Len Lipkin

Beyond the Usual Suspects II

With so many people vying for spots in the same trendy public and charter schools, it is worth considering some schools that might not be on your radar.

Len Lipkin

Philadelphia Students Build “Bad-Ass” Hybrid Vehicles [Video]

Ted Hauger spoke at TedXPhilly about his experience directing the Hybrid X Team. In the talk, he spoke about standardized testing and education reform. He even wants to start a school, Green Technology High School.

Marta Rowh

Types of Philadelphia Elementary Schools

We may remember a time when kids just went to their neighborhood school. But this isn’t Kansas anymore. There are lots of options and lots of different application processes for parents nowadays. We started school hunting at the dining room table and finally I threw my hands up...what are ALL the options?! Every time I thought I knew it all, another school popped up! I wanted to have all my options before deciding which schools to look at and which open houses to attend, so here is a brief Elementary School Options 101.

Len Lipkin

Music at School as a Vehicle for Social Change [Video]

Recent efforts in Philadelphia by Tune Up Philly have shown that music in schools can also be a powerful social agent in addition to an educational tool.

Len Lipkin

Jenks Featured On New Local Blog

I've written about JS Jenks, my catchment school, extensively. Now another local blog, Chestnut Hill Patch, is getting into the act.

Len Lipkin

Kindergarten Language Immersion and Classroom Dynamics

One of the realities of a language immersion program is that everyone is starting at the same level. Maybe my kid can't read but somebody else's kid can. Guess what? When the class starts and the teacher is speaking only Spanish, every kid is lost. Every kid is starting from scratch. So by definition, the students are all at the same level, at least for vast chunks of the curriculum.

Len Lipkin

Friends Schools Mystique Part 1: An Outsider’s Perspective

If you are from Philadelphia, you probably know about the Quaker-backed Friends Schools.  Depending on how widely you define the Philadelphia area, there are about 30 Friends Schools here, I believe among the highest concentration of Quaker schools in the world.  Growing up, the closest one to my house was Moorestown Friends. Though I did not attend, I did take music lessons from one of their teachers...

Len Lipkin

Beyond the Usual Suspects

When I talk to other parents about Philadelphia public elementary schools, inevitably the same handful of schools are of interest to them.  In no particular order, they are Penn Alexander (West Philly), Greenfield (Center City), and Meredith (Queen Village).  Then there are the popular charter schools like Independence Charter (Center City), Russell Byers Charter (Center City), and Green Woods Charter...