THE PHILADELPHIA EDUCATION FUND, an independent nonprofit organization, has been working to improve the educational achievement of underserved youth in the Philadelphia region for the past two decades. Currently, the Philadelphia Education Fund's programs span Whole School Reform, Professional Development, Curriculum Reform, and Civic Engagement.

THE COMMUNITY EDUCATION ALLIANCE OF WEST PHILADELPHIA is a neighborhood-based nonprofit that operates two neighborhood schools, Belmont Charter School and Family Charter School. It was founded by a Philadelphia entrepreneur and education advocate in 1998, and would be a good example of the charter school movement.

THE COMPUTERS FOR SCHOOLS ASSOCIATION is a national nonprofit dedicated to providing a low-cost alternative for achieving technology in the classroom. It offers refurbished computers to schools and nonprofits at about one-third of the cost of new.

OPERATION PUBLIC EDUCATION has spent five years with funding from major foundations and corporate leaders to research and develop a new package of systemic reforms for Pennsylvania's K-12 public schools. These reforms include funding equity, accountability and value-added assessment. The initiative has recently expanded to the national stage in response to the challenges facing state governments in meeting the demands of No Child Left Behind.

TEMPLE UNIVERSITY'S HISTORY DEPARTMENT has a scholar whose work focuses on "the relationship between education and American culture. I have explored this relationship by studying the history of the school, the family, and the material culture of education."

THE ALLIANCE ORGANIZING PROJECT is a privately funded organization that aims "to help parents and communities to build schools where all children achieve at high levels because they have the necessary resources, the curriculum they are taught is relevant, the school climate is inviting, and because their parents are involved in their education. AOP empowers parents to challenge school district officials to bring about real education reform through grassroots organizing and direct action."

THE DELAWARE VALLEY ASSOCIATION FOR THE EDUCATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE aims to improve educational opportunities for children, birth through eight, by offering professional development and training to the "early childhood community."  It also issues annual awards for "Best Delaware Valley Employers for Working Parents" for family-friendly practices.

THE PHILADELPHIA HIGHER EDUCATION NETWORK FOR NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT is a consortium of 42 area colleges and universities that says it "seeks to revitalize local communities and schools and foster civic responsibility among the region's colleges and universities." Arguing that colleges can be "permanent anchors and partners for community improvement," the network helps to coordinate and combine efforts.

PHILADELPHIA FUTURES has helped thousands of students achieve a college education. Through its core program, Sponsor-A-Scholar, Philadelphia Futures helps promising, inner-city students attending neighborhood high schools pursue higher education by providing one-on-one mentoring, financial incentives, and a year-round curriculum of academic skill building and enrichment. Sponsor-A-Scholar continues its support for students once they are in college.

THE PHILADELPHIA PUBLIC SCHOOL NOTEBOOK is an independent quarterly newspaper that "serves as a voice for parents, students, teachers, and other members of the community who are working for quality and equality in Philadelphia's public schools." It aims to provide information and analysis of educational issues.

PHILADELPHIA READS, a nonprofit affiliate of the Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition, works with the school district and the mayor's office to strengthen the literacy skills of Philadelphia's youngest and neediest schoolchildren. Philadelphia Reads works with individuals, schools, community and faith-based organizations and businesses to provide mentors, resources and advocacy for in-school, after school and summer programs.

RESEARCH FOR ACTION works for reform of public schools in what it calls a novel way: "we move away from the traditional approach of bringing in outside experts to evaluate a school or program. Instead, RFA staff helps educators, parents, and students learn key research and analytic skills." Its goals are "building a shared critique of educational inequality and strategizing about school reform that is socially just."

SQUASH SMARTS, a nonprofit operating out of  Drexel University, combines the sport of squash with academic tutoring and mentoring of underserved urban youth in order to develop self-esteem and discipline through academic, athletic and personal achievement. Participants benefit from one-on-one tutoring with college students and adult volunteers as well as one-on-one mentoring with collegiate student athletes. Participants attend two weekday afternoon sessions consisting of 1 hour 15 minutes of squash and 1 hour 15 minutes of tutoring.

THE PHILADELPHIA YOUTH NETWORK is an intermediary organization that supports and sustains the efforts and partnerships created under Philadelphia's School-to-Career system. Its activities focus on fostering the establishment of a coordinated youth workforce development system that is aligned with the city's comprehensive education reform agenda and its workforce and economic development needs.

PENN'S GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION says it "places a strong emphasis on the interactive relationship of theory, research, and practice, often focusing on urban education. Students engage in extensive fieldwork throughout their studies." For instance, it sent a team to Indonesia's tsunami zone to help rebuild and strengthen schools there. The faculty can address a range of current issues such as education reform, racial disparities in achievement, and curriculum development.

PHILADELPHIA CITIZENS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH calls itself the region's leading child advocacy organization and says it conducts  research, mobilizing and "informed advocacy." One of its priorities is improving the public education system.

THE CITIZENS COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC EDUCATION IN PHILADELPHIA is a citywide watchdog group concerned with improving the quality of education in Philadelphia's public schools.

THE EDUCATION LAW CENTER OF PENNSYLVANIA is a nonprofit legal advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring that all of Pennsylvania's children have access to a quality public education.

THE PHILADELPHIA EDUCATION FUND is an independent nonprofit organization thay aims to improve the quality of public education for all children in the city of Philadelphia. Its offers "multi-layered resources for supporting kindergarten through high school education reform."

THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, REGION 3, was established "supplement and complement the efforts of states, the local school systems, the private sector, parents and students to improve the quality of education."