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• Partners in Building 21^st Century Skills

Mission

The mission of Philadelphia Academies, Inc. (PAI) is to expand life and economic options for Philadelphia public school students through career-focused programming that prepares young people for employment and post-secondary education.

The primary assumption in PAI’s model is that we can significantly change life and economic outcomes for young people by motivating them to learn through their own interests and real-world, career-connected experiences and curriculum. Embedded in the model are three core activities – programming that motivates, the active development of networks with caring adults, and local advocacy at a policy level for instructional and structural changes in secondary education. These efforts work together to produce the outcomes that we desire for students.

Our role is to serve as an intermediary, bringing the financial and human resources of the business community into Philadelphia public schools, providing work and life readiness skills, making connections to internship experiences, and offering scholarships that provide a path toward a productive life.

Basics

For 2008-2009 we will have 28 programs in 16 schools and 10 career areas (we are adding Biotech).

We engage over 400 volunteers from the local business, labor, non-profit, and higher education communities in improving education and building 21st Century skills for Philadelphia public high school students.

The demographics of our students are as follows: 50% female, 50% male, 5% Asian, 68% African American, 14% Hispanic, 13% Caucasian. Many students come from disadvantaged neighborhoods, with 71% below poverty level and receiving public assistance.

Outcomes

Philadelphia Academies, Inc. collects student attendance, grade completion and high school graduation rates for students in each of its academies. Follow-up is conducted for graduates at six and eighteen month intervals. In addition, intake and exit surveys are designed to capture information about changes in student motivation and aspirations.

• Our most recent results are:
  • For the Class of 2006, 82% of graduates contacted are engaged in work and/or post-secondary education (i.e., productively engaged) 18 months following graduation from high school; consistently, 80% to 90% percent of Philadelphia Academies, Inc. graduates surveyed report that they are productively engaged (i.e., working, in the military, or in post-secondary education) 6 and 18 months after graduation from high school.
  • The drop-out rate for PAI students during the 2006-2007 school year was nearly zero percent (0.3%), while the overall District rate was 13%.
  • The 2007 PAI graduation rate by cohort (in same school for three years) was 83%, whereas the non-PAI Academy cohort graduation rate was 73%.
  • The average daily attendance for PAI students for 2006-2007 was 84%, while non-academy students in the same schools had an average daily attendance of 82%.
  • For the 2007-2008 school year, we placed approximately 754 students in leadership and internship opportunities. This represents an increase of 354 placements over 2006-2007, 454 placements over 2005-2006 and 620 placements over 2004-2005.