Philly's 7th Ward

Finding solutions for all Philadelphia students

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Tag - student achievement

  • Let's Talk About It

The “Invisible” And Costly Tax That Black Teachers Are Being Forced To Pay

January 5, 2021
by Rann Miller
6 min read
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According to a new study, teachers who teach in high-poverty schools are penalized on their classroom observations and often, those teachers are Black. This is another aspect of the invisible tax on Black teachers that encourages...

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  • Let's Talk About It

Philly, Let’s Get Serious About Diversifying Our Teachers (and Principals)

June 3, 2019
by Sharif El-Mekki
6 min read
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Districts and schools search incessantly for meaningful, sustainable, and effective school-based interventions — and those efforts often fail. Tons of money has been spent on countless concepts. Professional development on...

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  • Diversity
  • Equity and Justice
  • Let's Talk About It

Having More Black Teachers Is One of the Best Levers for Black Student Achievement.

December 18, 2018
by Corey Scholes
6 min read
1 Comment

I didn’t need the new John Hopkins University study to tell me black teachers matter. Diverse teachers, diverse leadership and diverse school cultures create higher expectations, stronger communities and better outcomes...

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  • Accountability
  • Equity and Justice
  • Let's Talk About It

Kids Aren’t the Only Ones Who Are Learning in Our School

September 6, 2018
by Sharif El-Mekki
3 min read
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As a new teacher and career changer, I owe so much to the coaching prowess of Mrs. Yvonne Savior. That’s right, even her name was Savior, and it was her guidance and support that helped me have the impact I sought with my...

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  • Accountability
  • Belief Gap
  • Equity and Justice
  • Higher Standards
  • Let's Talk About It

When Students Aren’t Proficient in Reading or Math, It Isn’t a Shame, It’s Violence

August 6, 2018
by Zachary Wright
3 min read
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I’ve written about teacher accountability before, but I recently read a few things that got me thinking. The first was a report out of Los Angeles that showed that nearly half the teachers in Los Angeles’...

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  • Belief Gap
  • Equity and Justice
  • Let's Talk About It
  • School Choice

How My School Helped Me Find My Way in America, Raise Two Children and Be the First in My Family to Graduate

July 22, 2018
by Sharif El-Mekki
3 min read
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During my last trips to visit family in Rwanda and the Congo, I was able to connect with countless people who are working on reconciliation from a war that ravaged the area, and improving education for those who were unable to...

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  • Equity and Justice

Why I Teach Where I Teach: To Fight for Educational Equity

June 5, 2018
by Zachary Wright
2 min read
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At Mastery Charter School Shoemaker Campus, I’m not just a teacher; I am a warrior for social justice. Education in America, wherein we have legislated who can learn and with whom one can learn, is inseparable from...

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  • Accountability
  • Equity and Justice

What Does A School Turnaround Look Like?

April 13, 2018
by Hilderbrand Pelzer
9 min read
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Hildebrand Pelzer III, the principal of a public school, lays out the hard, slow work of improvement—and what it takes to turn schools around. On tough days, I want to close my school and start a new one from scratch. But I’m...

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  • Equity and Justice
  • Let's Talk About It

STAY WOKE. DON’T BLINK: THE NATIONAL BLACK MALE EDUCATORS CONVENING

October 15, 2017
by Sharif El-Mekki
7 min read
1 Comment

You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time. -Angela Davis How many Black male teachers did you have in your pre-K to 12th-grade experience? Black men are the most...

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  • Equity and Justice
  • Let's Talk About It
  • School Choice

More Black Political Power Should Mean Better Schools for Black Kids. It Hasn’t.

May 8, 2017
by Sharif El-Mekki
4 min read
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At times, Black people, like any group battered and oppressed by the state, may celebrate any perception of forward motion. Folks scour social media pages to see who has what appointment, what political power is being amassed...

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