Brian Cohen
  • Making the Grade Blog
  • About Me
  • Tutoring
  • Press
  • Resources to Share

One Letter Per Day: Change by Us

5/7/2012

0 Comments

 
Quick update: since last week the School District of Philadelphia has decided to rescind its notion to change the 4th quarter grade deadline. Now teachers have until the last day of school (as was the original plan) in order to input grades. I am very happy for this decision as it means we do not lose 6 days of instruction.

-------------

To: School Reform Commission 
440 North Broad Street 
Philadelphia, PA 19130 

May 7, 2012

Dear members of the School Reform Commission,

I empathize with your current situation: the recession being felt across the country is still affecting us here in Philadelphia. The decisions you make now regarding layoffs, closing school buildings, reducing education programs, and more are all unpopular choices but may be viewed necessary due to financial restrictions. That being said, I think we need to do a better job at leveraging the networks across the city.

In my view, one of the critical flaws about how the city (and School District) has been running is a lack of easy communication between those with resources and those with need. Until recently it was very difficult for an individual or organization to connect with others in order to share information. Now, with the Change By Us Philly initiative (http://philly.changeby.us/) there is a way to easily connect institutions in order to benefit the community.

I am sure that schools across Philadelphia have individualized needs that could be met by local organizations without too much difficulty. The partnerships you have been talking about could be developed even without creating “achievement networks” that would parcel up the District. Perhaps a food coop would want to adopt a local school to supplement their school lunches and reduce the cost overall. Or perhaps a local business is upgrading their technology and could donate computers to allow students to connect to the Internet. The options are endless.

The best way this can work is through partnerships conducted on Change By Us Philly. I would be happy to assist in organizing potential networks but need support from the School District of Philadelphia. More people need to know about this tool: teachers, administrators, parents, and community members should be trained. Then, maybe, Philadelphia can truly be a City of Brotherly Love.

Thank you,
Brian Cohen
One Letter Per Day Campaign

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Author

    I am a math teacher in the New York Department of Education. I infuse technology and real-world problems into my curriculum in order to prepare my students for the future. I would love for people across the country to recognize we teachers can't do it alone. If you don't believe me, come visit my classroom!

    Picture

    Contact Me

    Picture

    Email Updates

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    Archives

    March 2022
    September 2021
    August 2021
    September 2020
    August 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    August 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    September 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.