I think the school reform efforts in Philadelphia will be successful because it will create safer schools, better-trained teachers, a unified curriculum, and more support for students with special needs.

We already know that the Philadelphia School District is one of the worst performing school systems in the nation, and I think changes and reforms are better than no change and no reform. We can't just sit back and watch our school system fail even more.

I'm optimistic about the reforms because the school district is bringing in a proven and well-respected CEO Paul Vallas, who prior to coming to Philadelphia, helped change the Chicago system from one of the worst in the nation to one of the most recognized in the nation. If Chicago can do this, I think Philadelphia can accomplish this feat too.

In my opinion, the most important part of the reform is hiring better-trained and qualified teachers. Everything starts from the classroom, and students need to be taught by professionals, not by any civilian on the street. From my experience as a student, I learn a lot more and have more confidence in teachers who know what they're doing and what they're teaching. When I have teachers who are inexperienced or are infamous for "reading out loud from the textbook" everyday, I tend to lose interest and fall asleep. Something tells me that it is not worth it, because I can read a textbook to myself at home. Maybe with the new reforms, there will be a push to change this.

I think another important reform that might prove to help the school system is better physical conditions of schools. The environment in which students get taught has a major impact on how much they learn. One of the private companies hired here already started working on improving the conditions by painting and making repairs in the schools. One would be able to learn better and more effectively in a classroom with air conditioning than one in a normal classroom when it is one hundred degrees outside.

I'm very glad to see reforms being made in the Philadelphia School District and I do feel that good things will come soon. I have a lot of faith in the citizens of Philadelphia and I believe that one day, this school system will be one of the premiere in the nation.