The London Economic – Robert Sun
“It’s not often that an inner-city American school rises to the top of national rankings in academics, and yet Baldi Middle School in Philadelphia has beaten the odds— not just once, but multiple times. Its track record reveals some important insights for anyone concerned with improving the learning experience for children. In a nationwide online maths competition involving 6,000 schools in 45 states, Baldi ended the latest school year ranked #1, as students solved almost 20 million maths problems correctly in just ten months. Baldi has consistently ranked among the top ten schools in the US in this competition for each of the past five years. How was this productive culture established? Why do Baldi students embrace maths with such enthusiasm when the subject intimidates so many children? To begin with, Baldi’s leadership, with support from the community and parents, has instilled a high-performing culture characterized by three traits: the school’s 1,200 children feel attached to their school and its mission; the environment supports productivity and performance; and students are energized to sustain accelerated effort over time.”(more)