Phila. schools still in trouble despite signs of improvement

Philadelphia public schools are taking small, but sure, steps in the right direction. According to a state-sponsored analysis by Standard and Poor's that looked at data since 1995, Philadelphia is one of the school districts that has made consistent improvements at a rate at least twice the state average in test scores. On the Pennsylvania System of State Assessment, Philadelphia schools have improved by an average of seven points a year while the state average is up just three points. The analysis took into account all of the city's public schools -- including the 20 lowest-performing ones, which were taken over by Edison Schools, Inc., in September in a controversial privatization effort. Although the numbers are encouraging, it is important to keep this data in perspective, suggested William Cox, head of S&P;'s School Evaluation Services. Philadelphia continues to remain one of the lowest scoring districts in the state. In fact, only 21 percent of students reach proficiency in reading and math. Because of this statistic, Philadelphia schools are often rewarded for improving but are still considered as failing due to their low scores. Executive Director of Philadelphia Citizens for Children and Youth Shelly Yanoff said that although the improvement in the scores is a great thing, Philadelphia public schools still have a long way to go. Despite this, Cox, a 1987 College graduate, believes that this analysis shows that the schools are getting better and will continue to improve as a result of the many changes that are being implemented. These changes include a "focus on early childhood reading programs, a focus on continuous assessment and feedback on what works and doesn't and an initiative to improve the actual facilities," Cox said. Cox also saw Philadelphia's actions as part of a growing trend. "Many urban schools are in the process of trying to improve their ability to deliver education, in part, to minority students," Cox said. Cox suggested that this push for improvement is a combination of federal legislation and the concern of communities for the need to deal with these challenges and to correct them. All urban schools have had "mixed degrees of success and failure," according to Cox. Graduate School of Education Professor Kathy Schultz is looking at the improvement in test scores as a good thing. However, she is against basing everything on just test scores because of an over-reliance on them of late. "I think that test scores improving is a good sign especially in early elementary grades," Schultz said. "It shows that some things are working in the Philly school system." Paul Vallas, who stepped up as CEO of the city's school district this summer, is thinking about breaking up high schools into smaller schools as a way to fix the problem. Schultz thinks that is a great idea. "I think that small schools would help the problem at urban schools," she said. Yanoff explained that Philadelphia schools also have to deal with a number of other problems if they hope to continue improving. "Schools have to be ready and equipped to support kids who come from different backgrounds," Yanoff said, noting that there are about 80 different languages spoken in this school district alone. Yanoff went on to add that besides the cultural background differences, other obstacles also exist. "Many kids come to school who need food, family support and social development help," she said. "The crisis is that there are not enough resources or support to make [Philadelphia public schools] work better." Yanoff stressed that a change in funding will help the schools fare better. "Until we get to an adequate funding system we cannot expect miracles to happen," she said. Yanoff also stressed is the need for smaller classes. "You can't teach 30 to 33 kids with diverse needs who need more time and attention at one time," she said. However, Yanoff remains optimistic, stating that "we are incrementally getting better. However, it's not enough and not fast enough. As a society, we all need to understand that we need to support public schools." "Philadelphia, in many regards, is considered a city that has a lot of room to grow and improve," Cox concluded.

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