Winter 2000 01

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Students demand a say in schools

Interview with the new CEO

3

4

PFT contract: some highlights

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Schools can

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PHILADELPHIA

"Turning the page

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PUBLIC

SCHOOL

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State-ordered plan developed to boost student test scores

by Paul Socolar

Photo: Harvey Finkle

Recent teachers' contract negotiations were marked by conflict, but new contract language envisions greater collaboration at schools.

Will schools opt to pick their teachers?

• The teachers' contract offers schools decision-making powers in some new areas.

by Paul Socolar The new teachers' contract agreement continues the District's recent practice of shifting important decision-making powers from the downtown office to schools.

New contract language opens the door for greater teacher and parent participation in discussion of educational issues and for a shared decision-making process to take hold among parents, school staff, and students at more of Philadelphia's schools.

Two significant issues can be taken up by all schools immediately: • Whether to opt into a "site-based" teacher selection system, where a school per-

sonnel committee would interview and select from teachers who apply for job openings, instead having appointments determined by seniority; • How to use the extra 30 minutes of instructional time that is to be added to the

To address discipline issues, each school is explicitly required by the contract to develop "clear standards of student conduct" and "identify clear consequences for infringements."

The role for parents in school decisionmaking is not highlighted by the new contract.

But principals are expected to consult with their staff in these school-based decisions.

And at schools that have created School Councils including parents and staff, the Councils can put the issues like new teacher selection, the longer school day, professional development, and school discipline policies on their agendas. ''The contract does provide a number of important opportunities to approach the issue of bui lding parent and community involvement in decision-making," commented school board member Sandra Dungee Glenn.

Glenn highlighted the new process for school-based selection of teachers. She added, ''The extra half hour is the type of educational issue that School Councils should have a say in."

Glenn noted that the District has committed itself to improving the functioning of School Councils, which are supposed to give parents and staff a voice in decisions at every school , but have never gotten off the ground at many schools (see story, p. 10).

TEACHERS &: COMMUNITY: BUILDING STRONG PARTNERSHIPS school day next fall.

Two other areas where the contract empowers schools to make decisions are professional development and discipline policies.

Schools are expected to establish professional development committees that will determine how to use an expanded pool of days available for teacher training and will develop plans for mentoring new teachers.

Superando la cultura del temor... juntos

Reclutar la ayuda de los padres no es tan sencillo como parece por Rochelle Nichols Solomon No hay otra opci6n para la reunion de esta noche; sera en el salon justo allado del santuario principal de la iglesia local. Hay unas cuantas mesas plegadizas de distinta altura. Menos mal que todas las sillas son del mismo tamaiio y estilo.

Serfa mucho mas fiicil si la reunion se hubiese podido llevar a cabo en la escuela como se habfa planificado originalmente.

Tres mas antes, el principal se topo con dos de los padres en un pasillo de la escuela y aprovech6 la ocasi6n para informarles que no podrfan reunirse en el edificio, como ya habian acordado anteriormente. Mas tarde, estos padres describieron a los demas la

manera en que les habl6 el principal: lenguaje corporal rigido, poco contacto viSUal, y aspecto enojado. Eran gestos que decfan: No confio en ustedes.

Los padres tuvieron entonces que batallar para conseguir un lugar en el cualllevar a cabo la reuni6n y tambien a alguien que la dirigiera, ya que los dos maestros que habian dicho que 10 harian ahora "lamentablemente no estaban disponibles".

Mientras laboraban, los miembros del equipo coordinador trataban de ver el humor en la situaci6n. "i,Pensaba el que no tendrfamos la reunion?"

In the expired PFT contract, seniority was the overriding criterion for determining local school staffmg. Acco.rding to District officials, this prevents principals from effectively matching teacher skills with school needs.

Under the new language, 10 schools, most of them middle schools, have been chosen to pilot the new school-based teacher selection process beginning with the hiring season for next school year.

"Padres" continua en la p. 8

See "Will schools pick?" on p. 10

A controversial, new state-ordered improvement plan now guiding the School District proposes several new strategies, including replacing middle schools with K-8 schools and turning over management of some failing schools to for-pmfi t companies.

Philadelphia was one of 11 districts ordered by the state to develop an improvement plan under the state's so-called Education Empowerment Act, because of low student test scores.

An "Empowerment Team" including School District officials, teachers, parents, and community members prepared the plan, which the school board voted to accept and transmit to the state, December 4.

Once the state Department of Education approves the plan, Philadelphia will receive a state grant of $16 million.

District estimates show the new initiatives in the Empowerment Plan costing a total of $250 million over three years. The size of the state grant is also dwarfed by the District's estimated $80 million deficit this year. District officialslIave expressed hopes that the state will fund the Education Empowerment program with larger amounts in future years.

Under the Empowerment Act, districts with more than half their students scoring in the bottom 25 percent on state tests must change that by 2004 or face a state takeover.

In Philadelphia 59 percent of students scored in the bottom quartile on the Spring 2000 state tests, a 1 percent improvement since 1998.

At a public hearing on the plan, November 21 , many speakers praised aspects of the plan. But there was sharp criticism of some elements - particularly a proposal to allow public schools to be turned over to private management and the lack of provision for more school librarians.

Two members of the Empowerment Team were critical of the team for failing to incorporate any input from the hearing into the fmal plan or even to meet to review the testimony.

"I heard a substantial amount of testimoSee "Plan" on p. 3

School-based selection process

Eye on Special Ed, p. 3 • Espanol, p. 8, 9 • Activism around the city p. 17

10 Assessing local School Councils

13

Service learning and the community

15

Teacher unions can foster hope

•

Opinion, p. 19

WI NTER 2000-0, PUBLIC SCHOOL NOTEBOOK

PAGE 2

NOTEBU OC OK

Building school·community partnersh' The School District's 22 cluster office:~. not onlyfor adnlll1lstratzon and sciwol Slip. I e port; they also are expected to work on hllild. ing partnerslups lVah the community.

For each c/ustel; we list first Ihe Cluster Leader and then the PSRC, or "Post.

SecondQi)' Readiness CoO/dinalor" - a clus. tel' staffmelltber IVho IS responsible for idelIti. .f)l/tIg commill/lly partners and supports. To filld 0 111 wluch IS your school's cluster office call th.e School Dlslnct at 215·299.7000. '

'Turning the page for change" Volume 8, Number 2 A voice for parents, students, and classroom teachers who are working for quality alld equality ill ollr schools.

Advisory Board Eileen Abrams, Community College of Philadelphia Kim Baker. teacher

Diane Bridges, Hartranft Parent Leadership Team J ane Century, Century Communications Cindy Engst. reacher and parent Keith Harewood

Kevin Muszynski. Local Right to Education

Ta~ k

Force for a

Rochelle Nichols Solomon. Phil adelphia Education Fund Victor Perez. Julia de Burgos Famil} Center Johannes Ponsen. parent Len Rieser, Education Law Center Debbie Wei. Asian Americans Uni ted

Debra Weiner. Philadelphia Futures OrganiJlrionsjor idenlijicaJiofl purposes olli:r

Editorial Board for this issue: Kelley Collings, Helen Gym, Eric Joselyn, Mynle L. Naylor, Ros Purnell, Sharon Tucker, Ron Whilehorne

Editor: Pau l Socolar Design: Patricia Ludwig Spanish translation: Mildred S. ,Martinez Art: Eric Joselyn Proofreading: Eileen Abrams, Elayne Bender, Barbara A. Bloom, Len Rieser, Sandy Socolar Distribution: Irvin B. Shannon Printing: Prompt Press Philadelphia Public School NOlebook is a project of the New Begi nnings program of Resources For Human Development. We publish four times a year. Send inquiries to: Philadelphia Public School Notebook, 3721 Midvale Ave" Phila" PA 19129, Phone: (215) 951·0330, ext, 107, Fax: (215) 951·0342,

E·mail: psnotebook@aoi.com Special thanks to , , , Fran Sugarman, Eva Gold, the National Coalition of Education Activists, and our sub· scribers, advertisers, and voiunleers who dis·

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Funding in pan from Bread and Roses Community Fund, the Allen Hilles Fund, the Samuel S. Fels Fund, IBM Corp., the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, the Rust Fund of the Philadelphia Foundation, and the William Penn Foundation.

SUBSCRIBE NOW! ~~p~~7t hfei~: ;~tU~h~~~~e~ir~~~~eh:~d; of people working for positive change.

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NOTEBOOK EDITORIAL

Bridging the divide We have a new CEO and a new teachers' contract, but the educational crisis facing the 210,000 students in Philadelphia public schools continues, In the early grades, a majority of students are still unable to read or do math at grade level. As they move on, barely a majority even complete high school, and many of these graduates lack the academic back· ground that they need to succeed in post·sec· ondary education.

Facing this crisis, those of us who are commined to public education cannot afford to be working at cross·purposes. When we as parents, teachers, and community are not working together cooperatively and whole· heartedly to improve the public schools, we are not giving our children the support they need and deserve.

That is why it is critical that we talk about the divide between teachers and the commu· nity. This divide is reflected in mutual dis· trust or in back·and·forth battles of blame, aimed at "bad parents" and "teachers who don 't care." When caught up in those battles, we lose sight of our real enemies: those who refuse to fund our schools adequately and allow our urban environment to decay, Being aware of the panem of blaming can help us to break out of it. Yet we need to understand that the underlying divide is real.

There are significant race, class, and Ian· guage differences between teachers and the communities that they serve and societal prejudices and stereotypes that need to be overcome.

Often, parents feel disrespected and pow· erless in the face of schools that keep them at arm's length, offer only limited roles, and give signals that their feedback is unwel· come. It is hard to have meaningful collabo. ration when the partners have such unequal access to information, resources, and power.

The divide between teachers and the community is tangled up with the language and culture of professionalism. When teach. ers or other staff defme themselves as the "educational experts" or when they use obscure jargon, this shuts parents out.

Bridging the divide requires listenino taking time for discussion of race and cl~s conflicts, and working to unlearn our preju. dtces. A mantra such as "All children can learn" has a role to play (we should add another: "All communities have valuable assets that can strengthen schools"). But more important than these mantras is under. standing what gets in the way of believing these words and acting upon them.

To begin to bridge the divide, every

school can place a priority on making parents feel welcome at school and in the classroom and honoring the roles and contributions of parents. School staff can examine their efforts to make personal connections with parents and to engage in two· way communication.

In this issue we highlight some other approaches that can help teachers and the. community overcome the divide and build genuine collaborations: Efforts to involve parents in meaning· ful ways in school decisions, Parents want to be involved in ways that go beyond home· work helper, trip chaperone, or bake sale organizer. Parents and community members have shown they have a lot to offer when educators include them in discussions about standards, instructional issues, or other edu· cational policies. Parents need training and information to make the most of these opportunities. Independent community orga· nizing can contribute by helping to build the capacity of communities to put forward par· ents in leadership roles. School staff will also benefit when school decision·making becomes more collaborative.

Programs that diversify who is staffing our schools and address the attitudes that teachers bring to that work, We need to have teachers from a whole range of back· grounds, and we need to insure that these diverse staff are empowered to contribute to and shape the culture of their schools and classrooms, We need effective programs to help the teachers who are comino into new communities talk through the ra;e and class Issues that they confront every day. , Labor·community alliances around ~ssu~ of educational quality and social Justice, The opportunities to mobilize union members and the community in coalitions around common interests are numerous. It is unponant for the teachers' union to present the commuDity with its ideas on how to tack. ~~~cUlt issues, such as what to do about ·~rfonrung schools or improving teacher qUality.

Invol~ement by schools and teachers ' commumty.building work. The DistriCt'sIn push to expand service learning proQTams Provtdes a great opportunity for tea;hers to develop coursework that brings c .

I~sues mto the classroom and exp:r:~~ty ~~~o~m Outward into the community. be . g this work, teachers and schools can

n!~~~s~~ :e resources of the other orga.

There is m~cchommuruty. hope for a conf moreto say and to do. We pages. mumg dialogue in these

Audenried: Mruy Randall , Jackie Green 215·351·7228 ' Bartram: P. Karen Hill, [pSRC post vaca ] 215.727.5780 nt, CHAIN: Wendy Shapiro, Mruy Lee, 215·281·5903 Edison: Marilyn Perez, Miriam Vidot 215·291·5680 ' Fels: Jan Gillespie, Carolyn WimbUSh ' 215-456·0998 Frankford: Hrury Gaffney, [pSRC post vacant],215·335·5043 Franklin: Gaeton Zorzi, Reuben Mills 215·351·7405 ' Furness: Arthur Rubin, Mitch Cohen 215·351·7445 ' Gennantown: Desiree Mansell, [pSRC post vacant],215·248·6691 Gratz: Naomi Booker, Carlotta Cage, 215·684·5132 Kensington: Edward Torres, Joyce Hoog, 215·291·5696 King: Linda Silverberg, Marlene Owens, 215·248·6684 Lincoln: Marylouise DeNicola, Edith Paige, 215·961·2066 Northeast: Harris Lewin, Karen Duckett 215·728-4134 ' Olney: Carlos Lopez, Verna Cole, 215-456·5595 Overbrook: Arrnita Sims, Joanne Graham, 215·581·5897 Penn: Michael Clayton, Vincent Calloway, 215·684·8487 Roxborough: George Schuler, James Willie, 215·248·6217 South Philadelphia: Lynn Spampinato, Mary Lou Fischer, 215·351·7034 Strawberry Mansion: Edward Williams, [PSRC post vacant] , 215·684·8980 University City: Janet Samuels, Tom Dunn, 215-471·2271 West Philadelphia: Janis Butler, Gloria Davis, 215-471·8334 Director of Service Learning: Ken Holdsman, 215·875·3813

Here is a partial list of local organizations working to plVmote community·teacher partnerships or service learning: Earth Force: 215· 884·9888 Kids Around Town: 215·664-4155 Need in Deed: 215·242·6333 Temple University School and Community Partnerships: 215·204-3773 Temple University Center for Inter· generational Learning: 215·204·6970 University of Pennsylvania Center for Community Partnerships: 215·898·6946

For the record

-.I

In our special report on successful schools (Fall 2(00), we stated that Kearny, Moffet, and Welsh schools all had highly stable teaching staffs with little turnover. A table on page 11 showed the percentage of staff at each school who transferred out to other schools between 1995 and 1999. o ur statement was true, but the table was ina~ curate. For Kearny, no teachers tranSferr out during that four· year period; the per· centage shown should have been zero 7ar compared to the average of 21 percent all Philadelphia elementary schools.

WINTER 200<

Some st unfairlJ

by Catherine !

Special educ: districts to provi with disabilities in order to benel tion program .

In 1998, the Education Law Center sued the School District of Philadelphia _ and the Commonwealth court (in Kellner Philadelphia), d The suit was of students with disabilities in th, out of school or portation becam a one·to·one aid provide this aidf told the student' Therapeutic StaJ through the mer Thesettleme all students with Chapter IS Serv Agreement (accommoda· tion plan) who have behav· ioral issues.

Terms of the settlement inclu • When an I team or Chapter Agreement tean one·to·one beha needed during t1 order for a stud, ty to receive a F Public Educatio one behavior su the student's IEI for providing th, that it is provide or fanlily.

• The Distri( provide one·to·' lizing the servic the school day.

• A student ( school or schoo) TSS worker is a available, or if tI student's receipl must provide or trained staff to ~ dent during the : • Every stud ment must have listed on the IE Agreement ever TSS worker wil • The Distri( schools every y' in February, to ( location of TSS to ask whether , has an IEP (Indi Program) or C ' • The Disll"i~ dents identified , (AS) and parent! needing emotion dren may be COy letter was sent to The District menting all the I more inforrnatic web site at www.phila.k I2. or contact the s in your cluster ,

WINTER 2000-01

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PAGE 3

PUBLIC SCHOOL NOTEBOOK

Participants in Student Union gathering demand a say in school decisions

Students develop platform for change

by Catherine Provenzano Special education law requires school districts to prov ide all services that children with disabilities need during the school day in order to benefit from their special education program.

In 1998, the Education Law Center sued the School Disnictof Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Permsylvania in federal court (in Kellner v. School District of Philadelphia), charging a violation of that law.

The suit was brought on behalf of a group of students with emotional and behavioral disabilities in the District who had been kept out of school or kept off of school transportation because they needed the support of a one-to-one aide, and the District did not provide this aide. Instead the Disnict had told the students' families to get a Therapeutic Staff Support (TSS) worker through the mental health system.

The settlement reached in the case covers aU students with disabilities or with a Chapter 15 Service Agreement (accommodation plan) who have behavioralissues.

Terms of the settlement include: • When an IEP leam or Chapler 15 Service Agreement team determines one-to-one behavior support is needed during the school day in order for a student with a disability to receive a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), one-toone behavior support must be written into the student's IEP The District is responsible for providing that service, or for insuring that it is provided, without cost to the student or family.

• The District can meet its obligation to provide one-to-one behavior support by utilizing the services of a TSS worker during the school day.

• A student cannot be excluded from school or school transportation because their TSS worker is absent. If a TSS worker is not _available, or if there is a delay or gap in a student's receipt of such services, the Disnict must provide or arrange for the provision of trained staff to provide this service to the student during the school day.

• Every student covered by the settlement must have one-to-one behavior support listed on the IEP or Chapter 15 Service Agreement even when it is expected that a TSS worker will provide the service.

• The District must conduct surveys of its schools every year, one in October and one in February, to determine the number and location of TSS workers. These surveys need to ask whether a student with a TSS worker has an IEP (Individualized Education Program) or Chapter 15 Service Agreement.

• The District wrote to all parents of students identified as needing autistic support (AS) and parents of students identified as needing emotional support (ES) that their children may be covered by the settlement. This letter was sent to approximately 4300 families.

The District is in the process of implementing 'a11the terms of the settlement. For more information, visit the Disnict's Kellner web site at www.phila.kI2.pa.us/osess/sswdlkellner.htrnl or contact the special education coordinator in your cluster (see p. 2).

