Philadelphia is our city - and they're our schools

AS YOU read the papers and watch TV news, you could easily get the impression that things in the Philadelphia School District are dramatically improving, and our community need not be concerned with the way our education system is going.

But once you get past the reported increase in graduation rates and the percentage of additional schools that made "adequate yearly progress" (AYP), both measurable improvements over previous years, you might be apt to overlook the fact that our city education system continues to suffer.

I'm a parent of four children who are products of the Philadelphia School District and a grandparent of two who currently attend - and I have some concerns for our city and our schools.

The school year has just begun, and, based on what I see, there's still an enormous amount of work to be done. The quality of education for our children in the inner city is still inferior to what children in other parts of the city get.

The school district's recent attempts to address its problems seems to be a process of cherry-picking certain schools and marking them for improvement while ignoring shortcomings across the entire system.

Based on the latest statistics from 2007-2008, there are 13 district schools that have a poverty level of less than 50 percent. And those 13 schools have an average 92 percent of their teachers rated as highly qualified. And an average of 88 percent of their teachers have three or more years of experience. So it comes as no surprise that all 13 made adequate yearly progress.

The more experience a teacher has, the higher the quality of education their students are likely to receive. But our schools with poorer students need the same advantages and stability in order to progress - and improvements should be made throughout the entire system.

There should be a process where qualified teachers are distributed equitably throughout the school district. And involving parents, students, teachers and the community in it has proven to be effective and beneficial to the students as well.

Without this fairness, who gets hurt the most? Our children of color!

In Philadelphia, there are more than 110 schools that have been rated as continuous underperformers. They are all eligible for school-improvement grants.

And of these schools, 95 percent of the students are minorities of color. That amounts to about 73,000 students - 79 percent African-American and 16 percent Hispanic. These children are continuously being left behind.

Being more transparent and inclusive has an effect. "Research shows that long-term investments in developing an expert teaching force, a strong and relevant curriculum, and a collaborative culture both within a school and with the community, are essential elements for a serious effort at school transformation," said Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond, professor of education at Stanford University.

AS A COMMUNITY activist and organizer of parents, I've seen more opposition than a welcome to our involvement in change. More inclusion and better relationships between community organizations, school administration, parents and the School Reform Commission is a real answer. A collaborative effort between administrators, teachers, students, parents and the community can accomplish a productive, effective, transparent educational policy far more efficiently than can any of these groups themselves.

It takes a community to design an excellent school. The school district has a resource in the community that it needs to involve in substantial decision-making.

As a parent and grandparent, I stay involved in my family's education. Now that I'm an organizer with ACTION United and work with other organizations, like the Cross City Campaign for School Reform, Effective Teaching Campaign and Community Responses to Zero Tolerance, as well as youth organizations like Youth United for Change and the Philadelphia Student Union, I look forward to seeing the district administration and the SRC include the community to devise plans to improve the overall quality of education received by our children.

Why should this happen?

Because this is our city and these are our schools.

D. William Browning is legislative director of ACTION United (actionunited.org).