Must look at, I must.I open the eyes, moonlight pouring in through the windows of my pupil. In the window, close to the glass, a white cat with eyes are watching me Zhengda.
I understand that they are not dreaming, I feel took me yesterday to see那只on the roof Baimao, this is the only, and I'm sure.Although separated by some distance, I can clear all its details, but I can Xiangxiang Chu it enlarged the pupil, in the dark Shanzhuoyouyou the light, just like the yellow brown walnut. I stood up, Balian posted on the windows, she did not even move, still staring me, it seems that in the parade. I now see it, separated by glass, perhaps I and its eyes only 10 cm distance. It's like two eyes not only beautiful yellow brown walnut, no, more like a gem, no wonder the cat's eye to the past as a priceless jewel named, the original Cat's Eye of the United States is so fascinating, especially in Today, such a night.
I play window, I have an impulse, stroking its fur smooth the impulse. I opened the window, when my hand to touch its head, it Mengdi Zha Lezha eyes, two Lin Li to look into me, then quickly reversed body, the moment has disappeared and tile Disappears. Moonlight onto my face, the wind hit the river a while, I shrink back. I really elusive it, with many doubts, I finally fell asleep.
No day-time, I was suddenly awakened by what sounds, it is washbasin was kick over the ear-piercing sound. Is a thief, wearing shorts and T-shirt I immediately stepped down from the attic, a Kaile Men.公司註冊 商業登記 公司秘書 公司註冊 成立公司

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Face the future, train the person of the need of the society in the future. Infancy is the period that development establishes the foundation to grow. Then, we consider future talent society need. What kind of foundation should we establish children at little age stage? For example, independence, creativity, self-confidence and coexistence of cooperation with people,etc., all these are the social requirements for talent in the future. The above has discussed three points, i.e.: 1. Improvement of overall quality; 2.Forming of basic quality; 3.Face the future and train our child.
There are some mistaken ideas, some problems in family education at present. These questions, the mistaken ideas are unfavorable to infant's good quality and take shape. Parents must see clearly this question, on this basis, we discuss how to train good quality. I sum up, as follows, mainly
1.Quite a few of parents are random and great in education to the child in the family, there is no clear goal.
Some parents think, have child can become first parents qualified naturally; Some parents think how my mother educate me, how I educate my child, these views are all wrong. Other parents remember, catch, remember, catch, for the moment this, he is random and very old for the moment. This is that one is often question apt to appear in home education.
2.There is a mistaken idea of education in the home education at present, this mistaken idea is " Heavy light Germany intelligently " ,The intelligence of paying attention to the child is developed, develop intelligence, the development that the behavioral morality of ignoring the child is used to, ignore the development in an all-round way. Parents, to the cultivation of child's body constitution, is a comparative big problem too. A lot of parents often wipe out McDonald taking children from the child's disposition, hardly realize the food of McDonald has been eaten too much, will have a bad impact on child.
3.Stress the child's focal point - -Teach children how to learn to conduct oneself. The adult could become a useful person, can not become a useful person without growing up. Any one all have better morality to social contributory winner.
We call his preschool child, is less than the school age, should not study like this, the child of the little age, studying will have no advantage to the child like this. But we whom energy spend is not in the right place with a large amount of of parentses,so say by mistaken idea of stepping into. It is a mistaken idea that often appears in the family education to only pay attention to intelligence. Moreover, I say it is a kind of mistaken idea loved. Only a child now, become center that all family's members love, concerned center. We have some parents, children in he oily to love too much protecting too much dominating too much. This is a question in the family now, is a kind of mistaken idea loved. Education is a kind of rational behavior, there should be a kind of rational love.

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St. Michael’s Lutheran Church, 6671 Germantown Ave., is holding a community-wide flea market, book drive and fun day to benefit the Emlen School on Saturday, July 12 from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm. The rain date is Saturday, July 19.

In addition to the flea market, there will be a barbecue, activities for children, singing, praise dance, and knitting lessons.

St. Michael's is looking for people to rent tables ($10 donation), donate elementary age books (new or used and in good condition), and/or provide bookstore gift certificates or tax deductible cash donations for the school.

