Work Day and Superintendent's Home Visits. Parent Assistance Desks (PADs) offered a way for parents to feel welcomed upon entering schools by having a parent from the community sit in an office or at a desk at the front door to provide needed resources and information. The Title I Parents 'R' Equal Partners (PREP) Program helped PREPare parents for effective partnerships with principals and administrators by conducting monthly workshops and trainings. In 2009, The Superintendent's Roundtable discussions were held to hear (firsthand) from many parents who felt that their children were not receiving the quality education they deserved. In 2010, School Advisory Councils (SACs) were modeled after the PA Governor's Institute of Parental Involvement to invite parents, family and community members to share decision-making with school-based staff. The Parent University of Philadelphia, offered a variety of free courses to parents, such as basic computer skills, lessons on legal rights of parents, English as a second language, and other evidence-based knowledge and skills enhancement courses. Parent University was funded heavily by Federal Stimulus grant. The district also set up citywide resource centers where parents can get resources seek help from the district on issues that could not be resolved at the school, such as bullying problems or complaints. The number of Parent Ombudsmen, school based staff who works directly with parent, were increased to serve 173 schools. Many of the programs have received local and national attentions for pioneering the field of parent engagement. Art in the public schools The school district has an art collection that contains about 1,125 paintings, photos, sculptures and other pieces that are displayed in schools or are stored in an undisclosed facility. The estimated worth was $30 million in 2003, but district spokesperson Fernando Gallard estimates the collection is worth $2 million in 2013. Much of this art disappeared when Paul Vallas was Superintendent of the Philadelphia School District. References Further reading An Examination of Philadelphia 's School Desegregation Litigation A History of School Libraries in Philadelphia, 1874 to 1964 Neighborhoods, Troubles, and Schooling: The Ecology of Philadelphia's Public Schools." The National Center on Education in the Inner Cities. PDF link Imagine 2014 Strategic Plan School District of Philadelphia facilities map "Who Runs the School District of Philadelphia" Education Voters of Pennsylvania External links School District of Philadelphia {[authority control}} 1818 establishments in Pennsylvania Educational institutions established in 1818 School districts in Philadelphia