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Dear School District of Philadelphia community,

As we approach Thanksgiving tomorrow, I wanted to pause and express my sincere gratitude to every School District of Philadelphia student, parent, guardian, and caregiver. As we continue to recover from the global pandemic that resulted in schools being closed across the country in March of 2020, I thank you for our partnership in supporting the social and emotional as well as academic health of our children. In addition, since the launch of our new strategic plan – Accelerate Philly, our vision to become the fastest improving, large urban public school district is becoming a reality.

As a District, with families as our partners, we have made significant progress this year. We have increased academic performance in 9 out 13 key areas, and reduced the number of students who dropped out of school. We increased student and teacher attendance. We increased our District-wide enrollment by 1,841 students this year, and increased our graduation rate by 3.4 percentage points. All of this is a testament to our collective laser focus on improving academic achievement. Thank you for persevering with us and for supporting public education. For that, I am extremely grateful.

This Thanksgiving, let’s celebrate our progress and be proud of all we have accomplished together. I hope you will take full advantage of the holiday break, spend time with family and friends, and enjoy the spirit of the season. Given all that is happening in the world around us, I encourage us all to remember that acts of kindness and grace can go a long way. I appreciate each of you and wish you joy, health, and peace this Thanksgiving holiday.

In partnership,

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