H.A. Brown School

The Friends of H.A. Brown are proud to announce that the school has been presented an incredible opportunity to partner with the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project of Columbia University. Lucy Calkins, the founder and director of the program, read about the academic growth being made at H.A. Brown and believes the school is a great fit with aligned missions. The Reading and Writing Project is known nationally for its incredible curriculum and commitment to literacy. They have helped thousands of educators improve their reading and writing instruction, which ultimately benefits children, so the school jumped at the opportunity to become a partner.

The student population at Brown is extremely ethnically diverse with 11.5% being English Language Learners (ELL). The primary languages spoken at home are Spanish, Vietnamese, and several varying Chinese dialects.  Reading and writing are the vehicles that spark children’s imaginations and expand their understanding about the world around them. A solid literacy education can change the life of a child who does not have those skills when entering school.

The Neubauer Family Foundation, of the Huntingdon Valley, is the founding and primary supporter of the Philadelphia Academy of School Leaders.  They are committed to improving education in Philadelphia for all students regardless of neighborhood. We are ecstatic that they are willing to provide a matching grant of $12,500 if H.A. Brown raises $12,500 by December 1, 2017 to support the partnership with Teachers College. However, any amount of money raised will be matched.

If our neighborhood children are given the opportunity to benefit from this program it will greatly impact the education of our neighborhood in general. The East Kensington Neighbor’s Association has graciously started our fundraising efforts with a $2,000 donation, leaving only $10,500 left to raise. It is our hope that our local businesses, developers, and individual community members would generously donate to this exciting opportunity to support this incredible educational training experience. 

We thank you in advance for your time and support.