Education

Mayor Cherelle Parker went to Philadelphia public schools her entire childhood, and she's hoping she can make a positive mark on the 200,000-student school district as an adult. The Philadelphia School District's challenges include low test scores, deteriorating buildings and high teacher attrition. And, like many districts across the U.S., it's also recovering from the impacts of the pandemic. There have been some recent bright spots, including lower dropout rates and higher math scores. Mayor Parker is betting that a multi-pronged approach to education will continue to improve outcomes.

School bus at evening on the streets of Philadelphia downtown

Mayor's education efforts include more learning hours and teacher retention

In her 2024 inaugural address, Mayor Cherelle Parker pledged to:

Develop and implement a comprehensive strategy for out-of-school programs
Modernize school buildings
Improve teacher retention and support

In 2024 city budget, Mayor Parker allocated funds for:

extended-day, extended-year enrichment
school facilities improvement

Key offices and efforts

Created "Extended Day, Extended Year" program
Launched the "Philadelphia Citywide Talent Coalition" to address teacher shortages
Earmarked $12 million per year "specifically ... for teacher salaries," in 2025 budget proposal

Key quotes

"Our children have the same right to come to school and learn in clean, modern school buildings, with state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, as any child does anywhere in our Commonwealth!" (inaugural address, Jan 2024)
"A Safer, Cleaner, Greener Philadelphia with Economic Opportunity for All starts with ensuring our children have access to the highest quality education." (announcement of extended Day/ Extended Year program, June 2024)
“On public education, our goals are high — they must be. For far too long, our students have struggled with far too little. The days of settling for crumbs are over. Our students deserve a full loaf and they’ll get it." (budget address, Mar 2025)