Background

Connecting the Philadelphia Education Fund's mission with civic engagement, the Small Schools Project is focused on involving the Philadelphia community in local school design.

Concordia LLC, a planning and design compnay based in New Orleans, began working with the Ed Fund in 2003. In the summer of 2004, Concordia began holding monthly community meetings at Kensington High School, www.philaedfund.org/kensingtonhs, and West Philadelphia High School, www.philaedfund.org/westphillyhs. The meetings took a critical look at the needs and assets in the community and discussed how these needs could be met with a school and community connection. This was an opportunity for teachers, students, parents and school teachers to think collaboratively about the design of high schools in Kensington and West Philadelphia.

Click here for the Kensington High School Community Plan
Click here for the West Philadelphia High School Community Plan

Core Components

The Six Design Principles:
The Concordia Project constantly revisits these principles throughout the community meetings.

• Design Principle 1: The learning environment should enhance teaching and learning, and accommodate the needs of all learners
• Design Principle 2: The learning environment should serve as a center of the community
• Design Principle 3: The learning environment should result from a planning and design process that invovles all community interests
• Design Principle 4: The learning environment should provide for health, safety, and secruity.
• Design Principle 5: The learning enviroment should make effective use of available resources
• Design Principle 6:The learning environment should be fliexible and adaptable
  
  

Subcommittee Structure Within the Concordia model:
Subcommittees are formed as a way to focus the school and community planning process.

• Physical: This subcommittee looks at the community's built and natural assets. These resources include buildings, bridges, highways, telecommunications infrastructure as well as parks and other outdoor recreation areas.
• Cultural: This subcommittee encompasses all of the community's cultural resources, such as cultural spaces, artifacts and programs related to the expression of values and aesthetics.
• Social: This group identifies where social space and programs, developed largely by governmental and not-for-profit entities, support the health and human assets needed to maintain a community infrastructure. Included in this domain are programs involving a wide range of social services, housing, justice and healthcare.
• Education: Educational resources encompass all community assets allocated to lifelong learning. Included in this category are functional space, curricula and instructional programs for Pre-K to 12, community college and university programs, as well as civil service training and individual skills development programs.
• Organizational: This subcommittee includes organizational spaces that address community governance, including the school board, city and county board of supervisors, Rotary Club, Lions Club and a myriad of other civic organizations.
• Economic: This subcommittee represents economic spaces, programs and activities related to business and commerce. Included are activities ranging from regional and local economic development programs to innovations and initiatives developed by private interests.