With deadline looming, a bus tour of schools

A.J. HARRELL is in seventh grade at a West Philadelphia Catholic school, but it's not too early for his mom to start looking at potential high schools.

His mom, Chavel Harrell of Southwest Philadelphia, was one of about 20 parents, grandparents and students who took a bus tour of three Philadelphia schools Wednesday to check out the "great schools" in the city, according to the Philadelphia School Partnership, which organized the trip.

"I don't know much about the public-school system or the charter-school system," said Harrell, who came without her son. "Well, I know enough that the public-school system is struggling and I don't want my son in it."

Friday is the deadline for district students to apply to a citywide or special-admission high school, or to transfer to a district neighborhood school.

Harrell's son can go to only one of the schools on the tour - Boys Latin Charter, a high school in West Philadelphia. The group also visited Young Scholars Frederick Douglass in North Philadelphia and Penn Alexander Elementary in West Philadelphia, both K-8 schools.

Agora Cyber Charter School student Nay-yar Karim, 13, of Germantown, wished Boy's Latin was co-ed so she could attend. "The boys were respectful and were cleaned up," she said. "They weren't belligerent."

Mike Wang, managing director of the school partnership - which along with other nonprofits launched the website greatphillyschools.org in October - said the organization aims to empower parents with information about district, Catholic, charter and private schools. The website rates schools on academics, safety, college-graduation rate and overall quality.

Still, Wang said, "nothing can take the place of visiting a school."

Harrell agreed: "Being on the computer is one thing; to walk into the school was a good experience."