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Student-helmed docuseries investigates the systemic problems that lead to violence in their communities

When shootings skyrocketed in Philadelphia during the pandemic, teenagers were among those most affected. In the face of this crisis, students at Dobbins Technical High School in North Philly set out to unearth the root causes of the violence sweeping the city. “Future Visions” is the result — an enormously affecting documentary series that follows

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4 mins read
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A Black-led, parent-driven organization is pushing the School District of Philadelphia to make schools more joyful and less punitive

On a treeless sidewalk on a day in May that feels much hotter than it’s 75 degrees, there’s an ice cream truck serving a long line of people, while several plastic machines are cranking out a flurry of bubbles. Some of the bubbles hurtle toward 440 North Broad Street, the headquarters of the School District

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7 mins read
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The Education Issue

At times it feels like only yesterday we were in school, rushing into the hallways at the sound of the bell and then slouching into desks facing the teacher at the front of the classroom. You might recall the combination to your locker, and certainly the anxiety of facing a test you hadn’t studied enough

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1 min read
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Last year, school advocates sensed an opening to finally turn the corner on asbestos, lead and HVAC issues that have long plagued Philly schools. It didn’t pan out

For generations, countless students and teachers have braved the asbestos, lead, mold and other hazards lurking within century-old nooks and crannies of Philadelphia public school buildings. It sure looks like yet another generation may face the dangers anew. Even after a substantial increase in education funding was negotiated in the State Capitol this summer, a

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6 mins read
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More than 10,000 students in Philadelphia don’t have adequate housing. Funding and stigma can get in the way of them getting what they need

Before her mother died in 2020 at age 46 of heart failure, complicated by diabetes, lupus and lung disease, Lelache Word (aka Lela), then 15, was living in Arizona with her mother, stepfather and step-siblings. Strapped by her mother’s staggering medical bills, the family sometimes slept in the car or hotels. After her mother’s death,

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7 mins read
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School district farm brings hands-on agricultural lessons to thousands of city students

Amani Lee, a senior at The U School, hadn’t given gardening much thought until this year. As part of her school’s horticultural program, she’s now researching crops in Ukraine, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. She is learning what the people in these countries grow and eat, and the stories behind their famous dishes. Under

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4 mins read
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