This is the second community event and fund raiser that St. Michael’s has organized to benefit Emlen. St. Michael's is concerned about inequities in the education system and decided to partner with its local public elementary school to support its success. St. Michael's hopes to provide mentors for students in the fall. St. Michael's sees the flea market as a way to raise community awareness and show give support to one of our local public schools.

For information about the flea market, to rent a table or make donations: Kathryn Mariani 215-380-0842 or kathrynmariani@aol.com. For information on how to partner with St. Michael’s to support the Emlen School, contact the church office at 215-848-0199.

Avoid making expensive mistakes

Choosing jewelry can be a treat and thrilling. But, it can be a little scary too, especially if you're selecting expensive pieces! This guide is to help you select the perfect piece, whether it is for you or a present for someone else.

Silver or Gold?
Generally speaking, if you have a skin color that suits warm colors then you should be wearing gold or gold colored items. People with pink complexions or who are very pale would be better suited to silver or silver colored (including titanium or white gold). Very dark people can look equally stunning in silver or gold.

Your physique
If you are a larger person, large jewelry will suit you best. Small, dainty jewels are likely to look lost.

On the other hand, if you are a petite person, wearing lots of large, bold jewelry could make you look a little like Mr T!

Think about your way of living
When selecting your jewelry you need to think about your lifestyle and what the item is for:

If you intend to wear your jewelry most of the time and you're an active, sporty person....large dangly earrings are just going to annoy you. If you're picking something to wear for a special occasion, a large claw-set ring would be fine.

Rings
Rings look fantastic on well maintaned hands. If you bite your nails, maybe you could utilize buying a gorgeous ring as an excuse to stop the habit!But i like Tiffany Ring.

Some people like to wear just a single ring whereas others like to wear a couple per hand. The choice is up to you, but try not to wear too many...usually less is more.

Bracelets & Bangles
Bracelets and bangles can look wonderful, but again less is usually more unless you have very thin arms. If your arms are somewhat large you may be best to avoid bracelets as they can be uncomfortable if they're too tight. Most bracelets are a standard size of 7" although it is possible to find 8" length bracelets too.

Necklaces
If you have a long neck you'll find that shorter necklaces look sensational. Try chokers (16") or Princess (18"-20"). If you have a shorter neck, go for longer length necklaces, maybe try either opera length (30"-36") or a lariat (a long-strand, open-ended necklace usually looped in a knot or used with a slide so the two ends hang free).Tiffany Necklace is may be your choise.

Earrings
When selecting earrings you should to think about your face shape. People with round faces should go for angular shaped earrings, dangly earrings also look great.
People with square and diamond shaped faces look fantastic in round studs and also drops.
People with oblong shaped faces should avoid drops as it can make their faces look over-long.
People with triangle shaped faces can wear all tiffany jewelry styles (lucky you!).

By Ari S. Merretazon, M.S.CED

Since being hired in May 2006 as the ninth president of Temple University, Ann Weaver Hart, the first female president in the University’s 123 year history has initiated the devolution of its flagship community education program, the Pan-African Studies Community Education Program (PASCEP), a world class model of community education over the last 33 years, under a national eminent domain education movement, some call Community-based Learning.

Community-based Learning is a community engagement model presented as a national education movement in which universities expand their campuses into low and moderate income communities. This movement is presented as a collaborative approach to upgrading community infrastructure, businesses, housing conditions and community collaboration.

Within this model Temple is able to leverage massive amounts of development dollars based on research and socio-economic and housing data collected by professionals, most of whom are white and don’t live in North Philadelphia. This is how Temple has entered the Community-based Learning movement, much like other urban-based universities.

Granted, the concept of this movement is marketable in terms of expanding entrepreneurship, new capital improvements, and strengthening ties to its surrounding neighborhoods. Its process of implementation, however, is likened to an apartheid state or plantation administration.