EDUCATION

by Barbara A. Bloom A citywide group of high school students has seized the initiati ve to tell School District leaders about students' perspectives on how public schools can be improved.

Over 400 students from 27 different schools met October 25 in a convention organized by the Philadelphia Student Union to prepare a "Students' Platform on School Reform."

The purpose of the platform is to empower students to take an active role in their own education and school environment, according to Eric Braxton, director of the Student Union.

Students say they are taking the opportunity presented by recent changes in the leadership of the Philadelphia public schools to make their voices heard. Students will be meeting with School District and city officials, including Chief Academic Officer Deidre Farmbry and city Secretary of Education Debra Kahn, to advocate for the platform.

To underscore the desire for student involvement in their own education, the very flIst item in the platform addresses "student involvement in decision-making."

Students are calling for voting seats on the Board of Education.

The platform proposes a "functioning, elected student govemment" in every school and a citywide student government from which the student members of the school board would be selected. They also want an active role on School Councils and in school-based decisions sucb as the selection of new principals and the creation of the

Plan developed continued from p. 1 ny opposing charter schools, for-profit schools, and independent schools," said Rosalind Jones-Johnson, the teachers' union representative on the team. She maintained that those recommendations were not research-based and should not be in the plan.

Parent representative Audrey Correll of the Alliance Organizing Project added, "Having the only public hearing a few days before the plan went to the board was ridiculous." She said the team's process allowed for only "a narrow band of input.," and relied too heavily on advice from Disnict insiders.

Independent evaluators who have spent the past five years monitoring the Disnict's Children Achieving reform effort and assessing its successes and failures were not brought in to give input, team members said.

One senior District official expressed fmstration that even within the District many key voices were not heard from . "There are not enough opportunities for the people who are doing the work every day to talk to the people who are making the plans," the official told the Notebook.

Attomey Frederick Strober, who cochaired the team, responded that state-imposed deadlines meant the tearn faced severe time constraints and had less than three months to produce a plan from scratch. He said that the diverse composition of the team meant different points of view were represented.

The new improvement plan will inevitably assume a prominent role in the Disnict. The departure of Superintendent David Hombeck, who crafted the District's LO-point reform plan, opened up the question of what are the Disnict's strategic priorities.

According to School Board President Pedro Ramos, who served on the team, "The Empowerment Plan will certainly be an in1portant part of our agenda in the next few years, but not the entire agenda. The academ-

School Improvement Plans.

Currently a student representative and an alternate participate in school board meetings, but their vote is not counted.

The platform is organized around ni ne areas of student concern. Besides decision- making, the issues addressed are "public school funding, mistreatment of students in schools, public transportation, metal detectors, multicultural education, interactive and Student Union member Susan Oh delivers opening engaging curriculum. uniforms, speech as over 400 students met in October. and security and safety."

Selamawit Tewelde, a group teaching" as weU as a procedure for students facilitator at the student convention, pointed to evaluate their teachers. The platform also out that more funding from the state was key calls for a process by which students can to moving schools forward . "If we had equal express complaints about staff members and education , the rest of the platform could be asks principals to "take responsibility for resolved," stated the Bartram High Scbool creating a school climate which fosters sophomore. respect and trust. " Citing inadequate funding in both urban The platform calls for enriching the curand rural areas, the platform calls for a riculum with deeper "multicultural" educa"funding formula ... which ensures that all tion. ''The majority of Philadelphia public students, regardless of where they live, get a school students are not of European descent, high quality education. This means we need and we are not being taught about the rich to end reliance on local taxes." The platform histories of our own peoples. Students need caUs on "students, parents, teachers, and to learn not only about our own culture, but community members to demand thaI the about the many cultures of the world ." state reform the school funding system:' The students also propose a school wide Addressing the l)igh cost of public transprocess to create a school safety plan at each portation, the platform calls for free tokens school. Metal detectors, the platfoffi1 says, for students, to be s.ubsidized by SEPTA, the city, and state welfare funds. "give the school a prison-like atmosphere."

Students ask for more "adults working in the Academically, the platform criticizes low school who know and care about the stuexpectations and rote learning and proposes teacher training in "interactive and engaging dents," and an increase in the number of counselors to one for every 25 students.

Most students oppose school uniforms, the platform says. "Uniforms are a misguidic goals of the Plan are a floor, not a ceiling." ed approach to improving the atmosphere in "The Board continues to be strongly comour schools." mitted to high standards, providing adequate "In order to make students take school supports, having fair and accurate ways of more seriously, we should focus on allowing measuring performance, and accountability," students to feel ownership in their schools," Ramos added. the platform argues.

The School Disnict provided support for the October 25 event; Farmbry wrote a letter The plan's specific encouraging principals to have students reprecommendations include: resenting their schools at the convention.

• Forming a District committee to "developed a uniform curriculum to be ... manThe Philadelphia Student Ul1iol1 has dated throughout the District." chapters atfive high schools: Bartram, • Maximizing the time devoted to the" core Central, Gratz, Masterman, and West subjects" of reading, math, and science at all Philadelphia. Students from all schools Clre schools. invited to SatUlday afternoon meetings. For • Reducing class size to 17 in all K-3 classmore information, call 215-546-3290 or rooms by September 2003. email psunion@aol.com.

• Providing summer classes and extended time to all students at risk of failing in grades 2,3,4, 7, 8, 9, 11, and 12 by June 2001 .

• Phasing in K-8 programs at more elementary schools and converting some middle Slutknkteaching slutknkalxlut their righls schools to K-8 by September 2002.

• Developing a District school safety plan and procedures for minimizing the ' impact of "chronically disruptive students."

• Developing a teacher recruitment and retention plan for implementation.

• Exploring the creation of new magnet schools and providing more student transportation.

Freedom of Exprenion • Revising the guidelines on composition and Sehool Searehes responsibilities of School Councils and develDiscrimination oping local School Councils at all schools with Haraument low test scores.

Censorship • Immediately activating the "School Support Process" at schools where test scores are lag~ ~ \WlXlram ging. A team of District staff and community i1fo VOOr ~ or representatives would work with such schools to assess needs and develop a plan. In schools (215) 592-1513, ext. 122 not responding to the process or displaying ktobin@aclupa.org "consistent organizational problems," the school board would explore new manageA public education program of the ment, reconstitution, conversion to a charter or an independent school. or privatization.

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WINTER 2000-0, PUBLIC SCHOOL NOTEBOOK

PAGE 4

Eying corporate models

Goldsmith hired

by District as interim CEO bv Paul Socolar Philadelphia's schools have a new man in charge this year - interim Chief Executive Officer Philip Goldsmith, appointed to the new post in October.

After the departure of Superintendent David Hombeck in August 2000, the Board of Education decided to try out a corporate model of leadership by creating the position of chief executive officer and hiring a manager from the business world to lead the District.

Goldsmith will serve as interim CEO for at least 12 months at an annual salary of $170,000. A national search for a permanent leader for the District will take place over the coming year.

Goldsmith assumed his post November 1, just days after the contract agreement between the teachers' union and the District was hammered out.

Goldsmith heads a new "management team" including Chief Academic Officer Deidre Farmbry, Chief Financial Officer Rhonda Chatzkel, and Chief Operating Officer Thomas McGlinchy. Only Farrnbry is a career educator.

An executive at PNC Bank for 12 years, Goldsmith has a broad background in management, human resources, government,

and journal ism.

He recently headed a corporate task force that recommended improvements in the School District's management and producti viry. He also has served as a board member of Philadelphia Futures, the Free Library, and the Urban Affairs Partnership.

While Superimendent Hornbeck 's strong criticisms of school funding inequities made him an unpopu lar figure among Republican leaders in Harri sburg, Goldsmith's appointment got an immediate endorsement from Governor Tom Ridge's administration.

State officials said Goldsmith was one of the candidates they were cons idering to run the District in the event of a state takeover of Philadelphia schools.

Goldsmith's stated support for a partnership with the governor is consistent with the recent muting of criticisms of Govern or Ridge's policies by Mayor Street and other District officials .

Goldsmith stated that he has made it clear he would not be a candidate for permanent CEO of the District. He describes his role as a "bridge" to a different type of management structure and said that that "in the longer term I think we can go out and get someone better."

Goldsmith, who lives in Havertown, is married and has two adult daughters. All three women in his family have worked as teachers.

"It's been part of my household, and my children and my wife have always reminded me how tougb the job of teaching is, so I have a sensitivity to that," Goldsmith explained.

~==============~----~-------~

Goldsmith: 'We've got to change the way people view Philadelphia ' lIere are excelpts fivlI1 a Notebook interview with lIew School District Chief Execiltive Officer Philip Goldsmith shortly before he assumed his lIell' post.

On priorities: "One of the questions I'm going to keep on asking people is, 'What relevance does what you're working on have to helping children leamT This is an educational system. It's about learning and helping people graduate here and be competitive out there in the real world.

"We've got a financial issue, and that's got to be a major priority. We've started making real inroads in creating credibility and dialogue with the Commonwealth. It's important to keep that going ... so people are willing to say, 'This is where we want to put money.'

"Obviously I'm going to look at the management structure here. Are we managed in the most effective way? Not how a business is managed, because this is not a private sector business. It's a public institution.

"But it's still got to be managed in the best way we can, making sure that people are communicating well, that we're getting synergies. Are we too fragmented?

Are there too many silos - is somebody doing something in one office and the person in the next office knows nothing about it, and yet they' re basically working on the same thingT'

On the relevance of his background in the corporate sector: "I think management concepts are basically pretty similar, whether in the private or the public sector. Basic management principles - making sme you have the right objectives, the right people, the right priorities - are not dissimilar.

'Management concepts are pretty similar, whether in the private or the public sector.'

"What's different is in the private sector you have shareholders, and in the public sector you have a whole bunch of different constituencies. In one, it's pretty easy to measure how you're doing and wbether you're making money every month. In the other case, it's more difficult to see whether you're making progress, and you've got to come up with measurement tools that are appropriate for that institution.

"Part of my job is to figure out where management principles are identical and not identical, to take the good things the private sector is doing that are transferable

here and try to instill that here, and recognize when things from the private sector wouldn·t fit here."

On his interest in this position: "I feel deeply about this because I care about the city. I care about mban America. !fyou don't have a strOhg city and a healthy city, everything else is going to suffer. I don't think you can have a strong city if you don't have a strong public school system. 1 think Mayor Street deserves all the credit in the world for taking this front and center.

You need good schools to keep people in the city, to attract and create the workforce."

Four-yet

High After a rocky process, the Boa Ph.iladelphia Fee reached agreem( tract, which was November 2.

The contract margin in a vote approved unanir The estimated fe is $3 14 million.

Quotable "This isa gn addresses the co District and the and retaining qu fonvGld togethel u" - Board Pre, "What we've Federation, is ar of the pllzzle tha make our case if Kahn, Philadelpl

Philip Goldsmit h took over as int erim CEO in November, replacing former Superintendent David Hornbeck as t he District's top official.

On switching from the "superintendent model" to leadership by a management team, headed by a CEO: "Maybe it won't work, but we' re going to know. One of the advantages of my being in this interim position is that it gives us time to assess that. On paper, it seems to me to make sense.

"Look at the university model - you have a president, a provost, a chief management person. So there are models that are not private sector ones that are structured like that."

On the District's relationship with Governor Ridge, and what the District should be expecting or demanding from the governor: "You cannot demand anything . All you can expect is a fair hearing. That is what we expect. ·'The children that go to Philadelphia schools are Pennsylvania children. You would like to thi nk - and 1 believe - that the [Ridge) adminiso-ation views them as Pennsylvania children. The fact that they live in Philadelphia doesn't make them less Pennsylvania children.

"Demanding doesn't get anywhere. It isn't about teamwork or partnership - it's about arm-wrestling. Can we expect fairness and objectivity? I think the answer is yes, and I think we' ll get it."

About how he would follow up on Superintendent Hornbeck's outspoken advocacy against racial inequality in sch,~ls and in school funding: Everyone has different styles. I've admired Mr. HornbeCk. He's absolutely dedicated to education. But everyone

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approaches things from a different style.

"I think one of the great inequitiesand it doesn't just happen in Philadelphiais that where a child is born and where their parents live can determine the type of school building they 're going to. That can happen not just between Philadelphia and Lower Merion, but between Lower Merion and Haverford TownShip. To me that just doesn't make sense. Where a kid happens to be raised determi nes whether they've got playing fields or adequate classrooms and facilities. .

"I don't think that it's racial ; I think it's just the way the situation is set up in funding. I think that every child, regardless of race, shou ld have a quality education. In this country, the quality of a child's education often depends on where they live.

That's not going to change on my watch.

But I have a hard time with that. '·We've got to educate people outside of Philadelphia about the good things that go on in this district and in this city. We've got to change the way people view Philadelphia. People have got to see the fate of Philadelphia and the future of Philadelphia as tied up with their fate."

On his role in the District: "Sometimes it's harder to unlearn than it is to learn. I' m not an educational expert. I' m not going to muck around with educational theory and philosophy. That's not my job, and it's not my expertise. We have other great people who can do that.

My job is to give_them the tools, the support, and the resources to get their passion done. In some cases it may mean asking questions to try to get people to unlearn and to think outside the box."

"Our backs v vailed.. .. We stag history - and thi - Ted Kirsch, pn Federation of Te "This agreen need to protect 0 whim and edllca [teachers] to slu in your school Sl needs of our StUl tor Jerry Jordan

BasiccomI • Ail union me

the-board increa four years: 4 peG percent in April 2002; and 4 perQ These increases the 2.2 to 2.5 pel across-the-board teachers in the P • All members! $ 1000 on Dece • Union membe: exrracun-icular ar

Pay incenti pay-for-pel • Beginning in ~ es will be offere< challenging assij certain teacher sl • Also beginnin,

I

-10-01

WINTER 2000-01

PAGE 5

PUBLIC SCHOOL NOTEBOOK

Four-year agreement with District includes many new provisions

Highlights of new Philadelphia Federation of Teachers contract more time to ftll vacancies.

After a rocky lO-month negotiating process, the Board of Education and Philadelph.ia Federation of Teachers (pFT) reached agreement on a new, four-year contract, which was ratified by the union November 2.

The contract was okayed by a six-to-one margin in a vote by PFT members and was approved unanimously by the school board.

The estimated four-year cost of the package is $314 million.

• School-based selection of faculty by schoo l personnel committees may begin for the 200 1-2002 school yeau" in schools where teachers vote to switch to a site selection process, as well as in several pilot schools (see p. 1 and 10).

Longer day and year The student day and the teacher day increase by one-half hour, effective Septeml;>er 200 1. The extra half hour is to be used by each school as it sees fit, so long as it is instructional time. T he school year also increases next fall, by three days - one student day and two professional development days. In all, there will be seven non-student days - four staff developme nt days and three organizational days - and a total of 188 teacher days.

Quotable "This is a groundbreaking contract that addresses the common concerns of the District and the union, including attracting and retaining qualified teachers.... We go fOlwClld rogethe!: We have a lot to do together" - Board President Pedro Ramos.

"What we've done here, together with the Federation, is another very important piece of the puzzle that will help us when we go to make our case in Harrisburg." - Debra Kahn, Philadelphia Secretary of Education.

"Our backs were to the wall, but we prevailed... . We staged the shortest strike in our history - and the most effective one."

- Ted Kirsch, president, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers.

Ie. 'hiapeof

can and

kid ler

, it's und; of In luca-

"This agreement will give us the tools we need to protect ourselves from administrative whim and educational fads . It empowers [teache rs) to shape the educational program in your school so that it truly addresses the needs of our students." - PFT chief negotiator Jerry Jordan

Basic compensation package • All union members get the same acrossthe-board increases, totaling 14 percent over four years: 4 percent in September 2001; 2 percent in April 2002; 4 percent in December 2002; and 4 percent in December 2003.

These increases are somewhat higher than the 2.2 to 2.5 percent averages for annual across-the-board increases won by other teachers in the Philadelphia region.

• All m embers got a one-time bonus of $1000 on December 1, 2000.

ch. de that

(e've

• Union members retain compensation for extracmricular and other after-school activities.

Pay incentives and pay-for-performance • Beginning in September 2001, pay bonuses will be offered to teachers who accept challenging assignments or fill positions in certain teacher shortage areas.

• Also beginming next September, an

Professional development Photo: Harvey Finkle

Philadelphia Federation of Teachers members review their new contract at November 2 ratification meeting. They went on to ratify the contract that evening by a 3,822 to 641 vote. The contract provides pay increases, a new system of pay bonuses, a longer day and year, and new provisions around teacher transfer, discipline, professional development and curriculum.

"enhanced compensation system" will be put into place, under which participating teachers will be able to gain larger pay increments by demonstrating increasing knowledge of their subject area and higher level classroom skills.

The system will be mandatory for all teachers hired after March 2001 . The District says that talented new teachers will be able to move rapidly up the enhanced compensation scale.

• Current teachers will be able to voluntarily opt into the enhanced compensation plan, or they may remain in the basic system, which provides increments for years of service and academic credentials.

• A j oint committee of the union and District will develop the details of how the enhanced compensation system will work, by March 1, 2001. The committee will also identify the schools and positions for which bonuses will be awarded.

• Under the enhanced compensation plan, beginning teachers at the first step will be earning $34,000 next fall, up from $3 1,344 this year. This 8.5 percent increase will make starting salaries in Philadelphia more competitive with neighboring districts.

Health benefits • Most union members continue to pay no

han

premiums for health insurance. There are some increases in employee co-pays.

• The District increased its contribution to the union 's health and welfare fund to cover the significant cost increases for maintaining prescription, dental, and optical benefits.

