The Science Leadership Academy is a magnet public high school in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, which opened in September 2006. SLA is a partnership between The
Franklin Institute and the
School District of Philadelphia. SLA is a 1:1 project-based laptop school where all students and teachers use laptops as their primary learning tool.
History
Science Leadership Academy was created by the board of the
Franklin Institute and founding principal, Christopher Lehmann.
In Spring 2009, SLA was named an Apple Distinguished School, by then one of only 34 schools in the nation named as such. In addition, SLA was featured in the April 2007 Zootopia Magazine article, "My School, Meet MySpace" where the school is called "…
ohnDewey for the digital age, old-fashioned progressive education with a technological twist."
The school has received speeches from a number of distinguished individuals over the years, including
Bill Gates
William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American business magnate and philanthropist. He is a co-founder of Microsoft, along with his late childhood friend Paul Allen. During his career at Microsoft, Gates held the positions ...
, Chairman of Microsoft and co-chair of the
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), a merging of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation, is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was ...
, who spoke to the students of SLA on Thursday, April 29, 2010 and
Steven Squyres, lead researcher on the Mars Land-Rover project who first visited the school in 2007 and was SLA's keynote speaker at their first graduation on June 15, 2010.
In a September 2010 issue of Ladies Home Journal, SLA was named one of ten in "America's Most Amazing Schools".
In October 2010, Apple.com published a case study of SLA on their Education web page.
In March 2011, SLA was featured in the PBS documentary Digital Media: New Learners for the 21st Century.
In March 2012, Apple.com featured SLA in their video about iBooks and iBooksAuthor.
In June 2012, President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
came to the Franklin Institute. He was there to congratulate the graduating seniors of Science Leadership Academy. The president said, "My expectation is that somebody in this auditorium is going to figure out new sources of energy that help not only make us more energy independent but also deals with the problems like climate change. There is somebody in this room who is going to make sure that we are defeating diseases like Alzheimer's or find a cure for
cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
."
School features
Each student of SLA, (along with the teachers), receives their own laptop. The majority of school work is done on the computers through the school's
Canvas
Canvas is an extremely durable plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, shelters, as a support for oil painting and for other items for which sturdiness is required, as well as in such fashion objects as handbags ...
course-management system. The school has large lab areas, combining both a usual SLA classroom along with the lab areas, allowing students to conduct experiments regularly.
Building
The location of the school building was decided upon its proximity to the Franklin Institute, as well as being in the heart of
Downtown Philadelphia. The building itself was formerly an office building (for the Human Resources department of the School District of Philadelphia), which was renovated for SLA. The building has five stories. Science Leadership Academy has plans to renovate and move into
Benjamin Franklin High School's. Now Science Leadership Academy resides at 1482 Green St, Philadelphia, PA sharing a building with Benjamin Franklin High School. facility.
Science Leadership Academy @ Beeber
On September 9, 2013, the school opened a second campus in the Wynnefield area of Philadelphia and graduated its first class in June 2017. SLA@Beeber originally shared a building with Beeber Middle School. After delaying a closure decision in 2013, the Philadelphia School Reform Commission recommended in 2015 that Beeber Middle School be phased out over a two-year period. SLA@Beeber is now the only occupant of the building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its significance to educational architecture.
In the 2018-2019 school year, the school welcomed its first fifth grade class. The school's founding principal is Christopher Johnson. They have created many new partnerships with places such as PAFA and St. Joseph's University.
Science Leadership Academy Middle School
On September 7, 2016, the third campus of Science Leadership Acabamy - Science Leadership Academy Middle School opened in the Powelton Village neighborhood of Philadelphia. The school (SLA-MS) opened with a 5th grade and will grow a grade until it houses a 5th through 8th grade. The founding principal is Timothy Boyle and the school was housed in the Dornsife Center on 35th and Spring Garden Sts. as part of their partnership with Drexel University for its first two years, and then moved into the 3600 Market St. building before moving into its permanent location on 37th and Warren Sts. in Winter 2021.
See also
*
The Franklin Institute
References
External links
Science Leadership AcademyOfficial website
The Power of Project Learning- Scholastic Magazine, April / May 2009
Apple.com Case Study on the Science Leadership Academy
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High schools in Philadelphia
Franklin Institute
Public high schools in Pennsylvania
Magnet schools in Pennsylvania
Educational institutions established in 2006
2006 establishments in Pennsylvania
Logan Square, Philadelphia