Here is how it operates within well used principles of apartheid and plantation rule. A new president/administration comes in with a deceptive public relationship strategy of community engagement, collaboration, and promises of community inclusion. The vision of development is done with a standard community impact assessment; department heads are treated as 3/5ths of a human with no rights the administration is bound to respect; successful community education programs are dismantled or downsized beyond recognition under memoranda and news releases from the office of the president indicating a grand university/community vision such as “Broad Street and Beyond.”

The clearest case of this approach is the relocation/downsizing of the Temple University Pan-African Studies Community Education Program (PASCEP). This started only months after Temple’s first women president took office. She, without involving any of the current PASCEP staff in any collaborative discussion and decision-making, decided to relocate PASCEP off the main campus into a much smaller and unaccommodating facility with the distracting name of Community “Entertainment” Center. This suggests that Temple has no intention to continue PASCEP as a quality community education program.

With this apartheid and plantation handling of the director and program, the faculty, alumni association, and supporters are seeking to meet with Pres. Weaver Hart to discuss the negative impact of the relocation and downsizing with goal of keeping PASCEP on campus in Anderson Hall.

Pres. Weaver Hart has yet to give basic recognition, respect to the highly successful program or to its director. She has not responded directly to his letters and information packet about PASCEP which provided her with milestones achieved by PASCEP at its current capacity. To date supporters have received the same boiler-plate form letter response to each of their distinctly different letters of support for the program.

If the relocation proceeds in this apartheid/plantation process, the following successful programs will be terminated: The East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention. This is Philadelphia’s premiere comic book and literacy initiative; The PASCEP Black Male Development Symposium Rites of Passage Program; The PASCEP Prison Outreach; The PASCEP Community Consortiums; and the PASCEP Vendors Association. All of these vital community engagement programs with great exponential positive impact will leave Temple because of the apartheid and plantation incursion of Pres. Weaver Hart.
A vetting of Pres. Weaver Hart reveals, among other things, that she previously served as president of the University of New Hampshire and provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at Claremont Graduate University, neither similar to the Pan-African community in which Temple sets. Her prior education at every higher education level has been from the University of Utah, not nearly the multicultural environment of Temple.
Well, which way forward from here? Do the North Philadelphia community leaders know that PASCEP will never be the same if relocated? Will Pres. Weaver Hart open talks with the PASCEP director and the PASCEP faculty? When will the appropriate City Council and State Representatives intervene in this local disruption of a successful education program with a grand legacy of community-based learning and engagement for more than 33 years?
PASCEP is at a critical junction. The date set for this unjustified relocation has been set, un-officially, for fall 2008. Why must one successful community-based learning program be displaced by any new ones without a collaborative community process?
To collaborate in theory and practice is when at least two entities with similar interests come together to do something neither could do alone. As a faculty member of PASCEP, I know firsthand that Pres. Weaver Hart has not met with the director of PASCEP as a collaborative partner. If PASCEP’s director had been included in the decision-making process, perhaps there would have been a relatively seamless transition and supporters of PASCEP would not have to write such commentary and continue to oppose such apartheid/plantation approach to community-based learning.
ASM - April 29, 2008

DON’T MOVE PASCEP

Temple University has initiated the dismantling of the prestigious community education program, the Pan-African Studies Community Education Program (PASCEP), a world class model of multi cultural community education for the past 33 years.

Temple’s administration without involving the director or staff of PASCEP in any collaborative discussion, decided to relocate PASCEP off the main campus. With this move, several of PASCEP’s community outreach initiatives will be terminated and many of its classes will be eliminated.

Some of the PASCEP initiatives slated for EXTINCTION:

• The East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention (ECBACC),
which is Philadelphia’s premiere comic book and literacy initiative.

• The PASCEP/BMDS Rites-of-Passage Programs.

• The PASCEP Prison Outreach will be reduced by 75%.

• The PASCEP Community Consortiums.

• The PASCEP Vendors Association.

With an average population of over 1100 students per semester, 85 classes running four nights per week, all run by volunteers, PASCEP qualifies as the 5th largest “school” under the Temple University banner. Yet they fail to respect the citizens of Philadelphia, who are its students and faculty, essentially …

PASCEP is under SEIGE!!

