Issues Plaguing Philadelphia Public Schools

It’s no secret that the Philadelphia School District is in a tough spot. In fact, the state of the city’s public schools is downright dire. When only fourteen percent of Philly fourth graders can read at grade level, only nineteen percent of Philly eighth graders are proficient at math, and only ten percent of Philly students that graduate go on to finish college, it becomes quite obvious why students, teachers, and parents alike have been calling for something to be done. However, just what is causing Philadelphia’s education crisis? (1)

One of the main issues plaguing Philadelphia schools is insufficient funding. This lack of money is a result of multiple factors. However, the most prominent is Harrisburg’s willingness to slash the state’s

Local schools are, for the most part, funded by property taxes paid by those who live within the district itself. This creates a disproportionate funding of schools based on the wealth of the community that they are located in, and it puts Philly students, who live in a city where almost a quarter of its residents are living below the poverty line, at an immediate disadvantage. (link) Unlike suburban students, most of whom attend more wealthy school districts, they don’t have the property tax income needed to provide more classes, a smaller student to teacher ratio, and newer facilities. How can students be expected to achieve, when our current tax system ensures that they are almost guaranteed to continue a constant cycle of poverty rather than break it?

Getting anything accomplished takes months and mountains of paperwork, and district leaders have a knack for “fixing” things that don’t need fixing, all the while avoiding the mess that is right in front of them. Not only that, but their decision-making leaves little room for teachers to have freedom in how they structure their classes. This has proven to be a counterintuitive decision, as Philadelphia’s charter schools have proven that allowing teachers autonomy can yield positive and sometimes even amazing results. However, for now, district leaders have done little to change the basic formula for teaching students. Philly’s schools can’t be improved if you have superintendents in charge who appear to have no idea what choice is the right one for the future of the city’s public education.