college graduates: Philadelphia Metropolis

It's the Student, Not the School

By Jennifer Gregory» I am a junior communications major at Holy Family University. I am the Editor-in-Chief of the campus newspaper, co-editor of the literary magazine, and co-vice president of the Equal Student Union. I work part-time in the campus bookstore and manage to keep a 3.5 GPA. My life isn't the most difficult, but it's not exactly what I would call a walk in the park. I'm your typical overworked and underpaid college student - and I love it. I worked hard to get where I am now. I didn't need a fancy, high-end private education to get into college. All I needed was my Philadelphia public school education and lots of hard work. It bothers me when I tell people that I'm a graduate of Northeast High School and they grimace, asking me how many fights I've gotten into and how many (Comments)

Ten Questions About Philadelphia

As part of our series of stories on The Changing City, Metropolis offers an overview of the city of Philadelphia in the form of a 10-question quiz. Questions cover every major aspect of city life -- crime, jobs, education, the cost of city government, recent demographic trends. Get out your pencils and test your knowledge of Philadelphia 2011. (Comments)

The Race to Save Catholic Schools

At long last, there is a glimmer of hope for the future of Catholic education in Philadelphia. A group of advocates for Catholic schools - inside and outside the church - are working to staunch the loss of schools and students that has hit the system in the last decade: with enrollment down 40 percent in the city's elementary schools and 26 percent in the city's eight surviving archdiocesan high schools. At the same time, these reformers are looking to reshape the schools, looking to give them new forms of governance, a revived sense of purpose and the tools to seek new students and outside financial support. (Comments)

How One School Saved Itself

In 2003, the DePaul Catholic School in Germantown had a problem - enrollment had dwindled to just 181 students. Since the school received no subsidy from its parish, it had to find a way to pay for itself. Many Catholic schools - faced with the same dilemma - cut budget and staff to the bone. The people who ran DePaul went in the other direction - they decided to expand and experiment. They lowered class size, hired math and reading classroom assistance and eventually added teachers for Spanish, art, music, gym and computer science. They also re-branded and re-aligned the school. Today, the school is a success story and a model on how to survive in Catholic education. (Comments)

Return to Eden

By Julia Glowacki» September is rolling in and stores across the nation are selling stacks of backpacks and lunch boxes in preparation for a new school year. Children are counting the days till classes start with a little trepidation and a lot of... (Comments)