Whether parents want public or private education, they are doing their homework. Don and Maggie Winthrop were looking for a school with full-day kindergarten, and Philadelphia public schools didn't have it at the time. So they decided to send their sons to Friends Select, a Quaker school in Center City that also offered smaller class sizes, a nearby location and after-school care. Open-enrollment programs are also popular. In N.J. and Pa., expect a school year full of changes Phila.
Pupils wear uniforms.
Buildings are targeted for improvement. Limited school choice starts. A search for a new chief of schools in Philadelphia. And state intervention in two struggling districts - Camden in South Jersey, and Chester Upland in Delaware County. Making diplomas mean more - and the struggle in doing it In the future, students won't be able to coast through high school and get a diploma even if they haven't learned much.