In April 2009, myself and seven other students at Sayre High School trained our school security officers. The reason why we did this all stemmed from a situation that took place back in September 2008 at my school. The media called it a riot, but it all started with a miscommunication that escalated way beyond what it needed to be.
Young people all across the nation are looking for teachers that are qualified and will help draw them into success in education. However, in the city of Philadelphia, not all students have effective and qualified teachers in their schools. Grow Your Own (GYO) is a program that can and will help students get the qualified teachers they deserve in their neighborhood schools.
In late 2007, a Costing Out Study was released. It was commissioned by the state to find out how much money is needed to give all students in Pennsylvania an adequate education, broken down by school district. It took into account factors such as poverty, English language learners, and cost of living. The results were not surprising, but nonetheless were very important.
Happy New Year! We have worked so hard on improving our schools that we should take time to relax (thou short lived) and reflect. So… as we are all equal contributors of the Philadelphia School District (students, teachers, PSD Officials, and community members) here’s what we should be both reflecting upon and working on for the New Year.
The School District of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT) have agreed to an extension of their current collective bargaining agreement. The contract is now scheduled to expire on January 15, 2010. This extension agreement maintains the same wages, health benefits and working conditions stipulated under the agreement currently in effect for PFT members. Learn more about the contract, and read the Philadelphia Public School Notebook article: Backdrop to Contract Talks.
On this show we hear a feature about how Philadelphia Student Union has affected the lives of members. We also hear a piece that asks whether Advanced Placement classes are dividing students and distributing schools' resources inequitably. Then we look at the ways music shapes people, with a Song Breakdown of 'One More Drink' and a story about conscious hip hop. Plus, there's music and other news from Philly's schools.
Note from the Author: I encourage everyone to listen to this album that the PSU produced and then to donate $5 to get this album out to 2 students in Philly (or donate more to help the PSU continue its amazing work)! To listen and donate click here.
Along with other members of the Philadelphia Student Union, I recently interviewed Heidi Ramirez, a member of the School Reform Commission (SRC) who announced her resignation last month. We asked her about subjects such as teacher quality and the school district's strategic plan.
The stories in this show include a report about the community victory to keep William Penn High School from being closed. There is also a piece about how we are taught in school versus how we learn best. And we also hear PSU students who went to the B'more Fair in Baltimore, a march for the rights of workers in the Inner Harbor, organized by the United Workers Association. Finally, there is a segment about the struggle to stop our schools from being privatized, including Khalif Dobson's testimony from a School Reform Commission meeting. Plus, you'll hear music and other local news stories from the perspectives of youth organizers.
Months ago, when the school district first announced that it would be closing William Penn HS, almost no one doubted that that would be the case. However, thanks to the quick and effective organizing of the community around William Penn, the school is going to remain open and there is a new plan to turn it into a cutting edge career and technical school.
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