If you want to learn more or interested in volunteering to stop this madness,

Please e-mail us at: friendsofpascep@yahoo.com
or learn more at our blog at http://360.yahoo.com/friendsofpascep

APARTHEID MISTRUST BETRAYAL

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Another holiday again, a friend asks me, what's my plan for festival, I just want reading, really.

The autumn wind is tight, the door is closed tightly day by day, have no people of special communication like me, daily supper, watch the TV for a moment, make several yawns, have a few bored stiff feelings a bit chillily on one's body, want to creep into the quilt early, it is but this thing glad to do the most at this moment to do that and is accustomed to - --Study. Or might as well say unexpectedly that enjoyable.

Study, take I coherent some, people of meal, used to or say hobby really. But get on very well ashamed, may long-term spare time study reason, I habit this raise some strange, although is unlikely like that kind which Mr. Lin Yutang satirized " must strike an attitude to study " People," or not disliking stool for not being the getting harder too, or disliking light for being getting darker too" ,It is by no means that " the on the bathhouse, rickshaw, on the lavatory, library, barbershop, can all study " ,Only newspaper, publication,etc., serious books especially voluminous work, thing that specially like, can read either willing to to go, read, must want, wait until in one's own house (even good in the hotel) time , arrange all odd job ready first, go after, lie down the bed reading smooth by heart have. Study like this, to me, first, produce effects well, two is, in fact I will also study and regard as a life style, a unique temperament and interest, a enjoyment with flavor, even is often still a dose of sedative with good efficiency - --Can't be more tired in every day, look through page several to be book right away difficult to fall asleep, anxious state of mind, or when being low, study and let me shift the mental state or hold and direct oneself from boredom strongly fragrantly again

In this way, draw piece study, have season question of difference of festival too again. I good-for-nothing perhaps just in here, this again have and Lin Yutang master scholar of grade have obvious difference of relative superiority like that. Old Mr. Lin's view is " should all study in four seasons " . I am quite different. Ancient mock " it of studying in spring, had better sleep while being scorching summer, until the fact that autumn come, go to also winter, not as annual as to wait to come " Its people, half look like me. Although I read some book all the same will it be two season spring and summer, think exhausted temperament and interest little incomes really also, it is not my reading it really. The climate is fine in autumn, it should be in my reading season most and winter continuing coming became even more.

Study at night of winter, remember that all that a gentle one is merry, a kind of simply fantastic one is moist! Must cold night,it is the cold the good, outside howl icy wind, it knocks at that window is getting more wonderful particularly to snow. Wonderful and wonderful can produce the warm, leisurely and comfortable contrast with the room in that to the maximum extent. And at this moment, all this world noisy to freeze the severe cold into the ice all, and I shut tightly the door leaf, draw tight curtain, get rid of on outside all, stay the gentle light and chirp of wall clock screech only, ticktack sound of fire hose that shut tightly once in a while accompany; Get ready and then smoke, tea steep, turn on warm quilt bore electric blanket, begin to chat away on any conceivable topic with the ancient tirelessly, steals and chats with the sage privately. That aesthetic feeling, that kind is joyful, only if can't be with the language like my addiction person! Have " red sleeve adds to study at the fragrant night " anciently Call,it spreads to scholar to be the border more, although I extravagant hope once too, say really, that one that has not belonged to reading yet is happy. I at least, once red sleeve is on the side, I'm afraid what book is read into.

Talk about reading happy, I think I might short of some China learn the spirit of studying hard that people always advocate, therefore is perplexed and alarmed occasionally unavoidably, fortunately study and help me to remove this worry. Old Mr. Lin's sentence, but this speech obtains my heart deeply, he says: "It is that deceived people to study two words hard. Every scholar, in order to or study two words tiredly by mistake. The person studying and becoming famous, happy, not bitter. It is said the ancient studies and chases monthly laws, sting one whiff of laws, and the girl supervises and reads the law, in fact all very cumbersome " In this case, if I will only study it will be some not that one that regarded as the refined taste of life and pondered, may make reading grow happy happy to have resulting, and what be than?

