1. A Blueprint for Transforming
Philadelphia’s Public
Schools
Safe, high-quality schools.
Fiscal sustainability.
1

2. Four Guiding Questions
1 What’s the problem?
2 What can we do about it?
3 How long will this take?
4 What happens next?
2

3. 1 WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?
3

4. WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?
In spite of progress, we are not improving
nearly fast enough
National Assessment of Educational Progress
% of Students Advanced/Proficient PSSA 4th Grade Reading (2011)
77.1
PA Math
73.5
PA Reading
69.2
67.6
National Average
220
57.8
SDP Math
199
SDP Reading
51.6
44.9
Jefferson Co.
Miami-Dade
Houston
Boston
Atlanta
New YorkCity
San Diego
Austin
Baltimore City
Cleveland
Tampa
Milwaukee
Charlotte
Chicago
Philadelphia
Dallas
Albuquerque
Fresno
Detroit
Los Angeles
D.C.
40.6
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress, EPE Research Center (Link to Philadelphia data:
http://www.edweek.org/apps/gmap/details.html?year=2011&zoom=6&type=2&id=4218990) 4

5. WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?
Our efforts to reduce violence are paying
off, but it continues to plague our schools
36% reduction in violent incidents
6,177
5,668
4,957
4,003
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11
Incidents
per 100 3.7 3.5 3.1 2.6
students
5

6. WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?
We face severe long-term deficits if nothing
is done
FY'13 FY'14 FY'15 FY'16 FY'17
Assumes $94
million in value
captured through
Actual Value
Initiative
-164
-181
-218
-252
in millions of $
-292
Cumulative deficit
of ~$1.1 billion
6

7. 2 WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?
7

8. WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?
Two Simple Goals, Five Clear Strategies
1. Establish a culture of safety and achievement for all students, by choosing
great principals and teachers and empowering them to get results
2. Promote equal access to quality choices for parents by expanding high
GOAL 1 performing district and charter programs and turning around or closing unsafe
Safe, high- or low-performing schools.
performing
3. Develop a strong college- and career-ready curriculum that is aligned with
schools rigorous PA Common Core standards, while providing schools and teachers
throughout with the flexibility to meet students’ individual needs.
the city
4. Make the system responsive to school and parent/community needs by
moving responsibility for providing support and direction out of the District
center and into small Achievement Networks of 20-30 schools. Ensure equity
and accountability by setting performance contracts for every Network.
GOAL 2 5. Right-size and streamline by shrinking the central office at 440 North Broad
Budget balanced Street, closing excess school buildings, and modernizing operations to deliver
by FY'14 better performance at lower cost.
8

9. WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?
Why We Believe This Will Work
We were very deliberate about the work and the process…
Evidence-Based We reviewed research and case studies to identify promising
Framework practices.
Data-Informed We utilized School District of Philadelphia’s student data to
Decisions inform our decisions.
We shared information about the reorganization process with the
We’ve Listened community and our principals. More importantly, we listened to
their concerns and incorporated their thoughts and feedback.
The work of the sub-committees led to a set of Academic
Open Process Priorities and an Academic Plan for FY 13. The subcommittees
had representation from members of the community, -- parents,
caregivers, advocates -- our principals, teachers and District staff. 9

10. WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?
Why We Focus on Principals
Second to teachers, principals have the largest direct impact on student achievement.
Effective principals are vital for school success.
 They establish a school’s vision, mission and help shape its
climate
Set the Culture and
 They are uniquely positioned to ensure school safety and that
Climate for Success
excellent teaching and learning are spread school-wide
 They use data to inform their decisions
 They are central to attracting and retaining talented teachers and
school staff
Ensure Talented
Staff  They lead instructional improvement
 They are the first line of support for school staff
 They mobilize resources for learning
Act as
Entrepreneurs
 They engage and partner with parents and the community
10

11. WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?
Strategy 1: Establish a culture of safety
and achievement
A culture of safety and achievement is a We will set aggressive goals for
culture of high expectations Philadelphia’s public schools
TODAY By 2014
of graduates earn a BA within 6
College and career success 36% years of high-school graduation 50%
College and career of high-school graduates enroll in
readiness 47% college within 1 year 65%
graduate with a standard diploma
High-school graduation 61% within 4 years 80%
58% score at proficient or above in Math
Students on track
52% score at proficient or above in Reading
85%
TBD
Student safety 2.6 violent incidents per 100 students
Source: Council for College and Career Success metrics; goals are draft only. Final goals for 2017 under review, to be published by June.
11

12. WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?
Strategy 1: Establish a culture of safety
and achievement
We will ensure effective leaders and teachers
Principals and teachers determine for all students by recruiting the best
school culture, climate and safety, principals and teachers, providing them with
which drive student achievement. supports, holding them accountable and
retaining our talent.
Strong coaching Performance-based Retention and
Talent magnet
and support assessment Succession Strategy
Attract, recruit and hire Performance All principals, teachers Retain the best talent
the best talent assessment will be and staff will be held in our schools and exit
internally, locally accompanied by accountable for those who are unable
and nationally robust coaching and student achievement to perform.
support
12

13. WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?
Strategy 1: Establish a culture of safety
and achievement
To succeed, principals and teachers We will empower principals and schools
need flexibility to adjust to their by providing them with increased
students’ needs and support to help autonomy and support to make decisions
them when challenges arise. that are best for their students.
Full Autonomy Support Intervention
Schools will have full control Schools will have control Schools will be provided
over: over the identified with intensive, targeted
autonomies but will receive support that are
 Curricular materials/ additional support and individualized to the needs
instructional programs guidance on the utilization of the leaders and the
 School climate and safety of those autonomies as school.
strategies required by the state. Schools that do not show
 Professional development immediate improvement will
 School Budget be eligible for turnaround.
 Schedule/roster
13

14. WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?
Strategy 1: Establish a culture of safety
and achievement
Like all professionals, principals and We will hold principals and schools
teachers perform best when there are accountable for providing a safe climate
clear standards tied to rewards and for learning, improving their students’
consequences achievement and ensuring equity.
 Schools will be held accountable
for helping all students achieve at
a high level, which means ensuring
that they are ready for college
and/or careers.
 Accountability for ensuring student
are prepared for college and
career will be distributed across
the entire K-12 continuum.
14

15. WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?
Strategy 1: Establish a culture of safety
and achievement
Principals and teachers need training We will make strategic investments in
and tools specifically designed to help people and programs that support safer
them address safety and climate. school climates.
• Three-day "Summer Safety Summit" for principals
• Summer training for teachers on school climate
Training
• School opening training for counselors and school police
• Follow-up and coaching throughout the year
• Implement Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports in
persistently dangerous schools
Prevention • Identify the most at-risk students via data analysis and engage
them to defuse potential violence
• Amplify student voices with safety activities, social networking
• Develop, test, and introduce safety indicators as part of the
Accountability Facilities Master Plan process
• Close schools that fail to improve
15

16. WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?
Strategy 2: Promote equal access to quality
choices
In 2009-2010, there were 45,000 We will act decisively to move
students in unsafe and/or low- students into safe, high-performing
performing schools schools
1
Expand high-performing District
# of SPI and Public Charter schools
40
* 8–10 * 9
schools
SPI * 2
106
* 29 Turnaround: Promise Academy
4–7 or Renaissance Charter
* 3
*
SPI
38 Close persistently unsafe,
103 low-performing programs,
1–3
and move students to higher-
performing programs
16

17. WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?
Strategy 3: Develop a strong college- and
career-ready curriculum
Principals and teachers need a We will establish a strong college- and
curriculum that prepares all students for career-ready curriculum that is aligned
success as well as supports to meet the with the PA Common Core standards and
needs of the students they serve college- and career- readiness goals.
A curriculum that sets high expectations With customized supports
to ensure success for all students
Additional resources and supports are provided to
PA Common Core
Standards help students in specialized programs meet the same
standards as their peers
A Strong,
• Alternative Education
Aligned
• Career and Technical Education
College- and
• English Language Learners
Career-Ready
• Special Education
Curriculum
Indicators for
College and Career Pre-K learning expectations will be aligned with more
Success rigorous kindergarten expectations
Current funding levels will be maintained for these
programs
17

18. WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?
Strategy 4: Make the system responsive
Both support and guidance for We will shrink the District’s Central Office
schools are most effective when and move supports to Achievement
placed as close to the classroom as Networks that will guide small groups of
possible. schools.
TODAY
FUTURE
School Reform
Commission
School District Central Office
School Reform
Commission
Charter
Achievement Lean Central
Management
Charter Networks Office
Organizations
Management
Organizations
Shared Services
Public
SDP Schools Charter
18

19. WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?
Strategy 4: Make the system responsive
Achievement Networks must be We will establish different kinds of Networks,
Achievement Networks based on the best proposals we see. Every
adaptable enough to serve different
kinds of schools Network will be held to a contract to ensure
performance and equity.
"Best of the "Best of SDP + "Partner- Key Components
district“ new recruits" operated" of Every Network
Network operated Network run by Network contracted to Open, public competition to
mostly by current combination of current non-profit organization choose Network managers
district employees, district employees and (eg, commmunity
under performance external hires, under group, university, Network contracts include:
contract performance contract Charter Management • Performance goals
Organization) tailored for that group of
schools
• Equity requirements
(must educate students
with special needs)
Non-profit • Network managers who
organization fail to meet these
contracted to requirements will be
manage network replaced
District staff External hire
(internal hire)

20. WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?
Strategy 5: Right-size and streamline
Today only 67% of our school building We will move decisively to close
capacity is utilized. This is not financially excess school buildings, saving as
sustainable. much as $33 million annually by 2014.
High
Facilities Master Planning Recruit Replication/
Achievement and safety
process to continue focus students expansion
on low-achieving, unsafe
school programs and
underutilized facilities as
candidates for closure, Potential
Intervention
with students moving to closure
higher-performing schools
Low
Low Facility utilization High
20

21. WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?
Strategy 5: Right-size and streamline
While district operations have become
We will modernize these operations to
more efficient in recent years, they are still
cut costs while improving customer
costly relative to similar services in the
service.
private sector.
Transportation Custodial and
Maintenance
Services
Procurement
Total ~ $62 million
21

22. WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?
Five-year plan brings budget into balance
Requires substantial concessions from all stakeholders
1 2
~ $122M ~ $156M
Operations (off of ~ $340M baseline) (off of ~ $1.2B baseline) Personnel
• Modernizing custodial services, • Restructure benefits program
maintenance, and transportation • Restructure wage costs
• Closure of ~40 school buildings to
improve quality , achieve 85% utilization
• Closure of additional ~6 buildings per year
to maintain level utilization
• Freezing of all non-personnel spend until
FY'16 Structural
Budget
3 Balance 4
Public Charters Additional Revenue
• Reduction in Per Pupil Payment of ~7% • $94M in value captured through AVI
in FY'13 (due to lower FY'12 cost) • Additional ~1–2.5% in state revenues
• No growth in Per Pupil Payment in in FY'16 and FY'17
following 3 years (due to balanced SDP • Long term borrowing in FY ‘13
budgets and stabilized expenditure)
• Adherence and commitment to mutually
agreed upon growth schedules ~ $149M ~ $133M
(off of ~ $838M baseline) (on top of ~ $2.6B baseline)
22

23. WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?
2012-2013 will be a transitional year
Still facing a $218 ... while we implement change on a massive scale
million deficit in
• Empower, train, recruit and retain the best principals and
FY2013 ...
teachers
• Develop new college- and career-ready curriculum
• Implement new safety initiatives
• Build and launch Achievement Networks
• Institute rigorous accountability standards for
principals, teachers, and central office
• Expand high-performing schools
• Execute school turnaround strategies
• Better engage families, communities and partners
-218 • Modernize Transportation and Facilities operations
• Close ~40 unsafe, low performing, underutilized schools
• Negotiate new collective bargaining agreements
23

24. 3 HOW LONG WILL THIS TAKE?
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25. HOW LONG WILL THIS TAKE?
Transforming the Philadelphia public
schools will take time, but we must start now
Phase I: Phase II: Phase III:
Apr. – Aug. 2012 Sept. 2012-Apr. 2013 May-Sept 2013
Implement new autonomy Train principals, teachers and Expand autonomies and
guidelines staff on new autonomies train principals
Identify additional district and
High- Establish portfolio
public charter schools for
Close unsafe, low
performing, management process performing schools
expansion
safe schools
Train principals and Increase accountability to
throughout teachers on the higher
Develop a strong college and
ensure students are
the city career-ready curriculum
standards reaching the new standards
Develop RFP for Select and begin building achievement networks to launch
Achievement Networks in September 2013
Establish interim
Budget Restructure into lean district center
organization structure
balanced by
Modernize custodial & Develop and execute
FY2014
transportation services school consolidation plan
25

26. 4 WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
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27. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Community input on draft budgets and plans
before they are finalized
27