Mastery Charter Schools CEO Scott Gordon has spent the last 15 years improving the state of education in Philadelphia. His next big challenge is to breathe new life into Simon Gratz High School, one of the city's most underperforming public institutions.
Specific problems require new solutions
In order to fix specific academic and social problems in Simon Gratz, Gordon had to do away with his long-standing solution of project-based direct-instruction curriculum. Instead, he formulated a new model which includes new teaching methods, new disciplinary system and the introduction of social assistance and training for students.
"The thing that stands out to me is their willingness to do school turnarounds, as opposed to a lot of other charter operators who want to expand big time and want to do it on their own terms," education lawyer David Lapp told The Christian Science Monitor. "Mastery serves a much more needy student population than most charter operators in Philadelphia."
Previous models had some faults
While Mastery's rigid yet supportive brand of teaching improved student performance in standardized test, it did little to prepare students for the real world. Gordon had to update his approach after receiving feedback from graduates who felt they weren't as supported in college as they were in high school.
"We still believe there are no excuses for this country not to be able to provide a great education for every kid," said Gordon. "That's part of our job: to prepare our kids for the real world, and to recognize that there's great promise in the world. It's also a broken world."
Gordon's new approach has since garnered mixed outcomes. While the number of Simon Gratz graduates has increased by 30 percent since Mastery's takeover in 2012, the school's tests scores plummeted last year when Pennsylvania introduced exams based on the new Common Core standards.
Tough road ahead for charter school revival
Mastery Charter Schools has a long way to go before truly leaving a positive stamp on Philadelphia's education system. The latest national assessment per Philadelphia.com showed that out of the 25 largest cities in the U.S., Philadelphia still ranks 22nd in college degree attainment. Barely 10 percent of district graduates go on to earn their degrees.
Gordon strongly maintained that his new model was the right thing to do. He said his "Mastery 3.0" approach will eventually result in deeper reading and math comprehension for students. He admitted that reviving public institutions in Philadelphia isn't "a short-term game."