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As part of Cliveden’s Building Bridges: Linking Lives and Communities exhibition, programming will continue this summer in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Philadelphia’s Walnut Lane Bridge. Highlighting a newly discovered collection of lantern slides, the exhibition runs until December 31st and features original blueprints, contemporary newspaper accounts, rare photographs and modern works of art showcasing the bridge’s enduring beauty.

In an effort to highlight one of the project’s community partners, a visual account of the bridge’s recent history will take place at the Woodmere Art Museum on June 19 at 7PM. Join Woodmere Curator and Building Bridges advisor Douglas Paschall for the “Lantern Slide Salon,” where he will take you on a journey in bridge and park history from the early 19th century to present day. Based on historical “magic lantern” presentations, the Lantern Slide Salon will offer a visual story of the bridge, its natural surroundings and a history of the lantern slide, which is a Philadelphia invention. Cost of admission to the event is $5 and is free for Bridge Club Members.

Programming for the Walnut Lane Bridge’s 100th anniversary has also been developed for children. From July 14 – July 18, Cliveden will be hosting the Building Bridges Summer Camp, a day camp for children of 8 to 12 years who are interested in nature, architecture and wildlife. The camp runs from 9:30AM to 3:30PM daily and cost for the week long camp is $100. Campers will travel to Adventure Aquarium, Awbury Arboretum, Historic RittenhouseTown, Walnut Lane Bridge and the Wissahickon Environmental Center for hands-on activities such as: bridge building, nature studies, self reflection and other outdoor lessons.

Please visit www.walnutlanebridge.org for more information about these events or call 215-848-1777 to learn more. Limited space available for each event, RSVP preferred. Exhibition is free to the public and is open daily from 12PM – 4PM.

On June 12, 2008, Earthlink Wireless plans to disconnect their municipal WiFi service in the City of Philadelphia. For the sake of being timely, I am releasing my unfinished documentary about the joint program between Earthlink Municipal WiFi and the local non-profit, Philadelphia Wireless, forgoing further editing and technical corrections.

My aspiration for this film was to represent the personal insights of a few Philadelphians and their hopes for how municipal wireless service could affect positive change in their city.

Philadelphia Wireless (the local non-profit) is still searching for a new provider to manage the network, continuing their mission of bridging the digital divide by providing internet service to those who can't afford it.

Please forward the link to anyone you think might be interested in this topic.

Change is in the Airwaves: A Documentary about the Philadelphia Wireless Initiative from George Rausch on Vimeo.

The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, together with The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, will host a large public forum on May 6, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., where a panel of scientists and policy experts will discuss the impacts of “Global Warming in the Delaware Valley.” This free, town hall-style meeting is one of many installments in the Academy’s “Town Square” series, which is taking place at the museum’s headquarters near Logan Square on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

“As scientists, it is critically important to share the latest facts and to hear what people are most concerned about. That is the goal of this forum,” said Dr. Danielle Kreeger, science director at the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary. “We also want to think strategically about needs and actions in the future. For example, what do we do when changes in climate begin to interact with changes in our backyard, like land use and water management? These are just a few of the things we’ll discuss.”

Prior to the evening’s discussion, scientists will be joined by policy makers and resource managers, among others, for a day-long technical workshop on climate change in the Delaware Estuary. The goal of this earlier gathering is to compare data on climate change in a way that allows professionals to move forward in a concerted, regional approach to natural resource restoration and protection. The results of the workshop will be presented during the evening’s Town Square meeting in an effort to gather public input.

“This is a much needed information exchange and discussion for scientists, resource managers and the public on a very important topic,” said Dr. David Velinsky, an environmental biogeochemist and vice president of the Patrick Center for Environmental Research at the Academy. “The outcomes of this forum will be used to advise environmental leaders regarding the ways they can adapt to the local aspects of climate change we expect to see in the next 10 to 30 years.”

The evening’s keynote speaker will be Dr. Thomas Lovejoy, president of the H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment. Panelists will include Carol Collier of the Delaware River Basin Commission, Barry Seymour of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, and Jennifer Adkins of the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, the latter of which will serve as moderator.

