All children should be able to attend safe and supportive schools. Children First issues reports and policy briefs tracking conditions within Philadelphia’s public schools.
MOST RECENT RESEARCH
Hold Harmless: A Quarter Century of Inequity at the Heart of Pennsylvania’s School System – Jan 2021
This report reveals the significant harm done by the education funding system paradoxically known as “hold harmless.” This system fails to account for the massive shift in district enrollment, resulting in an education funding system that’s among the most inequitable in the nation.
No More Dreams Deferred – Mar 2021
Across the region, the share of students of color attending suburban public schools is growing. In fact, one of four students attending 61 suburban school districts in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties are Black or Hispanic. Without question, these suburban school districts are becoming more and more diverse, yet the educational paradigms have not kept pace with this change.
This report discusses the School District of Philadelphia’s shift from punitive behavioral practices, identify key players, explain in greater detail the funded approaches in dealing with student misconduct, and examine the training process. Furthermore, the report will explore the process of rolling out the positive supports or restorative practices in these schools, and some discussion of the District’s plan for sustaining these efforts and implementing these models with fidelity.