Education is a funny thing in this mayor's race.
In Philadelphia, the quality of the public educational system is an issue that underlies almost everything. After all, without good schools, young families move out of the city (and when the schools get better, they move back). Without good schools, graduates (and, particularly, non-graduates) struggle to find good jobs, and are tempted into the eas(ier) money of crime. Without good schools, the quality of our labor force declines and businesses leave.
Indeed, research like the work of the recent drop-out study and its companion report (on what to do about the problem) seems to present the schools at the heart of a web of effort needed to support the entire city.
Problem is, what can the mayor do about the schools?
In 2001, the state took over the School District of Philadelphia and installed the School Reform Commission. The mayor gets to name two people to that, but that's not even a majority. Instead of running the school district, the city government gets a smallish voice in it.
It's a little like SEPTA -- a major issue for the city to deal with, and yet an institution that the mayor has little control over.
Which is not to say the mayor has NO influence. And that's where education becomes a very interesting issue in the race for mayor.
Mayor Street seems to be interested in flexing his muscles in the schools matter a bit. He's named a task force on the schools and held a number of attention-getting public meetings.
Plus, we have candidates in this race who know city schools well and are unlikely to sit on the sidelines. Chaka Fattah's announcement speech dwelt on education -- hey, he even announced at a city school, the high-tech School of the Future in the city's Parkside section. Michael Nutter worked on schools as a City Councilman. And then there's Dwight Evans, who has taught in the public schools, backed charter schools as a legislator, supported private school manager Foundations Inc. and runs a well-regarded charter school in West Oak Lane.
Today, we'll get to hear Evans' education plan. It could be the first detailed education plan offered in the race, and may establish just how aggressive the candidates are going to be when talking about the schools in Philadelphia.
Do they want the city to take them back? Are they content with the work of the SRC, which includes impressive district-driven reforms but also has left the schools with a $70 million deficit? Will they push for city control? Or do the candidates intend to influence instead of run the schools? After all, the city has enormous sway over the district, even if the mayor is a bit of a bystander.
Evans says today he will talk about:
*increasing school safety
*expanding early childhood education opportunities
*lowering class size
*modernizing classrooms, and
*ending the dropout crisis.
We will report on Evans' plan in detail as soon as it hits our desk -- as we will do with any education plan from all the Would-be Mayors.
Comments (52)
There is a direct correlation between the improvements in the Phila school district and the state takeover. Without the takeover, the school district would not have been the beneficiary of the $300 million that were pumped in and the political support that Paul Vallas has received from the state since then - unfortunate but true. While returning control to the city may ultimately be a desireable thing, the city needs to first establish that progress in the school district won't stagnate for another thirty years as it had before the takeover. I look forward to reading Evans' ideas about continuing the progress that has been made as of late.
Posted by mike | January 29, 2007 10:12 AM
In response to your question, “What can the Mayor do about the schools?” the single most important thing a Mayor can do is elevate the needs of children to TOP PRIORITY status and to ensure that the city’s human and financial resources and investments are utilized in a way that makes Philadelphia a safe, healthy and nurturing city for children live and grow up in.
A Mayor can insist that a single question is asked every time policy and fiscal decisions are being considered: “What impact will this decision have upon the children of the city?”
While elected to serve as Mayor for only a few short years, a Mayor can, and must set a tone of high expectations for our children and youth, creating a long-term vision for improving outcomes for children not only for today but for generations to come.
In particular, a Mayor can assume leadership and responsibility for creating the political and public will to make the strategic investments needed so that:
* Every child will be born healthy, thrive developmentally and arrive at school ready and eager to learn;
* Every child will live in a safe, stable and supportive family with parents and caregivers who have the supports, learning opportunities and tools needed to be responsible, nurturing, effective and supportive of their children’s growth, development and education;
* Every child will have access to high quality classroom experiences at every grade level;
* Every child will have safe places to spend out-of-school time where they can be exposed to a range of enriching activities and opportunities for their behavioral and physical health, social, and recreational needs to be met; and
* Every child’s hopes and dreams will be nurtured so they grow up with high expectations for success and a genuine vision of becoming a productive, contributing member the adult community one day.
In order to sustain and achieve these desired outcomes for ALL children, a Mayor must also use relevant data and information - in real time - to identify those children who are most vulnerable and to ensure that particular attention, resources and investments are targeted toward meeting their needs so that NO child falls between the cracks.
Whether the issue being discussed is crime, taxes, ethics, neighborhoods or jobs, it is my hope that in this election, every candidate will frankly discuss their vision for Philadelphia’s children, and how each and every one of their proposed policies will impact the children of today and of tomorrow.
Susan Badeau
Executive Director,
Philadelphia Children’s Commission
Posted by Susan Badeau | January 29, 2007 11:59 AM
Why would Dwight Evans want to fix the schools, when helped to destroy them.
Posted by JOHN SMITH | January 29, 2007 5:25 PM
Could you please explain how Evans helped "destroy" the schools? The general consensus, from what I hear, is that they've been better managed under state control.
Posted by Dave![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://blogs.phillynews.com/dailynews/nextmayor/nav-commenters.gif)
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January 29, 2007 6:04 PM
Thanks for the info, Wendy.
Are there any specific objections to private managers? I hear the district's been moving away from private management recently, so I suppose there must be. I also think that schools having a closer relationship with the community (I assume that's what "local control" means?) is important, but it's kind of worthless if the school district's going bankrupt like it apparently was before the takeover. I think the city should ultimately take back control of the district (it is its responsibility, after all), but not until it proves that it can actually be in control of a significant organization without running it into the ground.
Posted by Dave![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://blogs.phillynews.com/dailynews/nextmayor/nav-commenters.gif)
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