Schools

THE SCHOOL DISTRICT of Philadelphia is getting into the cyber-school business this fall in an attempt to win back city students who attend cyber-charter schools, which cost the district more per pupil. The Philadelphia Virtual Academy, for kids in grades six through 12, would offer some real-life perks, such as a drop-in center where students can meet up with fellow students as well as a support team for each pupil. Every team includes a teacher and technical specialist. "We want to begin competing for students," schools Superintendent William Hite said in a news briefing.

Burlington County's vocational-technical high schools in Westampton and Medford, which fared poorly in the state's high school proficiency tests last spring, must provide more remedial work to prepare their students for the tests next year, the county school board decided Tuesday night. The board said it hoped that 75 percent of this year's freshman class would pass the standard, state-required tests next year.. By a 3-0 vote, the board agreed to establish a goal to meet the 75 percent passing quota.

Six area schools have received incentive grants from Gov. Casey for improving student achievement. Conshohocken Elementary School, Ridge Park Elementary School in Plymouth, Myers Elementary School in Cheltenham, Eisenhower Middle School in Norristown, Norristown Area High School and Upper Dublin High School will share the $5 million that was awarded to 235 Pennsylvania schools last month from the School Performance Incentive Grant program....

Philadelphia Schools Superintendent Arlene Ackerman on Monday named the principals of the six schools that will be radically overhauled under her supervision. The "Promise Academies" and their principals are: Ethel Allen Elementary - Woolworth Davis, who will move from Carnell Elementary. Dunbar Elementary - Dawn Moore, who will move from H.A. Brown Elementary. Clemente Middle School - Milagros De Jesus, who will move from Cramp Elementary. Vaux High School - William Wade, who will move from the Philadelphia Military Academy at Leeds.

Spurred by the tragedy in Newtown, Conn., Upper Merion police began foot patrols Wednesday inside the township's schools. "Our main goal is to make these schools a less-appealing target because any potential actors will be aware that the police are often at the school and may arrive at any moment," Police Chief Tom Nolan said. Patrols of the township's schools will be random and have the blessing of public and private school officials, Nolan said. In addition to trying to deter bad acts, the patrols will help children become comfortable with officers' presence in their schools, said Jane Callaghan, Upper Merion superintendent.

Two Delaware County elementary schools are among 11 schools statewide that have been tapped to receive national Blue Ribbon awards, honors given to top schools nationwide by the U.S. Department of Education. Harvey C. Sabold Elementary School in Springfield and Bywood Elementary School in Upper Darby both received the awards for the first time this year. Delegations from each school will travel to Washington tomorrow to attend a ceremony at the White House, said Bywood principal Michael Wilson.

The standings in Public D basketball are now officially unbalanced - two more losses than wins. District 12 chairman Robert Coleman said yesterday that A. Philip Randolph and Science Leadership, first-year Pub members, have been hit with a double-forfeit for playing their first game Dec. 4, a league affair, 1 day before the official PIAA starting date. According to workers at the Delaware Valley Score Service, which supplies high-school results and box scores to the Daily News , as many as 20 nonleague games involving PL schools were played Dec. 1 through 4. Coleman said he is currently "combing through schedules" and trying to be determine exactly which schools committed violations.

The spin surrounding the new Philadelphia teachers' contract gives me a feeling of deja vu all over again. With almost every appointment of a new superintendent, we are again subjected to an orgy of feel-good rhetoric about how some new combination of "breakthrough" ideas, devised and administered by new visionary leaders, will take us to the promised land of educational excellence. The first such visionary I remember was Mark Shedd, who was appointed superintendent in 1967, the year I began teaching in Philadelphia.

Several area rowing teams could be found plying the waters of the Schuylkill over the weekend in the Stotesbury Cup Regatta, billed as the nation's oldest and largest high school regatta. St. Joseph's Prep won the big race, the senior eight, on Saturday.