Penn Partnership Schools

The Penn Partnership Schools (PPS) include Lea and Wilson Elementary Schools.  Both are located in the University City/West Philadelphia community and within close proximity to Penn Alexander. Consistent with the University's goals to encourage urban renewal and serve the children of the city, the partnership with Lea and Wilson is the result of Penn's dedicated effort to extend its reach into the community and build opportunities for schools to work with Penn GSE and others in the University. 

The relationship with Lea and Wilson began shortly after December 2001 when the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania mandated that operations of the School District of Philadelphia be taken over by the newly created Philadelphia School Reform Commission (SRC). In the spring of 2002, the SRC enacted what The New York Times then described as "the largest experiment in privatization mounted by an American school district." The Commission assigned the administration of 45 Philadelphia public schools to seven outside managers: five educational management organizations (EMOs) and two local universities, Penn and Temple.

Unlike the for-profit EMOs, Penn GSE was not managing its partnership schools. Rather, its primary role has been to advise, assist, and provide services in the areas of curriculum development, professional development, leadership development, parent/community involvement, student assessment, and student academic support and enrichment.

Since the establishment of PPS, Lea and Wilson have made significant progress.  Twice during the establishment of the partnership, both schools have achieved Adequate Yearly Progress under the No Child Left Behind Act and are no longer considered among the lowest-performing schools. By 2007, nearly 40 percent of students at both schools were at grade level or above in reading and math, compared to less than 10 percent in 2002.

In June 2008, the SRC confirmed its confidence in Penn GSE's work with its Partnership Schools by granting a three-year contract renewal. Of the 38 schools run by outside providers, 16 percent have been returned to District management and 53 percent were given one-year contracts. Lea and Wilson were among the 32 percent approved for new three-year contracts.

As with our work at Penn Alexander, Penn GSE takes the lead in this work with PPS, providing student teachers in the classrooms, professional development courses and workshops for staff, and enriched curriculum in literacy, math, and science. Penn students from all across the campus serve as interns, tutors, pen pals, and as the leaders of after-school clubs.