In 2nd State of Schools address, Philly superintendent says district is making progress, but more work is needed

From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to cover? Let us know!

Philadelphia Superintendent Tony Watlington, Sr. delivered his second State of the Schools address at the School of the Future in West Philadelphia, highlighting recent gains while acknowledging the opportunity for future improvement.

Watlington cited higher test scores for third- through eighth-graders, improved attendance, a lower four-year dropout rate and an uptick in enrollment as evidence that the district is making strides. The progress, he said, reflects the district’s five-year “Accelerate Philly” strategic plan.

“We believe when all of the data is in the big city school districts, we will be among the fastest-improving large urban school districts in the country, even though we know we have a lot of work to do, because of our starting point,” Watlington said.

Key achievements include:

• A 6.6% rise in the percentage of third- through-eighth graders who scored proficient or advanced in reading
• A 5.5% increase in the percentage of third- through- eighth-graders scoring proficient or advanced in math
• A 6.3% jump in the four-year graduation rate
• A 13.6% increase in students passing career or technical education tests
• A decline of 1,400 in the number of students who dropped out

Watlington said the district has been underfunded for years and, like other large urban districts, serves a high population of students living in poverty. He stressed that these challenges can affect students’ performance and well-being.

“Part of our challenge is to get the best out of the children who need it the most,” Watlington said.

A 2023 Commonwealth Court decision found that school districts in Pennsylvania have been underfunded in violation of state law. In response, Gov. Josh Shapiro and the state legislature allocated more than $1 billion to public schools for 2024. Watlington said these additional resources are critical and pledged to demonstrate that the district is a reasonable steward of public funds.

Watlington’s address came one day after the National Assessment of Education Progress released new data showing that national reading scores for fourth- and eighth-graders continue to slide, reaching their lowest levels in 30 years.

While the pandemic worsened many learning gaps, literacy experts such as Ignite Reading founder and CEO Jessica Read Sliwerski say that the downward trend in reading scores started even before 2020.

“While troubling, these scores don’t tell the whole story: many states are implementing positive literacy initiatives and research-based interventions are proving effective,” Sliwerski said in a statement. “The real issue? Waiting until fourth grade to assess reading is too late.”

Despite the national drop in test scores, Watlington shared additional district successes, including increased enrollment for the first time in a decade — 1,841 more students enrolled — and stronger workplace readiness among students in the district’s career technical education programs, such as HVAC and automotive repair courses.

“That tells us that a lot more Philadelphians have confidence in the public school district, and they vote by where they send their children,” Watlington said.

But he conceded that some may consider the progress not enough.

“We are going to keep our foot on the gas to continue to improve academic achievement,” Watlington said.

Still, the superintendent acknowledged that not all subjects are showing improvement. Algebra, for instance, remains an area of concern. To address it, the district is partnering with the University of Pennsylvania to provide specialized support and training for math teachers, along with intensive tutoring programs.

“We are also going to invest in high-impact, high-dosage tutors, who not only work after school weekends or before school, but who come into the classroom,” Watlington said. “We are going to continue to support teachers with the new math curriculum. Most of our children have not had access to it and they do now.”

Watlington added that with increased city and state funding, district officials are closely monitoring federal politics in Washington. The goal, he stressed, is to show all government stakeholders that the district schools are “financially sound” and are “good stewards” of taxpayer dollars.