There is no public institution of greater importance to Philadelphians than the public schools. Not only is public education the crucial avenue for personal advancement, particularly for the less privileged segments of our community, but the schools themselves are a major physical presence which require maintenance and ancillary supports. Families with options will not remain in a community that does not offer their children quality educational opportunities.
Facilities
There are 35 active public school facilities in West Philadelphia with 21 elementary, 6 junior high and 6 senior high school programs. There is also one school for students grades 5-12. One facility, the former West Catholic High School for Boys, now houses separate public junior and senior high schools.
The buildings were constructed in spurts and over time in response to periodic increases in student population and the availability of funds. Some replaced antiquated or deteriorated facilities. Eight of the existing schools in West Philadelphia were built before 1920; 16 between 1920 and 1960; and 15 since 1960. The older buildings have been upgraded over the years to conform to modern standards. West Philadelphia also has a number of small private and parochial schools.
In recent years the Lamberton and Lea Schools have had to deal with overcrowding. Some Lamberton School classes are held in leased space. Some students who live in the Lea feeder area are being bussed to the Locke School and the School District is planning to lease space to expand Lea as well as redraw the feeder boundaries between Lea and Locke. Pressures for more classroom space may increase in other West Philadelphia schools as the school age populations are predicted to rise through the 1998-99 school year.
Enrollment
Despite the decline in the City's total population, the number of births and the number of pupils entering the City's elementary schools has risen in recent years. While city-wide and West Philadelphia enrollments fell between 1981 and 1990, first grade enrollments have been increasing since 1990 and are projected to continue increasing through the decade of the '90s. There were almost 18,000 Philadelphia public school first graders in 1990, and there are expected to be over 21,000 by 1999.
It is important to realize that the public schools in this City serve a broader age range than is generally recognized. In addition to the traditional K-12 population, Philadelphia has long had an extensive array of pre-school programs, including Headstart and Get-Set, and an extensive subsidized day care system. These programs have a proven record of enabling children to function better in the first years of elementary school. Pre-school services for young children with disabilities have expanded recently in response to new federal and state mandates. Philadelphia also has adult education programs, including standard evening high schools. Thus, our public schools serve residents in all age groups. The recently predicted pressures on classroom space by the increasing number of K-12 students may decrease available space for these valuable programs.
In 1992, the public school enrollment in West Philadelphia was 27,595. African Americans comprised almost 93% of the total, Asians 2.5%, Hispanics a little more than .5% and Whites 4%.
Student Achievement
Philadelphia, like most large urban areas, has continuing problems with regard to school performance and school attendance. One indicator of student performance is how well Philadelphia's students do on nationally normed tests such as the Scholastic Aptitude Test (S.A.T.). In 1990, students in West Philadelphia's three large high schools scored not only well below the national and state average, but also below the City-wide average.
Another indicator of school performance is the number of students who do not meet the promotional criteria to advance in grade. In 1991, 20% of the students did not meet the District's standards. In the high schools, the figure was 31% City-wide. Here too, West Philadelphia's high schools performed poorly -- 35% of Overbrook High; 44% of University City High; and 43% of West Philadelphia High School's students failed to meet promotional criteria.
| Verbal | Mathematics | |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 424 | 476 |
| Pennsyvania | 420 | 463 |
| Philadelphia | 363 | 408 |
| Overbrook H.S. | 329 | 353 |
| University City H.S | 305 | 346 |
| West Philadelphia H.S. | 288 | 312 |
Attendance data are also troubling; in 1991 the average daily attendance in the school system was 86%. Attendance problems increase as the students get older. At the elementary school level, the rate was 91%, while at the high school level the average was 78%. On this criterion, two of West Philadelphia's high schools did somewhat worse than the City-wide average -- West Philadelphia High School averaged 72%, and University City High School, 69%. Overbrook High School exceeded the City-wide average with a rate of over 82%.
Responding to unacceptably high drop-out rates among high school students, the School District has created a number of innovative programs in West Philadelphia. The Regional High School, located at 62nd Street and Lebanon Avenue in a former elementary school, is designed to provide drop-outs with an individualized, comprehensive and supportive program to help them to graduate. In its fourth year of operation (1993-1994), 225 students (who most likely would not otherwise have been in school) were enrolled in the program.
Supports are also being provided to young parents who would otherwise drop out. For example, West Philadelphia High School offers a teen parenting program where young parents learn to care for their babies and young children on site while attending classes.
Physical Plant Requirements
The School District projects that the decline in student enrollment has now leveled off and that enrollment will, in fact, increase by the end of the decade. The School District's Capital Program increases spending for additional classroom space over the next six years.
An issue is the kind of space needed to implement many of the new programs the School District is proposing or may propose. For example, an ungraded K-6 or a cooperative learning program requires a very different space configuration from the traditional school layout. Changes in state regulations will provide the District with greater flexibility in designing its curriculum and programs. It is important that, as the District attempts to meet this challenge, it has the physical plant necessary to meet its students' needs creatively.
Responding to the Needs of a Diverse Student Population
From its beginnings, America has been a land of immigrants and refugees, and Philadelphia, as a coastal city, has always had an influx of diverse cultures. Students in Philadelphia's schools speak 65 different languages and come from a wide array of ethnic, cultural and economic backgrounds. Refugee and immigrant students need to learn English and to understand American customs and society. The public schools have always had a pivotal role to play in this acclimating process. Such a process must respect the importance of the students' own language and culture.
