Listen to Philadelphia's principals

Sheldon M. Bonovitz and David E. Loder are trustees with the Lindback Foundation

The substantial reduction in funding for the Philadelphia schools has resulted in many difficult challenges for students, teachers, and principals in the district's 62 high schools. Thirteen of these principals recently gathered for a charette sponsored by the Lindback Foundation to discuss the issues they face, as well as remedies that would not require additional funding. The primary issues identified were:

A stifling central administration.

Too much time spent on paperwork.

The need to develop strategies unique to each school.

The need for more autonomy in decision-making, budget appropriations, staffing, and external support relationships in exchange for more accountability for results.

A flood of new programs or prescriptions that must be implemented even when data reflect that current initiatives are resulting in positive gains in student achievement and the school climate.

A refusal to allow innovative approaches to management of staff and providing the best educational experience for students.

Including at least one principal in the search for a new superintendent.

The recommendations that flow from the issues are as follows:

Let principals design and implement programs that will meet the specific needs of the students within the schools. Eliminate the "one size fits all" concept for district schools. Hold principals accountable for the results.

Lessen the inordinate amount of paperwork that prevents principals from performing their primary job as instructional leaders.

Allow more autonomy in decision-making, budgeting, staffing selections, fund-raising for individual schools, and partnering with external sources such as local businesses.

Communicate decisions affecting principals and their schools in advance of implementation.

Convene a roundtable of private funders to develop an adopt-a-school program.

Identify decision makers to visit a cross section of schools and engage with principals, teachers, and students in order to become more aware of day-to-day realities facing schools. Use that information to inform the work of the School Reform Commission.

Provide access to research and data regarding best practices and programs either implemented or proposed for other district high schools.

We urge the SRC and the district administration to give serious consideration to both the issues and recommendations raised by the principals. It is one thing not to have adequate funding, preventing principals from meeting the essential needs of their students. Even worse is further hamstringing these school leaders with a bureaucracy that stifles their ability to perform.

Contact the writers at smbonovitz@duanemorris.com and deloder@duanemorris.com.