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Hi, everyone. It’s Sammy Caiola from Chalkbeat Philadelphia, here with your roundup of our top stories.

I recently wrote a story about Philly teens making non-violent rap music. Then, Chalkbeat launched a rap contest. Yesterday we announced 17-year-old Precious Eshiet, of Germantown Friends High School, as the winner. Check out her lyrics and what she has to say about the education system.

And our feature story from Carly Sitrin dissects the idea of a universal school enrollment system, including how it’s working in other cities. Read it here.

Will you join us on Thursday? Schools are embracing AI at the same time families and educators are questioning how much technology belongs in classrooms. Chalkbeat reporters Lily Altavena and Alex Zimmerman will dig into that tension and their reporting in a members-only virtual conversation. Donate any amount to become a Chalkbeat member and reserve your seat.

As usual, you can reach us with tips and story ideas at [email protected].

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Local News

Philadelphia school board delays sharing details about charter school evaluation overhaul

The Board of Education’s charter school evaluations can kick off the process of closing a school. But there’s little information about what the new evaluations will include.

Meet the Philadelphia high school student who won Chalkbeat’s rap contest

After reporting on young rappers writing nonviolent lyrics, Chalkbeat put out a call to students for verses about education. The winner goes to Germantown Friends High School.

Philadelphia’s school enrollment system is infamously complicated. Could a universal application help?

Researchers say having one application for all schools can allow more families access to strong schools. But tensions between charter schools and districts can be a challenge.