SHQIP |  العربية | 汉语 | Español | Français | Kreyòl Ayisyen | ខ្មែរ | Português | Pусский | O’zbek tili | українська мова | Việt

Dear School District of Philadelphia community,

As we start our summer, and I conclude my third year as Superintendent, I am struck by the progress we have made as a community to Accelerate Philly. So far, we have:

• increased student enrollment by 1,841 students – the first increase in a decade
• increased the number of students with regular attendance by over 3,500
• increased 3rd grade proficiency in reading and math
• increased NOCTI (CTE readiness exam) pass rate by 13.5%-points
• increased the 4-year graduation rate by 6.3%-points
• reduced the number of dropouts by 1,400 students

This District Info Sheet is a summary of our recent progress. I encourage you to review it, share it, let it be an encouragement and a reminder of all we can accomplish when we work together. Thank you for continuing to invest time, grace, energy, and funding into your children and our schools! Yet still, we have work to do to become the fastest improving, large urban public school district in the nation. I am excited about the additional progress we will make next year. Here are some things to look forward to:

Superintendent’s Parent & Guardian Advisory Council
I am happy to announce that we have selected the members of the Superintendent’s Parent & Guardian Advisory Council (PGAC). The Council will begin meeting this fall, and will be an engagement forum where parents, guardians, and caretakers who represent diverse communities from across the District, can regularly connect with me and other District leaders to discuss experiences, uplift successes, and at times provide feedback on District initiatives, priorities and policies. I encourage you to visit the Council website to learn more and see the names of the inaugural members!

Facilities Planning
The District is in the midst of our facilities planning process, with the goal of presenting a plan that optimizes the use of our buildings in order to better support physical, social-emotional, and environmental safety for our students and improve all learning spaces. Our project teams are currently at work analyzing building data and community feedback, in order to have a draft plan ready by the fall. Please be on the lookout for opportunities to provide input on the draft plan this fall – our goal is present a final plan to the Board of Education in December. Learn more by visiting the Facilities Planning website.

This summer please keep an eye on your inboxes for updates, including information on our 5th Annual Back-to-School Bus Tour, so that you are well prepared to return in the fall on Monday, August  25 – the first day of school. Until then, have a wonderful summer!

In partnership,

Tony B. Watlington Sr., Ed.D.
Superintendent
The School District of Philadelphia