School District of Philadelphia Unveils Innovative College Preparatory High School
Nationally acclaimed education
innovator Big Picture Learning to serve as contract provider
in re-opened Vaux building in a unique partnership led by the
Philadelphia Housing Authority and including the Philadelphia
Federation of Teachers.
Philadelphia - Today the School
District of Philadelphia in partnership with the Philadelphia
Housing Authority announced a brand new High School that will open
in September 2017 in the Sharswood/Blumberg neighborhood. The
School District is contracting with nationally acclaimed education
innovator Big Picture Learning to implement this innovative
education design. The new four-year high school will serve up
to 504 students who have graduated 8th grade on time and are
looking for a proven, internship-based, college preparatory
experience.
The Philadelphia Housing Authority is purchasing the Vaux
building from the School District for $2 million. The PHA has
committed as a key component to this partnership to invest an
additional $10-$15 million on renovations. Along with the school
district, other partners include Big Picture Schools Philadelphia
(BPSP), which will manage the school, and the Philadelphia
Federation of Teachers (PFT), which will represent the teachers at
Vaux. In addition to its investment in the building, PHA will
provide an annual subsidy of up to $500 per student.
"High school students often travel across the city to find high
quality schools that meet their needs and interests. As we
work toward our goal of great schools close to where children live,
the District is proud to provide more educational opportunities in
the growing Sharswood neighborhood," said Dr. William R. Hite,
Superintendent of The School District of Philadelphia. "This
unique partnership with Big Picture, the PHA and the PFT is the
latest project in our innovation network, where we continue to
create successful evidence-based school models, where instruction
is more personalized, interest-based, and infused with
technology."
"Creating a high-quality school is another major step in
transforming Sharswood-Blumberg into a neighborhood of choice,"
said PHA President and CEO Kelvin Jeremiah. "We and our partners
are building hundreds of homes, creating a commercial corridor and
moving our headquarters to the neighborhood, but this innovative
school will provide the glue that binds this community together. I
want to thank Philadelphia School Partnership; Lenfest Foundation;
Barra Foundation; Centene Foundation and Santander Bank Foundation
for their strong support for school planning and for the first year
of operation."
The Vaux location was identified for a new high school because
the Sharswood neighborhood is part of a significant redevelopment
project being led by the Philadelphia Housing Authority. The
project expects to increase the number of high school students in
the neighborhood and Big Picture High School will serve those
students in their neighborhood.
Big Picture High School will be a District managed neighborhood
high school offering automatic admission for students that reside
in the Meade and Morris Elementary School attendance zones.
The remaining enrollment will be supplemented by a tiered lottery
process with students in the W.D. Kelley attendance zone receiving
first priority, and the students residing in the Strawberry Mansion
High School attendance zone receiving secondary preference, with
any remaining seats filled from across the city. Big Picture
High School will admit 125 students annually beginning in September
2017, with one grade added each year for the following three
years.
"We are honored to have the opportunity to provide Big Picture
Learning's student-centered philosophy revolving around offering
youth an education that is built on "the three R's": relationships,
relevance, and rigor to the students and families," said David
Bromley Executive Director, Big Picture Philadelphia. "This
unique partnership with the School District of Philadelphia and The
Philadelphia Housing Authority will be a tremendous benefit to the
Sharswood/Blumberg neighborhood.
Big Picture will bring our philosophy of smaller classes and
close relationships between students and teachers that focuses
learning around the student's interests and passions, and
internships that connect students to the world of work outside
school guide the structure of the school experience."
At Big Picture High School students will:
• Pursue an interest / passion through twice weekly
community-based internship experiences.
• Engage in project and interest-based learning.
• Learn with an advisory family for 4 years.
• Develop a personalized learning plan.
The school in the developing Sharswood neighborhood will provide
a facility for modern instruction. Big Picture High School will
employ an interest-based learning curriculum as well as the
training of all teachers in partnership with the PFT.
"Our experience with Penn Alexander proves that partnerships
between educators, administrators, parents, businesses and city
agencies are the key to building great schools," said Philadelphia
Federation of Teachers President Jerry Jordan. "The PFT is looking
forward to collaborating with Big Picture and the PHA to once again
create a school that will help anchor a community, and provide
schoolchildren with a great education."
Social services offered at the school will include a health and
dental clinic provided by Project Home; a human services agency by
Public Health Management Corporation; student counseling in
partnership with Philadelphia Futures; and financial counseling in
partnership with ClariFi. The school has received strong support
from area foundations for school planning and for the first year of
operation. Committed donors include: Philadelphia School
Partnership; Lenfest Foundation; Barra Foundation; Centene
Foundation and Santander Bank Foundation.