Teacher assignment and transfer policies The District says a number of new provisions will greatly increase teacher stability: • Teachers must have three years of bui lding seniority to file for a voluntary transfer, instead of j ust two. The new deadline for filing for a transfer is M ay 1. The selection and assignment process for most voluntary transfers will be limited to a fo ur- week period. ending in early July, instead of taking place all summer.

• Newly hired teachers who begin their employment at a school between September 1 and Januauy 1 will now be considered appOlnted teachers, whereas they would have been temporary under the old contract.

• To encourage teachers to notify the district of resignations or retirements by April 15, those who do will get fully paid medical coverage through the summer. This wi ll allow

The two additional professional development days will provide teachers with 28 hours of in-school professional development acti vities.

Employees will complete the remaining eight hours of state-mandated professional development time by taking free, Districtsponsored professional development activities or participating in approved acti vities on their own.

Each school is expected to establish a professional development committee, which will be responsible for designing an overall program, including a plan for mentoring and coaching of new teachers at the school. Some schools may opt for a full-time mentor.

Discipline The PFT says it made major strides in negotiating contract language to suppon its members in dealing with disciplinary issues.

There are provisions requiring every principal to have a unifonn disciplinary code with rules of conduct and consequences that are consistently enforced, and to provide staff with support for enforcing the rules of conduct. Each cluster has responsibiliry for providing its schoo ls with infonnation on community resources and best practices for behavior management.

Curriculum The contract addresses a long-standing union concern that teachers be provided a clearer curriculum. The District and union agreed to "work cooperatively to develop well-arti culated programs of instruction for each grade level that will guide and support teachers in aligni ng classroom instruction with the standards, curriculum and assessment system ."

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WINTER 2000-0, PUBLIC SCHOOL NOTEBOOK

PAGE 6

Overcoming the culture offear ... together h · Involving parents is not simple - it means s arlog power

by Rochelle Nichols Solomon The room just off the main sanctuary would have to do for tonight's meeting.

There were a few weathered folding tables of different heights. At least the chairs were all the same size and style.

It would have been so much easier if the meeting could have taken place in the school as originally planned. Three days earlier, the principal had run into rwo of the parents in the hallway and used tile occasion to inform

Parent involvement is one of the few things in education about which there seems to be universal agreement. them that they could not use the building as had been earlier agreed upon. Later, these parents described to the other parents his rigid body language, sparse eye contact, and angry scowl. The inlage said: I don't trust you.

The parents had had to scramble to find a substitute site for the meeting as well as someone to lead the session, since both teachers who had agreed to facilitate had become "regrettably unavailable."

As they worked, the setup tearn joked about their situation. "Did he think we wouldn't have this meeting?"

"Humph! All that talk about standards, and they won't even let us learn about 'ern."

"Some kind of partnership!"

It later carne out that the principal did not believe the parents were meeting to discuss the new standards; he thought they were plotting to get rid of him.

The parents had a successful meeting about the new standards. Even though they had to meet without school personnel, they left the meeting energized and committed to making a difference for all the students in their school.

Parent involvement: a shared goal Parent involvement is one of the few things in education about which there seems to be urn versal agreement. In large urban school districts, it is considered one of the many "musts" for inlproving the academic outcomes for large numbers of mostly low-income African American and Latino students.

But profound parent involvement means

Through effective parent involvement, schools can tap into parents' energy and can st rengthen t heir commit ment t o all the children in the school.

sharing leadership - and that means sharing knowledge, responsibility, and most difficult of all, power. This is anything but sinlple.

For many parents, the idea of forming partnerships with their local schools is attractive. They inlagine that working more closely with their schools and other parents will inlprove their children's education and lives.

"Schools can't do it alone" is their mantra, as they go about the work of building a parent leadership team inside their schools.

Our local reform initiative, "Children Achieving," calls for parents to be involved in new ways. However, parents are still primarily cast in old roles.

Principals anxious to inlprove test results invite parent leaders to meet with their school team to exanline the data. Parents corne expecting to discuss issues like school curriculum but instead are asked how to get other parents to make sure their children come to school rested and fed so they can do better on tests. Central office staff members share school performance data with parents in the hope of ge\ring parents to advocate for more funding, but resist helping parents obtain copies of their school's budget.

Parents often feel stung and frustrated in these kinds of meetings. They complain that the data tell them what they already know-

too few students are reading well, are good in math, can do science. When they try to move the discussion to topics like the high rate of suspensions, how student assignments are made, or student and teacher absenteeism, principals and others react angrily

1.

2.

Listen.

3.

Invite parents to w ork w ith tea chers and others to develop or refine clear and coherent educational goals.

4.

Focus on curri cul um and instruction . With a curriculum t hat is student-centered, parents, teachers, and students are natural all ies.

5.

Acknow ledge differences and conflict. Use resources outside t he school to help navigate the difficult terrain of race, culture, and class.

-Rochelle Nichols Solomon

Support t eacher leadership. Schools with collaborative leadership are more w illing to partner w it h parents and other outside groups.

and often blame parents for poor test results.

Parents are not the only ones feeling the heat of blame. For many teachers, the release of test results sets off a silent alarm. They

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Are children learning the science and math they need for the 21st century?

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How well do Local School Councils work?

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Laying groundwork for partnerships There need to be more opportunities and support for leaders to create the conditions

Suggestions for creating a school culture that actively involves parent s

HOUSE OF OUR OWN

~

believe that giving parents and others infor_ mation that Is rarely glimpsed even inside most schools IS Ilke runng dirty launchy.

By the tulle the fU"Sl set of tough new standards is delivered to each school's maio office, many teachers perceive that an attack is underwa;:. Often th::, feel devalued. "We work hard, they say. Given the situation we do the best we can." ' Successfu l school change requires innovation and risk-taking in a system that is often unkind to risk-takers. Teachers wony about bemg purushed by their prinCipals, who can take away special assigrunents, change their classrooms, or cut their positions. In schools where teachers are preoccupied with sanctions, there is little collabora_ tion berween staff members, and allnost certainly none with parents.

This culture of fear, pervasive in so many schools, IS a barner both to collaboration and to working across differences in race, class and culture. The companion to this fear is a culture of blame, in which low-income African American and Latino children are often perceived as limited by their socioeconomic status. Influenced by newspapers, television and movies, many well-meaning teachers imagine their students fighting their way to school through a community of zombie crackheads and retuming to homes that lack caring parents or other adults.

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necessary for school and parent partnerships.

Nowhere is this task more challenging than in schools already struggling under persistent low achievement, principal instability, real or perceived violence, and disengaged students, parents, and teachers.

In these schools the principals, teachers, and parents hav~ to assume responsibility instead of blame; identify rather than negate serious problems; and devise solutions, take action, and reflect, rather than maintain the status quo.

Parent leaders need to be persistent - as the parents were who moved their meeting to the local church - in their detennination to become partners in improving their children's schools. District leaders must protect and support these school-level efforts by conSIStently rewarding innovati on and action.

Over the last decade, to the credit of many people in and outside of the Philadelphia schools, we have made a great deal of progress. Imagine the progress we d will make in reform when all those J\wol ve - educators, administrators, parents, and communi ty members - are better at leading and fo llowing collaboratively.

A lOllger version of this anicle appeared in the September 2000 issue of Phi Delta Kappan.

WINTER 200

--

PAGE 7

00-0,

infor_ 'side ry. cw

; main , attack

I. "We ttion, innotis NOrry

~ls,

.ts, .osi:eoccutbora.st

Teachers' union protest actions like this one during the contract struggle were one approach used by teachers to build public support for their concerns.

A teacher reflects on a tense time

1 many

ion and class IT is a , are ioecoIS,

tning g their fzom; that

I

Can we find our way

out of the treacherous valley of blaIne?

by Deborah Bambino

IS

'sand ions

P JPS.

!fine

Schools opened on time this year, but it wasn't for business as usual, as we awaited news of a seniement, a strike - or in the worst-case scenario, a state takeover.

My colleagues and I all acted as if school would continue without inteIlUption. It was wonderful to watch the rledication of teachers as they set up their classrooms and programs despite the tension and uncertainty that they were facing.

Whi Ie everyone was performing like troopers, I wondered how long the state of limbo could continue. Stress affects people's health and energy level. I found myself exhausted after I planned for schedules and school visits that I knew might never happen.

u-

on

CO.!}IDunity rships. than ~istent

real or ,dents, hers, ity

egate , take , Ule -as

ing to lto

dJ'en's

,d nsis-

sreat we Dived

ti ding

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The ch ildren were watching and waiting too. A friend told me that her eighth grade I advisory asked her if she was going to strike.

She told the srudents that she went home every night praying that it wouldn't happen, I and that she was a person with bills to pay, Just like their families. But she told the children she'd walk, if a strike were called.

Did rhe srudents' famiIies realize how painful this was for the teachers? Did the union do a good job of building public support? Unforrunately, I think the answer to both questions was "No." The press and our elected officials, some of whom we helped elect, painted the teachers as people who work under some difficult conditions. but only for a very short day and year. TIley pointed to the test scores and called for better results. They talked about the budget deficit and said their hands were tied. But they continued to call for new stadiums and tax breaks for businesses, with their next breath.

Teachers talked about the conditions under which they work. They talked about buildings in need of repair, insufficient supplies, oversized classes, and srudents who bring lots of problems to school.

When teachers started complaining about

l____

_____ .... ...

the problems the srudents bring from horne, they entered the treacherous valJey of blame.

There is never a clear-cut road map through this terrain, but there is always plenty of blame to go around. Once teachers and parents start blaming each other for the bigger problems our kids face, it's almost cer!air that we're going to lose ground.

The ground I'm talking about is the higher ground, the place where families and schools work together to support our children. The place where teachers welcome other teachers and parents into their classrooms and share their thinking. It seems like common sense that we should all be working together, but the understanding and respect we need to support such a joint approach was and is very uncommon.

The contract is settled now. A strike and a takeover were avoided, but the problems are far from over. The buildings are still in need of repairs, and ir's nor even safe to drink the water in many facilities. The state continues to hide its lack of commitment for our children behind questions of accountability. standards. and the number of instructional minures in rhe day - anything to divert attention from the truly critical question offuU, equitable funding .

The contracr crisis is over. but the teaching and learning crisis lives on in our communities. It's time to get on with the hard work of building partnerships, teacher to teacher. teachers to students. and teachers to families. It's time to face up to the legacy of disrespect and racism that continues to divide us, and move on in support of all of our chi ldren. Our jobs and their furure depend on it.

Deborah Bambino is Teaching & Leaming NelWork coolYlillatorfor the CHAlNclllstel:

Volunteers welcome!

The Public School Notebook depends on the volu nteer assistance we receive in many areas, including: research, writing, proofreadmg, phorography, distribution, fundrruslllg, and advertising sales. If you would like to lend your talents or develop a skill , please cal l Paul Socolar at the Notebook office, (215) 951-0330 x l07, or email to psnotebook@aol.com.

PUB LI C;: SCHOOL NOTEBOOK

PAGES

-

WINJ ER 2000-01

Trabajando para una mejor union entre maestros y padres

Rec

por Ron Whitehorne y Kelley Collings "Tanto ni siquiera ellos".

"TremE Mas tru crefa que 1 cutir los 01 estaban po erse de el.

Los pal sobre los r tuvieron ql al de la esc mados y c' los estudia

Durante la pasada primavera, la organizaci6n Allial/ce Orgal/izing Project (AOP), en conjunto con la Federaci6n de Maestros de Filadelfia (PH) y la Jobs \Vith Justice (JWl), comenzaron a trabajar para fortalecer los lazos entre la uni6n de maestros y la comunidad. Su meta fue la de canalizar la fuerla de un frente unido de maestros y padres pam trabajar por la reforma educativa tanto al nivel de escuela como de la ciudad .

Esta colaboraci6n es el resultado de una campana de la AOP para resol ver el creciente problema de posiciones vacantes de maestros. Este asunto de las vacantes impuls6 a la AOP, un grupo de organizaci6n de padres a ni vel de ciudad, a examinar el contrato de los maestros.

Los didlogos entre maestros y padres se lIe varon a cabo en siete escuelas durante la primavera del 2000.

La AOP diseii6 una encuesta para identificar las preocupaciones especificas relacionadas con el contrato y se reuni6 con oficiales del Distrito y de la uni6n para presentarles la idea de que los padres y sus puntos de vista necesitan ser incluidos en las negociaciones. EI Comite de Alcance a la Comunidad (Community Outreach Committee) de la PH y la AOP entonces prepararon un plan para auspiciar diaJogos entre padres y maestros en las escuelas a traves del Distrito. EI Iiderato de la PH apoy6 este plan y tambien accedi6 a tener discusiones con la AOP. Los dialogos entre maestros y padres se llevaron a cabo en siete escuelas durante la primavera del 2000 - el primer paso en el

Los padres y maestros de la Welsh School unieron sus esf uerzos en una campana de seguridad para que hubiese un gua rdia de cruce en una interseccion cercana.

esfuerzo para que haya mas uni6n y acci6n conjunta entre estos grupos tan importantes para la reforma educativa.

En los diaJogos se identificaron para cada escuela las inquietudes en las que los maestros y los miembros de la comunidad podrfan trabajar juntos, tales como una campana de seguridad para un guardia de cruce, mas prograrnas en las horas de la tarde, apoyo para las iniciativas de lectura, pintura de muraJes y una campana para mejoras a la biblioteca.

Estos diaJogos, al igual que las encuestas, revelaron que hay un consenso sobre algunos asuntos a nivel de distrito, tales como la necesidad de salones de clase con menos alumnos, salarios mas altos para los maestros, y mas colaboraci6n entre padres, maestros y administradores al solucionar problemas.

Otro resultado de los intercambios entre maestros y padres ha sido una mayor cooperaci6n entre la PH y la AOP. Algo que contri buy6 a esta unidad fue un rally de

padres y comunidad que se lJev6 a cabo el 8 de junio durante la reuni6n de la PH en que se autoriz6 la huelga de maestros. La demostraci6n, auspiciada por la Campana para la Educaci6n PUblica de Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania Campaignjor Public Education) y organizada por la AOP, hizo un llamado para que se aumenten los salarios a los maestros y se disminuya el mimero de estudiantes por sal6n. Esto claramente expres6 el apoyo de la comunidad a las dos peticiones clave de la PH. Durante las largas negociaciones de contrato, la AOP y el Connite de Alcance a la Comunidad de la PH colaboraron con el Iiderato de la PFT para mantener abiertas las vias de comunicaci6n entre la PH y la comunidad. Con ayuda de la AOP, la PH auspici6 dos reuniones con la comunidad en las que el liderato de la PH tuvo la oportunidad de compartir informaci6n con sobre una docena de organizaciones comunitarias.

Los organizadores esperan que este tipo de comunicaci6n entre la PFT y la comunidad continue.

Despues que el alcalde Street unilateralmente impuso ternninos contractuales a la PFT, la AOP organiz6 una demostraci6n en la que 13 organizaciones comunitarias hicieron un llamado a las negociaciones.

Ahora que los terminos del contrato han sido negociados, los maestros y padres pueden desviar su atenci6n a la crisis a largo plazo que enfrentan las escuelas publicas de Filadelfia. Por falta de fondos para el Distrito, Filadelfia tiene salarios mas bajos y sal ones de c1ase con mucho mas estudiantes que la mayoria de las escuelas de los suburbios que la rodean. Esto resulta en una continua escasez de personal cua1ificado para enseiiar. Para superar esta crisis, es vital que los maestros y padres actuen en unidad y a una mayor escala.

"Union" continua en la p. 9

Aprendiendo mientras se crea un centro comunitario â&#x20AC;˘ Los padres, maestros y estudiantes de una escuela en Chicago comienzan un proyecto que cambiara su comunidad. por Sukey Blanc Los residentes deJ barrio Logan Square en Chicago siempre han querido tener un lugar en su comunidad que ofrezca programas educacionales para adultos y para nilios.

Ahora, los maestros, estudiantes y padres de la Ames Middle School en Chicago estin trabajando en conj unto con la Asociaci6n Comunitaria de Logan Square (Logan Square Neighborhood Association, LSNA) en un novedoso proyecto de curriculo que tiene como meta abrir un nuevo Centro de Aprendizaje para la Comunidad ("Commun.ity Learning Center") en el barrio.

La principal de Ames, Amanda Rivera, dice que es esencial que las escueJas desarrollen relaciones con la comunidad y trabajen con otras organizaciones para que las cscuelas pueuan realmente convertirse en centros de aprendizaje comunitarios.

El prop6sito central de este proyecto en Ames es que la escuela aprenda mas sobre las necesidades del vecindario en que se encuentra. En los pr6ximos meses, cinco madres que hablan espanol se uniran a los estudiantes y a un equipo bilingUe de maestros para aprender a diseiiar encuestas, escribir preguntas que revelen las necesidades de la comunidad, conducir una encuesta casa por casa del veci ndario alrede-

dor de la escuela, y analizar los resultados de la misma.

La encuesta tiene dos metas: establecer un plan para el nuevo Centro de Aprendi zaje para la Comunidad y proveer una oportunidad de aprendizaje que ayude a los estudiantes de escuela intermedia aver la conexi6n entre sus vidas fuera de la escuela y las materias tradicionales como ellenguaje, las matematicas, la ciencia y los estudios sociales.

Las madres, junto con los estudiantes y un equipo bilingiie de maestros, diseiiaran y conduciran una encuesta a domicilio.

SegllDConchita Perez, madre de un estudiante de Ames, "Ir a la comun idad es una nueva experiencia para los estudiantes. Les va a dar una 9portunidad para ayudar a otros".

La LSNA es una organizaci6n comunitaria establecida, que ha trabajado de cerca con las escuelas del vecindario desde que comenz6 a reclutar y adiestrar candidatos para los Conci lios Escolares Locales (Local School Councils) en el 1989. Otro de los programas de LSNA desde el 1995 ha sido

un programa de padres mentores, que provee adiestrarniento en liderato para los padres, en gran numero madres que hablan espanol, y luego los asigna a salones de c1ase para que trabajen individualmente con estudiantes 0 con pequenos grupos y realicen sus logros academicos.

