Philadelphia City Council reviews different educational models

With Philadelphia’s public schools bracing for a severely bare-bones budget in the fall, a City Council hearing looked at other countries as places to emulate.

Republican Councilman-at-large David Oh called for the hearing, saying fixing Philadelphia schools will take more than restoring budget cuts.

 

“Just throwing money at a problem isn’t helpful, and I think it’s irresponsible not to try to fix the problem. While there are some good schools and students that benefit from those schools, overall our students are not doing well and do not have the type of educational experiences or resources that they should have.”

Seth Andrew came from New York City to testify about at Democracy Prep School where he works. They use a South Korean model of education, which emphasizes respect for teachers.

“Respect for teachers, hard work and an idea that educational values are the most important for families and the community as a whole,” is how Andrew described the model. “And if we can continue to show everyone that those values are there for our schools, we can continue to transform our communities and our cities.”

Oh says he hopes the school district will review other models. He says they could help improve results, even given the dire budget situation.