Kensington High School for Creative and Performing Arts' new theater under construction at its new Front & Berks location.
https://vimeo.com/18391422]
Kensington High School for Creative and Performing Arts' new theater under construction at its new Front & Berks location.
When Kensington High School for Creative and Performing Arts opens at its new Front and Berks location in September, community group Youth United for Change will have realized a major victory in its neighborhood school reform goals.
The organization has been in existence since 1991. Most recent successes have occurred in the last seven years as student leaders have come and since gone off to college. More have stepped up to the plate and taken their place. Youth United Change now has multiple chapters around the city beyond Kensington.
Through continued commitment of neighborhood young people, Youth United for Change has consistently challenged the Philadelphia School District to do better in Kensington. The organization has addressed and lobbied for handling of issues such as large class sizes, understaffed counseling staff and school security. The group rolled out a comprehensive student vision plan for success of Philadelphia Public Schools in 2002.
“The process started from the students doing research on [successful] urban high schools around the nation and looking to find out what they were doing to make those really work,” says Eric Braxton, the small school program coordinator at Philadelphia Education Fund. “The students really lead it and said ‘Hey! Yeah, we need better education, not just a new building.'”
The movement in the neighborhood has been toward smaller schools with better curricula, which Youth United for Change vigorously supports.
“Students fought and won for the brand new building. Now they just hired the principal for a fourth school and they are doing a bunch of work around curriculum development,” says youth organizer with Youth United for Change, Fred Ginyard.
“Some of the benefits of breaking down schools is better student-teacher ratio, class sizes decrease, and more time for teachers to do common planning together.”
The U.S. Department of Education reports that a smaller student body also results in decreased violent crime, physical
Youth United for Change can be spotted under the El by its vibrant mural.
altercations and weapon incidents in schools.
“The safety is on point because they got a lot of security guards that are trying to stop stuff from happening,” says Aquil Barnes, a sophomore student at Kensington High School for International Business, Finance and Entrepreneurship.
“I feel safe here,” says Marquise Harris, a fellow Kensington business student who previously went to Roxborough High School.
Smaller schools in Kensington have also opened the door for the school district to focus curriculum in each school more specifically. For example, instead of Kensington High School, there is now the School for International Business, Finance and Entrepreneurship, CAPA and Kensington Culinary Arts School.
“You got to follow what you think is important. I want to get into real estate, I want to be a real estate agent. I learned about that here,” says Barnes.
Marquise Harris, 16, stands outside of Kensington High School for International Business, Finance and Entrepreneurship.
“It’s easy to learn in there,” says Harris of the Business School. He claims, however, the curriculum is no different from other city public schools. “That’s just for the sign. There’s nothing that different, it’s just regular here.”
Since Kensington secondary schools have split into smaller institutions, Youth United for Change stresses the importance of needing improved and shared educational planning. Without this, they say, smaller schools will not result in improved academic performance.
“There’s a strong logic to breaking up a poorly performing high school like Kensington into smaller schools. And it’s clearly made a difference in improved climate at the school. For example. student attendance is way up from when it was one large school,” says Paul Socolar, editor of Philadelphia Public School Notebook, an independent nonprofit news service that has been reporting on schools in Philadelphia since 1994. “But we also know small schools aren’t a magic bullet for improved teaching and learning.”
Standardized test statistics confirm this. Despite splitting up, the Kensington high schools have still underperformed. On 2007 Pennsylvania System of School Assessment tests less than 22 percent of Kensington CAPA students achieved proficient reading scores. In math, this number was only 8.4 percent.
The new Kensington CAPA facility will open in September and house 400 students.
Perhaps the new $44 million building can help achievement levels. The new construction is every principal’s dream. It will house classrooms, science labs, high-tech broadcasting studios and a top-flight theater. The sprawling building will provide plenty space for the 400 students slated to attend.
“The district owes it to these students to provide a much better education,” says Socolar.
Youth United for Change remains poised and prepared to continue fighting for better curriculums and wider education reforms in the neighborhood and city-wide. Each of its chapters meets throughout the week at their building conveniently located across from the new school construction. Interested students are welcome. Kensington and Olney chapters meet every Tuesday, while Mastbaum, Edison and the newly launched “pushed-out” chapters meet on Thursdays. City-wide organizing occurs every Wednesday.
It’s a great organization with good success stories.
my sister is a performing arts student, i used to laugh at her when she do some mime and crazy dancing stuffs.,’
performing arts is my thing, i am very much interested to learn more on this art **-
I go to kensington CAPA and its my last year there i kan honestly say that our school is the best. We work hard and finally made AYP thanks to our wonderful staff and loving Ms. Carrera .
The video is really very nice and very well explained. The thing i like about online high school is that there is no restriction for attending the classes.
Thanks for sharing the information.
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This was very well written
You’ve done it once again. Superb read.
great article.
thanks from Saint Petersburg High Schools
It’s a great organization with good success stories.
my sister is a performing arts student, i used to laugh at her when she do some mime and crazy dancing stuffs.,’
performing arts is my thing, i am very much interested to learn more on this art **-
I go to kensington CAPA and its my last year there i kan honestly say that our school is the best. We work hard and finally made AYP thanks to our wonderful staff and loving Ms. Carrera .
The video is really very nice and very well explained. The thing i like about online high school is that there is no restriction for attending the classes.
Thanks for sharing the information.
Congratulations on possessing certainly 1 amongst among the most subtle blogs Ive arrive across in a whilst! Its just superb how a lot you’ll be capable to take into account away from a factor principally merely due to how visually stunning it’s. Youve place collectively a great weblog website home -great graphics, films, layout. This is actually a must-see web site!