Temple’s urban ed revival | Morning Newsletter
And a Manayunk dad’s big break.
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The Morning Newsletter
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It’s Friday, folks. We’re closing May with another sunny day in the mid-70s.
Temple University is bringing back its master’s in urban education program, which it ended amid much criticism in 2020. Plus, a Manayunk guy wanted to learn how to be a better dad, so he asked around — and now he has a national PBS show.
Dig into these stories and many more below.
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Back in 2020, Temple University ended its master’s in urban education program. The reason given: Its offerings could be integrated across departments. Yet the move prompted swift criticism from faculty and alumni who cited the program’s unique centering of the needs of big urban districts. That includes the one in its hometown that serves nearly 200,000 students.
Enter: Dean Monika Williams Shealey, who took the reins of the North Philadelphia university’s College of Education and Human Development last summer. When she learned about the cut and its fallout, she knew she had to bring the program back.
“Our goal is to produce students who promote equity in both classrooms and communities,” Shealey wrote in an op-ed this week about the decision. “We are going back to our roots to chart a new course that will lay the groundwork to bring about lasting change in urban education.”
Temple’s revamped master’s program is now accepting applications for the fall semester. A doctorate program will restart in 2025. There’s a renewed focus on community partnerships, its professors say, as well as on solutions to the problems urban schools face.
Higher education reporter Susan Snyder has the full story.
What makes a good dad in 2024? Manayunk-based Joe Gidjunis wants to find out.
The journalist-turned-filmmaker’s serial documentary, Grown Up Dad, will premiere just before Father’s Day on nearly 300 PBS stations around the U.S. He interviewed parenting experts and other dads, including some from Philly. They shared lessons about more equitable dispersal of kid-raising responsibilities and the importance of “active,” present fatherhood.
For instance: “Work-life balance is probably the biggest one,” one South Philly dad said. ”And being less reactive and more proactive when you’re parenting.”
The Inquirer’s Rita Giordano spoke to Gidjunis and some of the local fathers featured on the show. Find more of their advice in her sweet story.
What you should know today
Following former President Donald Trump’s historic conviction at his hush money trial in New York, we answer: Is Trump going to prison? When are his other trials? Can he still run for president? Can he pardon himself if he wins the general election? Unlikely, probably not before November, yes, and no.
Meanwhile, Trump’s campaign will open an office in Philadelphia on Tuesday.
The Philadelphia school board adopted a $4.5 billion budget for the 2024-25 school year Thursday night. The move occurred at a lengthy, action-packed meeting marked by passionate testimony by pro-Palestinian parents and teachers who want school officials to explicitly state that teaching about Palestine isn’t antisemitic.
Ocean City police issued 1,300 curbside warnings and brought 23 juveniles into the police station during a tumultuous Memorial Day weekend.
Former Philly Councilmember Bobby Henon’s bribery conviction was upheld by a federal appeals court. He’ll continue serving a 3½-year prison sentence.
A report released by the University of Pennsylvania’s antisemitism task force recommended the school do more to combat anti-Jewish bias on campus and publicly oppose divestment from Israel.
Advisers to Mayor Cherelle L. Parker are among Philadelphia’s most highly paid public employees, with their salaries topping $200,000 a year — and in some cases, exceeding the mayor’s own pay, according to city payroll data.
There won’t be cuts to wage or business taxes in the city budget that takes effect July 1. Councilmember Isaiah Thomas confirmed Council abandoned a push for now.
The Forman Arts Initiative’s 100,000-square-foot arts campus — including a gallery, venue, and garden — will open in stages in West Kensington over the next two years.
Welcome back to Curious Philly Friday. We’ll feature both new and timeless stories from our forum for readers to ask about the city’s quirks.
This week, we’re resurfacing an explainer from last summer about the unused cascade fountains at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which once attracted hundreds of swimmers at a time. Their basins have been dry for nearly 30 years (and I admit, I had no idea they were ever supposed to be fountains). Why?
It’s not the PMA’s call to turn them on, reporter Nick Vadala found, but that of the city’s Parks and Rec Department — and drainage and masonry issues may be to blame for their dormant state. Check out the full explanation, complete with a bunch of neat archival photos.
Have your own burning question about Philadelphia, its local oddities, or how the region works? Submit it here and you might find the answer featured in this space.
🧠 Trivia time
A line stretched several blocks by Thursday morning as local consumers waited for hours — some overnight — to buy which limited-edition, Philly-themed items?
A) Stanley cups
B) Nike Dunks
C) Princess Diana jackets
D) Furbies
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we're...
🥽 Diving into: All the natural swimming spots near Philadelphia.
🏀 Cheering: The take that this city needs a women’s sports team.
👑 Amazed by: This Philly teen’s Cinderella-style prom send-off.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
A re-creation of this Philly landmark will open in Sweden this weekend. (Yes, skateboarding is allowed.)
ELK VAPOR
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Alan Vandersloot, who solved Thursday’s answer: Pennsylvania. A new mascot called the Keystone Kid aims to unite residents who might feel more pride for the closest city than the commonwealth as a whole.
Photo of the day
“I need you to go ahead and be weird,” Girls’ High alum Jill Scott told students when she visited on Thursday. Her likeness now appears on a new colorful mural on the school’s North Broad Street facade. “I need you to be different. Continue to be brilliant young women.”
That’s it from me this week. Wishing you a smooth transition from May to June.
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