Glen Riddle
EDUCATION
Pennsylvania teacher's charges weren't reported to district, superintendent says
HAVERTOWN, Pa. (CBS) — How did a Delaware County teacher continue to teach for months after he was arrested — twice — for allegedly exposing himself in public? According to officials in the Haverford Township School District, the Pennsylvania Department of Education might be to blame.The district says it just learned this week of multiple criminal cases against 47-year-old Matthew Gagat, who has been suspended from his job as a fifth-grade teacher at Lynnewood Elementary.Gagat was charged in Horsham, Montgomery County, in March 2024 for allegedly exposing himself in public, and was charged again in June 2024 after allegedly exposing...
Delaware County Community College Nursing Student Awarded $5K Dunkin’ Scholarship
Natalia Rodriguez Lopez of West Chester (R) with DCCC President Marta Yera Cronin, Ed.D. Natalia Rodriguez Lopez of West Chester, a student at Delaware County Community College (DCCC), has won a 2024 Dunkin’ Philadelphia Regional Scholarship. She is one of 20 students selected from over 1,260 applicants to receive...
Upper Darby ramps up recruitment efforts amid nationwide school bus driver shortage
UPPER DARBY, Pa. (CBS) — The Upper Darby School District is working to hire more staff amid a nationwide shortage of school bus drivers.The district has 80 school bus drivers on staff but needs 15 to 20 more. The clock is ticking, with the first day of school coming up on Monday, Aug. 26.John-Paul Loggia, transportation supervisor for the Upper Darby School District, said the district is working hard on recruitment."We have daily open houses for hiring that we post on social media," Loggia said. "We have flyers out. We have incentives that we put in for our drivers, attendance...
Little Flower freshman/sophomore shows no fear in learning
Diana Voscott had dreams of being a great swimmer. Unfortunately, that’s all they were. Voscott is a rising sophomore at Little Flower High School, and when she enrolled at the school, she really wanted to be a member of the Sentinels swim team. It’s a great club that under...
Maria Hosein • Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School
Maria Hosein has held several roles at PA Cyber during the last 18 years. For the past decade, she has been a third grade educator. As a blended classroom teacher, her students engage in a mix of live and self-paced instruction. She uses various interventions based on students’ individual diagnostics...
Brandeis Center sues U.S. Department of Education over dismissal of Penn antisemitism complaint
The Brandeis Center, a nonprofit organization focused on advancing the rights of Jewish people, has sued the United States Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights for dismissing a complaint filed in November alleging that Penn fostered a hostile environment for Jewish students and failed to address repeated incidents of antisemitism.
Northampton, Salisbury boy's and Bethlehem Catholic girl's open play with win's
ALLENTOWN, Pa - The A-town Throwdown continued Friday night with more pool play. Teams still vying for their positioning in this weekends tournament. In the 7 PM window Northampton would hang on for a 42-37 win over Downingtown West to open their play with a win. Both teams trading blows...
Millis 8th grade track and fielders compete in nationals
Above, from left: Millis Middle School track members Dillon FitzGerald, Jayden Montero, Stone DeLuca. During Millis Middle School’s spring 2024 track season, Jayden Montero, Stone DeLuca, and Dillon FitzGerald qualified for the New Balance Nationals meet at UPenn’s Franklin field in Philadelphia and attended the meet June 13 and 14.
Penn Dental faculty allege declining education quality, retaliatory environment under Dean Mark Wolff
When Mark Wolff assumed the deanship of Penn’s School of Dental Medicine in July 2018, then-Penn President Amy Gutmann expressed her confidence that he would “bring this storied school to even greater heights.”. Stepping into his new role at Penn after a yearslong career at New York University’s...
Philly’s Freedom Schools Literacy Academy wants to build a national pipeline of Black teachers
From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to cover? Let us know!. Two decades ago, Ariel Lajara participated in Freedom Schools Literacy Academy, a four-week paid apprenticeship summer program designed to inspire high school and college students of color to pursue a career in teaching and education advocacy.
Up to $5k Scholarship for Low-Income Mothers Pursuing Their First Degree, Due: 8/1
Background: Established in 2003, the Patsy Takemoto Mink Education Foundation is dedicated to educational access, opportunity, and equity for low-income women, especially mothers. In 2023, the Foundation will offer five Education Support Awards of up to $5,000 each to assist low-income women with children who are pursuing education or training.
ADL Files Civil Rights Complaint Against Philadelphia School District Over Alleged Antisemitism
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has filed a federal civil rights complaint against the Philadelphia school district, stating that Jewish students are facing persistent harassment amidst a surge of antisemitism in classrooms. This wave of discrimination comes in the aftermath of the escalation of violence in the Middle East that began earlier this October when Hamas launched attacks against Israel, as reported by NBC Philadelphia. The complaint, addressing incidents such as inflammatory messages by staff and the distribution of antisemitic materials on school grounds, is seeking immediate action to protect Jewish students from the entrenched and troubling bias.
New Philadelphia curriculum goes all in on science of reading
Sign up for Chalkbeat Philadelphia’s free newsletter to keep up with the city’s public school system.Kristyn Kahahaloe still remembers a little boy from her class in a New Jersey early learning center when she was a rookie teacher starting students on their journey to becoming readers.The boy, who was in kindergarten, “just couldn’t figure it out the way I was teaching it,” she said. “This bright blossoming flower kept shrinking and shriveling, and I didn’t know what to do.”Despite her years of teacher education, Kahahaloe, now a kindergarten teacher at the John Hancock Elementary School in Philadelphia, concluded that “my...
Students, teachers and parents take part in first forum on Israel-Hamas War held by Philly School District
Fifteen students joined a group of around 20 teachers and parents on Thursday at the Philadelphia School District’s first in a series of forums for students to share how they’ve felt marginalized amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas War.
Asking Eric: Embracing the awkwardness of revisiting high school
Dear Eric: My 50th high school reunion is later this year and I’m not sure if I should. go. I was a smart kid who moved to an ex-urban town immediately before high school began. I was a science geek, creative, on the autism spectrum but undiagnosed, and a hard-core introvert who didn’t have traditional interests like other girls.
Saint Joseph’s University President Charts Long-Term Path of Rapid Growth and Change
Saint Joseph's University President Cheryl McConnell is charting a path for growth for the university. Saint Joseph’s University will soon have the longest-tenure president of the Philadelphia area’s five largest colleges. As a result, St. Joe’s is charting a long-term path guided by its sense of stability, writes...
Get college-ready with the College Trunk Party from Illuminated Hearts and Urban Art Gallery
Philadelphia, PA – Illuminated Hearts, a home care service agency, and the Urban Art Gallery are partnering to throw college-bound students a College Trunk Party! Students have the opportunity to receive school essentials by attending, with basic necessities from dorm room to study supplies. Illuminated Hearts CEO, Kionna Perry, understands that students are starting over […]
Haverford's Rian Dotsey set to stay close by at St. Joe's
Rian Dotsey found her new college home on a visit Tuesday. She only had to travel about 10 minutes from her current Havertown residence to find the place she’ll live for the next four years. Dotsey, a Haverford High forward, took a visit to Hawk Hill early this week...
School District Announces New Learning Network Structure
Today, I’m excited to announce that after extensive collaboration with principals, assistant superintendents, union representatives, and external stakeholders, the School District of Philadelphia will reorganize its Learning Network structure for the 2024-2025 school year. As we work towards becoming the fastest improving, large urban school district, updating the Learning Network structure is one of three key drivers for improving customer service and accelerating academic achievement in the upcoming school year. The other two drivers are:
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