Pittsburgh Public School

PPS Plans To Re-launch Teacher Diversity Initiative With 2 Local Universities

By • Feb 5, 2020
Sarah Schneider / 90.5 WESA

A program meant to diversify the ranks of teachers at the Pittsburgh Public Schools could soon be re-launched. The program was postponed in October after issues surfaced with the partner university selected by the district.

Three First Time Candidates Won Primaries For Pittsburgh Public Schools Board Seats

By • May 22, 2019
Sarah Schneider

Tuesday night’s election results mean that the Pittsburgh Public Schools District will have three new directors on the nine member board who will face some crucial tests in the coming months, including the budget and fate of its senior leadership.

Candidates Address District Budget, Safety In Pittsburgh School Board Candidate Forum

By • Apr 25, 2019
Sarah Schneider / 90.5 WESA

Candidates vying for three seats on the Pittsburgh Public Schools board largely agree when it comes to identifying the most pressing issues facing the state’s second largest public school district. 

Why Area Teachers Are Using Lab Experiments Rather Than Textbooks To Teach Evolution

By • Apr 18, 2019
Sarah Schneider / 90.5 WESA

Sixteen-year-old Isabelle Walker sits at a black lab table wearing a lab coat. She stares down at a petri dish.

“We’re trying to see how different bacterial colonies grow in different conditions,” she said. 

Strange Shapes, Jagged Lines: The Patchwork Of Pittsburgh School Zones

By • Oct 22, 2018
Zach Goldstein / 90.5 WESA

When Kate Anglin and her husband, Ben, were house hunting earlier this year, school quality was big concern. The couple have a toddler and a newborn.

Pittsburgh Teachers Will Not Strike Friday After Tentative Agreements Were Reached Late Tuesday

By • Feb 28, 2018
Amy Sisk / 90.5 WESA

A strike by Pittsburgh Public Schools teachers has been averted just days before members of the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers had planned to walk out.

Pittsburgh Teachers Plan To Strike Friday, Union Hopeful For An Agreement Before Then

By • Feb 26, 2018
Amy Sisk / 90.5 WESA

The union representing 2,400 Pittsburgh Public Schools teachers announced Monday morning that it plans to go on strike Friday.

With An Expired Contract, PPS And Union Leaders Say They Hope To Fix That Before The Fall

By • Jul 5, 2017
Sarah Schneider / 90.5 WESA

The contract for nearly 3,000 Pittsburgh Public School Teachers and paraprofessionals expired Friday. Negotiations began in the fall between the district and the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers.

Union president Nina Esposito-Visgitis said she’s disappointed, but hopeful for a contract by the start of the school year.  

“We’re going to have a new school year, we have a lot of great initiatives with community schools, (Career and Technical Education), early childhood," she said. "I don’t want any distractions because we have a lot of work to do.”

Advocates Push For Limiting Suspensions In Early Grades, While PPS Board Weighs Options

By • Jun 21, 2017
Sarah Schneider / 90.5 WESA

By eighth grade, Christian Carter had been suspended from school a dozen times. The first time was in 3rd grade for what he described as questioning his teacher. Most were for one or two days.

Advocates And Opponents Mull Charter Schools’ Impact 20 Years After PA Law Passed

By • Jun 12, 2017
Sarah Schneider / 90.5 WESA

Just a few months after Pennsylvania approved its charter school law, a trailblazing Pittsburgh Public educator stood in front of the school board on a November night in 1997.

Helen Faison urged board members to approve the charter for the Urban Academy, a school that would operate independently from the district. It would remain public with open enrollment and the public school district would pay for students to attend it.

PPS Superintendent Starts Process Of Forming Student Advisory Group

By • May 11, 2017
Sarah Schneider / 90.5 WESA

A week after 80 students from University Preparatory middle and high school in the Hill District walked out of school to protest the potential layoff of 10 staff members, Pittsburgh Public Schools’ Superintendent Anthony Hamlet met with student representatives from each neighborhood high school to establish an advisory group.

The Changing Face Of Art And Philanthropy In Pittsburgh

By • May 5, 2017
Margaret Sun / 90.5 WESA

The Confluence, where the news comes together, is 90.5 WESA’s weekly news program.

Each week, reporters, editors and bloggers join veteran journalist and host Kevin Gavin to take an in-depth look at the stories important to the Pittsburgh region.