
Almost two years ago, a Pennsylvania State committee removed more than forty Philadelphia public schools from city control. The committee said it intervened because children attending the schools were learning very little. Private companies, universities and non-profit organizations began supervising these schools.
大约两年前,宾夕法尼亚州的一个州委员会从城市控制中删除了超过40所费城公立学校。该委员会表示,之所以进行干预,是因为上学的孩子们学得很少。私营公司、大学和非营利组织开始监督这些学校。
The Philadelphia school district has more than two-hundred-fourteen-thousand students. Most of them are from low-income families. It is the seventh largest school system in the nation. It has more than two-hundred-seventy schools. The district includes traditional schools and restructured ones. Some district schools operate by agreement between Philadelphia and outside supervisors. The district also has special schools that have programs on a single subject such as mathematics.
费城学区有超过200 - 14万名学生。他们中的大多数来自低收入家庭。它是全国第七大教育系统。它有超过270所学校。该地区包括传统学校和重组学校。一些地区学校根据费城和外部主管之间的协议运作。该地区也有专门针对单一学科的项目,比如数学。
Philadelphia's education chief, Paul Vallas, came to the city soon after the state intervened in the school system. Before that, Mister Vallas served as top administrator in the Chicago, Illinois public schools. He says society should place great importance on improving education for poor children.
费城的教育主管保罗·瓦拉斯(Paul Vallas)在该州对学校系统进行干预后不久就来到了该市。在此之前,Vallas先生在伊利诺斯州的公立学校担任高级管理人员。他说,社会应该非常重视改善贫困儿童的教育。
Under his leadership, the percentage of Philadelphia students performing in the lowest twenty-five percent of the nation has decreased. Test scores have improved in reading, language arts, mathematics and science. Still, about sixty-six percent of Philadelphia public school children test below the national averages in such basic studies.
在他的领导下,费城学生在全国最低的25%的成绩下降了。考试成绩在阅读、语言艺术、数学和科学方面都有所提高。尽管如此,在这样的基础研究中,大约66%的费城公立学校儿童的测试低于全国平均水平。
Mister Vallas has improved district finances. He cut a number of non-teaching positions. He renegotiated agreements with providers of school supplies. These actions provided money to hire new teachers and repair some school buildings. But the Philadelphia school district is far from rich. It has had to borrow money to operate on its budget of about one-point-eight-thousand-million dollars.
瓦拉斯先生改善了地区财政状况。他裁掉了许多非教学职位。他与学校用品供应商重新谈判协议。这些行动为雇佣新教师和修复一些校舍提供了资金。但费城学区远不是富人。它不得不以大约1。8亿美元的预算借款来运作。
A recent report criticized Pennsylvania for its financing of education. The report was written by the publication Education Week and the Pew Charitable Trusts. The report said the state spends a large amount on education. But it blames Pennsylvania for depending mainly on local property taxes to operate school districts. It says poor school areas cannot raise as much tax money for education as rich areas.
最近的一份报告批评了宾夕法尼亚州的教育经费。这份报告是由《教育周刊》和皮尤慈善信托基金会撰写的。报告说,国家在教育上花费了大量资金。但它指责宾夕法尼亚州主要依靠地方财产税来运营学区。它说,贫穷的学校不能像富裕地区那样提高教育的税收。
