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Threading a future
Could a Baltimore nonprofit hold the answer to turning around the lives of Philly’s most at-risk teens—and our city at-large? | From: The Philadelphia Citizen (Read more.)
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The Citizen Recommends: Cash Rules Everything Around Me
Temple sociologist Sara Goldrick-Rab hosts a town hall this week on college debt. Here she talks about her groundbreaking work—and the hope it brings her. | From: The Philadelphia Citizen (Read more.)
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Supporters Demand More Funding for ‘Heart of Community’ in Philadelphia, AKA Local Libraries
From NBC Philadelphia: More than half of Philadelphia’s 54 facilities that make up the Free Library system were closed for weekends, starting in September. But criticism forced officials to rethink the plan. (Read more.)
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With police diversion, student arrests plummet
From The Notebook: When an offense is relatively minor, the child goes into a diversion program, receiving extra supports. Recidivism is also much lower. (Read more.)
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Philly Goes to School; Lessons in Inclusive, Universal Pre-K
From Next City: Oklahoma’s done it longer; New York City does it bigger. What Philadelphia can learn in crafting a pre-K program to close the achievement gap for kids from economically disadvantaged communities. (Read more.)
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Philadelphia announces hiring of new library staff, expanded branch hours
From the Philadelphia Media Network: City officials say Philadelphia’s public library system has a green light to hire dozens of new employees by year’s end and extend service hours at a dozen branches, but advocates maintain that the system needs a more dedicated and robust funding stream to help it grow and thrive. (Read more.)
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In an ‘out-of-school-time desert,’ organizers connect kids to opportunities
From PlanPhilly: Lisa Hall never did any extracurriculars while in school. She wants to change that for her two young children. “I think it exposes them to new things and I hope they find out they’re passionate about something,” said Hall, who lives in Southwest Philadelphia. (Read more.)
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10 things you didn’t know you could do with a library card | Perspective
From Philadelphia Media Network: The Free Library system is the largest provider of free public Wi-Fi in the region, and with internet access as well as public computers available at every Free Library location with a library card, a world of possibility is opened as users can open email accounts, search for jobs, connect with family members via social media, conduct research, and much more. (Read more.)
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How to get people into high-paying jobs? This robotic arm could hold an answer
From Technical.ly: Backed by a $150,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education, a six-week training program at makerspace NextFab could offer one pathway: teaching people how to control a robotic armed used in advanced manufacturing. (Read more.)
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In the city’s poorest neighborhoods, libraries close earlier and more often
An examination of Free Library of Philadelphia branch operating hours showed that neighborhood branches in communities with high poverty rates often close earlier and more often than those in areas with low poverty rates. (Read more.)