Back to School
The start of another school year is underway here in Philadelphia! Get ready for school with these helpful resources for students, teachers, parents, and caregivers to help make the school year easier. Learn new study skills, organization strategies, and test taking tips. Get homework help, take a college prep course, or just learn something new. Explore our curated booklists and browse our collection of school-related web links for to help start the new school year off right!

Links
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Bullying Resources
The National School Safety Center's website contains resources for adults about bullying and other school safety issues. -
Bullying: Peer Abuse in School
This in depth article by the U.S. Department of Education provides parents and adults with information and strategies to combat bullying -
Center for Safe Schools: Response to Sandy Hook Tragedy
Resources for educators, teachers and administrators to ensure that schools remain a safe haven for children, including a 10-Point School Safety Checklist. -
CSFP Program Description
Children's Scholarship Fund of Philadelphia. This fund provides partial-tuition assistance for private school to low-income families. -
education.com
A site for school-aged children and their parents with access to education-oriented resources of all kinds. Includes a parents' forum page and information about schools and learning readiness. Topics and content arranged by grade level. Issues like bullying and academic pressure addressed also. Some advertising. -
GALAEI
The organization provides services for high school students addressing issues of self-esteem, sexuality and risk reduction. -
Get your child organized for school
Tips to help your child manage assignments, clutter and time. -
Get your kids reading! Fall picks from the Free Library
Teresa Arnold and Monica Carnesi, Children’s Material Selectors; and Rachel Fryd, Young Adult Materials Selector at the Philadelphia Free Library, give their children's book recommendations to Philly.com -
Great Philly Schools
Database of K-12 Schools in Philadelphia. -
Helping Children with Trauma: Share My Lesson (lesson plans)
Lesson plans for educators on responding to traumatic events as well as preventive measure for ensuring safe schools. -
HomeworkSpot.com
Divided into elementary, middle, and high school. Has a reference section and a section for parents and teachers. -
Kaplan
Offers preparation for standardized tests, including entrance exams for secondary school, college, and graduate school as well as English language and professional licensing exams. Also offers online college degree programs, private tutoring and admissions guidance. Its eScore site focuses helping parents help their children to learn. BrassRing provides career information and guidance. -
Learning Games for Kids
This site features games for preschool and elementary students that build skills in math, reading, social studies, science, art and music. -
Literacy Enrichment After-School Program (LEAP)
Become a Teen Leadership Assistant with the Free Library of Philadelphia’s LEAP program. -
McGruff.org
McGruff.org is geared towards reading age children from 6-10. It contains a "webisode" on how to stop a bully, a "Get Home Safe" maze and school safety tips. -
National Youth Violence Prevention Center
A site for teens featuring articles related to youth violence, including school violence, hate crime, dating violence, and teen firearm violence. Sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Federal Partners Working on Youth Violence. -
Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools (PAIS)
PAIS is an incorporated not-for-profit association of independent schools in the state. Online Directory of Schools -
Philly schools pass sweeping policy protecting transgender students
"Without debate or comments from the public, the Philadelphia School Reform Commission adopted a policy on Thursday, June 16 that immediately allows transgender students to, among other things, be referred to by their pronoun of choice; use their bathroom of choice; and go out for the athletic team of their gender choice, either boys' or girls'." -
Philly.com- High School Sports
Get high school sports news and statistics from the Philadelphia region. -
School Shootings: Helping Teens Cope, a Guide for Parents: New York University Child Study Center
How to provide the support your teen needs to manage their feelings about school violence. -
School Shootings: The Conversation You Need to Have with Your Kids: Parents Magazine
Proactive advice on how to reassure your children after a school shooting. -
StoryPlace
The Children's Digital Library, with a Pre-School Library, an Elementary Library, and Book Hive. Online activities, booklists, coloring sheets, all in one great site! -
Student Center
A "web community for students, specifically college students, high school students, and teenagers." Includes links to student chat,advice, resources, poetry, music, news and sports. -
Students at Museums in Philly
The STAMP pass is open to any Philadelphia high school student, and is valid for one year of FREE admission to a selection of the city’s top museums and attractions. -
Teaching Kids Consent from Ages 1-21
Although this article was first published in 2013, the advice included is still great. This article has tips broken down by age group from preschool to teen years. -
Teenspace at Internet Public Library
Links to dozens of resources to help with school assignments. -
The Chem Collective: For Students
Virtual labs, scenario-based learning activities, and concepts are all part of this website! For high school students. -
The Consensual Project
The Consensual Project partners with schools and universities to bring students a fresh understanding of consent. The innovative curriculum, workshops, and website empower young people to incorporate consent into their daily lives. -
The Paul Green School of Rock Music
Website for the School of Rock Music with information on school locations, programs, enrollment, concerts, and more. -
The Physics Classroom Multimedia Physics Studio
A collection of GIF animations and accompanying explanations of major physics concepts, and more. For Middle School and up. -
The School District of Philadelphia
This offical homepage offers information on the following topics: teacher/staff Resources, student resources, community resources, Cluster-School-District information, employment opportunities and charter schools. -
Time for Kids
News for elementary school-age children, up-dated regularly. Available in two reading levels and also in Spanish. -
Tomorrowsdoctors
A Guide for High School Students. Wonderful informative page for students interested in this field. published by the Association of American Medical Colleges. -
U.S. News and World Report School Rankings
The U.S. News and World Report yearly issue on colleges and universities has long been one of the key sources for college rankings. The web version provides the list of schools for free, for $14.95 you can get the U.S. News statistics on the colleges.
