The Philadelphia School SP 2008

8/6/2019 The Philadelphia School SP 2008

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The Philadelphia School

S T R A T E G I C P L A N

20082013

The Enduring Vision:City Country Classroom


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Strategic Planning Committee

Dan Diadul, President, Board of Trustees

Amy Purcell Vorenberg, Head of School

Co-chairs

Jeff HurokGina Marie Moore

Medha Narvekar

Robert Adelson

Michael Berman 84

Susan Bodley

David Colman

Shannon Coulter

Alisa Field

Nica Waters Fleming

Jill GarlandMaureen Glaccum

Fred Goodman

Frank Gould

Stephen Kastenberg

Zachary Klehr 92

Emily Barry Marston

Randy Mintz Presant

Natasha Mitchell 93

Jeffrey Mordan

Betsy Neiva

Carlye Nelson-Major

Mady Prowler

Nancy Rafferty

Jennifer RiceAlyssa Rickels

Darren Spielman 86

Mary Stitt

Marco Velis

Lois West

I hope TPS continues all the

funny little traditions that made my

TPS experience so memorable. ALUMNI SURVEY RESPONSE


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MissionThe Philadelphia School is a coeducational,nonsectarian independent school

educating children from preschool through eighth grade. As a progressive school and

vibrant learning community, our mission is to educate the character and intellect of

children.We want our students to become engaged citizens who are critical thinkers,

creative problem solvers, and lifelong learners.

The Philadelphia School was founded in 1972, yet progressive education has been around since the

1880s, when Francis Parker, often called the father of progressive education, developed an approach to

education that rejected rote learning and enlisted the natural curiosity of children.

STRATEGIC GOAL1Reaffirm our commitment to progressive education in the context of a City

Country Classroom as it educates its students in the 21st Century.

Articulate what we mean by progressive education through documentation of core values

and the skills, content, assessments, and resources used and developed across subject areas

throughout the school.

Enhance the curriculum in support of multicultural and affective education and the experience

of the whole child.

In the context of 21st-Century demographics and global society, review science, technology,

and Spanish curricula.

Explore further integration of country elements in a city campus.

Provide additional experiences in drama across the units.

Examine all auxiliary after-school and summer programs to clarify program offerings and

policies.

Cultivate connections to other progressive institutions in the region and across the nation.

Progress to Date

The facultys Curriculum Study Group, which began its work in fall 2007 with acomprehensive review of the mathematics curriculum, is creating a framework,process, and schedule for curricular review in all disciplines.

Administrators and faculty devoted a substantial amount of in-service time in fall2008 to articulate the schools core values.

A teacher exchange program with the New City School in St. Louis began inNovember 2008, allowing faculty and administrators to spend a meaningful amountof time at another progressive school.

CommitmentsWith an eye to our future

needs, our strategic plan renewsthe schools mission and its fun-

damental commitments as

a progressive school educating

preschoolers through eighth

graders

a school committed to being a

diverse community

a City Country Classroom

where children learn to be

active stewards of the urban

and natural environments

PHOTOGRAPHY

BY

KATE

RICCARDI


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TPS shaped who I am today, and it is

a place I will always remember. ALUMNI SURVEY RESPONSE

The Philadelphia School opened its doors 36 years ago with an enrollment of 14. In 2008 the school enrolled

380 children and enjoyed an impressively high admissions yield and low attrition rate. As we move forward, we

need to identify our optimal size, balancing the changing demographics of the city with the benefits of our small

school feel.

STRATEGIC GOAL 2Manage our enrollment to achieve an optimal school size, with low student-to-teacherratios in support of a small school feeling within a diverse community.

Review our admission policies and procedures to ensure their effectiveness in enrolling students

who will succeed in a progressive school environment.

Fully examine the schools sibling and affiliate policy and its effect on enrollment trends.

Assess entry and attrition points across the school, focusing on opportunities for adding new

students in the upper grades.

Progress to Date

In April 2008, the Board of Trustees approved a target enrollment of 450 students by2016 and a transition to age 4 as the starting age for admission beginning in 2009.


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Throughout its history, The Philadelphia School has had an extraordinarily talented and dedicated faculty, staff,

and board of trustees. The school is indebted to them, as are the hundreds of students who have benefited from

a TPS education.

STRATEGIC GOAL 3Invest in and support a diverse, talented, and committed faculty, staff, and board of

trustees.

Provide greater administrative support for faculty and their programs.

Provide greater opportunities for professional development and strengthen the connection between

professional development and teacher evaluation.

Articulate a clear hiring protocol and establish an orientation program or mentoring system for

new teachers.

Publish a comprehensive employee handbook.

Regularly review salaries and benefits to remain competitive in the marketplace and to optimize

opportunities for recruiting and retaining an excellent and diverse faculty and staff.

Continue to involve a diverse array of parents on committees of the Board of Trustees in order to

increase participation in board-related activities and as a means to identify future board members.

