Shqip | العربية | 汉语 | Français | Kreyòl Ayisyen | ខ្មែរ | Português | Русский | Español | Українська мова | O’zbek tili | Việt

Dear School District of Philadelphia Community,

I am pleased to share that over the past two years, we’ve seen remarkable improvements across the board: more than 3,500 students improved their regular attendance, our four-year graduation rate jumped by 6.3 percentage points, and we reduced the number of student dropouts by over 1,400. We’re particularly excited that our district’s enrollment increased by 1,841 students – our first enrollment growth in a decade. This progress would not be possible without the partnership of our parents and families.

Since the launch of Accelerate Philly in 2023, the District has worked hard on Priority Area #2 – partnering with families and communities. We’ve launched a two-way communication system – Let’s Talk – to improve communications with families and communities. We’ve overhauled the District’s website to make information more accessible. We’ve successfully launched the Superintendent’s Principal and Teacher advisories, to ensure that we are engaging and uplifting the voices of the people closest to students and families. And today, I am excited to announce that the District will roll out two important parent and family engagement initiatives, to officially launch in the fall of 2025, to strengthen those partnerships even further:

Superintendent’s Parent & Guardian Advisory Council

The Parent & Guardian Advisory Council (PGAC) is an engagement forum where parents, guardians, and caretakers from across the District can regularly connect with Superintendent Watlington and other District leadership to discuss experiences, uplift successes, present concerns, and at times, share feedback on District initiatives and Accelerate Philly strategic actions. The Council will champion family engagement in their school communities by sharing information, best practices, District news, and initiatives. The PGAC application will open on March 6, and close on April 11, 2025. Please be on the lookout for communication about the official application opening next week.

Parent & Family University

During our Listening and Learning Tour in my first 100 days beginning in the summer of 2022, I heard directly from parents and guardians about the importance and impact of the previous Parent University on families across the District. This spring, we will host a kickoff tour to re-introduce Parent & Family University to our District community, get additional feedback from our parents and families about the resources and courses they would like to see offered, and to also provide an opportunity to learn more about and apply to the Parent Guardian Advisory Council.

These listening sessions will be held across the city, grouped by Learning Network. Please see the full session schedule on the Parent & Family University website. The re-launched Parent & Family University will provide free resources, courses, and supports to help parents & families engage with their children, schools, and community, and will leverage additional resources and supports to invest in students, parents/guardians, and families through four key areas:

• Student Achievement: Tools to support learning and academic growth.
• Health & Wellness:Resources for physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
• Adult Learning: Opportunities for skill-building and personal development.
• Financial Literacy: Guidance for financial empowerment and stability.

Working together, with parents and families as our partners, we can prepare every student to imagine and realize any future they desire and become the fastest-improving, large urban public school district in the nation.

In partnership,

Tony B. Watlington Sr., Ed.D.
Superintendent
The School District of Philadelphia