Philadelphia Schools undergoing restructuring

Date: 6/17/2008

by Alan Tu

Philadelphia's new superintendent is reshaping the school district to reflect her priorities. Arlene Ackerman started the job a month ago and now we hear she's eliminating some jobs. To find out more, It's Our City caught up with WHYY's education reporter Bill Hangley for the latest.

It's Our City: Is there a shake up going on in the Philadelphia School District?

BH: Yes there is, of a sort. Yesterday (7/1/08) some 218 so-called "academic coaches" got letters saying their positions had been eliminated. School officials tell me that the new school superintendent, Arlene Ackerman, basically decided that the coaches weren't doing enough coaching. In theory, the coaches were supposed to support classroom teachers with materials, mentoring, and even in-class assistance; in practice, it seems that many had found homes for themselves in various administrative offices. Whatever they were doing, Ackerman didn't think the program was worth its $15 million dollar price tag. Here's how district spokesman Fernando Gallard put it:

"The job description as first was created was for these individuals to provide assistance to teachers. As this position developed, individuals started doing different jobs, meaning they were working in the central office, they were working in the regional office, and these individuals were not working directly with teachers in the classrooms."

Ackerman is promising to restructure the academic coaching program; Gallard told me that this is the opening salvo in what will be her ongoing effort to make sure that the district is putting as many people as possible in neighborhood schools and classrooms.

It's Our City: I read that academic coaches are being let go. aren't test scores for students improving?

BH: Test scores are indeed improving, for the sixth straight year. Academic coaches may have helped drive that to some extent, and the district promises to improve the program rather than eliminate it. But when they announced their latest test scores, school officials said much of the improvement over the years has been due to the implementation of a core curriculum that puts all teachers, students and administrators on the same page. Several sources described the academic coach program as "cobbled together" and intermittently effective.

It's Our City: Is anyone losing their job in the current restructuring?

BH: None of the 218 former coaches are being formally laid off; they're all former teachers (and current union members!) who have the option of going back to teaching, or applying for jobs in the restructured program. The union says that about 700 teachers will retire this year, meaning there will be plenty of spots for any former coaches who want to go back to the classroom.

It's Our City: The Pennsylvania Legislature has approved more money for schools in the upcoming budget. Does this fix the inequity in funding that we've heard so much about?

BH: That's the 64 gazillion dollar question, isn't it? The legislature and the Rendell administration are still locked in negotiations about the details of the school budget, and we're all waiting to see what the final results will be. Rendell will reportedly get over 270 million in new funding, one of the biggest boosts in decades. And I'm told that the formula that will be used to distribute the money will be one that takes into account not just how many students a district has, but what kinds of students - i.e. extra funds for poor kids, students with language barriers, and so on. Most sources tell me that Philadelphia will end up with a generous slice of the overall pie, but just how generous remains to be seen. We expect details of the education budget before the holiday, but anything's possible.