Resolution 130260

..Title Authorizing a joint hearing between Council's Committees on Education and Global Opportunities and the Creative/Innovative Economy to hold hearings to examine best practices in education on a global basis to determine how they may be implemented to establish world class public education in Philadelphia. ..Body WHEREAS, The Philadelphia School District is the ninth largest school system in America with 249 public schools and 80 Charter Schools serving roughly 192,000 students; and WHEREAS, Among the 35 most economically advanced nations, the United States ranks 17th in academic performance, despite spending the highest annual amount per student; and WHEREAS, The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ranks 22nd nationally in education and Philadelphia ranks 477th out of 545 school districts throughout the Commonwealth; and WHEREAS, The top ten public school systems in the world are found in Finland, South Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, United Kingdom, Netherlands, New Zealand, Switzerland and Canada; and WHEREAS, The best public school systems in the world for vocational training using state of the art equipment include Australia, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Switzerland; and WHEREAS, Students in Latvia, Chile and Brazil make academic gains at three times the rate of American students and students in Portugal, Germany, Poland, Liechtenstein, Slovenia, Colombia and Lithuania make academic gains at twice the rate of American students; and WHEREAS, The School District of Philadelphia has not attempted to implement "best practices" in education on a global basis; and WHEREAS, The future of public education is at stake and the need has never been greater to identify and adopt best practices that increase competitiveness, academic outcomes and equality for all children and families in Philadelphia; therefore, RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby authorizes a joint hearing between Council's Committees on Education and Global Opportunities and the Creative/Innovative Economy to hold hearings to examine best practices in education on a global basis to determine how they may be implemented to establish world class public education in Philadelphia. ..End