Starr Herr-Cardillo has this roundup of local register nominations on the agenda for the November meeting of the Philadelphia Historical Commission’s Designation Committee

If schools are a key to retaining families, what is Philadelphia to do? Quite a lot, says David Feldman, who takes us inside the parent and community-led movement to invest in ten public elementary schools

Next week, the School District of Philadelphia will shutter 23 schools across the city. Jessie Fox interviews Superintendent Dr. William Hite, while a grassroots group of artists band to document the closings and the nearly 4,000 employees laid off as a result band together

The group CosaCosa brings the politics of the New Deal into a New Deal-funded auditorium in a school about to close–a song cycle for a cycle of economics and politics. Katrina Ohstrom previews the PIFA performance in words and photos

A lens on American education policy at Bok, one of the only school buildings in the city to have been built completely by the WPA. Its closing leaves a students adrift and the future of vocational education in doubt. Katrina Ohstrom has the story and photos

The storied original Northeast High–famous and infamous–is being demolished for a strip mall and (in a phase 2) affordable housing. We have the latest on the development as well as remarkable photos from both 2007 and 2012 taken by Abandoned America’s Matthew Christopher

One of our favorite things about the My Favorite Place series is when someone explains why they love a place we never really cared for, like the Spring Garden Street El stop, or in this case, school. Join teacher Julie Lenard as she delves into why education is yet another realm where place matters

Ever wondered about that distinctive boxy shape you see in most Philadelphia schools? Philip Jablon dives into the architectural vision of Irwin T. Catharine, the man responsible for the schools’ blueprints.