Activism, Protest, and Solidarity! by FreeLibrary
Thought-provoking and inspiring books, films, and music centered around fighting against racism, sexism, and oppressive governments.
Discussing Racism with Adults - Nonfiction by FreeLibrary
As a society, we can't move forward until we discuss and solve the problem of racism.
Discussing Racism with Teens - Nonfiction (17 items)
Parents and caregivers face the daily challenge of how to support teens in the midst of racialized rhetoric and bias incidents. Here are some titles that may help.
Education (30 items)
Education titles for students, educators and parents from early childhood throughout graduate level.
African American Photographers (37 items)
Materials exhibited in the February-March 2019 Art Department display, "Through This Lens" and materials for further inquiry
Back to School - Students (7 items)
Helpful resources for students to make the school year easier with study skills, homework help, organization strategies, and test taking tips.
Back to School - Parents and Caregivers (7 items)
Helpful books to make sure your children have a successful year.
Back to School - Films (16 items)
School doesn't have to always be a drag... watch a couple of these funny school films.
Back to School - Children (53 items)
A list curated by Children’s Librarians to help your young ones get ready and accustomed to school.
Voices on the Spectrum (19 items)
Inspiring journeys into extraordinary minds
Electronic Resources
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Academic OneFile *
Find peer-reviewed, full-text articles from journals in the areas of the physical and social sciences, technology, medicine, engineering, the arts, literature, and more. More than 18,000 peer-reviewed journals and more than 9,200 in full text.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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Academic Search Main Edition *
Provides full-text and peer-reviewed journals essential for undergraduate & graduate studies. Subjects include biology, chemistry, engineering, physics, psychology, & religion from over 1,800 full-text and more than 1,200 full-text peer-reviewed journals.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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Access World News
Explore events and issues at the local, national, and international levels from over 9,000 news sources. Includes the Philadelphia Tribune, Philadelphia Magazine, and 30 other Philadelphia-area news sources. *Chrome browser not supported.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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AP Images (formerly AccuNet/AP Multimedia Archive) *
Current photos & a selection of pictures/images from the 50 million print & negative library of photographs at the Associated Press. Search for a picture/image of your favorite celebrity.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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Gale eBooks (formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library)
Explore over 500 nonfiction, fully searchable reference titles. Access accurate information on science, literature, history, business, and more.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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Gale in Context | Elementary (formerly Kids InfoBits) *
Students in K-5th grade will find kid-friendly content covering topics such as animals, arts, geography, health, literature, people, social studies, technology, and more! Includes more than 16,600 images and over 600 high-quality educational videos.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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Gale in Context | Middle School (formerly Research in Context) *
Gale in Context | Middle School provides support for middle grade students working on papers and projects. Includes full-text magazine & news articles, multimedia, biographies, and primary sources.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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Gale In Context: High School
Primary documents, biographies, topical essays, background information, critical analyses, full-text coverage of 800 magazines, photographs and illustrations, audio and video clips
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints
Examine the many sides of today's hottest social issues. Explore pro/con viewpoints, articles, and infographics.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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Gale OneFile | High School Edition (formerly InfoTrac Student Edition) *
Content for high school students from magazines, journals, newspapers, reference books, and rich media (images, audio, video) covering a range of subjects, from science, history, and literature to political science, sports, and environmental studies.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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GREENR - Global Reference on the Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources *
GREENR is an interdisciplinary resource for environment and sustainability studies and provides news, video, primary source documents, and statistics on energy systems, healthcare, food, climate change, population, economic development, and more.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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Homework Help Online
Live, online tutoring every day from 10 a.m. - midnight for K-12, college, and adults. (Spanish 2 p.m. - 2 a.m.) Upload a writing sample and get feedback.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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LearningExpress Library
Practice tests and test preparation study materials for academic and professional tests, including the SAT and GRE.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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LearningExpress Library - Career Center
This LearningExpressLibrary module offers sections on business writing, the job search, skills for success and skills for successful interviews.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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LearningExpress Library - Recursos para Hispanohablantes
Recurso para el desarrollo académico y profesional ofrece el desarrollo de habilidades en matemáticas, ciencias y lectura/escritura para los alumnos de la escuela de edad y adultos, así como pruebas de la práctica para el nuevo GED, SAT, NCLEX-RN, y mas.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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NewsBank Hot Topics
Trending news and topics for your next assignment! Covers current events, business & economics, civics, government, & politics, social issues, science, technology & health, sports, arts & literature, and people in the news. *Chrome browser not supported.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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TrueFlix *
Read the book and watch the movie! TrueFlix provides a selection of digital books from Scholastic Publishing and pairs each with a film for a fun, new way to learn!
