Saving Public Education

School Reform-Enter Paul Vallas

With the appointment of Paul Vallas as Chief Executive Officer of the Philadelphia School District in July, 2002, the framework for school reform has quickly changed. Up to that point, school 'reform' meant privatization--especially to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The entire debate over education in Philadelphia revolved around just 45 schools that are now being managed by private companies. The other schools were seen as 'business as usual.'

In a matter of weeks, Paul Vallas has changed that. He has brought to Philadelphia a new strategy for the entire School District, emphasizing construction of new high schools, a no-nonsense approach to disruptive students, District wide curricula, expanded pre-school and after-school programs, and a reconstructed partnership between schools, parents, and the community.

So just as we used this page to chronicle the privatization debate over school reform over the past 18 months, we will now provide updates on the Vallas Agenda as the School District moves to implement it.

•                    School District Basics

• School District of Philadelphia
• Pa. Dept. of Education
• School Reform Commission
• School District: Facts on Enrollment, Budget, Spending
• From School Clusters back to 'Academic Areas'
• Best Performing Schools: 1998-99 (Can we afford progress?)
• NY Times: Money Matters in School Performance
• Good Schools-PA: State Campaign for School Funding
• PhillySchool Email List Posts: What Citizens, Teachers Say
• School District and Schools in the News

                       The Vallas Agenda

• Paul Vallas Arrives-Christian Science Monitor Portrait
• Cross City Campaign for School Reform-Paul Vallas Profile
• The Vallas Agenda: Five-Year Plan to Close the Deficit
• Paul Vallas on School Safety and Discipline

Charter Schools Privatization

• GPUAC Directory of Philadelphia Charter Schools
• Western Michigan Evaluation of Pennsylvania Charter Schools
• Privatized "Partnership" Schools
• Edison Schools-The Schools
• Edison Schools, Inc.-The Company

                   PhillySchools Email List

If you want to join a network of people in Philadelphia concerned about public education in Philadelphia, we encourage you to subscribe to PhillySchools. With the Philadelphia School District undergoing dramatic, radical changes under Paul Vallas, this list enable advocates, parents, and concerned citizens to keep informed of the latest development and how we might respond to them.