En la escuela Funston Elementary School, un grupo de padres activistas graduados del programa de padres mentores estableci6 el primer Centro de Aprendizaje para la Comunidad en su vecindario.

Tocaron a las puertas de los residentes en el area de la escuela, tomaron una encuesta de 500 familias para saber cuales programas ellos querian en el centro, y acudieron a las instituciones educati vas para conseguir los programas necesarios.

Hoy en dia, el centro tiene una matricula de 350 adultos por semestre que toman clases para obtener el diploma de escuela superi or (OED), de ingles como segundo IdJOma (ESL) y otras. Los padres, adminIstradores de escuelas y la LSNA comparten la responsabllidad de administrar y gobemar el centro. Desde entonces, otros grupos de padres han ab,erto y administran centros en tres escuelas elementales adicionales del barno Logan Square. Casi 1,000 personas pamclpan en los centros cada semana.

Ames es la primera escuela de Logan Square¡en la que los estudiantes y los maestros-muchos de los cuales crecieron 0 Vlven en la comunidad-esran trabajando en conJunto COn los padres para establecer el centro comunitario. La misma escuela Ames

abri6 sus puertas en el 1998 como resultado de una campana que la comunidad hizo para obtener una escuela intermedia que aliviara el exceso de estudiantado en las otras escue¡ las del vecindario .

Este proyecto, que es posible gracias a los fond os de la John D. and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation, es motivo de gran entusiasmo entre todos los parricipantes.

Segun Rosa Arzu, maestra bilinglie de educaci6n especial y miembro del equipo que esta disenando el cun'iculo, "Esto hace que los ninos vayan a la comunidad y aprendan mientras 10 hacen. Espero que veamos los resultados cuando ellos identifiquen las matematicas, la ciencia y los estudios sociales y c6mo estas materias se relacionan entre sf '.

EI senor Mario CabalJero, maestro de ciencias y miembro del equipo, dice asi: "Los estudiantes han comenzado a entender 10 que esta pasando. Al hablar con los padres, todo el mundo parece estar muy, pero muy interesado en 10 que va a resultar de esto".

Para mas informacion sobre este prayecto, llame a La principal de Ames, Amanda Rivera, 0 a Marcelo Ferrel; coordinador de alcance a la comunidad, al 773-534-4970.

Sukey Blanc es investigadora asociada de Research jor Action, una organizacio/l localizada en Filadelfia que esta documentando la labor de la. Logan Square Neighborhood Association.

Traduccion pOl' Mildred S. Martinez

Una meta La part las pocas c la cual tod grandes di sidera un ' rendimieOl de estudial en su may.

Pero la padres req y eso signi larespons: o autorida.

Pararnl lazos de C( locales es . trabajar de padres, la I a mejorar. sulema, IT establecer de las escu Nuestf<

"Children . participar , dades. Sin reclutados cabo roles Los pr1 resultados lideres a rE exanninar I reuniones t el curricull solamente

Una En un el stros para r, tomardos I discusionel cia social" ~ los maestro comunidad gan las uni. solucionar . social que t Ademas Comunidac Justice sera durante la ( Bienestar S En estetall, que los mal para resolv. escuelas pu Para rna (2 15) 625 - ~

Welfare Fu. Ron Wh Comitede PFT. Kelley Ejecutivod Traducc

Jr

-!OOO-01

WINTER 2000-01

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PUBLIC SCHOOL NOTEBOOK

Reclutar la ayuda de los padres no es tan sencillo como parece continua de fa p. 1

riesgos en un sistema que a menudo no mira con buenos ojos a los que 10 hacen. A los maestros les preocupa ser disciplinados por sus principales, quienes pueden quitarles asignaciones especiales, cambiar sus salones de clase 0 hacer recones a sus posiciones. En las escuelas en que los maestros temen recibir sanciones, existe poca colaboraci6n entre los rrtiembros del personal y definitivamente ninguna con los padres.

Esta coltura de temor, arraigada en tantas escuelas, representa un obstaculo para tanto la colaboracion como para poder trabajar entre razas y culturas. A la par con este temor se encllenrra una cultura de acusaci6n. en la que los niiios de bajo ingreso afroamericanos y latin os son a menudo percibidos como lirrtitados por su condicion socioeconomica. Dejandose Ilevar por los periodicos, television y pelfculas, muchos maestros se imaginan a sus estudiantes atravesando comurtidades lIenas de zombies adictos al crack para lIegar a la escuela y regresando a hogares en los que no hay padres amorosos u otros adultos que los cuiden.

"Tanto que hablan sobre los estandares, y rti siquiera nos dejan que aprendamos sobre ell os".

"Tremenda colaboracion".

Mas tarde se supo que el principal no creia que los padres se iban a reunir para discutir los nuevos estandares; pensaba que estaban portiendose de acuerdo para deshacerse de el.

Los padres tuvieron una ex itosa reurtion sobre los nuevos estandares. Aunque se tuvieron que reunir sin con tar con el personal de la escuela, al terrrtinar estaban entusiasmados y comprometidos a ayudar a todos los estudiantes de su escuela.

~

cruce en

este tipo comunilateralles a la acion en rias iones. trato han dres sis a largo iblicas de el as bajos y ;tudiantes os suburuna 5cado ·s, es vital n urtidad .9

• rIo resultado hizo para ~ aliviara ras escue·acias a ~rine T de gran antes. gliede equipo sto hace j y aprenveamos quen las ios elacionan rrode easi: entender los muy, resultar

? pIVyec-

lllnda adO/· de 4-4970. ociada zaci6n 1CUmeJl-

Una meta com partida La participacion de los padres es una de las pocas cosas en el anlbiente educati vo en la cual todos estan de acuerdo. En los grandes distritos escolares urbanos, se considera un "requisito" para poder mejorar el rendirrllento acaderrtico de grandes grupos de estudiantes de farnilias de bajos ingresos, en su mayoria afroamericanos y latinos.

Pero la participacion a fonda de los padres requiere que se comparta ellideratoy eso significa compartir los conocirrtientos, la responsabilidad, y 10 mas diffcil, el poder o autoridad . Esto no es nada de sencillo.

Para muchos padres, la idea de formar lazos de colaboracion con sus escuelas locales es muy atractiva. Se imaginan que al trabajar de cerca con la escuela y con otros padres, la educaci6n y la vida de sus hijos va a mejorar. "Las escuelas no pueden solas" es su lema, rrtientras se disponen a trabajar para establecer un equipo de padres lfderes dentro de las escuelas.

Nuestra irticiativa de reforma local, "Children Achieving", exhorta a los padres a participar asurrtiendo nuevas responsabilidades. Sin embargo, los padres todavia son reclutados primordialmente para lIevar a cabo roles tradicionales.

Los principales que ansian mejorar los resultados de examenes invitan a los padres lfderes a reunirse con el equipo escolar para exarninar los datos. Los padres asisten a las reurtiones esperando discutir asuntos como el curriculo escolar, pero encuentran que solamente se les pide que digan c6mo se

Una mejor union continua de fa p. 8

En un esfuerzo por unir los padres y maestros para resolver esta crisis, se planean tomar dos pasos. Primero, una "serie" de discusiones sobre "urtionismo para la justicia social" durante este invierno que unira a los maestros, padres y rrtiembros de la comurtidad para explorar el papel que juegan las urtiones de maestros cuando se busca solucionar los muchos asuntos de justicia social que enfrenta la educacion publica.

Ademas, el Corrtite de A1cance a la Comunidad de la PFT, la AOP y Jobs with Justice seran los anfitriones de un taller durante la Conferencia sobre Salud y Bienestar Social de la PFT el 24 de febrero.

En este taller se discutiran las maneras en que los maestros y padres pueden colaborar para resolver los asuntos que afectan a las escuelas publicas de Filadelfia.

Para mas informaci6n, lIame a la AOP al (215) 625-9916 0 al PFT Health and Welfare Fund al (2 15)56 1-2722.

Ron Whitehome es Co-Moderador del Camire de Alcallce a 10 COlllul/idad de 10 PIT Kelley Collings es 10 Director Ejeciltivo de 10 AOP Traducci6n par Mildred S. Martinez

Foto: Harvey Finkfe

Con la participaci6n efectiva de los padres, las es(uelas pueden (ontar (on su energia y afianzar el (ompromiso que ellos tienen de apoyar a todos los ninos del plante!.

puede lograr que otros padres se aseguren de enviar a sus hijos a la escuela bien descansados y alimentados para que puedan lograr mejores puntuaciones en los examenes. EI personal de la oficina central comparte los datos de rendirrllento academico con los padres con la esperanza de que ellos pidan mas fondos para las escuelas pero se resisten a que los padres obtengan copias del presupuesto escolar.

Los padres a menudo se sienten frustrados con este tipo de reurtiones. Dicen que los datos Ie dicen 10 que ya saben - que muy pocos estudiantes leen bien, 0 son buenos en matematicas 0 en ciencias. Cuando tratan de cambiar e1 tema de discusi6n a topicos como la alta incidencia en suspensiones, como se asignan los estudiantes, 0 el ausentismo de estudiantes y maestros, encuentran que los

principales y demas personal reaccionan con enojo y a menudo culpan a los padres por las bajas puntuaciones en los examenes.

Los padres no son los unicos que se sienten acusados. Para muchos maestros, la errtisi6n de los resultados de examen activa una alarma silenciosa. Ellos creen que darle a los padres y demas informacion que raramente se ve aun en la mayorfa de las escuelas es como "sacar la ropa sucia".

Ya para cuando e1 primer conjunto de nuevos estandares es entregado a la oficina principal de cada escue1a, muchos maesrros perciben un ataque inminente. A menudo se sienten menospreciados. "Trabajamos duro", dicen. "Dada la situacion, hacemos 10 mejor que podemos".

Para hacer cambios con exito en una escuela se necesita innovaci6n y toma de

Sugerencias para crear una cultura escolar que involucre activamente a los padres 1.

2.

3.

Escuchar.

Apoyar elliderato de los maestros. Las escuelas en las que hay liderato en colaboraci6n estan mas dispuestas a trabajar con los padres y con otros grupos externos.

Invitar a los padres a trabajar con los maestros y de mas persona l para establecer 0 refinar metas educacionales claras y coherentes.

4. Enfocarse en el curriculo e instrucci6n. Cuando el curriculo tiene el estudiante como objetivo central, es natural que los padres, maestros y estudiantes sean aliados.

5.

Reconocer las diferencias y conflictos. Usar recursos fuera de la escuela para cruzar las fronteras de raza, cultura y clase social.

- Rochelle Nichols Solomon

Estableciendo el fundamento Se necesitan mas oporturtidades y mas apoyo para que los lfderes puedan crear las condiciones conducentes al trabajo en equipo entre las escuelas y los padres. No hay lugar con mas retos para lograrlo que en las escuelas que ya batallan con bajo rendimiento academico, inestabilidad del principal, violencia real 0 percibida, yestudiantes, padres y maestros que no colaboran entre si.

Los principales, maestros y padres en estas escuelas tienen que tomar responsabilidad en vez de aceptar culpa, identificar los problemas serios en vez de negarlos; y enconrrar soluciones, tomar accion y reflexionar, en vez de dejar las cosas como estan.

Los padres lfderes necesitan ser persistentes - como los padres que hicieron su reurtion en la ig1esia local- en su decision de hacerse socios en la tarea de mejorar las escuelas de sus ninos. Los lfderes del Distrito Esco1ar tienen que proteger y apoyar los esfuerzos a rtivel de escue1a recompensando siempre la innovacion y la accion.

Durante la ultima decada, gracias a muchas personas en y fuera de las escuelas de Filadelfia, hemos progresado muchisimo.

Imaginen como progresaremos en 1a reforma cuando todos los involucrados - educadores, adrrllnistradores, padres y rrtiembros de la comurtidad - sean mejores lfderes y col aboradores.

Una versi6n mas amplia de este artIculo apareci6 en 10 edici6n de septiembre de 2000 de Phi Delta Kappan.

Traducci6n par Mildred S. Martinez

Riegue las noticias Ayude a distribuir Philadelphia Public School Notebook. Usted puede ser parte del equipo que distribuye School Notebook a traves de la ciudad.

Copias estan disponibJe para Ja distribuci6n en su escuela, lugar de trabajo e iglesia. Estan disponible para un evento publico, una reuni6n en la escuela a en un centro comunal.

Favor de Hamar al Public School Notebook, 951-0330, ext.

107, si esta interesado en fonnar parte del equipo.

r

~PA~G:E~1~O_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _- -.....--:-:--:-::-~;:~;~PU_B=L~IC;-SC,;,H;.~O~OL NOl'E~OOK • WINTER

1

Philadelphia's Scho~un built partnerships or highliJ

by Kelley Collillgs

Schools can decide how to make best use of an extra half hour a day for instruction next year_

Will schools pick teachers? continued from p. 1

In addition, any other school in the District can decide to adopt school-based selection of faculty, if the approach wins the approval of a rwo-thirds vote of the school staff. December 31 is the deadline for gaining a school's approval in order for the school-based selection process to take place next year.

Under the school-based selection process, a scbool personnel committee including the principal, teachers, rund a parent - determines the criteria for ftlling vacancies, screens rund schedules inter-

December 31 is the deadline for gaining a school's approval in order for the school-based teacher selection process to take place next year. views with candidates, selects faculty, and establishes procedures for maintaining racial balance. Seniority becomes the determining factor when two equally qualified teachers apply for the same position.

The District is implementing the new process cautiously, offering the 10 named pilot schools the opportunity to decide whether they want to participate in the process and whether to test the approach school-wide or only in targeted positions.

Schools were briefed on the process in a

meeting led jointly by District Humrun Resources Director Marj Adler and PFT Director of Staff Jerry Jordrun.

The ten schools are fitzSimons, Pepper, Sayre, Shaw, Sulzberger, Tilden, Turner, Lea, McMichael, and Alcorn.

Linda Harris, Director of Collective Bru·gaining for the PFT, cOllUllented that site-based teacher selection is something that schools should ,·think about rund not rush into; not every school is ready for this."

For several years, New York City has had a similar procedure for authorizi.ng a school-based selection process, rund about one-fourth of that system's 1100 schools currently take part, according to a union spokesperson there.

Plrunning the longer day With the school day for teachers and for students lengthened by 30 minutes beginning in 2001, schools have the option to decide bow best to use that extra half hour, so long as it is instructional time. ''The School District leadership will be making suggestions rund exposing people to best practices, but this is a responsibility that people have at the school level for how to make the most of the time that they have," said school board President Pedro Ramos. "It's a significrunt amount of time, and we' re expecting that schools use this to improve student achievement."

"We hope that schools can make time within the day for students who need even more intensive help," added Debra Kahn, Philadelphia's Secretary of Education.

"You've got to ftgure out how to utilize all of the adults in the school for the beneftt of the kids. There could be some shaking up, so kids get more one-on-one attention."

Contract excerpts on teacher selection • "The School Council. or in the absence of a Council, the Principal and Building Committee, may choose to implement school based selection of teachers in the hiring season for the 2001-2002 school year."

• "Upon approval of the Principal, a proposed waiver will be submitted for ratification by the affected staff in the school or SlC. Ratification ... shall require an affinnative vote of two-thirds of the affected employees in the school who vote."

• "A decision to use school-based selection shall be made by December 31 st prior to the hiring season that such school-based selection procedures are implemented."

• "To effect school-based selection, a Personnel Committee convened by the School Council at each school (or in the absence of a School Council, by the Principal and Building Committee) will interview and select all teachers for assignment to the school to fi ll existing vacancies. In the case of new hires, such candidates shall have been deemed qualified by the Office of Human Resources."

• "In each school that implements school-based selection of teachers, the Personnel Committee shall be comprised of five members in elementary and middle schools and six members in high schools. The school Principal shall serve on the Committee. Three members. .. shall be teachers.... A parent selected by the Home & School Association, shall also be a member of the Committee; and in the case of high schools, the school Principal shall select an assistant Principal of the school or a student of the school."

Philadelphia Federation of Teachers contract, Article XVIII, Section (11

Parents and teachers suggest that Councils need additIonal resources and restJucturing in order to reach theu potentIal.

Shared decision-making at the school level- involving teachers, parents and others No real decision-making in key decisions - is an approach that was With School Councils laCking real decision_ introduced in Philadelph.a over a decade ago. making power, many parents and teachers say The official mechanism through which there ISHttJe mcentI ve for. them to Invest tllne Or shared decisions can be made at the school energy ill Councils. PrinCIpals still have the fInal level is the School Council. The process for say over budgetary and teachtng and learnino establishing and running School Councils was matters.

• defmed in 1995 under former supenntendent Ron Whitehome, a teacher at Julia de David Hombeck.

Burgos Middle School, said, "It still depends But School Councils are fundamentally advisory in nature; they do not have power to make binding decisions over budget, staffi ng, or teaching and learn ing matters.

It was Hornbeck's hope that School Counci ls wou ld create a mechanism for local school accountability, uni te administ:rators, teachers, and parents, and involve all school stakeholders in a local decision-making process.

Has it worked? Have Councils helped build pruUlerships based on mutual accountability at the school level ?

MrulYschools still don't have functioni ng Councils. Seventy schools have never had a certified election for Council representatives. For schools that do have Parents have given School Councils mixed reviews.

Councils, the reviews are mixed.

the principal. If a pri!

on

ou don't really nee

Jat~cipal isn't coll abor,

~~uncil wiII be useless aJ Harold Jordrun, a parel powel School Council fr' a reed. '·Specifi cs about toun cils have or the gUlc

COlT. are supposed to operate a there are no preCISe guide the 'shared' part of shru·ec principal is completely in councilSwon't work If uinely invested in shared Jordan said that a forn "used the Council in a paJ moted disunity rund factio and teachers."' He added, much better - not beca changes, but because we I supports ,~e notion that together.

