Inquirer Editorial: Model learning

In a district better known for failure, the Franklin Learning Center provides a model for how city schools can be transformed into success stories.

Located in the Spring Garden section, the school was among six local public and private schools named Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education.

Franklin Learning Center and Masterman are the only two high schools in Pennsylvania to win the honor. Nationally, only 304 of 124,000 schools were named Blue Ribbon Schools.

Schools are chosen based on test scores or improvement on tests if more than 40 percent of the student body comes from disadvantaged backgrounds - as is the case with Franklin Learning.

Franklin Learning was created using effective teaching models culled from schools around the country. The school has created the right atmosphere where teachers have plenty of flexibility to help students excel academically.

The results are impressive. More than 90 percent of its graduates enroll in college, out of a student population where almost three quarters come from poor homes.

The school has caught the attention of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which wants to know the key to its success. The school also made U.S. News & World Report's 2010 list of the best high schools in the country.

The school district is using Franklin Learning as a model at four city schools. Replicating best practices makes sense.