{"id":3145,"date":"2025-10-16T03:07:21","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T03:07:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/3145\/"},"modified":"2025-10-16T03:07:21","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T03:07:21","slug":"lower-merions-caliber-of-education-is-different-for-black-students-parents-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/3145\/","title":{"rendered":"Lower Merion\u2019s caliber of education is different for Black students, parents say"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hello, Lower Merion<\/a>! \ud83d\udc4b<\/p>\n

This week, we\u2019ve got details on the Lower Merion School District\u2019s widening racial achievement gap<\/a>, Montco officials who say they\u2019re facing radio silence from HUD on a $5 million grant<\/a>, plus, some food scoops out of nearby King of Prussia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As always, let us know if you have feedback. Are we missing something? Should we add a section? What community events or groups should we keep an eye on? You can tell us by taking our survey<\/a> or emailing us at lowermerion@inquirer.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Lower Merion School District has considered itself a leader in tackling racial inequity in its schools, with efforts to address the issue dating back to the 1990s. Fast forward to present day, and data shows that the achievement gap has only widened<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Alarmed and frustrated Black parents say that though LMSD spends more on its programs than almost any other school system in the state, it is not delivering the same caliber of education for all children. Some fault racism, while others see an unwillingness to make wholesale changes that could upset white parents, who they feel are prioritized by the district.<\/p>\n

Lower Merion officials, who say they are aware of the problem, did not address why they think the achievement gap has widened. They did note, however, that the gap \u201cexists in nearly every school district in the nation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt what point do they stop and look at how effective their approach is?\u201d one parent told reporter Maddie Hanna. \u201cClearly, it\u2019s not.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more about the district\u2019s widening racial achievement gap here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udca1 Community News<\/p>\n

Ardmore\u2019s township-owned swimming pool is expected to close this summer<\/a> due to construction from the Ardmore Avenue Community Center. (Main Line Times & Suburban)<\/p>\n

Attention crafters: Joann fabrics is closing all its stores, including its location in nearby Wayne<\/a>. Going-out-of business sales of up to 40% are underway, though it\u2019s unclear when stores will shutter for good.<\/p>\n

Montgomery County officials say they are facing radio silence from HUD<\/a> on an expected $5 million that would cover leases for hundreds of residents in rehousing programs.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the tooth fairy\u2019s going rate, these days? For one Ardmore mom, she carries on a family tradition of gifting golden $1 Sacagawea coins she stocked up on by crowdsourcing their neighbors\u2019 stashes via a local Facebook group. For other parents, the goods range \u201cfrom $5 to $20 to a $50 Sephora gift card.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

Take a look at how local senators are voting on President Donald Trump\u2019s cabinet picks<\/a> \u2014 including billionaire Howard Lutnick, Haverford College\u2019s largest donor<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s up with all the bananas around town? The quirky costumes are taking over Villanova games lately. Meet the students who started it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking to upgrade your workout, this one\u2019s for you. California-based Club Studio Fitness is expected to open a sprawling 50,000-square-foot location<\/a>, complete with five boutique studio rooms, in Wynnewood next year. (Philadelphia Magazine)<\/p>\n

Narberth has a new veterinary clinic<\/a>, Bond Vet, staffed by 10 full- and part-time employees who provide both primary and urgent care to pets. (Philadelphia Business Journal)<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfeb Schools Briefing<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf7d\ufe0f On our Plate<\/p>\n

King of Prussia\u2019s restaurant week is still on through Friday. Lunches range from $20 to $30, while dinners cost between $30 and $50. Participating restaurants can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And some more KoP news from food and dining reporter Mike Klein: Tommy Bahama Marlin Bar is opening soon inside the mall, Tommy\u2019s Tavern & Tap is expected to open along Mall Boulevard this summer, Dave & Buster\u2019s just posted a liquor-license application at the Overlook on Goddard Boulevard, plus more nuggets here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfb3 Things to Do<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfa4 Joe Russo\u2019s Selcouth Quartet<\/a>: An explosion of sound and compelling musical construction come together for this WXPN Welcomes event. \/\/ \u23f0 Thursday, March 13, 8 p.m. \ud83d\udcb5 $30\ud83d\udccdArdmore Music Hall<\/a><\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfa4 Steal Your Peach: Grateful Dead & Allman Brothers mashup<\/a>: Calling all fans of these two iconic bands. The event will also feature Rift, a Phish tribute. \/\/ \u23f0 Friday, March 14, 8 p.m. \ud83d\udcb5 $18\ud83d\udccdArdmore Music Hall<\/a><\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfa5 Newsies<\/a>: Catch a screening of this 1992 Disney musical starring Christian Bale, Bill Pullman, Robert Duvall, and Ann-Margret. \/\/ \u23f0 Saturday, March 15, 11 a.m. \ud83d\udcb5 $7.75 for adults, $6.75 for kids\ud83d\udccdBryn Mawr Film Institute<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2618\ufe0f The Great Narberth Leprechaun Hunt<\/a>: A St. Patrick\u2019s Day-themed scavenger hunt for the kids. \/\/ \u23f0 Saturday, March 15, 1 p.m.-4 p.m.\ud83d\udccdHaverford and Forrest avenues<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2618\ufe0f Conshohocken St. Patrick\u2019s Day Parade<\/a>: Celebrate all things Ireland at this year\u2019s parade, where the theme is \u201cMy Nation. My Heritage.\u201d \/\/ \u23f0 Saturday, March 15, 2 p.m.-4 p.m.\ud83d\udccd11th Avenue and Fayette Street<\/a><\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfa4 The Rock and Roll Playhouse Plays: Music of Queen for Kids<\/a>: Because it\u2019s never too early for Queen. \u23f0 Sunday, March 16, 11:45 a.m. \ud83d\udcb5 $15\ud83d\udccdArdmore Music Hall<\/a><\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfa4 The Travelin\u2019 McCourys<\/a>: Enjoy a bluegrass-filled Sunday night out. \u23f0 Sunday, March 16, 7 p.m. \ud83d\udcb5 $20\ud83d\udccdArdmore Music Hall<\/a><\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfe1 On the Market<\/p>\n

Peek inside this five-bedroom, three-and-a-half bathroom Bala Cynwyd property<\/a> boasting more than 3,000 square feet. Tucked away amongst greenery with a picturesque wraparound porch and original details, the home is being sold as part of an estate sale.<\/p>\n

Have you seen an interesting listing in or around Lower Merion? Share it with us in an email to lowermerion@inquirer.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcc8 Lower Merion market report<\/p>\n

Median listing price: $975,000 (up $188,000 from January) \ud83d\udcc8<\/p>\n

Median sold price: $914,000 (up $6,500 from January) \ud83d\udcc8<\/p>\n

Median days on the market: 29 (down 17 days from January) \ud83d\udcc9<\/p>\n

This Lower Merion market report is published on a monthly basis. Above is data for February from realtor.com.<\/a><\/p>\n

\ud83d\udde3\ufe0f We want to hear from you!<\/p>\n

See something we\u2019re missing? Want to alert us about a community event? Take our survey<\/a> or reach out to us at lowermerion@inquirer.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer\u2019s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com\/donate<\/a>. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org\/supporters<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hello, Lower Merion! \ud83d\udc4b This week, we\u2019ve got details on the Lower Merion School District\u2019s widening racial achievement…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3146,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[183,185,184,186,2836],"class_list":["post-3145","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-lower-merion","tag-lower-merion","tag-lower-merion-headlines","tag-lower-merion-news","tag-lower-merion-township","tag-lower-merion-racial-achievement-gap-hud-grant-king-of-prussia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3145","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3145"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3145\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3146"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}