New skills needed Without adequate traini

Local organizations present strategies for collaboration

Building connections between comm We asked leaders of several local community groups to tell us what they are doing to build stronger partnerships between teachers and the communities they serve. Here are excelpts flVm the responses we received: ''The Eastern Philadelphia Organizing Projectisa faith-based community organization of churches and schools who work to empower people to improve neighborhoods and schools.

"Working together with teachers and administrators, we bridge the gap to make schools a more meaningful part of the community. At McClure School we've started a preschool story hour open to all our neighborhood parents. This brings parents into the school, making them part of the school family. The librarian helped organize the program. Teachers reach out to parents by passing on the Word that this program is available.

"Another example is that teachers work with us to hold grade meetings - an interchange of Ideas between parents and teachers by grade.

Parents and teachers discuss how they can :,",ork together to make improvements. The goal ISto make parents less intimidated by teachers and staff." - Dolores Shaw, Parent Leader

'!he Mathematics, Civics, and SCI.ences Charter School of PhIladelphia, founded in 1999, serves 800 students from fIrst through tenth grade.

Our motto ISthat when parents are respected parents partiCIpate. Respect encourages ' parentall1lvolvement, and it is our sincrle strongest asset.

•

"We don't let paTents sit Or stand before

~:~~~: l1ltroduces themselves and finds out h Yneed . They gel personal greetinos rom t e adllUllIstration. Every other week ru. enhilts ~et a call from a teacher to talk about ;:. c d s progress. elf

f

"Parents and community members volunteer in the school. We have several 'parent nights' so parents can meet with the teachers.

Parents follow their children's roster and sit in on their children 's classes. Parents assist teachers, read to children and listen to children read to them, volunteer in the lunchroom, help with trips, help outside during dismissal, rund in afterschool progrrums. Two parents sit on our board to have input in the school.

"Students write assessments about how we can make the school better for them. Parents are also encouraged to do that." - Veronica Joynel; Founder and Chief Administrative Officer (also DirectOl; Parents Unitedfor Better Schools)

"Parents Union for Public Schools in Philadelphia is a citywide, multiracial independent orgrunization of and for parents. We have built mini-resource centers in every school in two clusters - West Philadelphia and King. Next year they will be in all schools in the Gennantown cluster.

"For the mini-resource centers to work, we have to work with cluster leaders, principals, Family Resource Network Coordinators, and teachers. Through the centers, parents and achteachers can come together. Parents ruld te and ers attend workshops offered in the centers work tocrether to make the centers successful.

"Th:centers are a neutral ground where teachers and parents can work on specifiC issues, share information, and foster a moreds cooperative relationship. A lot of that depen on the cluster leader and the principal."

- Linda While, Executive Director "The Philadelphia Student . rnrJllt Union is a youth-run orcranization co ted to empowering young ~eople to tranSform public schools. d stU"We take the attitude that teachers an d be dents want the srume thing: schoolSshoul

better places where kids 0 have been really helpful a organized.

"At Gratz High Schoo. encourage more interacti ~ instruction. We interview! what they thought would and professional develop working on a plrun to impr development in the schoo fessional development wa learning, on how to make engaging for students. Stu teachers to use the student ences to teach off of. The dents as people who have that can serve as a basis fc "At West Philadelphia begInning to encourage di school police, NTA's, and dents berween students an Braxton, Director

. "Cc1ngreso de L IS a multicultural social se. basecJ in the schools and -~hers, so there's no isol 'One of the keys to brit between teachers and the c on Site in the SChools. Teac apart of their familj . between a parent rund a :~ng classes twice pel m, wo~ ~~~ers involved in t feache teaChers to run !

Goll rs tram activity lead ,:~e students Who tutor betw~~:so's vision is a day. Teache afterschool pr~ schOOl rs need to be if reers inP~ograrns as both p, forres ;der for this to hl!

:us

,

1VlslOIl

Director

r ~~W ~ IN_T_E_ R _2_ 00_0_-_ 01____________________________________________________________________________.!PA~G~E;!

11~

lool councils: have they or highlighted divisions?

Councils need lnng ITI ordel

real decision_ teachers say 11I1VeSl time or J have the fmal lnd learning Julia de :tilldepends

e rincipaJ.1f a principal wants to coil aboon th !I don't rcally need a School. Council. If ral~:cipal isn' t collaborative, the School. " apuncil will be useless and ultunately faJ!.

Co Harold Jordan , a parent member of the powel School Council from 1994 to 1996, a reed. "Specifics about what authonty touncils have or the gUIdelines by WhlCh they

Teachers Cot!lmunity are supposed to operate ru'en 't clear. Because there are no precise gUIdelines that encourage the 'shared' part of shru'ed decision-making, the principal is completely in the dn ver 's seat.

Councils won't work If a pnnclpalls not genuinely invested in shared decision-making."

Jordan said that a former principal at Powel 'used the Council in a partisan way that promoted disunity and factionalism among parents and teachers." He added , ''The situation now is much better - not because of stluctural changes, but because we have a principal who supportS the notion that we all have to work together."

New skills needed

views.

Without adequate training and professional

development for administrators, teachers and parents, many fed thal schools lack the capacity to engage in authentic decision-making processes.

"Jargon and language are obstacles for parents on School Councils," said Dolores Shaw, parent leader with the Eastern Philadelphia Organizing Project, Vice President of McClure Elementaty Home & School, and a School Council member.

"Staff members come with a lan!!Uaoe all their own, steeped in the profession=lis; of teaching. Parents need training in order to partiCIpate fully. And teachers need to be trained on how to share power. They think they want parents to be a part of School Councils, but after some discussions you get the impression as a parent that they just want you to say 'yes' and go home," Shaw said.

Cindy Engst, a teacher at Central East Middle School, said the District needs to be proactive about training teachers and administrators on how to engage in shared decisionmaking with parents.

"We're really lucky in my school," Engst said. "Parents play an equal role. We started out that way, so we don't have to unlearn any misconceptions of parents as mere rubber stamps.

But most schools have to change the way they see parents, and that takes a lot of effort, time, and training."

With no community representation on School Councils, many also argue that there is no mechanism to invol ve the community, to hold the community accountable for a school's

ollaboration

tween communities and teachers lbers volunII 'parent he teachers. ;ter and sit in s assist teach~hildren read 1m, help with 11, and in ssitonour out how we n. Parents are vniea Joyner, Olfieerla/so 'Sclwo/s)

)ublic ia isacityanization of )i-reso urce sters- West they will be cluster.

IOwork,we principals, mators, and ents and ts and teach.e centers and successful.

IOd where specifiC .er a more hat depends ipal."

Ident on comoll!:0 transform

lers and sIlls should be

better places where kids can learn. Teachers have been really helpful on campaigns we've organized.

"At Gratz High School, we are working to encourage more interactive and engaging instruction. We interviewed teachers about what they thought would improve instruction and professional development. We are now working on a plan to improve professional development in the school. Students ran a professional development workshop on interactive learning, on how to make learnino fun and engaging for students. Students e~couraged teachers to use the students' own life experiences to teach off of. The point is to treat students as people who have valuable experiences that can serve as a basis for leamin o. ':AtWest Philadelphia High School we are begmnmg to encourage dialogue between school POlice, NTA's, and students around incidents between students and staff." - Eric Braxton, Director

. "Co,ngreso de Latinos Unidos

IS a m~lticultural

social service agency. We are

based mthe schools and work directly with the

tea:~ers, so there's no isolation .

betwOne of the keys to bridging the divide on Si::~chers and the community is being see e SChools. Teachers and parents both son:apartoftheir family. We serve as the liaienting ~een a parent and a teacher. We run parhaVe t~::s tWice peJ month. We'd like to work with t~ Illvolved in those classes. We 'Teachers tr~chers to run afterschool programs. college Stud aCUVlty leaders and supervise "Congre;:~ Who tutor in the programs. between an a s VISIon IS a strong collaboration day. Teach fterschool program and the school schOOl pro::: need to be involved in the afterleers in order ~~ as both paid s~ and volun10rres D' '. tIllS to happen. - NIcholas ,

l VlSl011

Director

''The Institute for the Study of Civic Values is a nonprofit organization that helps citizens strengthen neighborhoods, expand opportunity, and hold govemment accountable to America's civic values. We are aiming our efforts, not at parents, but at leaders of community organizations. They represent lots of people in the neighborhood, exist over time, and have political clout.

"Our view is that a community group that has been working to reduce blight, crime, and increase recreation should be involved in schools as well. Many community groups haven't taken a serious look at schools in their area. ''We negotiate social contracts between community organizations and schools, deflning their mutual responsibility to improve education.

Often the community groups agree to recruit tutors and to SUppOlt afterschool activities, while the school agrees to convey to the community its progress on improving test scores. The first social contract of this kind exists between the Cooke Middle School in Logan and the community organizations in the surrounding neighborhood." - Ed Schwm1z, President

"ASPIRA is an education advocacy agency and delivers services. We focus on . helping the students graduate, move on to high school, and go to college so they can come back and work 0 11 the social and economic development of the community.

"We are one of the partners for GEAR UP in the Edison cluster and have staff at Stetson Middle School who work directly with the students and the teachers to ensure that students oet the services they need, like coUege trips. ~torillg, mentoring, career development .workshops, lifeskills. We had a high school frur where parents could look at the different progranls available to their children." - Iris Lozada, Pmgram Mal/agel'

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failure, or to use the community's resources to contribute to a school's success.

Gladys Ortiz, parent leader with the Alliance Organizing Project (AOP) and School Council member at McKinley Elementary School, said, "For schools to playa significan,t role in the community, the community needs to be playing a signi ficant role in the school. Businesses, churches, and social service groups have things to offer. Why can't they have a representative at the decision-making table?"

Role for organizing Local school decision-making bodies can be strengthened by parent and community organizing efforts that develop new leaders. Parents and community members need a broader acti ve constituency from which to gather ideas and to which they are accountable. ''We need support staff just like principals and teachers," said Cecilia James, parent leader and organizer with AOP, president of the Welsh Home & School, and member of the School Council.

"Community organizers are our staff.

Community organizing groups help get parents involved and help us develop ourselves as lead- . ers. The District can 't do that, because anyone from the District works for the District and is accountable first to the District. We know our staff work for us and are accountable to us fmt," James added.

But community organizing has not been embraced by the School District as a way to develop School Councils. School District policy does not address the role of community organizing groups. At the school level, such groups are sometimes welcomed as. resources, but more often rejected as outside troublemakers.

One idea that is under discussion is that local school decision-making and public engagement should be part of the performance index used to measure a school's performance.

Such a move would send a signal to administrators, teachers and parents that community in volvement is an integral part of any school's success. Now there are no monetary or performance incentives for local schools to do the capacity-building necessary to engage in authentic decision-making processes.

Reviewing the policy Lucinda Post, Parent Involvement Advisor with the Family Resource Network, was one of several District offlcials who acknowledged the need to re-examine the role of Councils and the level of District support.

"Parents must be given opportunities to par-

Many parents and teachers question whether it is worth investing time and energy into Councils because they lack clear powers.

ticipate in authentic and meaningful ways," Post said. "We are writing into the policy that the District, the cluster, and the schools have a responsibility to provide parents with training opportunities that wiUenable them to be truly informed about the decisions they are making."

School board member Sandra Dungee Glenn, chair of tile board's Public Engagement Conunittee, added that the new School District lmprovement Plan conunits the District to improving School Councils over the next four years.

"We're open to redefining what the School Council should look like." Glenn said. She said her conunittee would consult with parents, community members, principals, teachers, and other school staff to develop recommendauons on school councils to present to the School Board this school year.

The School Council Policy AdviSOry Committee, convened by Associate Superintendent Nilsa Gonzalez through the Office of Leadership and Learning, is also examining the role of Councils. The conunittee

Several District officials acknowledged the need to re-examine the role of Councils and the level of District support. is charged with implementing any Changes associated with the new teachers contract and satisfying the requirements of the desegregation court order that requires all schools to have councils by June 2002.

The conunittee, which begins meeting in December, will focus on professional development, make recommendations on best practices from other school districts, and celebrate successful councils here in Philadelphia. The committee includes union and Home & School Council representatives, but Gonzalez said it might expand to include other constituencies.

For information all School COLlllcils, contaCE Pat Knapper Smith in the District's Office of Leadership and Learning at 215-299-7840.

Duties of the School Council 1.

2.

3.

Review school plans and budgets.

4.

Develop discipline and other school wide policies affecting students and publicize these policies so that parents, students, teachers and support staff understand them.

Make informed recommendations to the school community in the areas of teaching and learning.

5.

Develop a plan to actively involve parents with their children and foster their understanding of the work of the school.

6.

Report regularly to the school community.

Provide the mechanism for members of the school family to make recommendations in regard to curriculum development.

WINTER 2000-01

PUBLIC SCHOOL NOTEBOOK

PAGE 12

Children can learn while working to revive our neighborhoods

• •

Community-building needed to solve school cnSlS

by Grace Lee Boggs Thirty years ago, I made a speech in Detroit warning that the youth rebellions breaking out all over the country were a challenge to begin grappling with fundamental questions about the purpose of educati on and how children learn.

Education cannot be only to increase the earning power of the individual or to supply workers for slots in the corporate machine.

Learning, I said, must be related to the daily lives of children and must engage the hand and heart as well as the head.

It is not something you can make children do with the perspective that years from now, they will be able to get a good job and make a lot of money. Some children may accept this regimen. But those who feel most acutely the contradiction between the hopelessness of their daily lives and the absu·actness of school "subjects" will create so much turmoil inside and outside the school that teachers can't teach and no one can learn.

Since 1969 our neighborhoods in cities like Detroit and Philadelphia have deteriorated far beyond anything that I could possibly have imagined.

It has become urgent that we rethink how children learn and the purpose of education.

We can no longer evade the reality that the average cuniculum disempowers children by stifling their natural tendencies to explore, construct and create. We can no longer ignore the pain that teachers are suffering because this dysfunctional system is robbing them of their skills and vocations as teachers, turning them into controllers, man-

agers and test-givers.

To achieve the miracle that is now needed to transform our schools into places of learning, we need to tap into the creative energies of our children and our teachers.

What we need to do now is to begin engaging our children in community-building activities Witll the sanle audacity with which the civil rights movement engaged them in desegregation activities thirty-five years ago. Classes of school children from K-12 should be taking responsibility for maintaining neighborhood streets, planting

community gardens, recycling waste, rehabbing houses, creating healthier school lunches, visiting and doing enands for the elderly, organizing neighborhood festivals, painting public murals. The possibiUties are endless.

This is the fastest way to motivate all our children to learn and at the same time reverse the physical deterioration of our neighborhoods. It is a wonderful way to nurture the desire of children to be of service and provide opportunities for children with different talents to make a difference and win the respect of their peers and elders.

Learning will come from practice, always the best way to learn.

We need a movement to challenge the concept of schools as mainly training centers for jobs in the corporate structure or for individual upward mobility and to replace it with the concept of schools as places where children learn firsthand the skills of democracy and the responsibilities of citizenship or self-government. This will require a profound change in our own thinking.

To help bring about this change, we need to revisit John Dewey, the American philosopher whose ideas on education were seriously studied prior to World War II but are now ignored.

Dewey wrote: "From the standpoint of the child, the great waste in the school comes from his inability to utilize the experience he gets outside the school in any complete and free way within the school itself; while on the other hand he is unable to apply in daily life what he is learning in school.

That is the isolation of the school - its isolation from life."

Some teachers and administrators are beginning to search for ways to reconnect our schools with our communities, not only for the sake of the children but also for their own self-respect as teachers.

In Brooklyn, NY, there is an innovative high school, the EI Puente Academy for Peace and Justice, where the students do better academically because their participation in community-building activities gets their cognitive engines racing.

In one elementary school in my neighborhood the community agent, a science teacher, and parents created the Kwanzaa Garden across the street from the school, as

An exciting new Philade lphia charter high school featuring architecture and design as its theme & mission

This is an exCe/pt of a March 23 speech, part of the Philadelphia School District's Voices in Dialogue Series. The complete text and other articles on "Freedom Schooling" are available on the Web at wWIv.boggscenre/:org.

Grace Lee Boggs is an activist, writel; and speaker whose sixty years of political involvement encompass the-major u.s. social movemellts of the cen/Uly. Her autobiography, Living for Change, is now in its second printillg,

~

Arc~itecture &

Design Charter High School

~ Founded by the Philadelphia Chapter "-

PARENTS • SCHOOLS • COMMUNITIES United for Kids

105 S. Seventh Street Philadelphia, PA 19106

Become a part of

American Institute of Architects as its Legacy Project 2000

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a way both to teach science and to grow food for the neighborhood. Every year more middle school and even elementary school youngsters wam to volunteer in Detroit Summer, a multicu ltural, intergenerational youth program movement to rebui Id, redefine and respirit Detroit.

A couple of weeks ago, I attended a meeting of educators and students at two middle schools, one suburban and one inner city, that have been working together to build cultural understanding and serve the community. I was thrilled when the project co-chair said to the group, "Up to now, we have been doing all this as an exu·acunicular activity. What we need now is to make this part of the curriculum."

That is the challenge. How can we meet it? Can teachers view the new serv ice learning requirement not as another bureaucratic burden but as an opportunity to work with children and parents to develop communitybuilding activities that are a normal and natural part of the cuniculum from K-12?

Corner of 7th & Sansom Streets

r

Applications are being accepted Small classes Innovative, energized faculty Safe, new facility in Center City Strong code of good behavior & design·professional uniforms Architecture, design & construction themes integrate curriculum Strong industry & business collaboration Externships & rnentoring integral to program High parent involvement Tuition-free , public school of choice & excellence

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For more information contact

The Project 10,000 Office The School District of Philadelphia 21st Street & T he Parkway, Room 505 Philadelphia, PA 19103 (215) 299-7307 or (215) 299-7461

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WINTER 2000-01

PAGE 13

PUB LIC SCHOOL NOTEBOOK

Service learning: bridging divide between teachers, community

by Debra E. Johnson A new component of the Philadelphia School Di strict's curriculum cal led "service learning" is helping teachers develop deeper ties to their srudents' communities.

