Reflections on the Portfolio Model as an Urban District Reform: The Philadelphia Case

Session Type: Invited Session

Abstract

Scholars, district leaders, policy makers, and community members are looking to Philadelphia’s experiences under the portfolio model of reform. Philadelphia’s experiences can provide lessons for how market mechanisms function within the public school system; how privatized management, charter school conversions, and school closures impact local communities; and how a big-city district manages multiple providers. This invited panel brings together leading experts on the political, cultural, organizational, and technical dimensions of Philadelphia's experiences. They will reflect on the state of the district today, how it has evolved over the last decade, and future implications for Philadelphia’s schools and communities. Each panelist will consider issues that merit further research on this increasingly common urban district reform.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Districts in Research & Reform

Chair

• Tina M. Trujillo, University of California - Berkeley

Participants

• Paul Hill, University of Washington

• Pauline Lipman, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Eva Gold, self-employed

• Paul Kihn, School District of Philadelphia

• Rand Quinn, University of Pennsylvania