Tag Archives: distinctive programs

Beyond the Usual Suspects II

Way back in the early stages of this blog, I wrote about how in most conversations with Philadelphia parents, the same list of ”hot” public and charter schools is always discussed. It’s probably not a mystery to you, but the schools I heard about the most were:

Philadelphia Public Schools (alphabetically): Greenfield (Center City) * Henry (Mount Airy) * Houston (Mt. Airy) * Jenks (Chestnut Hill) * McCall (Center City) * Meredith (Queen Village) * Penn Alexander (West Philly)

Charter Schools (alphabetically): Independence Charter (Center City) * Green Woods Charter (Roxborough) * Russell Byers Charter (Center City)

My concern back then (which turned out to be justified) was that with so many people vying for spots in the same trendy schools, the chances of getting into a school via the Voluntary Transfer Program (VTP) within the School District of Philadelphia or selected in a charter lottery is small. I listed several schools that I thought were worth further consideration that might be off of the radar of most parents. Here is what I wrote about them:

Folk Arts-Cultural Treasures (FACTS) Charter School (Chinatown) This Chinese language immersion elementary school has a diverse student body (70% Asian, 21% African-American) stellar math scores, but pretty low reading scores. FACTS serves many immigrant students (i.e., non-native English speakers), I presume that the low reading scores are in part the result of that, but I have no evidence to confirm that hypothesis. I love the idea of a language immersion programs, so this school is particularly attractive to me.
Christopher Columbus Charter School (Bella Vista)–They have a nice diversity (35% African American, 51% White) and almost all of their teachers have 5 or more years of teaching experience. They have a troubling 22:1 student/teacher ratio (as does Independence charter, by the way), however and the parent involvement website hasn’t been updated in almost a year.
Philadelphia Performing Arts Charter School (South Philadelphia)- It’s hard to argue with their test scores–90% score proficient or higher on math 71% on reading (3rd grade). Not sure my oldest would be interested in this type of curriculum though.
Andrew Jackson Elementary (South Philly) – I wrote about an article showcasing how parental involvement has really boosted this school. Is it on par with the others?

In over a year since, I have learned about a lot more schools and thought I’d share some additional “unusual suspects”.

Bache-Martin (Fairmount): There is a grassroots effort blossoming across the city for residents to improve their neighborhood schools. Fairmount is one of those neighborhoods rallying around their catchment school.
Cook-Wissahickon Elementary (Roxborough): Another school with a neighborhood rallying behind it.
Henry Lea Elementary (West Philly): One of the most visible community rallying efforts in the city, the West Philadelphia Coalition for Neighborhood Schools is championing this neighborhood. With changes to enrollment rules at neighboring Penn Alexander, Lea is getting a lot of neighborhood attention and will likely see lots of improvement.
Wissahickon Charter (NW Philly): This school has a focus on environmental education, and is run by a couple of impressive Haverford grads. Their reputation seems to improve every year.

What other Philadelphia public and charter schools do you think parents should also be considering?

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

2 Replies

Simon Hauger, a Drexel graduate is the founder of the Hybrid X Team. Based at West Philadelphia High School’s Academy of Automotive and Mechanical Engineering, this after school program is a team of high school students and teachers who have built alternative fuel vehicles and have competed with prestigious universities and car companies for the last decade. They insist on creating “bad ass” vehicles that do not sacrifice performance for economy.

The team has been widely recognized for their efforts by many including President Obama. They have been featured extensively in the print and broadcast media as well.

Last month, Hauger spoke at TedXPhilly about his experience directing the Hybrid X Team. The video (including an clip featuring President Obama) is embedded below. In the talk, Hauger highlighted the accomplishments of the Hybrid X Team and spoke about standardized testing and education reform,

In the 15 years I’ve been working for the Philadelphia school district, I’ve survived four different reforms. They’re all basically the same. They change the terminology but the fundamental approach is the same.

Hauger actually is dreaming bigger. He wants to start a school, Green Technology High School. I hope his ideas are successful–I’d love to send my kids to such a school when they are old enough. Our education system needs more leaders and pioneers like him.

Via The Workshop Blog.

Types of Philadelphia Elementary Schools

3 Replies

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.