Service learning, which in 2002 will be a formal requirement for aU students to be promoted from 4th, 8th, and 12th grade, is project-based training that combines academics with community service and develops partnerships with others to get the projects done. partners may be srudents from other schools, church leaders, businesspeople, professionals from higher education, civic leaders, or even the neighbors across the street.

Teachers have become more receptive to community members through service learnUlg projects, because they realize learning takes place in the community as well as in the classroom , said Mary Lou Fischer, who coordinates service learning projects in the South Philadelplua cluster.

Through service learning projects, teachers realize learnlng takes place in the community as well as in the classroom.

In order to fulfill the service learning requirement, srudents must first find a social Issue or problem that concerns them. Next, they have to create open-ended questions centered on that social issue or problem.

This is followed by the creation of an action plan that helps them research and solve or at least address the issue. Simultaneously, the srudents mllst create a portfolio that documents their discoveries and their research, and reflects how they felt about the project during its different stages. At the end of each project there is an exhibition or presentation to showcase the students' work.

Service learning helps schools find out more about a community's assets. Lasting partnerships and friendships may develop.

Proponents of service learning say teachers become more involved with the community through these projects because they begin to search out the needs and assets of the community.

Jan Steinberg, director of the YouthDriven Service Learning Center based at Gratz High School, noted that to help their srudents be successful , teachers must fmd out what instirutions are in the immediate area: businesses, churches, synagogues, civic organizations, libraries, apartment complexes, and politicians. Once the teacher and students know what network of people are out there, they can earnestly begin to build partnerships.

Steinberg cited The Tot Lot Project completed by srudents at Gratz High School as a service learning project that linked teachers,

srudents, and community partners. The lot was fixed up for neighborhood preschoolers to enjoy. Other service learning projects have addressed environmental issues such as maintaining clean drinking water.

Community members also get acquainted with teachers and leartl what the school members have to offer to them through service leartting projects.

For instance, a project at the Bregy Elementary School brought students and senior citizens together. Fourth grade students taught the seniors how to use computers. The seniors helped the students inlprove their reading skills. Then they combined their efforts and created storybooks from the computer. The srudents gathered with the seniors, teachers, and parems to narrate their stories and share their experiences about the

storybook project.

Fischer noted that friendships and partnerships are often maintained long after the projects have been completed.

Srudents, teachers, and partners often find that despite differences in age, gender, race, or culrure, they can work together, be successful , and make a difference in their communities.

Ayesha Imani, SmaU Learning Community Coordinator at William Penn High School, summed up the power behind service learning when she said, "It's a wi11win situation for everybody."

For nwre information 011 service learn· ing, contact the Post-Secondary Readilless Coordinator (PSRC) in your cluster office (listed 011 p. 2).

:'Learning while creating a community center ive lools

100\

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• Parents, teachers, and students in a Chicago school embark on a class project that will change their neighborhood.

by Sukey Blanc Residents of the Logan Square neighborhood in Chicago have wanted a place in their community that offers educational programs for adults as well as children.

Now teachers, students, and parents at the Ames Middle School in Chicaoo are Working together with the Logan Square NeIghborhood Association (LSNA) on an mnovati ve curriculum project aimed at opening a new "Conununity Learni ng Center" for the neighborhood.

Ames Principal Amanda Rjvera says it is eSsential for schools to develop relationships wIth the community and work as partners With other organizations so schools can become true centers for community learning.

The heart of tltis project at Ames is for the School to learn more about neighbors' needs.

In COming months, five Spanish-speaking mothers will join with srudents and a bilin:~:eam of teachers to learn about designing needsYS , to wnte questions for a community assessment, to conduct a door-to-door

survey of the area around the school, and to analyze the results of the survey.

The twin goals of the survey are to develop a plan for a new Community Learning Center for adults and children and to create a leanting experience that helps ntiddle school students see the connections between their Lives outside of school and traditional subject areas like language arts, math, science, and social studies.

According to Conchita Perez, the mother of an Ames student, "This is a nelV expenence for students, going out into the neighborhood. This will give them a chance to reach out to others."

An established neighborhood organization , LSNA has worked closely with neighborhood schools since it began recruiting and training candidates for Local School Councils in 1989. Another of LSNA's proorams since 1995 has been a parent ment,)r ~rogram, which provides leadership tratning to parents, many of them Spanish-speaking mothers, and then places them III classrooms to 1V0rk with individuals or smaU groups of students to enhance academic achievement.

After Qfaduating from the parent mentor program, ~ team of parent acti vists at the Funston Elementary School developed the first Community Leaming Center 111 the community after going door to door throughout tlle school attendance area, surveymg

500 families about what programs they wanted in the center, and lobbying educational institutions for the needed programs.

That Community Learning Center now

Mothers willjoin with students and a bilingual team of teachers to design and conduct a door-to-door survey. enrolls 350 adults per semester in GED, ESL, and other classes. It is run and govemed jointly by parents, school admittistrators, and LSNA. Since then parents have opened centers at three other elementary schools in l~e Logan Square neighborhood and are mnning them. Nearly 1,000 people participate in tllese centers every week.

Ames is the first school in Logan Square where teachers - many of whom grew up in or live in the commUitity - and students are 1V0rking alongside parents in developing a community center.

The Ames school itself opened in 1998 as a result of a community campaign for a new middle school to relieve severe overcrowding in the neighborhood.

This project, funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, is generating a high level of enthusiasm among everyone invol ved.

According to Rosa Arzu, a bilingual spe cial education teacher on the team tl1at is developing the curriculum, "This is taking the kids out into their community and actuaUy learning while doing. I hope that we Sc<.' that they're seeing the math , the science, and the social srudies, and the connection between the subjects."

According to Mario Caballero, the team s science teacher, "The students are beginni ng to understand more about what's going on.

In talking with the parents. evelybody seems to be very. very interested in what is going

to come out of tltis."

For more informa tioll on the project, cal!

Ames Prillcipal Amanda Rivera or Community Outreach Coordillator Ma rcelo Ferrer at (773) 534-4970.

Sukey Blanc is a research associate at Research fo r Action, a Philadelphia-based organizatioll, which is documenting the work of the Logan Square Neighborhood Associatioll ill Chicago.

1: PAGE 14

WINTER 2000-01

PUBLIC SCHOOL NOTEBOOK

Working for a stronger unio'n between teachers an~d parents

by Ron Whirehornc and Kelley Collings This spring the Alliance Organizing Project (AOP), the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PH), and Jobs with Justice (JWJ) started working to deepen the partnership bet ween the teachers' union and the larger community. Their goal was to hamess the potential power of a united front of teachers and parents in working for education reform both at tile local school level and citywide.

This collaboration grew out of an AOP campaign aimed at solving the growing problem of teacher vacancies. The vacancy issue pushed AOP, a citywide parent organizing group. to examine the teachers' contract.

AOP developed a survey to identify specific concems related !O the contract and met with District and union officials to introduce the idea that parents and their views need to - be included in the negotiations. The PH Community Outreach Committee and AOP then developed a plan to host teacher-parent dialogues at schools across the District. The PIT leadership supported this plan and also agreed to discussions with AOP. Teacher-parent dialogues took place at ,even schools in the spring - a first step in the ef1o[[ to further joint action between these pivotal constituencies for school refonn.

The dialogues identified issues at each school where teachers and community membe;". could develop joint work, such as a sa(.,ty campaign for a crossing guard, expanded afterschool programs, support for reading initiatives, mural painting, and a libiary improvement campaign.

The dialogues, like the surveys, found ag,eement on district-wide issues such as the

need for smaller classes, higher teacher salaries, and more collaboration between parents, teachers, and administration to solve problems.

Another result of the teaCher-parent dialogues was a new level of cooperation between the PIT and AOP. An action that bu ilt on this unity was a parent and community ralJy outside the June 8 PH strike authorization meeting. The demonstration, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Campaign for Public Education and organized by AOP, called for Philadelphia Federation of Teachers Director of Staff Jerry Jordan speaks at June 8 parent-community rally. higher teacher salaries and lower class size - expressing commun ity members to explore the role of nity organizations to call for a negotiated community support for two key PH teachers' unions in addressing the many settlement. demands. social justice issues facing public education.

Now that contract terms have been negoDuring the prolonged contract negotiaIn addition, the PIT Community tiated, teachers and parents will shift their tions, AOP and the PFT Community Outreach Outreach Comm ittee, AOP, and Jobs with focus to the long-term crisis confronting Committee worked with the PH leadership to Justice are co-sponsoring a workshop at the Philadelphia public schools. The District's keep the lines of communication open PFT Health and Welfare Conference on funding shortfall has left Philadelphia witil between the PIT and the broader community.

February 24 to explore ways that teachers lower salaries and far bigger class sizes than With assistance from AOP, the PIT hosted and parents can collaborate on issues facing most surrounding suburban schools, resulting two community briefings at which over a Philadelphia schools. in continued shortages of qualified staff. dozen community organizations heard reports For more infOlmation, contact AOP at United action by teachers and parents on a from the PH leadership.

(215) 625-9916 orthe PIT Health and much larger scale is critical to overcoming Organizers hope to continue this type of Welfare Fund at 215-561-2722. this crisis. communication between the PH and the Two modest steps are planned to bring community.

Ron Whilehome is Co-Chair ojrhe PIT teachers and parents.

A discussion together After Mayor Street unilaterally imposed Community Outreach Commirree. Kelley series on "social justice unionism" this wincontract tenns on the PH, AOP organized a Collings is Executive Director oj AO? ter will bring together teachers, parents and demonstration bringing together 13 commu-

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Parents and the PFT: overcoming a troubled history

by Ron Whitehome Survey after survey shows that parents and teachers want the same things for students. But in cities like Philadelphia. most ...2!!J.dents ar~ng a second-class educatiQIL_ because we lack the political clout to win equ itable resources for our schools.

Teachers an(, parents standing together , 'ou ld go a long way toward, proyiding that clout. But it hasn't happened. A I()ok at local hi-tOlY and the interplay of race and class issues helps explain why.

The coming of the union Before 1965. teachers were paid low smaries, taught classes of forty students or rr.ore, did hall and lunch duty, had no preparatory time. ai d had little say "l'out what and how Irlt:)' taught.

Te,'chers were at the me-cy of principals, ,,'Ie held nearly absolute power.

This changed when teachers voted to "ldKe the Philadelphia Federation of .cachers (PIT) their bargaining agent.

Eetween 1965 and 1981. the PH used hard,,0sed bargaining to hammer out a new rramework that provided teachers with " i!,ortant rights and a new degree of re' pect. During this period: • class size was lI1crementally lowered to ~n in the primary grades and 33 in higher orades ' '" • pr~p time was establ ished, and teachers were relieved of non-teaching duties: • salaries and benefits were dramaticalJy inlfeased, with credit for advanced degrees; • a grievance procedure and a transfer policy based on seniority reduced the power of administrators to punish school employees arbitrarily.

None of this was achieved easi ly. During this period the PH went on strike five times. The school ~o.ar~ and city res~rt:d

injunctions, jailing of union members, and demonizing the union as an obstacle to education reform - creating an enduring adversarial relationship with the union, while generating strong solidarilY in.J~.fr ....!.a_nks.

Tensions with the Black community During this period, the PIT's relations with parents and the African American community were strai ned. The union was supportive of the Southern freedom struggle in the 19605, winning the good will of leaders like Martin Luther King, who spoke out for the PH during its campaign to win recognition .

However, tensions developed when the old civi l rights coalition was supplanted by the Black Power movement, with its I focus on gaining control of institutions in the Black community. The reform administration of Superintendent Mark Shedd tried to respond positively to concerns rai!:ed by the Black movement in the city, and the PH was often at odds with Shedd.

In 1967, Police Commissioner Frank Rizzo ordered the police to attack Black students who were demonstrating at the Board of Education for the right to wear African clothing. Rizzo emerged as a symbol of wh ite racism and polarized the city wi th his outspoken defense of police brutal ity. The PH, along with most other unions, supported Rizzo when he ran for mayor, a move that further alienated many African

I COMMENTARY

:0.

Americans.

Hostility toward the union was fed by lengthy strikes, which seriously disrupted the education of Philadelphia school ch ildren. While the union sought to present its case to the public, it faiJed to reach out systematically to build alliances with parents and community forces.

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Since 1981. while bargaining has continued to be contentious. not a single day of school has been missed because of a strike.

This development reflects a shift within the union _\Q a leadership committed to a more moderate course. It also reflects the union 's understanding that with new threats like vouchers and privatization, new tactics were needed.

that Hornbeck stood lip for what the PFT said it needed - the money necessary to implement real reform. But lack of mass suppott for Hornbeck's refusal to make budget cuts and for his indictment of the state's unfair school funding system led not on ly to his ouster but also to the state's passage of Act 46. That law permitted a major attack on the PH in this year's contract negotiations.

Initiatives by the union Teachers' unions nationally have become more conscious of the need to connect with parents. Locally, the union has outlined its own approach to education reform - emphasizing lower class size, more resources for instruction, and improved discipline.

The union leadership has taken steps to connect with cOlIUllUnity and parent forces, establishing a community outreach committee, joining in more coalitions, and spon-

Factors of race and class There is a more fundamental reason why the union and the community frequently cOlllinue to be at odds. Philadelphia, like other urban school systems, has a predominantl y white, middle class teaching force serving an increasingly poor and working class com munity with a majority of students of color. Teachers are not irrullune to stereotypes of class and race that lead us to expect less from some students than others.

These same attitudes play out in relation to parents, who too often are not taken seriously as partners in the education of their chi ldren. It is this day-to-day reality that most shapes the relationships between teachers and parents.

The union could encourage joint teachercommunity action around common needs the best context for dealing with our differing perceptions. They cou ld also work with the administration to encourage an honest look at the dynamics of class and race oppression and how they impact on educators.

These are not easy tasks. But until they are taken up, it is unlikely that teachers and parents wi l! capture the common ground that so clearly lies before us.

sori ng dialogues

Teachers are not immune to stereotypes that lead us to expect less from some students than others.

between teachers and parents.

While the combination of labor peace and thl.! shift in the union 's approach have had S(Jme positive impact, relationships with the community remain troubled. The Chil dren Achieving initiative of Superintendent David Hornbeck won subst,.ntial community support, particularly in ;.' eas where frustration with racial! y isolated, poorly performing schools ran high. Yet JJe PFT was hosti Ie to much of Hombeck's program, and relations became polarized.

The union's inability to fInd common ground with Hornbeck and the reform forces he represented was a major setback. While the union had good reasons for opposing some of Hornbeck's policies, the irony is

-

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PUBLIC SCHOOL NOTEBOOK

PAGE 15

Uniting with the community to address school quality

Teacher unions can create a sense of hope

by Mic!Ulel Charney

them. When states add promotion sanctions to these laws, the results wilt sharply refl ect the class and race inequities within society. This provides an opportunity for a teachers union to mobilize its memberShip and the community to demand what works to achieve early literacy: a high-quality teacher working in a small class of fifteen students with organized community support and parent involvement. Such a focus on the strategy of guaranteeing equity of results in early literacy can position teacher unions as the leader of hope for children and communities.

Educators know what it will take to overcome such inequity and to improve the opportnniTeacher unions are perhaps the only instities for the children we teach. tutional force that has the capacity to sucWe just have to develop the cessfully pusr the broad social agenda necpolitical wilt to do it.

Teacher unions have the people, the resources, and the power needed to take on the fundamental essary to overcome these fundamental problems facing public schools.

What might this mean in problems. Teacher unions are uniquely posipractice? Here are three possitioned: we are one of the largest interracial bilities. those schools and insist upon research-based the true stories of our schools. organizations in urban areas, we are conIn many cities, superintendents or state programs that will help improve student Hope is essential not just for our students nected to important constituencies of parents officials are "reconstituting" failing schools. and our communities, but for all of us who achievement. We should motivate our memand the labor movement, and we have flllanRather than merely labeling reconstitution as teach. If the kids we work so hard to teach bers to implement such programs, even if it cial resources and the legal power of collecan attack on teachers' rights, unions might means changing our teaching methods. do not succeed, we are going to hate our tive bargaining. want to take the lead on redesigning lowAnd we should demand the resources so jobs. Most of us went into teaching because Moreover, unions can take advantage of performing schools. We need to shape prothat children can succeed. we want to see kids learn. Our job satisfacthe growing rhetorical commitment to high grams that will make sure members are A second, related issue: staffing at tion is pretty low when that doesn't happen. standards and new state laws enforcing treated fairly. But we also need to go into schools where students are having the most Teachers have a common interest with pardifficulty. Teacher unions shouldn't just ents to ensure that the conditions for our stublindly support traditional seniority prodents will allow them to succeed. grams. Instead, we should take the lead in There is some legitimacy to the clissatis" attracting the most motivated, most focused, faction with urban public education. We and most coherent group of teachers to the have to demand the resources and changes schools where kids are having the most in society to make schools work But we A Program of also have to hold a mirror up to ourselves The School District of Philadelphia and say, "What can we do differently?"

Some argue that this approach will decrease the union's ability to protect its members. But that view is based on a narEvery year, more students come to our row view of protection. high schools and talk about being The union will succeed only if our students succeed. The community needs to hear that message and see it put into practice.

If teacher unions want to defeat the organized attack on public education, we must take an active role III ensurlllg that schools successfully teach all children , especIally poor children in urba;: areas. " We can't Just say Vouchers are wrong.

Until we have schools all parents want to send their kids to, we are goin ~ to have the threat of vouchers. Uruons can t only flex our labor/political muscle. We must take on the fundamental problems of our schools.

munity rally.

