EDUCATION REPORT - Philadelphia Schools Revisited

EDUCATION REPORT - Philadelphia Schools Revisited
By Jerilyn Watson

Broadcast: Thursday, January 22, 2004

This is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English Education Report.

Almost two years ago, a Pennsylvania State committee removed more than forty Philadelphia public schools from city control. The committee said it intervened¹ because children attending the schools were learning very little. Private companies, universities and non-profit organizations began supervising² these schools.

The Philadelphia school district has more than two-hundred-fourteen-thousand students. Most of them are from low-income families. It is the seventh largest school system in the nation. It has more than two-hundred-seventy schools. The district includes traditional schools and restructured ones. Some district schools operate by agreement between Philadelphia and outside supervisors³. The district also has special schools that have programs on a single subject such as mathematics.

 
Paul Vallas
Philadelphia's education chief, Paul Vallas, came to the city soon after the state intervened in the school system. Before that, Mister Vallas served as top administrator⁴ in the Chicago, Illinois public schools. He says society should place great importance on improving education for poor children.

Under his leadership, the percentage of Philadelphia students performing in the lowest twenty-five percent of the nation has decreased. Test scores have improved in reading, language arts, mathematics and science. Still, about sixty-six percent of Philadelphia public school children test below the national averages in such basic studies.

Mister Vallas has improved district finances⁵. He cut a number of non-teaching positions. He renegotiated agreements with providers of school supplies. These actions provided money to hire new teachers and repair some school buildings. But the Philadelphia school district is far from rich. It has had to borrow money to operate on its budget of about one-point-eight-thousand-million dollars.

A recent report criticized Pennsylvania for its financing⁶ of education. The report was written by the publication Education Week and the Pew Charitable Trusts. The report said the state spends a large amount on education. But it blames Pennsylvania for depending mainly on local property taxes to operate school districts. It says poor school areas cannot raise as much tax money for education as rich areas.

This VOA Special English Education Report was written by Jerilyn Watson. This is Steve Ember.

1 intervened   

阻碍( intervene的过去式和过去分词 )； 出面； 插嘴； 介于…之间

参考例句：

• The President intervened personally in the crisis. 总统亲自出面处理这场危机。
• We enjoyed the picnic until a thunderstorm intervened. 那次野餐我们玩得很痛快，后来一场暴风雨使它中断了。

2 supervising   

v.监督，管理( supervise的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She had something to do in the house, supervising that native. 她待在家里，究竟还有点儿事情可以做做，可以监视那个土人。 来自辞典例句
• In addition, nuisance law fails to provide a systematic mechanism for supervising emissions. 另外，妨害法不能提供一个监督排放的系统性机制。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

3 supervisors   

n.监督者，管理者( supervisor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I think the best technical people make the best supervisors. 我认为最好的技术人员可以成为最好的管理人员。 来自辞典例句
• Even the foremen or first-level supervisors have a staffing responsibility. 甚至领班或第一线的监督人员也有任用的责任。 来自辞典例句

4 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

5 finances   

n.(pl.)财源，资产

参考例句：

• I need a professional to sort out my finances. 我需要专业人士为我管理财务。
• The company's finances are looking a bIt'shaky. 这个公司的财政情况看来有点不稳定。

6 financing   

n.筹措资金

参考例句：

• The main source of our outside financing is bank loan. 我们向外筹措资金的主要渠道是银行贷款。
• They live in a symbiosis with governments that they are financing. 他们与他们服务的政府互利共存。