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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TumbleBooks
TumbleBooks is an online collection of animated, talking picture books which teach kids the joy of reading in a format they'll love. Check out our home user guide
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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Blog Posts
It's Time for High School Choice!
Do you have teens in your life who will be attending high school in Philly next year? They’ve got options. It is time for High School choice selection! The Philadelphia High School system is large, diverse, and has much to offer.…
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Picture Book Highlights | Back to School!
It's hard to believe summer is almost over, isn't it? But the good news is that a new school year is about to start! There's something exciting about beginning fresh another year of learning. Perhaps you're going back to…
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It's Back to School Time at the Free Library!
We have loved spending our summer with you, and now we’re just as excited to get back to school! The start of a new school year can look different for everyone. Most students are returning to the classroom, while some may continue…
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Picture Book Highlights | Back to School
A new school year is upon us and so many new experiences on the horizon! Starting something new can include a mix of excitement and butterflies-in-your-tummy. What better way to get ready than by reading a book that reflects those…
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Join the Cobbs Creek Library for a Community Fair!
As Philadelphia students gear up to return to school at the end of the month, we hope you’ll join the Blanche A. Nixon/Cobbs Creek Library on Friday, August 27 from 12:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m. for a Community Fair . The Community…
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Back to School Resources for Students, Families, and Teachers
Many students, parents, caregivers, and teachers are wondering what the upcoming school year is going to look like. The Free Library is here to help you! Back to School Basics The first day of classes for Philadelphia School…
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Take a GED® or HiSET® Preparation Course with the Free Library
Have you been thinking about returning to school to obtain your high school diploma? Whether you want to qualify for a higher-paying job, get a promotion, continue your education, or simply fulfill a personal goal—…
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Back to School Resources and Programs for Students
The new school year starts this week throughout Philadelphia and whether students will be attending school in-person and / or virtually, the Free Library is ready to help with resources and programs to help make the school year a…
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Philly School Fairs Help Fulfill Needs and Goals of Students
Every year, Great Schools Philly hosts the Philly High School Fair , an opportunity for students to find the schools that fit the futures they want to build. For the third year in a row, the Free Library got to attend! Nestled in a sea…
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Back to School 2019: Becoming an Attendance Hero with Read by 4th!
School is back in session! If you’re a caregiver, your mind is probably buzzing with questions like: Is my child a strong reader ? What subject will my child fall in love with this year? What new friends will my child make this…
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Ah, the First Day of School...
Today is a big day, Philly! It marks the first day of school for the School District of Philadelphia , as the 2019-2020 school year is now officially underway! To celebrate, a few of our trusty Free Library staff members are sharing…
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Go Back to School with the Free Library!
The calendar still says August, and the weather forecast still says summer, but the new school year is just around the corner— School District of Philadelphia will ring the bell to begin classes on Tuesday, September 3! …
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Better Together: The Free Library Partners with Schools
Now more than ever , students and teachers at our schools need the information and skills that librarians and libraries can provide. This year, the Free Library is working to spread the word about the information, ideas, and resources…
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Back to School Resources | The Artemis Literary Database
Who remembers having to visit the library and look up magazine articles in the long, long row of green hardbound Reader’s Guide to Periodical Literature ? No disrespect against the Reader’s Guide— it’s still a…
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Comic Books Go To College!
Headed to college this fall? Wish you were still in school? Totally over school but still want to read about it? Live vicariously through some strong ladies starting college in these sometimes fun, sometimes dangerous graphic novels…
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Picture Book Highlights | Back to School Edition
It's that time of year again—the start of a new school year! For all little ones, this is always a time of excitement and some nervousness. It’s only natural though, as new experiences can be hard for everyone. Maybe…
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Back to School Resources from the Free Library
The calendar still says August, and the weather forecast still says summer, but the new school year starts earlier this year on Monday, August 27 ! After a summer full of books and fun activities at the Free Library, check out all…
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Camp Play and Learn
Are you ready for the new school year? Do you have a child entering 1st, 2nd, or 3rd grade in the Fall? Get a back-to-school boost with Camp Play and Learn! At Camp Play and Learn, children will stretch their minds and…
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Back to School Resources for Teens at Parkway Central and Beyond!
Summer absolutely flew by and it’s now time to get back into a new school year. If you’re wondering how you’ll cope with all of the assignments and homework coming your way, the Free Library of Philadelphia has got you…
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Start Your School Year Off Right with These Free Online Resources!
Is everyone ready for the start of another school year? At the Free Library of Philadelphia, we spent the last few weeks of our summer brushing up on the wonderful online resources available on our website to get up to speed for a…