Strengthen board governance through regular self-evaluation and education, making use of resources

for trustees available from the National Association of Independent Schools.

Progress to Date

A new administrative structure, with two associate heads working closely with the facultyand the head of school, was implemented in fall 2008 to provide additional support forfaculty and program.

Since 2006, funds for professional development have increased by nearly 50%, and in2007 the school established summer travel grants for faculty.

A faculty-led Professional Development and Evaluation Committee, formed in fall 2007,developed a multi-year system for faculty professional development and a cycle forongoing teacher evaluation.

It was amazing how close I was withall my teachers and fellow classmates.

ALUMNI SURVEY RESPONSE


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The Philadelphia School began in rented rooms in a synagogue on Broad Street. It moved to 2501 Lombard

Street as a renter in 1976 and bought its own home in 1989. The school is outgrowing that home, and

additional space is needed to respond to programmatic needs and innovations.

STRATEGIC GOAL 4Provide facilities that will support the schools programs, enhance a sense of one

school, and reflect the schools commitment to environmental responsibility.

Build green and renovate the current play yard and parking lot with the goals of environmental

sustainability, beautification, and connection to the neighborhood.

Create a space for all-school performances and celebrations.

Create a library media center to provide resources and services for students and faculty, as well

as to serve as a community gathering area.

Ensure access to an outdoor site for environmental education.

Progress to Date

The Board of Trustees worked for several years to acquire 2501-15 South Street, a 25,564-square-foot parcel of land across from the faculty parking lot. The school took possessionof the property on July 31, 2008. The site will be developed to support one schoolacross three city blocks.

A master plan addressing all three properties was begun in late spring 2008, with publi-cation scheduled for winter 2009.

During the 2007-2008 academic year, the Board of Trustees established an ad hocCountry Classroom Committee, made up of faculty, parents, and trustees, to articulateand affirm the importance of the country experience and to explore new sites for programdevelopment, including Fairmount Park.

We recognize the need to increase diversity and create an environment inclusive of all. Diversity is essential to

excellence in education.

STRATEGIC GOAL 5Grow and sustain a diverse, inclusive community that embraces differences in race,

ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, family structure, sexual orientation, and

learning styles.

Broaden outreach efforts and create measurable benchmarks for documenting progress in recruit-

ing, welcoming, and retaining a diverse faculty, administration, and student body.

Provide institutional clarity regarding the range of learning differences that can be well served at TPS.

Continue to increase funding in support of financial aid.

Progress to Date

Three groups work in the area of diversity at TPS: the Diversity Committee of the Boardof Trustees; Family Diversity @ TPS, a parent-led group; and the Diversity and EquityCommittee, a faculty and staff group charged with designing initiatives of inclusion andactivism across the curriculum.

Shelly Ridge

provided us

city kids withknowledge of

the natural

world.ALUMNI SURVEY

RESPONSE


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We can take pride in our sound financial stewardship. As the school addresses its strategic goals, there is need for

a forward-looking financial plan which includes an approach to fund raising that engages all constituents in

ensuring a vibrant future for The Philadelphia School.

STRATEGIC GOAL 6Strengthen and diversify financial resources to ensure the schools mission, secure

long-term financial stability, and realize strategic goals.

Strengthen the culture of philanthropy at The Philadelphia School.

Engage sophisticated support for the management of the schools financial resources to ensure that

the appropriate financial structure is achieved and maintained to meet the operating and long-term

goals of the school.

Maintain affordable tuition rates.

Seek creative, non-tuition revenue sources, such as expanded summer/vacation programming and

teacher-training institutes.

Progress to Date

New administrative software, installed in summer 2007, significantly improved the budg-eting and reporting capabilities.

The school has developed financial models to address program needs.

In this time of ever-increasing and ever-changing modes of communication, The Philadelphia School faces

the challenge of delivering the right information to the right audience at the right time. The school must work to

convey who we are, what we do, and why we do itnot only to our own constituencies but also to our neighbors

and the broader community.

STRATEGIC GOAL 7Provide meaningful and effective communication to foster positive, lifelong relation-

ships with our constituencies.

Conduct a communications audit to identify effective communication methods.

Ensure community understanding of the schools mission, strategic goals, and curriculum.

Assess opportunities for parents to be welcomed into the daily life of the school.

Progress to Date

The schools strong day-to-day communication has in recent years been enhancedthrough email and the school website, with approximately 500 page views on days thatnotices are uploaded.

Alumni relations, particularly with college-aged alumni and individuals who attended TPSin its early years but did not graduate, have been strengthened through online socialnetworking, initiated in February 2008 and involving nearly 30% of TPS alumni.

In winter 2008 the Board of Trustees assembled a committee of neighbors, many repre-senting civic organizations, to improve communication with the school and build strongneighbor relations.

In October 2008 the advancement office initiated a comprehensive review of all schoolevents and written communications.

When I have

children,

they WILL

go to TPS. ALUMNI SURVEY

RESPONSE


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The Philadelphia School SP 2008

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