Philadelphia Team at the Intensive Session, July 2007. (Left to right: National Fellows William Sandy Lewis, and Stephanie R. Wicks; Rogers M. Smith, Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Political Science, University of Pennsylvania; National Fellow Stuart Surrey; director Alan J. Lee; National Fellows Moses B. Jackson, Samuel A. Reed, Deborah Samuel, and Bonnee L. Breese.)
In the fifth largest city in the United States, the Teachers Institute of Philadelphia brings the resources of the University of Pennsylvania to a school district where 275 schools serve 217,400 students, of whom 80% are either African American or Hispanic—and the same percentage are eligible for free school meals. The institute was admitted to the League in 2007. The area served is comprised of two subregions of the Philadelphia school system adjacent to the University, the West Region and the Southwest Region. The target audience is 20-25 schools, including all nine high schools, with more than 18,000 students and over 1200 teachers. Successful completion of a seminar earns 30 Act 48 credits.
The founding director of the Institute is Alan J. Lee.
