Holy Family University School of Education is one of the founding members of the Greater Philadelphia P-16 Council which began in January 2001 to foster partnerships among several institutions of higher education and schools in the East Region and the Southwest Region of the School District of Philadelphia. Since its inception the Council has sponsored a variety of activities designed to improve education and the quality of teaching. An early focus of the Council was on improving math instruction.

The Council is currently administering the Teacher Quality Enhancement Project. This three-year grant is part of Aligning Curriculum to Standards in Pennsylvania (ACTS in PA). Building upon its previous work, Council partners are working to create Professional Development Schools that will improve the quality of teaching in participating schools and better prepare teacher candidates for urban teaching.

Holy Family has a long history of partnerships with schools in the East Region of Philadelphia. As part of the TQE grant, the university is partnering with Mayfair School. In addition to developing a Professional Development School at Mayfair, Holy Family works with school district personnel to design courses open to all teachers in the East Region. Holy Family professors and school district personnel co-teach courses at Mayfair to teachers in the region. Pre-service students at various stages in their program work alongside classroom teachers to develop skills that will prepare them for future careers in education.

For additional information on the Greater Philadelphia P-16 Council, please visit the website at www.p16council.org.