relative urbanity of the near-PA suburbs. Families who want to stay in the city are doing so because they appreciate what the city has to offer to their lifestyle and their kids social and cultural environment. If they are reluctantly moving to the suburbs, PA simply is simply more palatable than NJ, where the Cherry Hill Mall is a center of life and sprawl is the norm. In PA there is of course the KOP Mall, but the KOP Mall is simply a destination, not a hub. PA burbs have several highly respected colleges and universities, the Bryn Mawr Film Institute, the Keswick Theater, and Milkboy; NJ has little higher education (save for Rutgers Camden), the Cherry Hill Mall, the Moorestown Mall, and Ponzios Diner. Need I say more for any urbanite parent?

What do you think? Are you considering a move to NJ? Why or why not?

Photo “Ben Franklin Bridge at Sunset” provided courtesy of Doug Stewart a.k.a. @zamoose

Why I Chose Frankford Friends: 2012-01-01 School Selection Report

1 Reply

This is a snapshot of one parent’s school choice. You can read other parent testimonials and help other parents. Take five minutes to complete an anonymous survey to tell PSS and our readers about your school choice!

What school did you decide on? Frankford Friends

Calendar year your child entered 2009

Grade your child entered Pre-k

What neighborhood are you in? South Philly

What schools did you consider? Friends Select, Meredith, The Philadelphia School, Independence Charter

What factors were most important to you? Tuition, Reputation, School Performance (test scores, success of graduates), Teacher Quality, Diversity

What first attracted you to the school? Small size, the welcoming atmosphere, quality of education & affordability

What were the critical factors that led to your choice? Quality of education & affordability

Did you relocate in order to choose this school? No

On the political spectrum, I consider myself to be Liberal

Please share anything else about your experience Frankford Friends is to our family the perfect school. My son is in a class of 14 students, each recognized and appreciated for their own individuality. This school is more affordable than most private schools and I believe that leads greater diversity as well as more parents that make a conscious sacrifice to send their children here and are very involved in the school. It’s like the little school that could… and does.

Here We Go Again

Recycle Your Way to a Better School

1 Reply

Recyclebank is a rewards programs that has partnered with the city of Philadelphia to promote recycling. They accomplish this by rewarding participants with points for recycling, which are redeemable for goods and services like gift cards or coupons. Last year, Recyclebank introduced its Green Schools Program, allowing schools to propose projects and recyclebank members to donate their points to local schools for those projects. From the Recyclebank website…

The Recyclebank Green Schools Program is designed to promote green education and encourage innovative thinking. Schools can raise funds for their projects by getting point donations, which will be converted into dollars and awarded to fund the project. Green education is so important, and that’s why Recyclebank will match every $1 earned.

Thanks to a groundswell of support from The West Philadelphia Coalition for Neighborhood Schools WPCNS, the Lea Elementary project has raised the most funds of any Recyclebank Green Schools in the country! Close behind is the C.W. Henry Elementary project with with $192 still needed. Several other local schools also are raising money this way.

Although this effort is cool, the impact is negligible. What is really cool are the breadth and scope of all of the projects being taken on by WPCNS of other parent organizations across the city. Parent grassroots efforts are gaining momentum.

Philly School Search

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?