Education: A Look Inside the District’s Struggling Schools
—Text and image by Lora Strum and Ashley Hart
Education: The Kids Aren’t Alright
The cause of Philadelphia’s failing public schools has been attributed to anything from budget stalemates in Harrisburg, to misappropriation of past federal stimulus money, to district officials determined to live above their means. Whatever the cause, the effect is the same: students are suffering. Forced to adapt to the limited resources afforded them in the […]
Education: Schools Teeter on the Brink of Financial Crisis
Philadelphia has had a big year. It’s welcomed the pope, honored the Dalai Lama and was named a World Heritage site by UNESCO. But behind the scenes is a building crisis: its schools are failing. Since 2011, the School District of Philadelphia has been operating with inadequate financial support, constrained by lingering budgetary stalemates in […]
Education: Sick at School? No Nurse on Duty
It’s a busy Monday morning at Andrew Jackson Elementary School in South Philadelphia when two kindergarteners walk into the front office, one with wet pants. As the little boy begins to tearfully explain how he nearly had an accident, the office personnel spring into action calling for help. The little boy is startled, worried he’s […]
Education: CAPA’s Dorina Morrow Hits a High Note with Students
Despite taking her turn as a backup singer for artists such as Celine Dion and Michael Bolton, Dorina Morrow demurs when asked to sing in the middle of her office. Morrow, the vocal director at the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA) in South Philadelphia, is more excited to hear her students perform. […]
Education: Philadelphia POPS Orchestra “Swings” into Schools
For the 50 students in Dorina Morrow’s advanced vocal music class at the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA,) the choir room is their stage. Standing three stairs deep in front of a grand piano, the students recently sang their hearts out to Frank Sinatra classics, swaying and dancing along to hits […]
Center City: The Arts Stay in the Picture for District Schools
“The visual arts help develop sustained focus and articulation of the decision making process,” said Helen Haynes, chief cultural officer for the City of Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy at the A+ Arts Exhibit at City Hall. “You can see that in the images around here today. These are the higher brain […]
North Philadelphia : Principal Makes an Impact on Young Lives, Community
“One band. One sound. And the beat goes on,” said Dunbar Promise Academy Principal Dawn Moore of her dedication to unity amongst herself, her school and her community. In her position, Moore wears many hats – school leader, community powerhouse and change advocate. However, for the past six years she’s focused her energy on revitalizing […]
Education: ‘Catholic Identity Pledge’ Meets Diversity at Local Catholic Schools
Archdiocese Catholic school students found a new document slipped into their application and entrance packets: The Memorandum of Understanding. The decree, released earlier this month from the office of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia requires all parents and students enrolled, or seeking enrollment, in Catholic schools to pledge their support of one “Catholic identity” as dictated […]
Education: Five Ways Budget Cuts Hurt City Schools
It’s the eighth largest district in the country and one of the two poorest. Despite tying with urban Chicago school districts for the most financially disadvantaged, The School District of Philadelphia (SDP) remains one of the most robust in terms of enrollment. Serving more than 200,000 students across 214 public and 86 charter schools, the […]