Despite being home to several world class universities, Philadelphia continues to struggle to provide quality education to its middle- and high-schoolers.
The poor state of public education in the inner city, as well as possible solutions to the crisis, were examined in a panel discussion Thursday.
"Since we are a part of the West Philadelphia community, it is important to discuss what we can do to improve it," said College sophomore Ewurama Sackey, co-chairwoman of the Black Student League's Academic Excellence Committee, which organized the event.
The panel began by providing some background about changes to the public education system in Philadelphia in recent years.
Since the arrival of Paul Vallas as the chief executive officer of the Philadelphia School District in 2002, decision-making has been more centralized. More funding and resources have been brought into the city, and improved hiring processes have been implemented.
However, the district still faces problems with a lack of certified teachers and high turnover rates. In spite of having the highest statewide, cost-of-living-adjusted teacher salaries in the nation, Pennsylvania still ranks only 27th in student achievement levels.
Graduate School of Education alumnus and panelist Brian Peterson also discussed the important role that the local community can play in educating students.
He said that inner-city students need to supplement their traditional school education with learning about their background and culture.
Peterson also discussed the benefits of programs such as the Saturday Academy at Penn, which teaches arts and life sciences to inner-city students each Saturday.
"By reinforcing cultural values that are part of their past, these kids get a sense of direction" he said.
Peterson added that students should learn about their cultural backgrounds from extended family, as well as community-center programs.
Public Policy professor Theodore Hershberg concluded by providing suggestions to improve to the education system for the future.
"The public school system in this country is, I think, essentially dysfunctional," he said. "We need to confer benefits on all students in all schools."
Hershberg added that it was important to create incentives to change the current education system. He suggested that a teacher compensation system based on results might attract better talent to the teaching field.
Attendees at the event appreciated the candidness of the panelists.
"This kind of panel discussion where questions are welcomed is very beneficial," College senior Melanie Berlin said, adding that she wished that there had been more publicity for the event.
College junior Elizabeth Curtis-Bey also found the event beneficial.
It was an "excellent event. It is important to engage Penn students in conversation about education," she said.
