When my son was in kindergarten at Anna L. Lingelbach School in Germantown last year, I asked him how many teacher gifts we needed to gather for the holidays. I was expecting him to name his homeroom teacher and maybe a classroom aide. Instead, he listed over twelve names. He was naming the climate staff. […]

Image above used under license from robert at stock.adobe.com. The definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over, expecting different results. The introduction of Philadelphia’s new rideshare tax exemplifies this definition almost exactly. In an effort to bolster support for the School District of Philadelphia’s teachers and staff, Philadelphia’s mayor, Cherelle Parker, […]

In 2021, on the first day of school for my kindergartner, I entered the schoolyard excited to meet his teachers and introduce myself and my son. Instead, I found myself waiting with other anxious parents and their children. Not a single adult was in the schoolyard to welcome us into our new school community. Eventually, […]

About three years ago, Mekia Elizabeth Matthews was gifted a community space by a neighbor. She decided to turn it into an afterschool space for the children in her neighborhood.  She lives in Harmony Hill, the neighborhood surrounding Fernhill park in Southwest Germantown and the after school program is called the Harmony Home Team. The […]

This summer, as budget debates rage in Harrisburg and Philadelphia’s school district reevaluates its physical footprint, the people at the heart of the city’s public education system — families, educators, advocates, and students — are facing yet another turning point. With school closures on the horizon, a strike authorized by the teachers union, and a […]

Pennsylvania’s Chronic Underfunding of Public Schools Children being educated in closets. Students who had to wear coats in their classrooms during winter. Exposure to lead and asbestos. Crumbling infrastructure. One reading specialist per 1,000 children and one guidance counselor per hundreds of students.  These were some of the testimonies given by students, parents, and school […]

“Inclusion is not a strategy to help people fit into the systems and structures which exist in our societies; it is about transforming those systems and structures to make it better for everyone.” — Diane Richler Traditional schooling models – the ones we tend to think of as the norm – generally take a broad-stroke […]

Many things have been written over the last several weeks about the closures of local nonprofit institutions University of the Arts and Benefits Data Trust that have caused a wave of discussion and concern in the nonprofit sector.    The Chronicle of Philanthropy pointed to BDT’s “push to grow and innovate while maintaining financial stability,” […]

Philadelphia Schools take proactive steps to address mental health challenges among Black and Brown students by forging partnerships

Allowing youth to find the connections that define their education and future