Re: [UC] Penn schoolsThanks Andy, I had heard things like Microsoft is giving us a school. I guess the marketing spin to sell people had forgotten to stress that the people of Philadelphia were paying the entire 65 million. We bought a microsoft brand high school.
I'm glad the microsoft rep admitted that this was a business decision. Large corporations are amoral but most of the time, the spin casts their business decisions and bottom line as charity. It seems like our leaders did it this time. Vallas seems very eager to sell the public schools. The privatization of our government and rights is always portrayed as the only option for every problem. We've had an underfunded system for decades, but the only solution is to sell off to companies in the business to maximize profit. I think a lot of people have forgotten why schools armies, prisons were thought to be appropriately in the hands of the government and bound by the rules and principals in dusty old documents like the US Constitution. We're selling off accountability to the people as we turn all things over to big business. (One thing that jumps out to me about privatizing is that the disadvantaged kids will end up completely abandoned at private public profit schools. "Creaming" the best students will certainly tend to raise profits.) Not personally having looked into the microsoft school, it's amazing that everyone who has mentioned it to me prior to this article seemed excited by getting such a windfall gift to the city. How was this misperception created so effectively and why? Glenn ----- Original Message ----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Glenn ; Wilma de Soto ; UnivCity listserv Sent: Saturday, April 05, 2008 4:14 PM Subject: Re: [UC] Penn schools I believe that the School of the Future in Parkside uses a lottery, but I believe it has 75% of the slots reserved for West Philadelphia students and the remainder open to the rest of the city. Here is an interesting link: Top Schools: Is This Really the School of the Future? - Philly Mag http://www.phillymag.com/articles/philadelphia_magazine_top_schools_is_this_really_the_school_of_the_future/ ------------------------------------------------------------------ Andrew Frishkoff Neighborhood Economic Development Director City of Philadelphia 1515 Arch Street, 12th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19102 215-683-2026 - phone 215-683-2015 - fax [EMAIL PROTECTED] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----- Original Message ----- From: "Glenn" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: 04/05/2008 03:10 PM AST To: "Wilma de Soto" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "UnivCity listserv" <univcity@list.purple.com> Subject: Re: [UC] Penn schools Yes, magnet schools are open to the entire city with the caveat that one meets the qualifications for the program the school offers. Thanks! That's what I thought. But the paper stated 70% from the local area and 30% from the city. I don't know if anyone has found any maps of what they are going to propose or if this will be hidden until the last moment. It seems that this scheme depends on changing the rules for magnet schools and I'm starting to get more worried than before. Now, I'm thinking of the precedent. The special enhanced schools are an attempt to provide an outlet for those kids that do manage to qualify. These have been available for the high achieving kids providing an opportunity within the public system. Are other magnet schools now at risk of "partnership" and being made unavailable as new catchment areas get drawn around high real estate valued areas? In other words, it will gaurantee slots to wealthy areas and make the competition that much more difficult for high achieving kids from poorer areas that need the opportunity most. The open policy is at the heart of public magnet schools. The opportunity and high expectations we were discussing earlier is why we want the availibility of magnet schools to allow at least some possibilities in an underfunded system. If this rule changing is allowed, will this be the tip of the iceberg. Thanks again, Glenn ----- Original Message ----- From: Wilma de Soto To: Glenn ; Dave Axler ; UnivCity listserv Sent: Saturday, April 05, 2008 1:52 PM Subject: Re: [UC] Penn schools Yes, magnet schools are open to the entire city with the caveat that one meets the qualifications for the program the school offers. High schools to my knowledge have not been traditionally restricted to an immediate residential area. Rather, they usually accept students who have attended one of all the elementary schools/middle schools feeder schools in the area. For instance, people who went to Bryant, Huey, Lea, Sayre, (when it was a middle school), Locke, Blankenburg, Barry, Hamilton could ostensibly wind up attending West Philly High School. On 4/5/08 1:07 PM, "Glenn" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Wilma, I have another question. The Phila. magnet schools don't really have a set catchment area, or am I wrong? I thought that was a big contradiction in the news reports. I was wondering if this was an indication that Penn was going to make some special request. Remembering the maps when the Sadie Alexander catchment area was drawn, it was clear that the boundaries were designed through a consideration of real estate value. I wondered, what are Penn and Drexel doing by describing a local catchment area (70%) for this magnet school?? If a magnet school could draw from the entire city, what does this mean? Is Penn/Drexel going to actually draw some "unique" catchment district to reserve the slots around its holdings? I couldn't figure out what they were trying to pull but something seemed wrong. I'll try to find the answer too. Are magnet schools open to the entire city? Isn't it nice to engage in real discussions with each other without those goofballs distracting everyone with pot shots to make us keep silent? We've got a civil public listserv! Thanks, Glenn ----- Original Message ----- From: Wilma de Soto <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Dave Axler <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ; UnivCity listserv <mailto:univcity@list.purple.com> Sent: Saturday, April 05, 2008 12:39 PM Subject: Re: [UC] Penn schools Youre welcome. Traditionally, High Schools dont have catchment areas per se. Thats why I included Drew and Powel school maps since they are in the immediate vicinity of UC High School. You can also see Martha Washington, and McMichaels areas which are due north and West of Powel and Drew. West Philadelphia HS Schools area would be included in the H. C. Lea Schools catchment area. On 4/5/08 12:25 PM, "Dave Axler" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Thanks, Wilma. I have a reasonable idea of Penn Alexander's catchment area -- at least enough to know that, though I'm 3.5 blocks from the school, my house is not in that area. What I'm hoping someone can provide -- though Tony's earlier post offered some verbal insight -- is a map showing the catchment areas for West Philadelpha HS and UCHS. -----Original Message----- From: Wilma de Soto <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Dave Axler <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; UnivCity listserv <univcity@list.purple.com> Sent: Sat, 5 Apr 2008 11:40 am Subject: Re: [UC] Penn schools Heres a link to the Alexander School Catchment Area form a Real Estate site: http://philadelphiarealestatehub.com/blog/catchment/ On 4/5/08 3:31 AM, "Dave Axler" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> The existance of Penn Alexander is causing its catchment area to undergo gentrification, and that would be increased if UC High became "Penn-Assisted High". If so, then what explains the gentrification of the areas outside the catchment area, such as the North side of the 4400 block of Sansom, my own 4400 block of Chestnut, and similar parts of UC? It can't be the school, since the residents don't benefit from it. At best, Penn Alexander is one of many causes of gentrification within its catchment area. Also, high-school students living in Penn Alexander's catchment area would probably* be in the catchment area of West Philadelphia HS, not University City HS. According to the School District's website, West Philadelphia HS and Penn Alexander are both in the "South" region, while UCHS is in the "Restructured/EMO Region". (Curiously, the site also lists a "University of Penn HS", but without any address. Dunno what that means...) *I searched the PSD site to no avail for catchment maps. If anyone knows where to find 'em, or can otherwise confirm or disprove my supposition, go for it! -----Original Message----- From: KAREN ALLEN <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: SH <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; univcity@list.purple.com Sent: Fri, 4 Apr 2008 12:29 pm Subject: RE: [UC] Penn schools > Don't you think that Penn is mainly interested in getting free schooling for their professors and well paid staff in the neighborhood who normally would send their children to private school? > Sharon Yes. And also to make Penn's graduate education program more competitive by offering its own student teachers internships in a highly acclaimed "urban" elementary school [Penn Alexander], populated by a well-behaved, highly motivated, upper middle class student body. If UC High becomes a Penn partnership school, then Penn can offer its grad students teaching opportunities in a similar "urban" high school, and Penn Alexander grads will have a top-notch neighborhood high school. http://www.gse.upenn.edu/cms/cms.php?id=171 http://www.upenn.edu/campus/westphilly/pas.html#PAS4 Although Penn's website mentions working with Philadelphia public schools other than Penn Alexander, having what amounts to its own elementary and high school gives Penn's Graduate School of Education (GSE) its own "lab". This arrangement accomplishes two goals simultaneously: both the GSE student teachers and the Penn Alexander students receive a stellar education. And the GSE has the advantage of not having to waste precious educational time dealing with the social ills that other public schools have do deal with. The existance of Penn Alexander is causing its catchment area to undergo gentrification, and that would be increased if UC High became "Penn-Assisted High". Penn employees and young people with children will want to send their children to a top-notch public school, and will move to the catchment areas, in turn creating a more upscale neighborhood, in turn reversing the public perception of the neighborhood being dangerous, in turn making it easier for Penn to market the University. Rising property values would eventually force those deemed undesirable out of the area. While Penn is saying that 70% of a new UC High's students would come from the neighborhood, the gentrification that Penn-Assisted High would very likely cause would mean that the "neighborhood" would probably not consist of the same people who live there now. Having top-notch public schools is the obvious ideal, and if Penn Alexander and possibly UC High are such schools, that is wonderful. But these schools have to exist across the board, not just in select neighborhoods for select demographics. The key is creating Penn Alexanders in all of the city neighborhoods. Motivated, advantaged kids are going to do well in any event, because their parents have the ability and resources to see that they do. The really hard job is in creating strategies that will reach disadvantaged kids and their families and in doing whatever it takes to make sure that those kids can also take full advantage of the opportunities those schools present. THAT would be world-changing! Penn, are you up to THAT job? = -------------------------------------------------------------------- Get the MapQuest Toolbar <http://www.mapquest.com/toolbar?NCID=mpqmap00030000000003> , Maps, Traffic, Directions More! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Get the MapQuest Toolbar <http://www.mapquest.com/toolbar?NCID=mpqmap00030000000003> , Maps, Traffic, Directions More! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG. 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