Penn GSE News
Trenton Superintendent Torch Lytle to Join Penn Graduate School of Education Faculty
The Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania has announced that James "Torch" Lytle, Superintendent and Chief School Administrator of Trenton, New Jersey, schools since 1998, will be joining the School's faculty as a practice professor, effective July 1, 2006.
Under Dr. Lytle's leadership, the Trenton district, one of 30 urban districts in New Jersey operating under an education reform court order, has seen a marked improvement in student performance. During his seven-year tenure, the number of high school graduates has more than doubled, as has the proportion of elementary school students scoring at the proficient level on state reading assessments.
According to Dean Susan Fuhrman, "We are thrilled to be welcoming Dr. Lytle to the Graduate School of Education. His achievements in central administration and his experience as a school principal give him an extraordinary breadth of knowledge about educational leadership."
From 1972 to 1998, Dr. Lytle worked in the School District of Philadelphia. While in Philadelphia, he served as founding principal of the Parkway Program, an exemplary senior high school cited by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the U.S. Office of Education, and the National Urban Coalition.
Later as principal of University City High School, he oversaw the significant turnaround of UCHS, a low-income urban high school where graduation rates doubled under his leadership. He also served as executive director of the District's Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation.
Dr. Lytle has a B.A. in History and English from Cornell University, an M. A. English Literature from Stanford University, and an Ed. D. in Administration, also from Stanford.
CONTACT: Nancy Brokaw, 215-573-0591, nbrokaw@gse.upenn.edu
Under Dr. Lytle's leadership, the Trenton district, one of 30 urban districts in New Jersey operating under an education reform court order, has seen a marked improvement in student performance. During his seven-year tenure, the number of high school graduates has more than doubled, as has the proportion of elementary school students scoring at the proficient level on state reading assessments.
According to Dean Susan Fuhrman, "We are thrilled to be welcoming Dr. Lytle to the Graduate School of Education. His achievements in central administration and his experience as a school principal give him an extraordinary breadth of knowledge about educational leadership."
From 1972 to 1998, Dr. Lytle worked in the School District of Philadelphia. While in Philadelphia, he served as founding principal of the Parkway Program, an exemplary senior high school cited by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the U.S. Office of Education, and the National Urban Coalition.
Later as principal of University City High School, he oversaw the significant turnaround of UCHS, a low-income urban high school where graduation rates doubled under his leadership. He also served as executive director of the District's Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation.
Dr. Lytle has a B.A. in History and English from Cornell University, an M. A. English Literature from Stanford University, and an Ed. D. in Administration, also from Stanford.
CONTACT: Nancy Brokaw, 215-573-0591, nbrokaw@gse.upenn.edu