On Blast

On MLK Day, Philadelphia Student Union member Azeem Hill spoke about ending all forms of violence in our school system, both interpersonal and systemic. He spoke to a crowd of about 600 students, parents, clergy, elected officials and community leaders before leading them in a march down Broad Street.

This is the audio of Azeem's speech. It was recorded by Jaileah Gibson & produced by Matt Johnson.

A new model of teacher development is emerging that could help 'hard to staff' neighborhood schools build and retain a base of effective teachers by recruiting young adults in the neighborhood to choose a career in teaching.  This model is called 'Grow Your Own' and it is happening in Chicago, thanks to the organizing work of students and communities. Dan Jones interviewed Rod Wilson of Kenwood Oakland Community Organization (KOCO) in Chicago, about how 'Grow Your Own' is changing the way teachers and communities interact.

On Monday, Philadelphia Student Union celebrated Martin Luther King's vision with a spirited rally outside the School District, a 600-person march down Broad Street, and a powerful service at Arch Street Methodist Church. Led by the young leaders of PSU, the event called for peace, justice and an end to all forms of violence. It was co-sponsored by 19 other organizations and attended by students, parents, teachers, and community members from every section of the city--as well as State Representative Vanessa Brown, Democratic candidate for Governor Joe Hoeffel, candidate for State Representative Will Mega, and Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams.

The audio of this event was recorded by students Jaileah Gibson & Dylan Washington. This short piece was produced by PSU alum Matt Johnson.

This Martin Luther King Day (January 18th) at 3pm, at 440 North Broad St. (School District headquarters), Student Union is calling on the community to provide witness and take action to stop school violence in all of its forms- whether it be the interpersonal violence between two students or the institutional violence that happens when schools are de-humanizing and under-resourcing young people. We know that Dr. King was using non-violence to combat a system that was itself violent, and plan on taking up that legacy.

Please come and support young people demanding justice and peace in their schools.

On this Show, we hear interviews with students at South Philly High about the violence they faced at school and their organized response to it. We'll also learn about the groundbreaking of the new West Philadelphia High School, and the work that students have done to reach this milestone. PSU members also bring us a report-back from the School District's Renaissance School feedback sessions, and what we can expect from the Renaissance schools plan in 2010. Also, we hear a piece about how the media covers violence at neighborhood and magnet schools differently, which often reinforces stereotypes. Plus, we'll have music and other education news.

Zakia Royster & Dylan Washington hosted this show, and Matt Johnson was the engineer.

As 2009 came to a close, West Philadelphia High School students saw a new beginning; the groundbreaking on a new building for West Philadelphia High School. This was a big milestone for PSU members at West who have been working to change not just building, but to improve the education and the school culture. The process started in 2003 when Superintendent Paul Vallas announced that there would be a new building. Since then, students have spearheaded a community process that has included over 200 people (community members, faith based organizations, parents, local representatives, and politicians.)

This piece was produced by Azeem Hill, a student at West Philadelphia High School Auto Academy.

On November 19th, Philadelphia Student Union and Youth United for Change brought out a group of students to take part in a feedback session about the renaissance schools process, held by the School District. The renaissance schools are part of the School District's plan, Imagine 2014. Under this plan, several under-performing schools will be placed under new management; these schools will be called 'Renaissance Schools' and they could be handed over to outside managers, such as Charter Management and Education Management Organizations.

The District has put out some information about what these "turn-around schools" will look like, but a lot of questions remain. Here are some of the questions that PSU students wanted answers to...

This piece was produced by Cherelle Reed & Javier Morris.

Philadelphia Student Union sat down with Asian students from South Philadelphia High School (SPHS) who were attacked inside their school and subsequently organized a student boycott when the School District failed to appropriately respond.

In this piece, two South Philly High students describe the attacks that hospitalized several of their friends, and their feeling that adults in the school district have let them down.

A few days after these interviews took place, the boycott ended and students returned to SPHS. But students --both SPHS students & PSU members-- are continuing to work toward holding the district accountable and solving the root problems of this violence.

This piece was produced by Dan Jones.

Student leaders speak about how Philadelphia Student Union has affected their lives and their futures, in this piece by Dylan Washington, Jaileah Gibson & Kimora Lamotte. Zakia Royster, Lawrence Jones Mahoney & Khalif Dobson talk about how they became part of this youth-led organization and how their identity as organizers and their sense of purpose has been shaped through their work with PSU.

If you are a high school student in Philadelphia who wants to get involved, come to our citywide meetings every Saturday 1-4pm at 4205 Chestnut St.  Or go to our website to find out more.

On this show we hear a feature about how Philadelphia Student Union has affected the lives of members. We also hear a piece that asks whether Advanced Placement classes are dividing students and distributing schools' resources inequitably. Then we look at the ways music shapes people, with a Song Breakdown of 'One More Drink' and a story about conscious hip hop. Plus, there's music and other news from Philly's schools.

Dan Jones wrote the news stories this month. Keturah Bailey, Azeem Hill and Greg Jordan-Detamore hosted the show.