City of Philadelphia - File #: 110887

• File #: 110887
• Version: 0
• Type: Resolution
• Status: ADOPTED
• File created: 12/1/2011
• In control: CITY COUNCIL
• Final action: 12/8/2011
• Title: Recognizing and Honoring ASPIRA, Inc of Pennsylvania on their decades of work promoting Puerto Rican culture, education and leadership development in the Philadelphia Puerto Rican and Latino Community, and their recent successes serving as stewards at Stetson Middle School and Olney High School.
• Sponsors: Councilmember Sanchez, Councilmember Greenlee, Councilmember Miller, Councilmember Goode, Councilmember Rizzo, Councilmember Reynolds Brown, Councilmember DiCicco, Councilmember Kenney, Councilmember Tasco, Councilmember O'Neill, Councilmember Jones, Councilmember Green

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result	Tally
12/8/2011	0	CITY COUNCIL	ADOPTED
12/1/2011	0	CITY COUNCIL	Introduced and Ordered Placed On Next Week's Final Passage Calendar	Pass

Title
Recognizing and Honoring ASPIRA, Inc of Pennsylvania on their decades of work promoting Puerto Rican culture, education and leadership development in the Philadelphia Puerto Rican and Latino Community, and their recent successes serving as stewards at Stetson Middle School and Olney High School.
Body
WHEREAS, ASPIRA of Pennsylvania has been in existence since 1969 with a mission of promoting educational attainment and leadership development within the Philadelphia Puerto Rican/Latino Community; and

WHEREAS, For many years, ASPIRA focused on supporting and shaping policies within the Philadelphia School District, leading legal challenges around equity, bilingual education and special education; and

WHEREAS, With the passing of the Pennsylvania Charter School Law of 1997, ASPIRA rose to the challenge of directly administering schools not just for Latinos, but for all underserved communities; and

WHEREAS, In 1998, ASPIRA opened the Eugenio Maria De Hostos Bilingual Charter school, the first bilingual charter school in Pennsylvania using the dual immersion bilingual education method, providing a robust cultural experience and educational excellence; and

WHEREAS, ASPIRA now runs the De Hostos Charter School, Antonia Pantoja Charter Middle School-named after ASPIRA's founder, Antonia Pantoja, Pequeños Pasos pre-school and last year ASPIRA took over the management of Stetson Middle School, and this year began work at Olney Charter High School; and

WHEREAS, ASPIRA's recent work with the Renaissance School Program at Stetson Middle School and Olney High School has meant taking on two of Philadelphia's most challenged public schools and creating a safe and successful learning environment; and

WHEREAS, Stetson Middle School has made a dramatic improvement in school climate with suspensions declining from 500 in School Year 2009-10, to less than 10 in the last school year, and whereas already at Olney there has been a dramatic improvement in th...