Philadelphia sees surge in 'persistently dangerous' schools

By Kristen A. Graham
Philadelphia Inquirer Staff Writer

A surging number of Philadelphia schools have been labeled "persistently dangerous" - so unsafe that parents have a right to send their children elsewhere.

The new list, released yesterday by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, shows a 67 percent increase in schools deemed persistently dangerous, a designation under the federal No Child Left Behind law.

The 20 schools on the 2008-09 list is up from 12 the previous school year - including a jump in dangerous middle schools from one to six. For the last several years, only Philadelphia schools have made the state's list.

Schools that qualify as persistently dangerous must have a certain number of serious incidents - such as assaults - that result in arrest for more than one year. The calculation is based on enrollment.

Helen Gym, who heads Parents United for Public Education, maintains that fewer adults - nonteaching assistants, counselors, security staff - in district classrooms has caused security to crumble.

"Safety is the number-one concern for every single parent," Gym said. "We know there are significant incidents happening in our schools on a regular basis that are frightening for parents, families and students themselves."

But district officials and the state-appointed safe-schools advocate say that Philadelphia's schools aren't necessarily more dangerous than they were. Principals and staff are just doing a better job of reporting incidents, they say.

"Parents shouldn't be too shocked by these numbers, because they're just a better reflection of the truth," said Jack Stollsteimer, the independent safe-schools advocate.

Stollsteimer said that the district was to be applauded for its targeted efforts in 40 schools that last year saw stepped-up security.

"They're moving to address this. They're moving in the right direction," said Stollsteimer, a frequent district critic.

Some schools have made multiple appearances on the list - Germantown and West Philadelphia High Schools have been persistently dangerous for six years running, for instance. Others, such as Thomas Fitzsimons High, are new to the list.

At Strawberry Mansion High, assaults rose from 20 in 2006-07 to 46 in 2007-08. Robberies were up from two to eight. At Frankford High, assaults were up from 56 to 80 and robberies spiked from nine to 28.

Two schools came off the list. University City High, which had been deemed persistently dangerous three years in a row, and Bartram High both lowered violence enough to disappear from the list. Both had gotten extra security last year.

"We applaud them for their efforts," said James Golden, head of the district's Office of School Climate and Safety.

Some say that the notion of "single-school culture" - a way of organizing a school, with clearly articulated expectations for all students and correction for poor behavior - has helped.

Of the 20 schools on the list, nine saw a drop in violence, just not enough to shed the label. West Philadelphia High saw decreases in every category - assaults were down to 37 from 89, and fires were down to 20 from 31.

Golden said that was due in large measure to the district's beefed-up safety efforts in the 40 schools, which will continue this year.

He could not, however, explain why more middle schools landed on the list.

This year, some middle schools, including those on the list, will receive safety supports, he said, and his team will work to analyze the data and "shape particular interventions around specific problems."

Golden said that school personnel now know what to do if violence breaks out.

"We have said, 'If a crime is committed, if violence occurs, we want that directly reported to the Philadelphia Police Department, to school police,' " Golden said.

State officials have said that Philadelphia's more accurate reporting is the reason it has all of Pennsylvania's persistently dangerous schools. The last non-Philadelphia school to make the list was a Chester-Upland school, in 2003-04.

Shelly Yanoff, executive director of Public Citizens for Children and Youth, said that, better reporting or not, "dangerous schools are not good things."

But, Yanoff said, she is encouraged by the fact that schools are finally getting resources to address problems. This year, the district won a $42 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to reduce violence, decrease the dropout rate, and improve achievement in seven persistently dangerous high schools.

"Some of those schools are still doing a good job for some kids," Yanoff said. " 'Persistently dangerous' is a hard label for a school to shed, and it's a diagnosis that has to lead to a treatment."

Although parents at the persistently dangerous schools legally have the option of transferring their children to schools not on the list, Gym, of the parents' group, said that was often not the reality.

"Parents' options are very limited," Gym said. "It's difficult to transfer out to a safe place."

Dems Rally Against Unions!
OK, teachers' unions. Still ...

By Mickey Kaus
Slate Magazine
Updated Sunday, Aug. 24, 2008

Things We Thought We'd Never See: Democrats Rally Against the Teachers' Unions! I went to the Ed Challenge for Change event mainly to schmooze. I almost didn't stay for the panels, being in no mood for what I expected would, even among these reformers, be an hour of vague EdBlob talk about "change" and "accountability" and "resources" that would tactfully ignore the elephant in the room, namely the teachers' unions. I was so wrong. One panelist--I think it was Peter Groff, president of the Colorado State Senate, got the ball rolling by complaining that when the children's agenda meets the adult agenda, the "adult agenda wins too often." Then Cory Booker of Newark attacked teachers unions specifically--and there was applause. In a room of 500 people at the Democratic convention! "The politics are so vicious," Booker complained, remembering how he'd been told his political career would be over if he kept pushing school choice, how early on he'd gotten help from Republicans rather than from Democrats. The party would "have to admit as Democrats we have been wrong on education." Loud applause! Mayor Adrian Fenty of D.C. joined in, describing the AFT's attempt to block the proposed pathbreaking D.C. teacher contract. Booker denounced "insane work rules," and Groff talked about doing the bidding of "those folks who are giving money [for campaigns], and you know who I'm talking about." Yes, they did!

As Jon Alter, moderating the next panel, noted, it was hard to imagine this event happening at the previous Democratic conventions. (If it had there would have been maybe 15 people in the room, not 500.) Alter called it a "landmark" future historians should note. Maybe he was right.

http://www.slate.com/id/2197768/#demneabash