“Town Square” is made possible thanks to the financial assistance of the Claneil Foundation and the Environmental Associates of The Academy of Natural Sciences. For more information, please visit www.DelawareEstuary.org or www.ANSP.org/townsquare.

More than 9,000 items of fake Tiffany jewelry is headed for the scrap heap in England.

Trading standards officers in Stockton, U.K., a city just south of Liverpool, said the counterfeit necklaces, earrings, and bracelets are set to be smelted down at a foundry in the northern British city of Middlesbrough so it can be recycled, reports the Northumberland Gazette.

The items were part of a haul seized from two Chinese nationals operating from an address in Thornaby, which is near Middlesbrough, the newspaper reports.

The man and woman living at the address and believed to be behind the operation did not answer bail and are believed to have fled to China, the newspaper reports.

The Stockton council issued a warning asking consumers to be on the lookout for fake Tiffany jewelry on auction Web sites, the newspaper reports. The council said large amounts of fake goods were being sold on a UK-based Internet site.But I think tiffany jewelry is really good in tiffanyin
also I like try on tiffany jewelry in tiffanylife.

I've written quite a bit about tiffany jewelry and charm jewelry. I am very interested in charms strictly due to their historical use in ritual jewelry. Back in the day charms were used to bring about a certain effect - for example - the four leaf clover. Finding a four leaf clover is an example of a charm that is supposed to bring good luck.

All ancient cultures had certain gemstones, metals and shapes that were thought to bring good luck, wealth or love - especially when consecrated in ritual. Many of these old beliefs are still widely utilized today without the user knowing the why or the history of the lore. I just recently finished designing and casting a mermaid charm in the shape of Sirene, the protective loa of the oceans, to be used in my line of surfer jewelry.

In any event, charm jewelry is one of those perpetual favorites whose popularity ebbs and flows throughout the years but never truly goes away.

TIffany and Co. has come out with a new line of totally cool sterling silver lock charms. Their Charmed by Tiffany section of their website has a link to customized your own charm jewelry in gold, silver and platinum, a link to look at some of their most popular designs and a link to get some design ideas for necklaces and bracelets.

Their site is very informative and well worth a look. Want to do it yourself for a fraction of the price? My next article will show you how to make my Surfer Girl tiffany bracelets using Loc-Links.

Every day, thousands of kids are getting pharmacologic treatment with psychotropic drugs they probably don't benefit from and that may well endanger them. New Jersey, like other states, has formed a task force to probe the use of antipychotics in children. Until very recently, these drugs were not evaluated with adequate and well controlled trials in children or approved for use in the pediatric population. To make matters worse, it appears as though children may have been prescribed these medications to treat indications that weren't even studied or approved for adults. It's most likely a majority of these kids may have been given these meds to treat ADHD and the prescriptions were not given by psychiatrists treating significant and/or moderate to severe mental health disorders. I am not a Xenu-phobe, I do not think that psychotropic drugs are evil or should be banned and I am fully aware that there are many people, including some children, that have significant and severe mental health disorders that warrant psychological and pharmacological intervention. I also know that there are some kids whose inability to concentrate/focus is so far from the norm of his/her age group that it is and should be treated as pathological in order to try to get the child back on track - but this is not true for all children diagnosed and treated with ADHD.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: this is not a problem with psychiatry or even a problem with the Pharmaceutical Industry (though Pharma takes great advantage of it). This excess, injudicious use of medications is a problem with our society.

I don't know why pediatricians and GPs/FPs are willing to capitulate on prescribing these drugs to appease people instead of trying to determine which child really has a significant problem (and then probably turfing them for a psych/neuro consult) and which have the immature frontal lobes that leads to poor impulse control because, as children, their neurological development is ongoing.

Unfortunately, doctors don't seem to be willing to say no to patient/parent demand for a pill to cure our ills (real or imagined). Two things need to happen to rectify this situation:

1. Physicians need to stop treating patients/parents as clients and start evaluating them clinically to treat them as patients
2. We, as a society, accept that children are children and that means they will act like children (poor impulse control and all), we will continue drugging those who do not need and are unlikely to benefit from these medications.

