For the second year in a row, I was asked to be a panel judge for presentations by seniors at the high school program that I volunteer with. As I evaluating was evaluating presentations based on the rubric I'd been handed, I realized I was also evaluating them on something different.

I couldn't help but scream in my mind, "Really?! This is a final project for graduating seniors?!"

Despite having seen this a year earlier and being fully prepared for what I was about to see, I was still unprepared for an overwhelming failure on the part of the City of Philadelphia public school system. For most of these students, this was the first time they'd even attempted a research paper, and they were thoroughly unprepared. I look back on my own experience in middle and high school, where I learned these same skills. I vividly remember admonitions about run-on sentences, supporting my assertions with MLA citations, and LOTS of red ink.

I am sorry to say that out of nearly 15 presentations, I heard 2 that were remotely worthy of passing. Those two, while certainly not perfect, were worthy of a college senior's effort and had indentifiable arguments that were properly addressed. Did teachers sink an inequitable amount of time into these students at the expense of others? No. Were these students helped? Absolutely - as they all should have been.

This school and numerous others are operating with students, graduating or not, who can't even properly read and write. These students were set up to fail, and with a few exceptions, fail they did. Teachers are hamstrung with nonsensical curriculum and an administrative staff who is more concerned about milking the brightest kids for grant dollars than making sure kids graduate with basic skills. 

It's time for someone to take responsibility and make a real change. There are plenty of teachers ready to train young minds, but they need the support of administration to make sure students are in school and able to get a curriculum that really makes sense. The budget isn't the only place for red ink in Philadelphia schools. 

For those of you who don't know, I'm an team member on the West Philly Hybrid X Team, which is competiting in for the $10M Progressive Automotive X-Prize.

Last week, a delegation of 6 adults and 5 kids went on a trip to Detroit, Michigan at the invitation of the president of Ford Global Technologies. For most of the kids, this was their first trip on an airplane and the farthest away from home they've been. While in the area we visited the University of Michigan and tried a number of different cuisines.

The main focus of the trip was to visit the EPA National Vehicle Fuel Emissions Lab and the Ford Research and Innovation Center. The folks at the EPA were happy to show us how cars are tested to receive approval for sale in the US, along with explaining their work on hydraulic hybrid vehicles.

The president and a chief analyst at Ford's Research and Innovation Center spend the morning with us, showing us key research tools and facilities in addition to sharing their process in developing new vehicles. The kids got a chance to present our business plan and requests for Ford's continuing involvement with the team. In addition to being a great opportunity for the kids to practice public speaking and being representatives for the team, the groundwork for a valuable partnership was laid.

Work is progressing on our two entries for the competition, and I hope you'll find out more about what we're doing and the competition *shameless plug*

West Philly Hybrid X Team - http://www.evxteam.org 

Progressive Automotive X-Prize - http://auto.x-prize.org