West Philadelphia: Libraries “Plant A Seed” That Brings Success And Literacy For West Philly Children
Out of the 339 schools within the Philadelphia School District, only eight have full-time paid certified librarians. Louis Lozzi, a Philadelphia native and teacher said that the lack of library funding in the school system has been an issue since he began his teaching career 15 years ago. “I’m used to being in schools without […]
Northeast Philadelphia: Philadelphia’s Out-of-School Time Initiative Enters Phase One
Philadelphia’s Out-of-School Time (OST) Initiative continues to build on past programs and improve the quality of OST for children by increasing participation from non-city funded programs. Mayor Jim Kenney’s administration sees improving OST programing as a pathway to improving early literacy in children and to helping reduce food insecurity, asthma and obesity among city youths. The […]
Fox Chase: CORA Services Arrives At Loesche Elementary School
CORA Services recently expanded its out-of-school-time (OST) network in Northeast Philadelphia, bringing additional services to schools like Loesche Elementary School. Located in Fox Chase, CORA provides children with academic support, psychological services, speech and language services and school counseling. Its OST program was recently renamed YOUTHCOR, “cor” being Latin for heart and originally the intended name for […]
Education: Five Schools Impacted By Budget Cuts
As education budget cuts have spread throughout the state of Pennsylvania, building closures present a way for school districts to quickly lower their costs. In Philadelphia, a large wave of closings occurred in 2013. During this time, the School District of Philadelphia closed 23 schools to help shrink a looming financial deficit of more than […]
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: 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 […]
Northwest: School Funding a Major Issue in Mayor Race
While the race to see who will become Philadelphia’s next mayor revolves around a number of issues facing the city, the issue that appears to be at the forefront is funding for the city’s district and charter schools. Not only is the Northwest section of Philadelphia home to many public and charter schools, like Roxborough […]
City Hall: Parents and Advocates Demand State Provide Adequate Education Funds
Philadelphia education advocates, parents and students braved the numbing cold on Nov. 18 to gather in room 400 of City Hall for a hearing organized by the local nonprofit Public Citizens for Children and Youth (PCCY). “Public education is not a privilege but a right,” said Jamira Burley (right), executive director of the Philadelphia Youth Commission. […]
Education: Offering Guidance and a Helping Hand to Homeless Students
During high school, Alfred Quarles (above) dreamed of becoming a chef and serving those living a luxurious lifestyle. Now he does the opposite, serving children in the School District of Philadelphia who lack the most basic necessities, including a place to call home. Quarles came into his role as Philadelphia’s regional director of Education for Children and Youth […]