by Christopher Paslay
Yesterday, while the Philadelphia Student Union staged a predictable protest outside District headquarters to voice their concerns about “Imagine 2014,” Dr. Ackerman’s new strategic plan, I took time to discuss the school reform blueprint with students inside my 11th grade English classes.
I introduced “Imagine 2014” by having students read an overview of [...]
by Susan Cohen Smith
Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. The more things change, the more they stay the same. The School District of Philadelphia’s new Superintendent, Arlene Ackerman, has embraced the time-honored method of enacting wholesale institutional change within the Philadelphia school system: if something’s not working, change its name and call it [...]
by Christopher Paslay
“As Mayor, I will call for a reduction in contracts with outside contractors unless there is a compelling educational purpose for renewing the contract.”
–Mayor Michael Nutter, Putting Children First
In an educational reform plan dubbed Imagine 2014, Philadelphia schools’ chief Arlene Ackerman announced her intention to shut-down 35 of the [...]
by Christopher Paslay
(Re: Imagine 2014)
Imagine there’s no insults
It’s easy if you try
No blaming just the teachers
No waving 30 schools goodbye
Imagine the SRC
Giving us what we need
Imagine no outside managers
It isn’t hard to do
No wasting millions of dollars
And no consultants too
Imagine all the parents
Pulling their own weight
You may say I’m a dreamer
But [...]
by Christopher Paslay
To help The Philadelphia Public School Notebook bring quality and equality to all public schools, I am posting a regular forum here on Chalk and Talk called Eye on The Notebook. Its purpose is to provide The Notebook with constructive feedback from teachers who work day-to-day in real classrooms and experience the district’s [...]
by Christopher Paslay
“This is America. When ordering, speak English.”
By now we know the story. Joey Vento, owner of the famous Geno’s Steaks in South Philadelphia, placed a small sign in the window of his restaurant asking customers to order in English. Although the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations filed a discrimination complaint against Geno’s [...]
by Christopher Paslay
Note: This is a continuation of an article posted on February 8th.
TIP THREE: BALANCE THE THEME OF REVOLUTION WITH THE THEME OF RESPONSIBILTY
It’s interesting how many teens associate Malcolm X with the phrase “by any means necessary”. But those who’ve studied Malcolm X closely will understand he never advocated violence. As Attallah [...]
by Christopher Paslay
Over ten years ago, when I first began teaching in the Philadelphia School District, I asked my department head to order a class set of The Autobiography of Malcolm X so I could use it with my English classes. Without hesitating, she gave me the following advice: Stay away from Malcolm X. When [...]
by Christopher Paslay
NOTE: This article was published in The Philadelphia Inquirer on February 22, 2006.
The students I teach are growing up in a world where race seem less of a pressing issue than ever before. Billionaires can be black (BET founder Robert Johnson), rappers can be white (Eminem), and top golfers can be a little [...]
by Christopher Paslay
To help The Philadelphia Public School Notebook bring quality and equality to all public schools, I am posting a regular forum here on Chalk and Talk called Eye on The Notebook. Its purpose is to provide The Notebook and its readers with constructive feedback from teachers who work day-to-day in real classrooms and [...]
