The Temple Partnership Schools Network will create a community-embedded, practice-based learning environment within two School District of Philadelphia schools located near campus, Tanner G. Duckrey School and Mary McLeod Bethune School.
Tanner G. Duckrey School, located just steps from Temple's Main Campus, is one of the two schools that will be part of the Temple Partnership Schools Network.
Photo by Joseph V. Labolito
One of the three priorities of Forward with Purpose: Temple University’s Strategic Plan is Place-based Impact, as it is imperative that Temple serves as a vital, trusted partner in the city, leveraging its expertise to benefit the broader community. A new partnership with the School District of Philadelphia provides one example of how Temple seeks to accomplish just that.
Last night, Temple’s College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) and the school district approved a memorandum of understanding to establish the Temple Partnership Schools Network (TPSN). Based upon the nationally recognized Professional Development School model, CEHD will now work directly with two public schools located near Temple’s Main and Health Sciences Center campuses, Tanner G. Duckrey School and Mary McLeod Bethune School, to create a community-embedded, practice-based learning environment that will ultimately strengthen the local schools and the entire North Philadelphia community.
“This is a true partnership,” said Temple President John Fry. “Tanner G. Duckrey and Mary McLeod Bethune are two schools that are located right in our backyard, and our partnership with those schools is an example of the coordinated approach we are taking in serving the North Philadelphia community. Together with the School District of Philadelphia, we are strengthening our local schools and creating additional pathways to higher education.”
While TPSN closely reflects the priorities of Forward with Purpose, it also complements and directly aligns with the school district’s Accelerate Philly Strategic Plan.
“We’re grateful to Temple University’s College of Education and Human Development for providing an added layer of expertise for our youngest learners at Tanner G. Duckrey and Mary McLeod Bethune schools,” said Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. “The Temple Partnership Schools Network pilot aligns with the goals of Accelerate Philly to further develop foundational academic skills that will enable students to graduate college career-ready, ensures educators are well-trained and further prepared for their roles of high-quality teaching and learning, and further strengthens our partnership and engagement with parents and families in North Philadelphia.”
The collaboration between Temple and the school district is unique in that Temple plans to first listen and take an asset-based approach that builds off the expertise that is evident amongst Duckrey and Bethune teachers and communities, as well as the schools’ leadership and throughout the school district.
The partnership is also the latest example of CEHD’s decades long dedication to preparing educators, leaders and researchers who are strongly invested in equity, justice and community engagement. With the TPSN, CEHD will integrate educator preparation, faculty expertise, professional development and research directly into Tanner G. Duckrey and Mary McLeod Bethune schools.
“Thriving schools contribute to thriving neighborhoods. The TPSN demonstrates our collective responsibility to ensure all children have access to equitable educational opportunities and educators and leaders have the resources and supports they need to support the success of their learners and engage more effectively with families. CEHD is leveraging our strengths and assets to bridge the gap between research and practice to serve students and their families and make an impact on their community,” said Monika Williams Shealey, dean of CEHD.
As the partnership develops, both Temple and the school district hope to accomplish five goals.
- Enhance pre-K–12 student success
- Integrate academic and enrichment supports to close opportunity gaps and foster well-being.
- Advance educator preparation
- Offer immersive and clinical experiences for Temple students, particularly those in teacher education, counseling, school psychology and human development.
- Strengthen learning for school-based professionals
- Create responsive, school-based professional learning ecosystems.
- Deepen family and community engagement
- Develop authentic partnerships with families, caregivers and community members as collaborators in student success.
- Generate research that impacts practice
- Develop and implement evidence-based practices that result in equitable educational opportunities for all learners.
TPSN also aligns closely with Temple Future Scholars, which launched last year as a scaled college pipeline program to support low-income, first-generation-to-college students in Philadelphia public middle schools. Both Tanner G. Duckrey and Mary McLeod Bethune are schools where the Future Scholars program is already active.
Beyond the classroom, the partnership between Temple and the school district aims to strengthen family engagement to support improved educational outcomes. Families will participate in workshops designed by Temple to promote literacy in their homes, English language learning and workforce development opportunities, in collaboration with the Lenfest Center for Community Workforce Partnerships and the Temple Community Gateway, and address trauma through the PHASeS (Philadelphia Healthy and Safe Schools) program, a partnership with the Katz School of Medicine.
“This partnership uses a whole-child, whole-family, whole-community framework that strengthens the ecosystem around each student,” said Valerie Harrison, Temple’s vice president for community impact and civic engagement. “It is the latest example of how we are aligning the university’s pre-college resources to form a seamless continuum of educational programming for preschoolers through 12th graders, creating a pathway to college and career.”
For Temple students and faculty members, the partnership also provides tremendous opportunities for professional development and community-engaged research. Through the program, both undergraduate and graduate students will be able to pursue embedded clinical and applied learning experiences, such as teacher preparation, school counseling, school psychology, human development, and policy and organizational development.
Faculty will also be able to conduct collaborative research at each school.
“This new partnership is a demonstration of how Temple is one of North Philadelphia’s greatest assets, and the North Philadelphia community is one of Temple’s greatest assets,” said interim Provost David Boardman. “When we work together, the result is positive and powerful.”
As TPSN launches, the program is being piloted at the Tanner G. Duckrey School and the Mary McLeod Bethune School. Opportunities exist to expand to additional schools in the years to come.
As part of this partnership, CEHD will be collecting data, conducting evaluations and producing annual partnership reports that will document the impact of the program as well as opportunities for growth and improvement. These reports will be shared with the school district and each school’s leadership and the broader community to ensure accountability and help the schools inform improvements.