Both of the above will have to occur to make any real change, our children and our society will be stuck between the extremes of those who do not want to acknowledge or treat any mental health disorders and those who are too willing to drug others to control them.

Walking the Walk is a six part series that will analyze the ways in which Mayor Nutter can implement his plan for public education. With the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers opening contract negotiations with the School District of Philadelphia, now is the time for the mayor to make good on his campaign promises and truly “put children first”. He can do so by working with Sandra Dungee-Glenn and the School Reform Commission to build a contract that will give teachers the resources needed to provide our city’s children with a first rate education.

“As Mayor, I will call for a reduction in contracts with outside contractors unless there is a compelling educational purpose for renewing the contract.”

--Michael Nutter, Putting Children First

Cassandra W. Jones, the Philadelphia School District's interim chief academic officer, recently recommended overhauling 70 of the district’s lowest-performing schools by bringing in outside management. Although EMOs (educational management organizations) such as Edison Schools, Foundations Inc., Victory Schools, Universal Companies, Temple University and University of Pennsylvania have produced mixed results, the district is still considering investing millions of dollars in them.

This is yet another situation where Mayor Nutter can implement his plan for public education and truly “put children first”. He can make good on his campaign promise to “call for a reduction in contracts with outside contractors unless there is a compelling educational purpose for renewing the contract.” Is there “a compelling educational purpose” for contracting out more of our public schools?

According to a story run last year in The Bulletin, the answer would be no: “The RAND Corporation, a national research organization, and Research for Action, a Philadelphia-based non profit organization working in educational research and reform, released a study assessing student achievement here. It concluded in a single italicized sentence, In sum, with four years of data, we find little evidence in terms of academic outcomes that would support the additional resources for the private managers. To put it more simply, the EMOs receive an additional $18 million per year, approximately $768 more per pupil, to run their schools with no measurable difference in test results.”

You would think the conclusions drawn by RAND and Research for Action would be enough for the SRC to pull the plug on EMOs once and for all. Yet, with outside contractors producing no significant academic gains, the district continues to award them lucrative contracts. The question in my mind is WHY? Is the SRC so isolated in their corporate world that they can’t—to use a cliché—see the forest through the trees? Are they too stubborn? Gullible? Naive?

In my opinion, the school district continues to consider EMOs because they do not have a grasp of what is truly wrong with education in the city of Philadelphia. They still fail to see that a student’s HOME ENVIRONMENT means more than the length of the school day, the rigor of the curriculum, the training of the staff. And how have EMOs improved the HOME ENVIRONMENT of their students? How have they stabilized neighborhoods and brought safety into the community? How have they helped non-English speaking parents speak English to help with their child’s homework? How have they solved addiction problems? Employment problems? Anger management problems? How have they stopped the “no-snitch” mentality? How have they made education a priority in every home in Philadelphia?

The answer is, they haven’t! As research shows, these outside contractors can do a lot of shuffling and restructuring of staff, curriculum, and resources (at exorbitant prices), but when the smoke clears, our children aren’t any better off then before; in fact, they are worse off, because we’ve taken money out of the system and wasted it on unwise educational experiments.

It’s insulting to me as a teacher that the school district feels it must bring in outside management to properly educate our children when the problem lies so far outside the classroom. The district needs to take all the money they are spending on EMOs and reinvest it in programs to help struggling parents and neighborhoods gain some stability. They need to take this money and invest it in a LARGER TEACHING STAFF to lower class sizes, and use it to update technology and classroom materials. To give our children a skill and a life purpose.

As Mayor Nutter announced in his education plan outside Samuel Powel School last fall, “We know that contracting out to the education management organizations—the EMOs—are not producing results . . . that are any better then many of our regular public schools. So instead of allowing consultants to profit, we should return some of the consultant money to the classroom.”

Amen. Now let’s hope Mayor Nutter will use his political influence to persuade the school district to stop doing business with outside contractors.

Walking the Walk is a six part series that will analyze the ways in which Mayor Nutter can implement his plan for public education. With the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers opening contract negotiations with the School District of Philadelphia, now is the time for the mayor to make good on his campaign promises and truly “put children first”. He can do so by working with Sandra Dungee-Glenn and the School Reform Commission to build a contract that will give teachers the resources needed to provide our city’s children with a first rate education.

