A History of Penn Alexander
The vision"I have known people who have bought into the catchment, didn't make it, and then had to sell their house. You have to enter the lottery for every child so if one of your children gets in, you still have to go into the lottery for the next one... It would be nice if resources could be allocated a little bit more fairly so that all schools could be OK, but that's not really the way it works around Philly."
-- Parent Interview |
In collaboration with the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers and the School District of Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania began planning the establishment of Penn Alexander School in 1998. The collective goal was to create a neighborhood school that would provide the highest quality public education to the West Philadelphia community: “From its inception, the Penn Alexander School would be a neighborhood school that excelled, encouraged urban renewal, and eased overcrowding in area schools” (University of Pennsylvania, n.d.). Penn Alexander first opened its doors to Kindergarten and 1st grade classes in 2001, and the remaining grades were incorporated in by the 2004-2005 school year. The University of Pennsylvania’s hope is that other higher education institutions will follow this model in supporting Philadelphia schools, financially and through other means.
While the school has maintained a stellar reputation with regards to resources and student performance, Penn Alexander has stirred up some controversy in its 15-year history. There has been community concern surrounding the potentially inequitable selection process (read the community's response here). The lottery system does not give preference to siblings of students already enrolled, which puts strain on families in which children attend different schools. In 2013, it became public knowledge that there were students attending Penn Alexander despite residing outside the catchment zone (read about it here), which was a point of frustration for families in the neighborhood who were not selected in the lottery. Despite some community members’ frustration with the selection process, there is high demand for a Penn Alexander education due to its prestige and ample resources. |