Greater Philadelphia High School Partners

The CGP's Greater Philadelphia School Partners Program engaged students from urban and suburban schools in metropolitan Philadelphia. High school students from diverse backgrounds came together to complete yearlong service learning projects and explore their roles as contributing members of a larger regional community. Pairs of elementary and middle school classes from Philadelphia, suburban and independent schools jointly pursued yearlong academic activities and bridge-building social interactions.

Through these experiences, students became collaborative learners, established authentic relationships based on trust and respect, shared each other's perspectives on regional issues, investigated social issues of common interest, improved the quality of life, and strengthened the region's civic society. They also learned to build bridges of understanding and friendship across the barriers of race, religion and income that divided them.

Greater Philadelphia School Partners served over 10,000 high school students and almost 15,000 elementary students during its years of operation. The program received major funding from the William Penn Foundation, the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Surdna Foundation as well as additional support from local corporations, foundations and individual donors.

If you would like more information about this program, service learning or diversity education, please contact the Center at cgpinfo@pobox.upenn.edu.

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