GreatPhillySchools: use this web app from the Philadelphia School Partnership to compare Philly schools

The Philadelphia School Partnership (PSP) wants to make it easier for you to find the right school for your child, report Newsworks and the Philadelphia Public School Notebook.

Launched yesterday, GreatPhillySchools lets parents search for and compare the nearly 500 schools in Philadelphia. The site provides “basic data about each school’s location, leadership, and program offerings, as well as ratings on academic performance and safety,” Newsworks/the Notebook report. South Philly web dev shop P’unk Ave built the site.

Use the tool here.

On the topic of school ratings, Newsworks/the Notebook write:

“We use a number system to say [some] schools are on average better than [other] schools,” said [PSP executive director Mark] Gleason. “But we have to be clear with parents – at the end of the day, this is your choice, and it’s about your child, and we’re trying to give you some tools to help.”

Read the whole article here.

Related: Painful choices: For one mother, Philadelphia’s portfolio of school options brings opportunity and heartache. [Newsworks/Philadelphia Public School Notebook]