School District of Philadelphia

On this month's show:

• Students, parents & teachers unite to form One Voice
• Students reflect on their defeat of school vouchers
• A third grader speaks about the school to prison pipeline
• The importance of art & music in school

Plus music & other news.

Hear more at our podcast: www.onblast.podomatic.com

The School District of Philadelphia has “an estimated 70,000 empty seats in more than 280 structures.”*  Combined with a budget gap of more than $490 million, it looks like the district is gearing up to close several schools next year.

School closings affect students in more ways than one, sometimes very critically. When schools get closed for reasons that aren’t clear or well explained to the public, people start to get angry. Usually students who have to travel further to attend a new school feel discouraged and displaced. This could lead to large numbers of students dropping out and being truant. Education is a right and we don’t want to see more kids at risk of becoming a statistic. That in its own sick way leads to a generation of young people who struggle to make a living and survive.

During Philadelphia Student Union's summer leadership program, Building A Youth Movement, students hit the streets to ask people their opinions about public education. Along the way they talked to college students, third grade girls, adults who attended private school, a mother with young children, parents of high school students, and other Philadelphians--- all of whom had strong opinions about the state of our city's public schools. Listen and see if you agree with what these Philly residents had to say.

In April 2009, myself and seven other students at Sayre High School trained our school security officers.  The reason why we did this all stemmed from a situation that took place back in September 2008 at my school.  The media called it a riot, but it all started with a miscommunication that escalated way beyond what it needed to be.

Young people all across the nation are looking for teachers that are qualified and will help draw them into success in education. However, in the city of Philadelphia, not all students have effective and qualified teachers in their schools. Grow Your Own (GYO) is a program that can and will help students get the qualified teachers they deserve in their neighborhood schools.

By Gregory Jordan-Detamore & Dylan Washington

In late 2007, a Costing Out Study was released. It was commissioned by the state to find out how much money is needed to give all students in Pennsylvania an adequate education, broken down by school district. It took into account factors such as poverty, English language learners, and cost of living. The results were not surprising, but nonetheless were very important.

At PSU, students have put together some important New Years Resolutions for the School District of Philadelphia. 

Happy New Year! We have worked so hard on improving our schools that we should take time to relax (thou short lived) and reflect. So…  as we are all equal contributors of the Philadelphia School District (students, teachers, PSD Officials, and community members) here’s what we should be both reflecting upon and working on for the New Year.

The School District of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT) have agreed to an extension of their current collective bargaining agreement.  The contract is now scheduled to expire on January 15, 2010. This extension agreement maintains the same wages, health benefits and working conditions stipulated under the agreement currently in effect for PFT members. Learn more about the contract, and read the Philadelphia Public School Notebook article: Backdrop to Contract Talks.

On this show we hear a feature about how Philadelphia Student Union has affected the lives of members. We also hear a piece that asks whether Advanced Placement classes are dividing students and distributing schools' resources inequitably. Then we look at the ways music shapes people, with a Song Breakdown of 'One More Drink' and a story about conscious hip hop. Plus, there's music and other news from Philly's schools.

Note from the Author: I encourage everyone to listen to this album that the PSU produced and then to donate $5 to get this album out to 2 students in Philly (or donate more to help the PSU continue its amazing work)! To listen and donate click here.