Temple Embeds Students in 2 Philly Schools Year-Round

Two North Philadelphia elementary schools are about to get something most struggling schools never receive: consistent, year-round support from the same faces who genuinely care.

Temple University just launched the Temple Partnership Schools Network, embedding education students and faculty into Dr. Tanner G. Duckrey Public School and Mary McLeod Bethune School starting Fall 2026. Instead of scattering student teachers across the city for short stints, Temple is committing to these two K-8 schools for the long haul.

The difference is already visible to people like Fiona Kahn, a junior education major currently doing her practicum at Bethune. She sees dedicated staff stretched thin and burnt out, working in a school where only 13% of students read at grade level and just 5% meet math standards.

"Schools like Bethune need more sustained support," Kahn said. Duckrey faces similar challenges with 18% reading proficiency and 6% in math.

Under the new model, Temple students will show up consistently, building real relationships with kids instead of disappearing after a few weeks. Faculty will teach courses right inside the schools and provide ongoing training for teachers who desperately need it.

Principal David Cohen sees the partnership as bigger than academic tutoring. "This partnership is more than support," Cohen said. "It is about transformation."

The Ripple Effect

The transformation extends beyond classroom walls into living rooms and kitchens across North Philadelphia. Temple is bringing college readiness workshops to parents, many of whom never attended university themselves.

Families will get access to trauma informed care and support services that recognize the challenges these neighborhoods face. Programs like Temple Future Scholars, launched just this February, already connect first-generation students with college prep resources.

The B4USoar program lets local high schoolers earn free college credits and imagine futures they might not have pictured before. Dean Monika Shealey believes when you concentrate resources instead of spreading them thin, entire neighborhoods can rise together.

"We believe when schools thrive, neighborhoods thrive," Shealey said. The university will track concrete outcomes like student achievement and attendance through 2028, with plans to expand if the model works.

For student teachers, the partnership means learning their craft in real classrooms alongside experienced mentors instead of bouncing between unfamiliar schools. For exhausted teachers, it means backup and professional development. For kids, it means adults who stick around long enough to remember their names.

Temple has partnered with Philadelphia schools for decades, but this time they're betting that showing up consistently in two places will create more change than showing up occasionally in twenty.