As part of the Promoting Adolescent Student Health (PASH) grant, the Office of Research and Evaluation (ORE) administers the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) every other year. In spring 2023, the YRBS was administered to a random sample of high school students at 31 randomly selected School District of Philadelphia (SDP) schools, and the CDC compiled a summary of the results.
School-based Youth Court is a student-run restorative justice program that helps students to problem-solve and mediate conflicts instead of relying on traditional forms of punishment. The goal of Youth Court is to support a student in repairing the harm that their actions have caused. SDP started implementing school-based Youth Court in the 2017-18 school year. This brief explores the relationship between the implementation of Youth Court and suspension rates and examines the perceptions of the program among students who participate in the Youth Court jury.
This brief provides information about enrollment patterns for K-12 students in Philadelphia’s public schools. The analyses examine enrollment trends with respect to governing sector, admission type, and student demographics from 2014-15 through the present school year, with a particular focus on 2022-23 to 2023-24.
The Keystone exams are end-of-year standardized state assessments typically administered to Pennsylvania students in grades 8-11 as they near completion of the associated English, Algebra, or Biology course. This brief describes annual Keystone exam performance trends between the 2018-19 (pre-Covid) and 2022-23 school years.
In January 2024, the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) Office of Finance, in partnership with the Office of Evaluation, Research, and Accountability, conducted the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Priorities Survey. A total of 3,641 stakeholders responded to the survey, representing 229 District schools/programs. This slide deck presents a summary of survey results.
The Senior Exit Survey is administered annually each spring by the Office of Research and Evaluation (ORE). In 2022-23, ORE received responses from 6,620 seniors at 78 District high schools, representing 72% of enrolled 12th grade students. This slide deck presents a summary of survey results.
In January 2024, the Education Recovery Scorecard issued a report on the first year of Covid-related academic recovery for school districts in 30 states. According to the research team, the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) is outpacing other large urban districts nationwide and many districts in Pennsylvania in recovering from the pandemic. In math, Philadelphia students recovered nearly half a grade level of learning during the 2022-2023 school year. In reading, Philadelphia students also made gains over the same period.
This data brief reports on 2022-23 PSSA performance for SDP students who qualify for special education services and have an active Individualized Education Program (IEP). Results are summarized by primary disability category.
During the summer of 2022, the Office of Research and Evaluation held a series of focus groups to better understand how students interpret and respond to key Philly School Experience Survey questions related to school climate and instructional environment. This slide deck presents findings with a focus on student perceptions of school safety, using both qualitative and quantitative analyses to explore the factors underlying specific survey results.
Through Listening and Learning sessions held from February to May 2023, we sought to better understand the factors that most impact teacher attendance and retention. This slide deck presents the findings from sessions with School-Based Teacher Leaders (STBLs), school leaders, and Central Office staff.