The mission of the Philadelphia Education Fund is to improve the quality of public education for underserved youth throughout the Philadelphia region.
Goals
Working closely with school districts, schools, businesses, universities, nonprofit organizations, community stakeholders, and other partners, we aim to:
- Create high performing secondary schools (grades 6–12) where public school diplomas are synonymous with rigorous and high quality education that leads to post-secondary success
- Ensure that all students have access to postsecondary education opportunities and the assurance that they can complete appropriate and rigorous classes that allow them to succeed in college and career
- Create strategic alliances to support student success from Pre-K through college
History
The roots of the Philadelphia Education Fund can be traced to 1985, when the city's business, foundation, and university communities created the Philadelphia Alliance for Teaching Humanities in the Schools (PATHS)/Philadelphia Renaissance in Science and Mathematics (PRISM). PATHS/PRISM worked in collaboration with the School District of Philadelphia to increase access and rigor to humanities and science/math education for K–12 students. During the same period, the Philadelphia Schools Collaborative (the Collaborative) was created by the District to focus on high school reform.
In a strategic decision to unify two organizations working toward similar goals, PATHS/PRISM and the Collaborative merged in 1995 to form the Philadelphia Education Fund. The result of this merger is a single, stronger entity that joined the national Public Education Network and occupies a significant role in Philadelphia schools and the surrounding region.
Role
The Philadelphia Education Fund is an independent nonprofit organization that fulfills its mission of providing quality public education through funding provided by private donors, foundations, corporations, and public sources. It is called a “fund” because it is a local education fund (LEF) member of the national Public Education Network (PEN) — an association of 81 LEFs across the country. PEN's mission is to build public demand and mobilize resources for quality public education for all children through a national constituency of individuals and local education funds.
Throughout our history, we have developed a particular expertise in preparing teachers for successful careers in the School District of Philadelphia. Over the last eight years specifically, our programs have provided some 3,000 teachers with the opportunity to gain teacher certification through alternative routes to teaching programs for K–3 and middle- and high-school classrooms. We have also worked with the District to enhance the pool of new teacher candidates.
In addition to providing educators with direct programs and resources, we are also actively working as an agent of change behind the scenes by partnering with the School District to improve policy and practice leading to improved teaching and learning in the classroom.