The last decade saw a growth in the South East Asian population in West Philadelphia. Most recently, refugees from the Horn of Africa-Somalis and Ethiopians-have begun to settle in West Philadelphia. These students are being served by a variety of programs designed to address their special needs, primarily English as a Second Language and Bi-Lingual/Bi-Cultural programs.
Philadelphia has 26,000 students with learning disabilities and other handicaps. Philadelphia and West Philadelphia schools have an extensive array of special education services. Increasingly, the schools have recognized the importance of mainstreaming, that is, integrating these youngsters as fully as possible with their non-handicapped peers.
Decentralization
Research and common sense support the new School District initiatives to decentralize this large multi-layered bureaucracy and to increase control and decision-making authority at the local level. Schools that choose to engage in school based management form organizations of parents and school personnel that plan for and guide those schools. By the end of 1991, 59 schools in the City were preparing for school based management, with a goal to have all schools participating by 1995. In West Philadelphia, 12 schools were signed up to participate in this program. The School District is also making a heavy investment in professional development and institutional planning, and has developed a set of "Goals for Improvement" of the District by 1995.
A second major new initiative is the restructuring and decentralization of the high schools. With substantial and recently expanded support from the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Philadelphia High Schools Collaborative is establishing "Charters," or schools within schools, which enable students to pursue certain career or other interests (such as learning foreign languages) using a thematic approach to education. Available at all West Philadelphia high schools, this program has teachers work as teams to integrate the charter theme and the overall academic portion of the school program.
Education for Employment
Education for employment (what has been known as "vocational education") is undergoing a conceptual revolution in Philadelphia and nationally. It is clear that the traditional idea of training students to perform specific jobs (e.g., welder, typist) is antiquated in a job market that changes rapidly and increasingly values higher order skills and the mastery of complex technologies. The new thrust is to integrate the academic and vocational curricula and to teach students all aspects of an industry. The Charters reflect these new principles, as do the High School Academies currently located in 16 high schools.
The High School Academies programs, like the Charters, are schools within schools. They have been developed through a partnership between the School District, City unions, institutions and businesses. The program has a 96% graduation rate and daily attendance of 89%. West Philadelphia High School has Academies of Applied Automotive & Mechanical Science and Restaurant & Tourism. University City High School has a Business Academy, and Overbrook High School a Health Academy.
The School District is also collaborating with institutions of higher learning and other community agencies to increase services and work opportunities for students and others. The University of Pennsylvania, in partnership with community groups, the public schools and other West Philadelphia institutions, has created several programs to help West Philadelphia students and residents. Penn's West Philadelphia Improvement Corps (WEPIC) sponsors nine Community Schools in West Philadelphia. Established in 1985, WEPIC's concept is to expand the schools into centers where all residents can acquire education and skills and work on projects that benefit the entire community. It is envisioned that fully developed WEPIC schools will be open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, functioning as the educational and service delivery hubs for all neighborhood residents.
The most extensive of these community schools to date are at the Turner Middle School and West Philadelphia High School. Residents of all ages participate in the evenings and on Saturdays in a wide range of classes, including GED programs and career counseling. Students from the University of Pennsylvania assist teachers in these programs. An integral part of the community school at West Philadelphia High School is the Youth Opportunity Initiative (Y.O.U.). In a collaborative effort with the School, the Private Industry Council, the Urban Affairs Coalition, the Carpenters and Building Trades Unions and other institutions, Y.O.U. supports a number of efforts to create a strong, active community.
Another Penn Program is the Wharton West Philadelphia Project, which uses Wharton students and faculty in four separate community outreach programs. The "Young Entrepreneurs" program at Wharton brings motivated high school students to the Penn campus for a special enrichment program each August. Wharton students then work individually with these students during the school year. "Bridges" is a mentoring program, matching Wharton students with West Philadelphia Middle School students.
Finally, the School District operates the Cities in Schools program at all high schools in West Philadelphia. This program uses a team of specialists from the school, the state Office of Employment Security and the Private Industry Council to provide potential dropouts with the support, motivation and opportunity to remain in school and obtain job readiness skills.
Public/Private Collaboration
As described in the previous section, the District has a record of extensive collaboration with the private sector -- which, as future employers, has a great stake in the quality of public education in Philadelphia. The "Committee to Support the Philadelphia Public Schools" (CSPPS), a group of local business leaders, was founded in 1984 to stimulate, coordinate and focus private sector assistance in partnership with the District. In late 1990, CSPPS negotiated a five year school business agreement that was adopted formally by the Board of Education, the Greater Philadelphia First Corporation and the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce.
The foundation community has also been very supportive. As noted, Pew Charitable Trusts established the Philadelphia High Schools Collaborative, which pioneered restructuring in Philadelphia's high schools. PATHS/PRISM, an educational alliance of schools, colleges and cultural organizations that was created by CSPPS in 1984 is also continuing. Corporate efforts have focused on Adopt-A-School Programs, active in 33 West Philadelphia schools. Private philanthropic initiatives have also emerged in recent years, with the best known being the Weiss family's "Say Yes to Education" program, which promised a college education to every student in a particular sixth grade class at the Belmont School in West Philadelphia.
Goal
Support School District initiatives to improve learning outcomes for all students and to assure that all graduates can perform effectively at institutions of higher learning or in the world of work.
Objectives
Goal
Encourage School District efforts to include families and the broader community in the life and operations of the schools.
Objectives
Goal
Support the School District's on-going collaboration with the private sector in the process of school reform.
Objectives
Goal
Encourage the efficient use of school facilities and resources.
Objectives
| webmaster@partners.upenn.edu |