PhiladelphiaLearning Networks & geographyeasy
Network 2 has a 79-point spread on PSSA ELA — wider than the Bronx range in NYC
Thesis
Among Philly's Learning Networks with 5+ schools, Network 2 shows the widest internal range on PSSA ELA all-grades: 10.8% at the floor school, 90.5% at the ceiling. That's a 79.7-percentage-point spread inside one organizational sub-grouping. By contrast, Network 9 ranges from 8.3% to 36.3% — a 28pp spread that's much more homogeneous.
Supporting findings
- Network 2: n=15 schools, range 79.7pp (min 10.8%, median 38.8%, max 90.5%).
- Network 1: n=15 schools, range 78.2pp.
- Network 4: n=15 schools, range 71.8pp.
- Network 9 (the most homogeneous): n=15, range 28.0pp (all low scores).
- Wide spreads coexist with above-average medians — Network 2's median of 38.8% is highest, AND it has the most variance. Network 9 has the lowest spread AND the lowest median (16.8%).
Reporting directions
- Pull a Network-by-Network outcome plot: median outcome on x, internal range on y. Network 9 vs Network 2 is the visible story.
- Which schools are the floor + ceiling in Network 2? That's the specific journalism.
- Are Networks staffed by demographics or by historical assignment? Network 9's homogeneity suggests a geographic cluster of deep-need schools.
Methodology & replication recipe — the queries + sources behind the findings above.