Philadelphia Schools Under "Paradigm Shift."

The Philadelphia Public School Notebook (5/17, Herold) reports on Christopher Johnson, president of Benjamin Franklin High School in Philadelphia, trying to adapt to a new cultural change within the Philadelphia School District that requires schools to be "more responsive to student needs." He is trying to accomplish that "after losing 26 percent of his school budget last fall" and having to reduce office star. However, says the article, "This won't be the first time at Franklin that Johnson has had to manage a 'paradigm shift.' ... His early years were spent trying to change Franklin's culture, weeding out staff with low expectations for students, bolstering academics, and constantly emphasizing college."