Philadelphia Public School Notebook

THE ORGANIZATION CEASED ACTIVITIES IN FISCAL YEAR 2021. PRIOR TO CEASING OPERATIONS, THE PROGRAM SERIVICE CONSISTED OF THE FOLLOWING: NOTEBOOK PROGRAMMING - THE NOTEBOOK IS KNOWN AS THE GO-TO PLACE FOR IN-DEPTH INFORMATION ABOUT PHILADELPHIA SCHOOLS. KEY ACTIVITIES ARE THE FREE PUBLICATION AND DISSEMINATION OF A QUARTERLY CITYWIDE PRINT NEWSPAPER (PRINT CIRCULATION = 50,000, MONTHLY WEB VISITS = 100,000) AND A WEBSITE THAT IS UPDATED WITH MULTIPLE STORIES FIVE DAYS A WEEK, CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR CONVERSATION ABOUT CRITICAL ISSUES BOTH ONLINE AND FACE-TO-FACE. EACH PRINT EDITION FOCUSES ON A SPECIFIC THEME. RECENT EDITION THEMES HAVE INCLUDED: FOCUS ON EARLY EDUCATION, FOCUS ON SPECIAL EDUCATION, SYSTEM INVOLVED YOUTH, AND SUCCESS IN HIGH SCHOOL AND BEYOND. WE ALSO PUBLISH OUR ANNUAL FALL GUIDE TO HIGH SCHOOLS, A RESOURCE FOR PARENTS AND STUDENTS NAVIGATING PHILADELPHIA'S HIGH SCHOOL SELECTION PROCESS.PRINT AND WEB CONTENT ARE PROMOTED VIA DAILY ALERTS, A WEEKLY E-NEWSLETTER, AND SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS. NOTEBOOK STORIES ARE WIDELY DISTRIBUTED THROUGH CONTENT PARTNERSHIPS WITH WHYY'S KEYSTONE CROSSROADS, RESOLVE PHILADELPHIA, AND OTHER PUBLICATIONS. PARTNERSHIPS HAVE EXPANDED THE NOTEBOOK'S AUDIENCE AND INFLUENCE; IT IS INCREASINGLY SEEN BY CIVIC LEADERS AROUND THE REGION, AS WELL AS TOP CITY AND SCHOOL OFFICIALS. UNLIKE SOME NEWS ORGANIZATIONS, THE NOTEBOOK'S MISSION DOES NOT STOP AT THE PUBLICATION OF INFORMATION. ITS COMMITMENT TO EDUCATIONAL QUALITY AND EQUITY AND DEDICATION TO TRANSPARENCY ABOUT EDUCATION ISSUES OFTEN TAKES US A STEP FURTHER. FOR EXAMPLE, STAFF ACT AS AN INFORMATION RESOURCE FOR A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT NETWORKS OF EDUCATION ACTIVISTS AND ADVOCATES. THE NOTEBOOK ORGANIZES PERIODIC COMMUNITY EVENTS TO DISCUSS ISSUES WITH READERS. WITH HELP FROM LOCAL ATTORNEYS, THE NOTEBOOK HAS FREQUENTLY USED THE STATE'S SUNSHINE LAWS TO TRY TO ENSURE PUBLIC ACCESS TO INFORMATION; FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAVE GONE TO COURT TO SUCCESSFULLY ESTABLISH THE PUBLIC'S RIGHT TO ACCESS THE FULL RESOLUTIONS UNDER CONSIDERATION BY THE PHILADELPHIA SCHOOL DISTRICT'S BOARD OF EDUCATION AT THEIR PUBLIC MEETINGS.