In 2002, the School District of Philadelphia created Student Success Centers to assist students by creating a deep and sustainable college-going culture within high schools. Each school-based center provides services and resources that help guide and prepare students for post-secondary success.
In the fall of 2009, the Philadelphia Education Fund’s College Access Program was awarded the management of Student Success Centers at Benjamin Franklin High School, Edison High School, and Simon Gratz High School.
The Ed Fund has a long and rich history working in partnership with these schools. All three have been College Access/Philadelphia Scholars sites since 1991. Edison and Benjamin Franklin were sites for the Ed Fund’s Talent Development work. Through these relationships and many others, the Ed Fund has worked in close proximity with the staff in these schools, has developed an enormous appreciation for their work and for their commitment to their students, and has developed a familiarity with their school culture.
We are excited about the opportunity to be an even stronger partner through the management of the Student Success Centers. In all three schools, we seek to capitalize on their existing resources, coordinating partners, aligning services, and providing technical assistance to school staff to support their work.