“As Mayor, I will direct my appointees to the SRC to clarify budget priorities and eliminate administrative costs in order to put money back into the classroom. . . . Some of the ideas that I will explore include: Limiting the role of the School District’s Central Administration to functions that create economies of scale, and directing as many Central Administration personnel as possible back into the schools to serve as teachers or principals.”

--Michael Nutter, Putting Children First

Last month, Allyssa Schmitt, principal of Thomas Mifflin Elementary, resigned because of accusations that she said Muslim children looked like “flying nuns”. Whether or not Schmitt is guilty of discrimination remains the subject of an investigation. However, the interesting part of the story is that during the controversy, district officials said Schmitt was—and I quote the Inquirer—“weighing whether to take a job in the central office or move to another principal’s post.”

It’s curious how a job in the district’s central office happened to pop up just as Allyssa Schmitt planned to step down as principal. It’s also interesting that the school district would pay Schmitt to perform this office job when the budget is so tight to begin with. Couldn’t the district’s money be better spent? Couldn’t we use Schmitt’s proposed “central office” salary to open a new library in a North Philly elementary school, or pay an ESL teacher to help students in West Kensington neighborhoods speak English?

The district is overblown with positions that lure educators (and money) out of the classroom. Think of all the former principals and teachers who now serve as district officers; or regional superintendents; or administrative assistants to regional superintendents; or writers of district curriculum; or administrative assistants to writers of district curriculum; or school growth teachers; or academic coaches. The list goes on and on.

Cassandra W. Jones, Interim Chief Academic Officer of the Philadelphia School District (and former teacher), is a case in point. The Inquirer reported that Jones receives an annual pension of $36,900 in addition to her yearly salary of $231,394. Incredible. And how about Lori Shorr and Sharon Tucker, Mayor Nutter’s “dynamic duo” of education? Although the two women never worked in the classroom, their salaries are still exorbitant. Shorr, as Nutter’s new Chief Education Officer, will be making $115,000 a year, while Tucker, acting as Shorr’s deputy, will be pulling in $95,000; at 30 years old, Sharon Tucker will be making $15,000 more than the highest paid, most experienced teacher in the Philadelphia School District.

This is exactly where Mayor Nutter should start putting children first—by funneling money and resources back into the classroom where they belong. He must sit down with the SRC and tighten the screws. He must follow through with his promise to do an independent audit of the district’s finances, to determine, as he states in Putting Children First, “whether the School District’s funds are being well spent.” He must make the budget more transparent to the city’s tax payers, so we can see exactly how our dollars are being spent. Then, as citizens of Philadelphia, we can give the SRC and the district’s central office a “report card,” just as the press so callously gives our region’s teachers and principals.

If Mayor Nutter truly wants to achieve the goals set forth in Putting Children First, he must set the tone early. He must become an active part of the contract negotiations between the Philadelphia School District and the teacher’s union. He must remind Sandra Dungee-Glenn and the SRC that the district’s recent financial deficit has already resulted in the cutting of badly needed resources—such as libraries, sports programs and other after school activities—and that if money becomes an issue during contract negotiations (which it undoubtedly will), the cuts must be made primarily on the administrative side, away from the classrooms and the teachers who run them.

But I have faith in Mayor Nutter. Which is why—as a dues paying member of the PFT—I voted to endorse him during the 2007 general election. I also have faith in Jerry Jordan, our union president, and the entire Collective Bargaining Team. Our union will stand strong and convey the message to Nutter that he mustn’t become a liability like former Philadelphia mayor John Street and make us work with a sub-standard contract or no contract at all. I have full confidence that PFT President Jerry Jordan and the CB Team will start putting the wheels in motion NOW—in the month of February—to open the lines of communication with Mayor Nutter so he can fulfill the promises he made when we voted to endorse him last fall.

Public education can work in Philadelphia. By cutting the dead wood in the district’s central office, the SRC can free funds to build a new and improved teachers’ contract, and bring about the needed changes to truly put our children’s education first.