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ofrhe PIT ,. Kelley 'AOP

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ALLY SAFE SCHOOLS NETWORK

.the PFT essary to of mass ) make budfthe state's I not only to )assage of jor attack on ~gotiations .

reason why :quently ,ltia, like a predomimg force :l increasingld working tmunity with I of students reachers are me to stereo'lass and lead us to ;s from lents than sameatti-

, ~~:;~:~altion of their lity that ~veen teachlint teacher-

on needsour differing rk with the onest look at ppression rs. until they :achers and 1 ground that

Teachers have a common interest with parents: to ensure that condUionsforstudents allow them to succeed.

GAY â&#x20AC;˘ LESBIAN 81SEXUAL â&#x20AC;˘ TIANSGENDEIED

Reprinted from the book Transfornting Teacher Unions (Milwaukee: Rethinking Schools, 1999). This 142-page anthology is

HOW IS THE STAFF SUPPOSED TO

H~~ If~O'Vf H~~ Hf"

CONFLICTS?

TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF

OUR STUDENTS ARE SAFE AND RESPECTED IN SCHOOL?

The ALLY SAFE SCHOOLS NETWORK is the School District of Philadelphia's program to help high school staff answer these questions.

For more information, call: Danny Horn. 215-563-0652 Marcy Boroff. 215-351-7643 or your cluster's Equity Coordinator!

I

The A'I S f Off f Standards EqUity and S y a e Schaols N etwork is sponsored by the Ice 0 tudent Services ond the Family Resource Network

difficulties. Contractual procedures and financial incenti ves can be set up to get such people into the schools - and not wait untiJ the administration, or some politician, decides to "get tough" and lower the boom on low-performing schools. At the same time, unions should steer to other schools those teachers who are not willing to make the extra effort necessary to work in lowperforming schools.

A dlird issue: bad teachers. Again, the union can't afford to stick with past practice and uncritically defend poor teachers. We have a responsibility to protect the rights of all teachers, even lousy teachers. Bu~ if necessary, we have to say to our members: "If you are not going to provide your students the same quality instruction you'd expect for your own child, then maybe it's time to rethink whether you really want to continue teaching."

Above all, the unions have to recreate a sense of hope in our urban schools. And the best way we can do this is to take the lead in ensuring teacher quality. We need to spotlight examples of effecti ve teaching. We need to build networks so all teachers are involved in peer review and support. We need to take collective responsibility at the building level for student acltievement - not just test scores, but also what happens day in and day out in the classroom next to you. Teachers know, sometimes better than parenl~ or politicians,

available for $12 (shipping ineluded) from Public School Notebook, 3721 Midvale Ave., Phila. PA 19129.

Michael Chamey has been a member of the Executive Board of the Cleveland Teachers Union (CTU)for over a decade as the middle school representative, and is a co-editor of Transforming Teacher Unions.

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PAGE 16

WINTER 2000-01

PUBLIC SCHOOL NOTEBOOK

District challenge: hiring a diverse teacher workforce

by Rachel Mausner Urban school districts across the country are playing catch-up as they try to recruit teachers reflective of an increasingly multiracial and multi-etlmic srudent body - and Philadelphia is no exception.

In Philadelphia, 83 percent of public school children come from families of color, but African American, Latino and Asian teachers together make up only 38 percent of the teacher workforce.

Across the country, the percentage of African American teachers - particularly males - has decreased in recent years, and the increase in the number of Latino teachers has not kept pace with the dramatic rise in numbers of Latino school children.

Several reasons have been suggested for these trends. Low salary scales in teaching fail to attract many qualified candidates. At the same time, public schools have failed to produce an adequate pool of teacher candidates. Rates of high school graduation and admission to teacher training programs are lower for srudents of color and languageminority srudents.

For city schools, building a diverse teacher workforce that is responsive to srudents' culrural backgrounds is a complex job with many strands: finding more qualified teachers of color and bilingual teachers; placing bilingual teachers in positions where their skills are needed; retaining those teachers; and helping all teachers gain respect and appreciation for the communities in which they are working.

In Philadelphia, this effort is parceled out among several District offices, and also involves cluster leaders, individual schools, and communi ty groups.

According to Maryan n Greenfield, Director of Recruitment and Examination, the District has a major initiative to increase teacher diversity. New African American teachers are sought through recruitment at historically black colleges. at conferences for African American educators, and through the apprentice teacher program, which advertises in local papers.

Other District officials explained that the impetus fo r hiring bi lingual staff has come from community advocacy. A 1973 lawsuit brought by ASPIRA resulted in continuation

Nationally. the percentage of African American teachers has decreased in recent years.

The decline is sharpest among African American males.

teachers, some educators and community advocates feel that there is still a fai lure to address issues of class and culrure. Debbie Wei, a curriculum specialist with the School District, argues that the issues are "not just about who is hired, but about how things happen in culturally limiting ways."

As an Asian American working for the District, Wei says that she has often felt "a sense of isolation, of not being welcomed made invisible." For Wei, the key question is: "How do we create schools where people of color feel welcome, both for teachers and students?" She observes that only by thoroughJy addressing this issue would the District be able to create an environment that can meet the needs of students and teachers from diverse backgrounds.

Within the District's central administration, much of the responsibility for addressing these issues rests with the Office of Leadership and Learning, which coorrlinates orientation and support for new teachers.

Nancy Santiago of the Office of Leadership and Learning maintains that the District has a strong commitment to see that teachers respect and appreciate the diversity of culrures represented in their classrooms.

Santiago says that the School District's program of new teacher induction aims to help teachers understand the needs and strengths of children from different racial, cultural and language groups, so that they can use cultural differences constructively in the classroom.

bilingual teachers to inlprove retention rates. of the fledgling Spanish bilingual program, Latinos are repre ented at many levels of and a suit initiated in the early 1980s yielded District administration and receive organized the Asian languages bilingual program . support from a Latino leadership group, the Currently the District has two Spanish Philadelphia Association of Hispanic School bilingual recruiters and one Asian bilingual recruiter who seek out candidates nationally Administrators. The District provides bilingual facilitators in the Olney, Edison, and and locally through bilingual education conKensington Clusters, an Asian Support teacher ferences, recruitment workshops, and advertisement in community newspapers. A bilinworking through the Office of Leadership and gual apprentice program steers prospective Learning, and rutoring through the Office of teachers into bilingual positions in the Language Equity Issues.

Even with these efforts to increase racial District.

In addition, the District is working on and language diversity among the District's "grow your own" programs to nurrure new bilingual teachers. The Bilingual Career Ladder within the Office of Language Equity Issues covers tuition costs for over 50 bilin% of teachers Teacher % femalelmale Racial breakdown % of students gual School District paraprofessionals who 82 % / 18% African American 65 % 35 % are earning degrees in education at Commu70% /30% 62 % White 17% nity COllege of Philadelphi a and Temple Hispanic 13% 2% 78% /22% Uni versity.

1% 74% / 26% As ian 5% Greenfield said that her office is also NA Other <1 % <1% working on encouraging bilingual high school srudents to prepare for careers in Teacher data are as of March 1999. Source: School District of Philadelphia teachi ng. One plan "in a very embryonic stage" is for the development of an education-focused high school "Small Learning Community" in the Furness Cluster, where there is an active bilingual Chinese program.

Unfortunately, the hiring of a bilingual teacher doesn't guarantee that the teacher Will actually be placed in a bilingual teaching position. Because of a shortage of designated bilingual positions and the complexities of the hiring and placement process, placement I has been a consistent problem for Asian bilingual teachers.

by Rachel Mausner Placement is less problematic for Spanish classroom, Wi lliams aims to instill in teachers bilingual teachers, since there are currently Decades ago, when Barbara Moore a positive. "proactive" attitude toward cultur13 designated Spanish bilingual schools and Williams was growing up in Philadelphia, al diversity.

II others with bilingual programs. almost all of her teachers were from her comThe program, which includes a sununei The District has developed supports for munity - African Americans who lived in orientation, fo llow-up sessions, and mentorthe neighborhood and shared much of her ing, highlights themes of cultural awareness. culrural background.

Williams says the orientation process helps That situation is not common for urban teachers to work collaborati vely with parents schoolchildren today, and Williams says it is using techniques such as role-playing of parvitally impOlt ant for teachers to leam about ent-teacher conferences and phone conversa"the goals, hopes and dreams of the chi ldren tions. She points out that the teachers often they teach." need help in overcomi ng prejudgments about As Director of the Teaching and Leaming parents' willi ngness to become involved.

Network for the School District, responsible During her five years in charge of the orifor new teacher orientation throughout the entation program, Williams ~ays she has resistcity, Williams is in a position to influence ed pressures from other administrators who how teachers view their students and the would concentrate on classroom management communities from which they come. skills rather than multicultural awareness.

Many teachers enter their jobs with little The biggest determinant of the impact of experience of the kinds of communities these efforts is "the leaderShip in the indi vidwhere they will be teaching. WiUiams points ual school," Williams says. "In schools where out that many new teachers enter with a kind there is respect shown for children and the of "cultural blindness," an idea that they need community, teachers take that on." If the preto ignore children's backgrounds and treat all dominant attirude is pity or lack of respect, children alike. that influences new teachers, she adds.

To address this issue, Williams's orientaAssistance from community groups can tion program starts with teachers takino a make a big difference, too. Williarns cited as look at their own backgrounds and alti~ldes an example the involvement of Latino organias well as those of their students. By helping zations such as ASPIRA and Congreso de teachers to acknowledge differences and look Latinos Unidos in the Kensington and Edison at the strengths that each child brulgs to the clusters.

School District of Philadelphia

Office of Language Equity Issues

ESOL & BILINGUAL PROGRAMS 21 st and the Parkway¡ Room 302 Philadelphia, PA 19103 (215) 299-7791 â&#x20AC;˘ Fax: 299-7792

Philadelphia's student-teacher population

I I Addressing 'cultural blindness'

Director outlines vision for new teacher orientation

---

\NINTEI

A bil a dedica services BillS Manon .

MilJer,A Brown, I vides a tl the value Prop'

, 2000-01

WINTER 2000-01

PUBLIC SCHOOL NOTEBOOK

~

Activism nmunity failure to 路e. Debbie the School ~ "not just t things ~s."

19 for the ten felt "a lelcomed~

y question

r::~:r~:~ y by thorlid the ronment that nd teachers

Mound the city A fund for children A bill before City Council would provide a dedicated source of funds for improving services to children.

Bill 543, sponsored by Councilwoman Marion Tasca and co-signed by Donna Reed Miller, Angel Ortiz, and Blondell ReynoldsBrown, leqU~S that whenever the city provides a taX break or benefit to a business, 1% of the value of that benefit will go to a youth fund .

Proposed irLitially by the advocacy group,

dministrafor addressffice of coordinates teachers : of Lins that the lt to see that he diversity 'lassrooms. ,I District's on rums to eds and rent racial, J that they structively

Pphi ladelPhi a Citizens for Children and Youth ( CCY), the fund will support after-school care, summer and youth programs, child care, and mentoring and tutoring proorams The proposal would generate an esti;ated $3 rruiJ.lon annually to support activities for chilrlien and therr famil ies.

As she introduced [he bill at hearings on November 13, CounCIlwoman Tasco noted ~~e I.ack of adequate activities for youth.

Children are actuall y part of Philadelphia's econonllCdevelopment," Tasco said. She added that services for young people support efforts to unprove the CIty'Seconomy.

Speaking for Bill 543 at the hearino Margaret Brodkin from San Francisco'" explained how her city has had success in rrnplementing a simi lar progranl. Begun in 1985 In the face of heavy opposition, the progranl now has the unqualified support of

PAGE 17

all major civ ic leaders and has "transformed children's services," Brodkin said. . Shelly Yanoff, executive director ofPCCY noted that these kinds of funds are beino set ' up throughout the country and stressed ct,e need for funding streanlSfor increased support for Philadelphia's young people.

A city fund for youth services is also under consideration as part of the city's proposed stadium deal.

For information on efforts to support a city fu nd for youth , contact PCCY at 215-563-5848.

- Barbara A. Bloom

Multicultural books celebrated To celebrate National Children's Book Week and continue its efforts in Philadelphia

to highlight the increased availability of high-quality, multicultural children's literature, The Mu lticu ltural Resource Center sponsored a multicultural book fair and book signing on November 18 at the Central Branch of The Free Library.

Award-winning authors and illustrators shared their experiences and expertise about how to research, write, or illustrate children's fiction, historical fiction , or nonfIction books. Authors and illustrators at the event included E.B. Lewis, Doreen Rappaport, Charlotte and David Yue, Muriel Feelings, Dr. Yo-yo, and five members of the celebrated Pinkney fanlliy of authors and illusu-awrs of children 's books: Jerry, Gloria, Brian, Myles, and Sandra Pinkney.

To contact the Multicultural Resource Center, call 215-438-0526.

Debra E. Johnson

Schools work better when we work together

I tion nale/male

3% 0% 2% 6%

NA

I

tion till in teachers :oward cultur~as ummer

and mentor-

at awareness. 'ocess helps with parents laying of parJne conversachers often Igments about 路nvolved. ge of the orishe has resisttratorswho I management wareness. :he impact of n the indi vidschools where ren and the )11. " If the prec of respect, leadds. 'groups can

lianls cited as Latino organiongreso de on and Edison

Teachers, counselors, paraprofessionals and other dedicated school employees share a common goal with parents. We all want to help children learn and be successfuL That's why the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers encourages parents to be part of their children's education team, Children try harder when parents take an interest in their schoolwork. Children appreciate praise when they do well and need encouragement when they make a mistake, Children want the adults in their lives to reward their efforts , not just their successes.

To build an effective education team for all children, the Federation encourages parents to communicate regularly with the staff in their children's schools. Parents show children that education is important when they attend parent-teacher conferences, check homework assignments, find out how their child~en are doing and ask teachers to suggest learning activities that parents can do at home to help their children do even better ill schooL Federation members value parents ' involvement becaus~ we know tha~ home is a child's first schooL When the school team and the home team work together, we can help chIldren succeed ill school and beyond.

The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers Ted Kirsch, president

215/587-6750

www.pft.org

"'1'

PAGE

cling program at Washington , call Paul Hampel at 215-961-2001 ore-mail h.im at phampei@phila.kI2.pa.us.

NeVIls

. In Brief

Cooke M.S. is in the news Recent improvements at Jay Cooke Middle School in Logan caught the attention of the national education newspaper Education Week, which featured Cooke in an October 4 issue looking at exemplary middle schools.

"A 3-year-old effort to revive Cooke Middle School through a more rigorous curriculum and student-centered teaching has enabled many here to flourish," Education Week writer Kathleen Kennedy Manzo reports. ''Teachers no longer work in isolation, and their conversations are now more likely to concentrate on pedagogy and course content than on their frustrations with administrators or students. Children appear more interested in school, evidenced, educators say, in higher attendance, fewer discipline problems, and significant gains on state and other standardized tests."

Cooke had been one of the troubled schools signaled out by the District to take part in its "school support process" starting in 1997, because of its lack of improvement in test scores and other indicators. Schools in the support process were expected to put

WINTER 2000-01

PUBLIC SCHOOL NOTEBOOK

18~"

together and then implement a comprehensive school improvement plan.

Education Week cites several factors in Cooke's progress, including an experienced and assertive principal, ex tensive professional development, and support from outside partners, including staffers from the Johns Hopkins University's Talent Development middle school program.

Articles/rom back issues of the weekly newspaper Education Week are available on the World Wide Web. Go to wlvw.edweek.orgledsearch.cfm

Recycling for new computers George Washington High School has corne up with a unique way to obtain free computer technology for their school - collecting and recycling empty laser and inkjet printer cartr.idges.

Carttidges collected from both homes and businesses earn the school points through a national recycling program called Educational Technology and Conservation Ex.cbange Program (ETCEP). The points can be exchanged for thousands of different classroom technology products.

"Our first year goal is to collect 4,000 empty cartridges from our community," said Ptincipal Sam Karlin. "This would generate enough points to place six complete computer systems in our classrooms."

Karlin noted that over 243 million printer cartridges are thrown away each year.

Cartridge drop-off sites have been set up in the school's main office.

To learn more about the cartridge recy-

Thinking about what you want to do for the summer ...

Can yo u play tennis?

Do you wa nt to make a d iffe rence in a chi ld's life?

Bilingual programs to be expanded The School District has received a federal grant of over $3 million to expand its bilingual programs over the next five years.

The District's Office of Language Equity Issues (OLE!) oversees these programs.

A focus of the expansion will be new "dual language programs" for students in Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Russian.

At least 10 elementary schools in the Edison, Olney, Kensington, South Philadelphia, and CHAIN clusters will be involved.

The grant will also help to expand the District's bilingual career ladders program to involve parents and high school students, in addition to paraprofessionals. The goal of the program is to develop more bilingual educators who can work in the District.

"Philadelphia is now recogn ized on the national level as having exempl3!Y bilingual and ESOL programs," noted Mary !.

Ramirez, director of OLE!.

Fo r more informalion, call OLEI at 215-299-7791.

Many schools have lead in water With the citywide testing for lead in School District drinking water almost complete, about one out of every fi ve of the District's 14,000 water outlets tested was found to have unsafe lead levels.

Almost 600 drinking faucets and water coolers were shut off because District tests fo und high levels oflead in the water. Many other outlets that had high lead levels were not water fountains.

Dr. Walter Tsou , city health commissioner, criticized the District this fall for being slow to comply with its commitment to test drinking water.

The District has an agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency and the city's Health Department that it will have a plan by July explaining how it will fIX the problem outlets at 50 of its buildings. The District has been flushing systems daily but must find permanent remedies for sources that have more than the legally allowed levels of lead.

