“It is not every day that a new public school is built in an American city—especially a groundbreaking public school that will benefit thousands of neighborhood schoolchildren in the years to come,” said Penn President Judith Rodin, as ground was indeed broken for the new pre-K-8 public school in University City. The school, at 42nd and Locust streets, is a collaborative effort by Penn, the School District of Philadelphia, and the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers. It will open this September for kindergarten and first-grade students, and will eventually serve up to 700 neighborhood children.
In addition to making the site available to the School District for $1 a year, Penn is providing up to $700,000 in annual operating support for at least 10 years, and its faculty and students will be involved as student teachers, teachers, tutors, consultants, and researchers.