Public Schools

Neighborhood Public School: There is a school for every neighborhood in Philly. Maps of the catchment areas can be found on our map page and through the city by address.
Out-of-Catchment Neighborhood Public School: There are 174 public elementary schools. There may be great public schools that are not in your district. You can apply for admission to these schools through the School District of Philadelphia’s VTP (volunteer transfer) website. If you choose this path, be sure to read our “Primer on School Transfers” article.
Charter Schools: There are 59 elementary charter school options (you can find a list on the Philadelphia School District’s website), each with strengths, weaknesses and performance numbers. Charter schools are public schools that admit students by completely random lottery, Waiting for Superman style. The application processes vary somewhat by school, so make sure to contact any school you’re interested in. If you are considering this option, be sure to read our article, “What is a Charter School Anyway” and download the charter directory.

Private Schools

Religiously Affiliated: There are a variety of religious-based elementary school options – if there are more that are not included here, please let me know! There are 25 Christian elementary schools. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has 187 Catholic elementary schools. There are six Jewish Day Schools. There are two Muslim schools including Islamic Day School of Philadelphia and Al-Aqsa Islamic Academy.
Friends Schools: Though there are private Quaker or “Friends” schools all over the country, there is a uniquely heavy concentration of them in Philadelphia. I didn’t include these in the religiously affiliated because over 95% of the students who attend these schools are not Quaker, but they do have a Quaker philosophy and usually require students to attend “Meeting for Worship”. Adherence to “strict Quakerism” (which many would consider to be an oxymoron) varies from school to school. Wikipedia has an exhaustive list of Friends schools throughout the world. Many are listed under the high schools. Be sure to read our article “The Friends School Mystique” and check out the Friends Council on Education website if you are considering this path. Take note–not all Quaker-affiliated schools have ‘Friends” in the name. Penn Charter (a private Quaker school, not a charter school) and the Westtown School are two examples.
Private: This is where I get lost. These schools pride themselves on being different – unique educational theories, opportunities and communities. Finding a comprehensive list of these schools is difficult and often overlapping with the groups above – here is list from the Independent School Consortium of Greater Philadelphia and you can search the directory of the National Association of Independent Schools by metropolitan area. I am always finding new schools in this category: they tend to be smaller and heavily rely on community. Some examples not included elsewhere are: Miquon, Project Learn, Waldorf, but there are many, many others!

Did I leave anything out?

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

2 Replies

Last month, I wrote about the role that music can play in cognitive development. Recent efforts in Philadelphia have also made me understand that music in schools can also be a powerful social agent.

Stanford Thompson, a graduate of The Curtis Institute of Music, is the Director of Tune Up Philly, an after school music program at St. Francis de Sales School run under the auspices of The Philadelphia Youth Orchestra.

“Tune Up Philly believes that music education is a powerful instrument in the development of children in challenging social and economic conditions. As they develop their creativity and self-expression during year-round, out-of-school-hours classical music training, the children will acquire valuable tools for cooperative learning, teamwork, academic success, and self-esteem.” – Stanford Thompson, Director

Thompson spoke recently at the TEDXPhilly Conference about the importance of after school programs and how music serves as a vehicle for social change. His students come on stage for a string performance that reduces the crowd (and me) to tears.

More on Stanford Thomson and TuneUp Philly:

Blog post from Albert Yee, (a.k.a. DragonballYee), chronicling his visit to St. Francis de Sales School TuneUp Philly program
Stanford Thompson’s Bio from the TedXPhilly Speakers page
Tune Up Philly Tunes Up | Philadelphia Inquirer | 12/12/2010; Here is a video feature that accompanies the article

Stanford Thompson speaks about the importance of after school programs and how music serves as a vehicle for social change. See Stanford’s students come on stage for a string performance that reduces the crowd to tears.

Jenks Featured On New Local Blog

1 Reply

I’ve written about JS Jenks, my catchment school, extensively. Now another local blog, Chestnut Hill Patch, is getting into the act. The article, entitled “Yes, Chestnut Hill Has A Public School” has a lot of great information about Jenks, their accomplishments, and some of their unique programs in the arts and foreign language study. The article is well researched and features interviews with parents and the principal. If you are considering Jenks, it is definitely worth a read.

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?