Highlights high-quality education options at a Promise AcademyrnrnPhiladelphia, January 3, 2012– Mayor Michael A. Nutter joined by School District of Philadelphia (SDP) officials reaffirmed the City’s commitment to the Philadelphia Great Schools Compact and discussed an upcoming visit to Denver to examine the education Compact there. rnrnJoining Mayor Nutter on the Thursday visit will be School Reform Commission (SRC) Chairman Pedro Ramos; SRC member Wendell Pritchett; Mayor’s Chief Education Officer and Executive Advisor Lori Shorr; Mark Gleason, Executive Director of the Philadelphia School Partnership; and Robert Fayfich, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools. Their goal is to evaluate what effects Denver’s district-charter collaboration compact has had on its educational system and how to replicate successful collaboration and school models. rnrnRecently, Mayor Nutter, the SDP and charter school leaders announced that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will provide a $100,000 grant to support the implementation of the Compact, and Philadelphia is eligible to apply for a share of more than $40 million in funding and Program-Related Investments. The Compact was approved by the School Reform Commission last month and has been signed by the Mayor, SRC Chairman Pedro Ramos, Acting Schools Superintendent Leroy Nunery, Ph.D., and organizations representing all but six of the city’s charter schools. rnrn“The Compact is a transformational opportunity for Philadelphia’s schools, and I am looking forward to seeing how it can best be implemented by cities,†said Mayor Nutter. “We need to have a system of great schools all across Philadelphia. No child in our city should have to sit in a bad seat in a bad school. We will be zeroing in on the lowest performing seats while simultaneously working to replicate the innovation and progress made in good schools such as Dunbar Elementary.†rnrn“The Philadelphia Great Schools Compact is an opportunity for partnership among a diverse group of educators,†said SRC Chairman Ramos. “We will be visiting Denver Public Schools this week to get a better sense of how other cities have been successful and moving forward, to more fully evaluate what changes Philadelphia’s schools can make to provide the highest quality education for our students.†rnrnActing Superintendent Dr. Leroy Nunery added, “Dunbar is an example of how schools can be improved through hard work, innovation and perseverance. The Compact is a way to improve upon and replicate our successful schools while improving coordination so all students can be successful.†rnrnDenver was one of the first U.S. cities to sign a district-charter collaboration compact. Therefore, the Mayor and education leaders will meet with representatives of Denver’s education system to discuss strategies to foster greater partnership between charter and district school leaders, organizational and infrastructure changes to support high-quality schools, challenges faced by Denver while implementing their compact, and other issues. The visit will be fully funded by the William Penn Foundation. rnrnOn January 2, 2012, Mayor Nutter was sworn-in for his second term as mayor of Philadelphia. Following the inauguration ceremony, the Mayor is hosting a series of events in neighborhoods across the city emphasizing the need to reduce poverty, increase educational achievement and overcome violence in Philadelphia. These events reflect the coordinated, multi-pronged strategy by the Administration to ensure a safer, smarter, healthier and more sustainable city.