Meanwhile, besides shutting down contaminated fountains, the District is preparing educational materials for staff, students, and parents, and posting ''Do not drink from this sink" signs in bathrooms. The District has said

Philade lphia Yo uth Te nn is is looking for coac hes for their summer Nationa l Junior Tennis League program.

• Sadness • Frequent crying • Feeling worthless • Can't concenuate • Doesn't care about life If your child is 7 to 17 years old and experiencing the signs of depression consider enrolling your

child in the Pediatric and Adolescent Antidepressant Research Study.

Participation is available at no cost to those who qualifY. To find out if your child is eligible, please call Angela Rohrbaugh at 215-590-7574.

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.it wi Lrprovi&·bottied water in any school where the hurober of usable outlets has dropped below the number required by code.

Lead poisoning is a serious health risk for city children, who may already take in dangerous quantities of lead from lead-containing paint dust, contaminated soi l, or drinking waler.

Even low levels of lead in a cllild's body can result in reduced !.Q., learning disabilities, behavioral problems, and loss of hearing.

Lead leaches into drinking water from the pipes and solder used in older plumbing.

Information about lead in the water is posted all the School District's web site at lVlVlV.phila.kJ2.pa. us. For more in/ormation, contact the city's Child Lead Poisoning Prevention Program at 215-685-2797.

Funds proposed for school repair With federal proposals for spending on school construction and maintenance still stalled in Congress, State Senator Vincent Hughes of Philadelphia is promoting a major construction and repair initiative for Pennsylvania.

If approved, the Pennsylvania State-ofthe-Art Schools Program (pennSTAR) wou ld provide $2.4 billlon to support school renovation by iss'uing municipal bonds. All school districts in the state would be eligible for interest subsidies to reduce construction project costs. Financially struggling districts like Philadelphia could qualify f0t;direct grants to fund the total cost of construction projects.

"In a time of unprecedented prosperity in Pennsylvania, the condition of some of our public schools is nothing less than a shame," Senator Hughes commented.

Hughes cited the problems with lead in Philadelphia school drinking water as an example of an "urgent situation that needs to be addressed immediately for the safety of students and teachers."

The average age of Philadelphia's 260 schools is 60 years; 62 are more than 75 years old.

Hughes is pushing for consideration of the PennSTAR progranl in the new Pennsylvania legislative session beginning in January of 2001.

For infornwtion on the PennSTAR bill, contact the office of Senator Hughes at 215-471-0490.

Crossing guards: an initial victory "Parents across the city recently scored a victory in the campaign that began in the spring of 1999 to secure additional crossing guards.

In November, under the leadership of Councilman Angel Ortiz, chair of the Public Safety Connnlittee, City Council approved a transfer ordinance allocating the additional funds needed to hire 37 more crossing guards. The crossing guards are due to hit the corners in January 2001.

The campaign, kicked off in the spring of 1999 by eight parent teams affiliated with the Alliance Organizing Project, grew to involve other parent and community organizations across the city.

Over the course of the last year and a half, parents and community members surveyed dangerous corners, lobbied City Council members, testified at public hearings, staged street-bloc kings (see photo, p.

8) and held public actions to demand the additional guards.

The campaign continues, however.

Permanent funding for the 37 .guards beyond June 2001,must still be secured, and many believe there is a need for up to 200 additional guards. For information, contact the Alliance Organizing Project at 21 5-625-9916.

-...--

WINTER

;\c bye/ay ] Act 46 tJ1l uon'S fi

scho olSU threat to S when the) money.

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iR 2000-01

ny school rets has .ired by code. health risk 'ady take in Dm lead-cond soil, or c1lild's body ing disabilioss of hearing. water from Jer plumbing. water is web site at ~ information, 'oisoning :5-2797.

'w

ted lair ,pending on enance still ltor Vincen t noting a initiative for tia State-oflSTAR) would school renovas. All school ligiblefor Istruction prorg districts like eCI grants to Ion projects. d prosperity in fsome of our than a shame," with lead in ater as an m that needs to the safety of ~Iphia's 260 Ire than 75

,ideration of ~ new on beginning mSTAR bill, lughes at

rds: ory _ntly scored a legan in the jonal crossing adership of ir of the Public lcil approved a the additional crossing lfe due to hit in the spring of filiated with :ct, grew to munity organit ycar and a members surbied City public hear(see photo, p. jemand the lowever. guards beyond , and many o 200 additionntact the t 215-625-9916.

WINTER 2000-01

PUBLIC SCHOOL NOTEBOOK

PAGE 19

}\ct 46 provided a club to beat the teachers

by Clay Newlin 46 was the state Republican adm.irUs:a~t,s response to former Philadel phi~ tra I Superintendent DavId Hornbeck s sche~~ to shut down the Philadelphia schools ~en they were expected to run out of money.

~ST OPINION I The Act was adopted in April 1998 by the pennsylvania state legislature. It gives dIe state's Secretary of Educallon the authonty to take over the Philadelphia schools.

When the Act was adopted, Superintendent Hornbeck was refusing to make budget cuts and demanding more state education funding.

While it was billed as emergency legislation to deal with a fInancially distressed school district, the real character of the Act

While billed as emergency legislation to deal with a financially distressed school district, the real character of the Act emerged in the recent negotiations. emerged in the recent negotiations between teachers and the Philadelphia School District.

Rather than allocate fair and adequate funding to Philadelphia's public schools, the Pennsylvartia legislature sought to provide Philadelphia's mayor and school board with additional leverage in their contract negotiations with the teachers.

The takeover provision of Act 46 was not implemented during the recent teacher negotiations. The Board did, however, make use of a provision of the Act prohibiting the extension of the teachers' contract beyond its expiration on August 31, Mayor Street and the school board interpreted this provision as granting them the right to unilaterally dictate a new contract when they became frustrated . by the PFT's unwilJjngness to accede to their

demands, Although was it never implemented, Act 46 was vety much in the minds of the negotiators. Mayor Street and the Board wielded the threat of a state takeover as a club in an attempt to beat the teachers into SUbmission.

They insisted on leni!thening the school day and the school year without additional compensation.

They used the threat of the loss of the right to bargain over teacher assigmnents, class size, preparation time, and job preservation to force concessions over principals' right of assignment and so-caJled merit Photo: Harvey Finkle pay-and to block teachers' Cou~cilma.n .Angel Ortiz joined teachers and their supporters protesting against imposed work conditions demands for reduced class outs.lde Wilham Penn High School in October. Mayor Street interpreted Act 46 as allowing him to unilatersize and greater security. ally Impose new contract terms on the teachers. The two sides later reached a negotiated agreement.

Finally, they used the threat of a "friendly" takeover by the state to very strong argument, but on November 17, with less than their suburban counterparts. combat the teachers' call for a strike, the Supreme Court dismissed the PFT's petiStreet's and the Board's interpretation was tion as moot.

Clay Newlin has been a long-time activist of doubtful legality and was questionable Like their proposals for school vouchers, in the labor movement and other progressive tactically, but the PFT's announcement of a Act 46 is part of the legislature's continuing causes. He is currently a labor anomey strike the week before Election Day and program to force Philadelphia's minority and representing unions and unfairly discharged Street's capitulation on several key points working class students to continue to get along employees. resulted in a new agreement.

Unfortunately, the Pennsylvartia State Supreme Court never ruled on the constitutionality of Act 46. The PFT flied several briefs with the Court arguing that the Act violated a provision of the Pennsylvartia State Constitution that makes it illegal for the state legislature to pass a law designed to in the summer to train rookie principals effect only a single locality. The PFT had a who will enter their schools in the fall.

- Debra Weiner, Quakertown

Successful schools and smaller classes

What's your opinion?

The Public School Notebook welcomes YOUlf letters, critiques and point of view, Write us at: Philadelphia Public School Notebook 3721 Midvale Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19129 Fax: (215) 951-0342 email: psnotebook@aol.com

Provisions ofAct 46 The Secretary of Education can declare the Philadelphia School District "distressed" in any of the following circumstances: 1) the Board fails to adopt a budget allowing the DISlnct to operate for the mandated 180 day Illlnunum; 2) the BOa'rd fails to allocate suffi~~nt funds to meet that minimum; 3) the ty fails to allocate sufficient revenues for the Board to implement its budget; or 4) the Board has failed or will fail to provide an educational program in compJjance with state mandates.

Once the District has been declared dis~sed, the Secretary of State can dissolve ci~eiJ~sting School board and appoint a speard of Control. The board of control :::es aU ,the pOwers of an existing school . AddlllOnally, the b03lfd also has the ~~wer to cancel or renegotiate any contract tax ~r than a teacher's contract, to increase to discharge any unnecessary nonPM . nal employees, and to suspend any teac~:~l~nal employees so that the pupilOnd allo for both elementary and sec; : enrOllments is no less than 26 to 1. ct 46 also provides the 'board of control

prOf:::'

with special prerogatives in collective barga.irting. The board of control is freed from any obligation to bargain over the subcontracting of any its responsibilities, reduCllons in the numbers of employees, staffing patterns and assigmnents, class schedules, the academic calendar, places of instruction, pupil assessment and teacher preparation time or the designation of a school as a charter or magnet school.

In addition, the Act mandates that any contract negotiated by the board of control must have a school day of at least the length of the state's average (seven and a half hours) and an instructi onal year of at least the state's average number of days (183).

The Act expressly prevents increasmg teacher pay to achieve either the longer day or a longer year, Finally, the Act prohibits school employees from engaging in a strike while the .

District is under direct state adJIlllllstrallOn, and the Secretary of Education is given the power to suspend the certificates of any employees who choose to strike~Clay Newlin

To the editors:

Congratulations on an outstanding indepth look at successful schools (Fall 2000). Anyone who believes that poor kids can't leam will be suitably surprised.

One of the common features of these schools that did not receive much attention was their use of Title I funds and the flexibility in staffing to substantially reduce class size. I know that not all schools are alike and that school-based decision-making is important, but I also wonder why schools should have the discretion not to buy more teachers when it is in their power to do so.

I was thrilled by the diversity pf the principals' leadership styles and the shared passion they bring to their work. These three need to be hired at handsome salaries

Bad students?

To the editors:

In response to the anonymous letter from a teacher (Fall 2000), I do not think that "bad students" are the reason why public schools are in such a dismal state.

Educators shouldn't blame everyone but themselves. Students can sense the teachers' attitudes and give up on themselves. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The Notebook should not publish anonymous letters in the future . Unsigned letters are not credible, If the teacher who wrote the lener was telling the truth, she should have had no problem signing her name and the name of the school she describes.

- Shawna Holts, Philadelphia

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PAGE 20

SPRING 2000

PUBLIC SCHOOL NOTEBOOK

State performance awards: few schools repeat as winners

by Paul Socolar

Scores for Philadelphia students on the state's standardized test in reading and math inched upward in 2000. This is the second consecutive year these scores here have improved.

But an analysis by Public School NOiebook of local trends in state test scores raises questions about the significance being attached to the test score improvements.

For some schools, the school wide gains on the PSSA test (the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment) won them financial awards from the state's Department of Education. The test in reading and math is given to fifth, eighth, and eleventh graders, and awards are given each year for school improvement.

Most schools that won awards in 1999 for test score increases saw their scores decline this year.

A total of $2 million was awarded to 79 local schools, mostly for increasing their average test scores or improving student attendance. Philadelphia schools - which serve 12 percent of the state's students - won 13 percent of the total awarded statewide.

Awards went to schools that were able to increase their combined reading and math scores by at least 50 points (most Philadelphia schools have combined scores falling between 2000 and 26(0), or improve their attendance by at least 0.75 percent.

Exact award amounts were based on the size of the gain and the number of students.

A look back at the 1999 state awards show that last year's awards were a poor predictor of test score success this year. The Notebook found that of 85 Philadelphia schools that won awards for test score improvement in 1999, only 15 made large enough test gains in 2000 to receive awards for test scores a second time (see table).

Most Philadelphia schools that won awards in 1999 for test score increases actually saw their scores decline this year. Of the 36 schools thaI had won awards for improvement in eighth grade scores a year ago, all

but seven saw their con;tbined reading and math scores drop in the latest state test.

The results thus provide anununition for those who argue that the awards attached to standardized test performance place too much value on short-term, year-to-year increases in scores. Critics of standardized testing are skeptical of attaching statistical significance to fluctuations in test scores from one year to the next.

The state acknowledges that some schools will receive awards based on a variation that might not be meaningful.

But a statement fro m the Department of Education says that it is unlikely that a school could eam an award a second time without a meaningful improvement in scores, because to do so, the school's scores must contin ue to rise above the new, higher baseline.

Overall, 58 Philadelphia schools won awards for test score gains in the latest round of state testing. Of these, 46 were elementary schools.

Strawberry Mansion High School garnered the largest single award in Philadelphia - over $87,000 for a 3.7 percent increase in attendance. It was one of 23 schools winning awards for improved attendance.

Nearly 60 percent of Philadelphia students still have scores that put them in the bottom quarter of students statewide. The low scores continue to put Philadelphia at risk of a state takeover under the Education Empowerment Act (see page I).

How the awards are spent at each school is to be determined by a school committee chaired by the principal and involving parents, community, and teacher representatives. At least half the award must be spent on instructional programs, and up to 25 percent may be spent on staff rewards.

There is another set of financial awards offered to Philadelphia schools by the School District. These awards are given to schools that meet a two-year target for improvement on a "performance index" that primarily measures performance on the District's SAT-9 standardized test. The District's awards for 2000 had not been announced at press time.

Schools receiving cash grants Schools in regular typeface received awards for test score improvement.

Schools in italics earned awards for improved student attendance. Schools in bold earned awards in both categories.

School

Size of Award

Adaire * Ethan All en AMY Northwest MS Anderson Audenried HS Bluford Boone Bridesburg H.A. Brown Carnell Cass idy Comegys Com ly Cook-Wissahickon Cooke MS

Creighton Crossan Daroff de Burgos MS Dick Dobson * Douglas HS Duckrey * Durham Emlen Fairhill Fitler Fitzpatrick *

FitzSimons MS Forrest Fox Chase Franklin HS Fu lton

Girard .

Greenfield Heston * J.E. Hill-Freedman L.P. Hill

$3,720

$22,418 $29,860

$ 19,297 $18,473 $20,752 $7, 835 $22,088

$25,097 $20,837 $8,046 $30,248 $16,650 $69,296 $11,172 $33,055 $25,712 $5,166 $11,885 $8,235 $10,310 $5,409

$14,850 $47,793 $11,807 $11,854 $67,432 $13,878 $.12,716 -$53,466 $12,314 $6Q,244 $21,625 $31.343 $6,222 $23,328

Size of Award

School

$13,878 $29,915 $8,784 $10,838 $2 2,271

Houston J.5. Jenks * Kinsey Levering * Logan Masterman MSIHS Mayfair McC l oske~

$ 17,980

$53,729 $20,027 $13,440 $9,142 $51,848

*

M iddle Years Alt. MS E.S. Miller Northeast HS Overbrook Elementary

Palumbo Pastorius Pennypacker * Po llock * Rhawnhurst Rhoads Richmond Sayre MS . Shawmont Smed ley * Solis-Cohen M.H. Stanton * Steel Stetson MS

Stoddart-Fleisher MS Strawberry Mansion HS Thomas MS Tilden MS * Vaux MS Wa lton Waring M . Washington * Welsh A. Wilson W. Wilson MS Wister *

$13,002

$9,281 $1 7,879 $40,467 $28,194 $33,306 $19,276 $12,078 $22,157 $45,738 $28,665 $49,462 $17,843 $12,633 $21 ,222 $35,776 $87,452 $11 ,441 $46,709 $31,127 $19,703 $11,576 $11,723 $20,578 $11,261 $54,560 p 1749

* /ndicates schools that won awards for test score improvement two years in a row.

The fo ll owing schools won awards for mainta ining high test scores and attendance over three consecutive years: Centra l HS

State test score data for each school are available on the World Wide Web at www.pde.psu.edu. The District's most recent t.,t >core data are available at www.phila.k12.pa.us.

$31,728 $1 1,412

$45,774

$62,640

Masterman MS/HS

The fol lowing vocat ional high schoo ls won awards for improvements in job placement: Mastbaum HS

$40,160

Saul HS

$15,938

About this issue This Winter 2000-01 issue, "Teachers and Community - Building Strong Partnerships," is the result of a collaboration between the Philadelphia Public School Notebook and the Alliance Organizing Project (AOP). The Notebook would like to thank AOP for its support in producing this issue, as well as acknowledge the additional support provided by the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers and Bread and Roses Community Fund.

Alliance Organizing Project Founded in 1996, the Alliance Organizing Project, or AOP, is a citywide organization of parents with children at public schools throughout the School District of Philadelphia who are working for increased power, authentic partnerships, and education reform on a local school level and district-wide.

AOP uses a relational model of community organizing to build Parent Teams based on partnerships, shareq responsibility, and mutual accountability of all stakeholders on a local and citywide level.

Local AOP Parent Teams have built partnerships with principalS, teachers, support staff, and community organizations in an effort to improve the quality of education received by children throughout the District. On a citywide level, AOP parents have developed partnerships with the central administration, the PFT, and elected officials to address district-wide policy issues.

AOP • (215) 625-9916 • allianceor@aoLcom

Ii

I

Philadelphia Public School Notebook The Philadelphia Public School Notebook is an independent quarterly newspaper that serves as a voice for parents, students, classroom teachers, and others who are working for quality and equality in Philadelphia's public schools.

The mission of the Notebook is to promote public engagement in the Philadelphia public schools and to contribute to the development of a strong "popular will" for educational change in the city and for schools that serve all children well.

Started by a group of public school parents, teachers, and community activists in 1994, the Notebook provides information on a wide range of education-related issues, offers analysis, and serves as a forum in which parents, teachers and students can share their concerns.

The Notebook has a circulation of 40,000 copies, most of them distributed free of charge through schools, libraries and community-based organizations.

Public School Notebook • (215) 951-0330, ext. 107· • psnotebook@aoLcom