District and Penn team up to study school turnarounds
Sub Title: Notebook's Paul Socolar will be on the advisory board. Philadelphia, distinct among large urban districts for its long history of pursuing school turnarounds using outside management...
View ArticleMastery 3.0: Moving beyond turnarounds
Concerned that not enough students at Mastery charter schools are enrolling, persisting, and succeeding in college, the organization is revamping its curriculum and instructional methods, according to...
View ArticlePSP awards $3 million in grants to Mastery, American Paradigm
The Philadelphia School Partnership announced today that it will disburse nearly $3 million to support the expansion of three charter schools.It will grant $2.1 million to charter operator American...
View ArticleSRC approves building sales, ratifies principals' contract
The School Reform Commission approved the sales of six vacant properties Thursday night, most of them schools that were closed within the last two years.It also ratified a contract with the...
View ArticleMastery Shoemaker principal lends his perspective in federal fellowship program
by Jeseamy MuentesSharif El-Mekki, principal at Mastery Charter School’s Shoemaker campus, has been selected as one of three Principal Ambassador Fellows in the U.S. Department of Education’s...
View ArticleNew report finds gains at Renaissance schools -- but not across the board
Schools turned over to charter operators -- and to a lesser extent, District-run Promise Academies -- have shown improvements in academics and climate under the three-year-old Renaissance schools...
View ArticleDistrict again postpones votes to renew two charters
The School Reform Commission postponed scheduled votes on two charter schools Thursday, pulling one at the last minute for reasons related to an investigation of test cheating.Philadelphia Electrical...
View ArticleSRC approves Renaissance conversions and grants to expand three District schools
The School Reform Commission Friday approved the Renaissance charter agreements for three schools, officially turning Pastorius over to Mastery Charter Schools, Kenderton to Scholar Academies, and...
View ArticleSRC delays Renaissance conversions, renews charters for five schools
by Connie LanglandStrong-armed into agreeing to enrollment caps, five charter schools won five-year operating renewals in votes Wednesday night by the School Reform Commission, but five others still...
View ArticleSRC matches Alcorn with Universal, but it's not over yet
by Connie LanglandBy a 4-1 vote of the School Reform Commission, Universal Companies last night came one step closer to winning the charter to run Alcorn Elementary School under the District’s...
View ArticleMastery charter graduates revel in their college choices
by Aaron Moselle and Zack Seward for NewsWorksCheering fans, cheerleaders, and mascots filled Temple University's Liacouras Center on Monday afternoon.None of them was there for a game.Instead,...
View ArticleDistrict promises to get tough with new Renaissance charter operators
by Benjamin Herold for NewsWorks, a Notebook news partnerThe Philadelphia School District is vowing to take a hard line on two issues that have caused confusion when charter operators take over...
View ArticleAt Gratz, Mastery takes on challenges of 9th-grade transition
Sub Title: In its 2nd year at the school, the charter operator is making adjustments. Author: by Dale Mezzacappa Author Bio: Contact Notebook contributing editor Dale Mezzacappa at...
View ArticleRenaissance charters meet neighborhood enrollment targets except for Universal
by Benjamin Herold for NewsWorks, a Notebook news partnerFollow @twitterapiPhiladelphia's independent Renaissance school operators are bringing families back to struggling neighborhood public schools...
View ArticleWhere charters run the neighborhood schools
Author: by Benjamin Herold for NewsWorks, a Notebook news partner Author Bio: Contact WHYY education reporter Benjamin Herold at bherold@whyy.org.As part of its Renaissance Schools turnaround...
View ArticleCharter boom continues, with 35 high school options
Sub Title: But a draft District study found “significant barriers to entry” at numerous charters. Author: by Connie Langland Author Bio: Connie Langland writes about education issues in the...
View ArticleRenaissance Schools get thorough airing at SRC
The School Reform Commission held one of its in-the-round monthly strategy meetings Monday evening, looking at District academic performance and Renaissance Schools. It was the first such meeting for...
View Article'Persistently dangerous' schools down in District; Mastery touts Gratz progress
Briana Jackson said her life changed when Mastery Charter took over Gratz High School a year ago.The self-described former troublemaker, now a senior, said that the transformation isn't yet complete;...
View ArticleThis year, it’s Philly charter schools’ turn to wrestle with budget cuts
By Benjamin Heroldfor NewsWorks, a Notebook news partnerLike a hurricane predictably making its way up the coast, the financial storm that battered the Philadelphia School District last year is now...
View ArticlePartnership has raised more than $50 million to give to 'great' schools
The two-year-old Philadelphia School Partnership, at the center of the city's strategy to support "great" schools regardless of who runs them, announced Thursday that it was more than halfway to its...
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