Did You Know...
Access to computers in schools can make THE difference for students
preparing for tomorrow’s workforce. With your help, we can put them in!
Improving Outcomes & Closing the Digital Divide:
Philadelphia Children’s Foundation supports Philadelphia public schools by installing internet-ready computers into classrooms and publicly accessible (H&SA) rooms within the school. We typically install up to three computers into classrooms of the schools we are able to support. They are part of the school’s network and usage is supervised and encouraged by teachers.
Our computers become an essential tool for teachers in assisting students that are falling behind, keep order in the classroom, and assist students in doing research. Teachers can direct students in need to spend time on educational websites that address students’ individual shortcomings. Some of the most frequently accessed websites include First-in-Math, Lexia (reading/writing), SumDog, ABCya, Class DoJo, and Kahn Academy.
Through access to some of the best educational websites, children increase their academic skills independently and teachers are able to track student use and progress.
How are our Computers Used in the Classroom?
With our classroom computers, Pre-K-to-3rd Grade students learn and review reading, writing, and math skills. Older students can do Internet research for their projects and access more specialized programs (graphics, Google Apps, etc.). Some specifics below:
According to the PA and the US Department of Education, The School District of Philadelphia experienced an outstanding 37.4 percentage-point increase in math scores since implementing the program in 2003. Details
FIM had the largest effects in Clusters 1-3 for 3rd graders. FIM seems particularly beneficial in facilitating 3rd graders understanding of basic number sense, operations, and algebraic relationships. FIM seems to be particularly effective for 5th grade students in reinforcing concepts that are introduced at Skill Set® levels 5-8, including estimation, percents, factors, algebra, and functions. For 6th grade students, FIM has the largest effect on statistics, data analysis, and probability. Details
Additional links:
- A Teacher’s Perspective: How First In Math Helps Teachers Foster a Culture of Success
- First In Math A ‘Best of Show’ Award Winner At 2015 ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) Conference
- Teachers Must Nurture Untapped Potential of Female Students
- How Teachers Can Get the Most Out of First In Math
Lexia stands as one of the most rigorously researched, independently evaluated, and respected reading programs in the world. In numerous studies published in peer-reviewed journals, Lexia Reading has been found to accelerate the development of critical fundamental literacy skills in elementary grades. Lexia Strategies has also been shown to be effective in remediating struggling readers in middle school. View Lexia Research Overview (PDF)
Additional Links:
“By far the best results we have ever had”
“The results were amazing! 88% of the students got 70% or above. The class average was 86%!!”
“Children who went on Sumdog on a regular basis have made more progress than those who didn’t.”
ABCya.com is a teacher-created company that provides educational games and activities for kids in elementary grades. The website has over 175 activities, categorized by grade level and content area, and is completely free to use. Website
A tool to create happier classrooms.
Truly a Game Changer for schools and classrooms! Fully support the awesomeness of @ClassDojo! My T’s love it!
I broadcast images on @ClassDojo regularly so parents can talk about classroom learning.
How is PCF able to support schools?
PCF receives thousands of corporate-donated computers, which we turn into fast Internet terminals for students. PCF volunteers clean, refurbish, and then install Linux on them (reduces support and makes them FAST) to get them ready. PCF then delivers and installs them into identified schools.
Donated computers are not quite “Free”!
The computers are “free” except:
- We have to pay to have them picked up
- In many cases the drives have to be physically destroyed
- Replacement drives and RAM need to be purchased
- Missing keyboards, mice and monitors need to be purchased
- And we pay to have broken donated equipment recycled responsibly
To support schools, we incur additional expenses including:
- Part-time installers (who work alongside students)
- Truck rental
- Printer & toner for H&SA room
- Networks switches
- Audio headsets
- Power strips for every class
- Patch cables (networking)
- Asset tags & Support Materials
- Plus there’s warehouse cost, insurance, and misc expenses
Your support is an investment in our future. Sponsor a computer, classroom or entire school today!
Quotes From Teachers:
Quotes from existing PCF Computers-For-Education recipients:
Kindergarten Teacher Kimberly T.: “12 students entered kindergarten lacking basic skills so they were registered on the LEXIA reading program. I would monitor my students’ LEXIA progress daily (admin tools). By the end of the year, ALL my students mastered the Pre-K skills they were lacking. And SIX students obtained their Kindergarten skills and moved on to 1st Grade by April/May 🙂”
5th Grade Teacher Chiron T.: “…the computers helped with math and reading scores on the PSSA.”
3rd Grade Teacher J. Jones: “Most of my struggling readers improved in fluency and basic decoding skills. Thank You So Much 🙂”
Read (many) more on our testimonials page.
Application Form for Schools
If you are a teacher or a school administrator, please fill out this Application Form.
Classroom Computers Program News:
PCF in The Notebook: Out with the old? Not so fast
PCF was featured in an article in The Notebook, Philadelphia public schools' independent voice for parents, educators, students, and friends of Philadelphia Public Schools. In the article, PCF Director and Principal Thomas from Emlen were interviewed [...]
Classroom Computers Program Pilot at Emlen
PCF placed roughly 60 computers into various classroom at Emlen at the beginning of the 2014-2015 school year. Due to the success of our pilot program there, PCF received official permission from the Philadelphia Public School District's [...]