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?
Henry is a local school (although not our catchment school) with a good reputation and a strong network of families and alumni. 
It bothers me when folks complain about a problem without offering a solution, or at least a direction for a solution. Last month, I was guilty. I wrote "School Choice in Philadelphia is a Myth" Well, how could we turn the myth into reality? 
This was such a long and drawn out process. We loved many of the schools we visited and applied to. 
Despite the official rules surrounding the Volunteer Transfer Program (VTP) working like a lottery, the process itself is somewhat arbitrary and haphazard, putting the power to accept students in the hands of individual schools. 
Yes, it's once again time again for the Voluntary Transfer Program (VTP)! For Philadelphia residents, VTP allows families to apply for seats in public schools outside of their designated catchment. 
I named this blog "Search" instead of "Choice" for a reason. To many, probably most Philadelphia families out there, school choice is an illusion. 
The complexity of timing for families choosing a school means making a school choice without knowing all of your options. For parents choosing between public schools in your catchment or via the VTP, charter, and/or private school options, it is a real problem. 
The School District of Philadelphia mandates that every one of its elementary schools host a kindergarten open house on March 1, 2011 
Len Lipkin
PSS Community