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Tuesday, December 6, 2011

A Multi Year Evaluation of the Philadelphia School Turn Around Model is Necessary Before Considering any Further Expansion « City School Stories

A Multi Year Evaluation of the Philadelphia School Turn Around Model is Necessary Before Considering any Further Expansion « City School Stories:

A Multi Year Evaluation of the Philadelphia School Turn Around Model is Necessary Before Considering any Further Expansion

Notes from the Field
Submitted by Frank Murphy on December 6, 2011

In the last two years, several Philadelphia District schools have either been converted to charter schools operated by outside providers, or have been converted to Promise Academies, the District’s internally-managed school turnaround strategy. As a result of this reorganization, the overall operation of the school district has been significantly impacted. Yet little public scrutiny has been given to the consequences of these changes.

Media attention during the last year has targeted the financial woes, leadership turmoil and businesses dealingsof the School District of Philadelphia. The resulting news coverage narrowly focused on the shortcomings of the