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November 16th -
Philadelphia, PA
On Saturday, November 16, over 70
participants convened at Temple University for a High
School Strategic Planning Meeting, sponsored by The
School District of Philadelphia (SDP) and The Laboratory
for Student Success (LSS). The purpose of the meeting
was to draft a collaborative plan of action aimed at
improving the education for students in Philadelphia
high schools. LSS Executive Director JoAnn Manning
opened the session and then introduced SDP Deputy Chief
Academic Officer Creg Williams, who presented his vision
of improving Philadelphia schools.
Attendees formed five small work groups: students and
parents, teachers, principals, administrators, and
foundations and universities. Each group met four times
during the day to discuss issues, expectations, and make
recommendations for the future of Philadelphia’s
schools. Before the small work group sessions, all
participants convened in a plenary session for
introductions to four tasks that need to be addressed in
order to achieve a better Philadelphia school system.
These tasks, presented by LSS senior research associate
and Vanderbilt University Professor Kenneth Wong and
Northwestern University Research Professor and Director
Alfred Hess, include (a) looking at the data to
determine strengths and weaknesses as a basis for what
to continue, what to drop, and what to improve in the
future; (b) analyzing the data and defining the present;
(c) developing a deeper understanding of promising
practices and alternatives; and (d) identifying the
desired future for the high schools in Philadelphia.
Each small work group reported
their findings and suggestions. Among the groups’
concerns were: school environment (students and
parents); professional development (teachers);
accountability, support, and teamwork (principals);
teacher quality and retention (administrators); and
curriculum standards and changes (foundations and
universities).
Before the adjournment of the
High School Strategic Planning Meeting, all participants
met to discuss their group findings and address the
“Next Steps.” With the collaboration of all who
attended, a first draft of a plan of action is under
development to achieve the vision for improving
Philadelphia’s schools.
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