Kathy Matheson is a reporter, editor and videographer for The Associated Press in Philadelphia. She covers education, religion, spot news and everything in between.
She has a passion for all things Philly except cheesesteaks and overblown stories about Eagles fans throwing snowballs at Santa.
Occasionally she takes photos and blogs them here and on Instagram (katmath13).
On Sundays, she blogs The New York Times crossword here and at www.crosswordkathy.net.
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
Philly schools seek $304M to avoid harmful cuts
Mayor Michael Nutter called for a shared sacrifice among city, state and union leaders on Thursday to help the Philadelphia schools avoid devastating budget cuts.
Some parents opt-out kids from Pa. standardized tests
When students at Pittsburgh’s Linden Elementary School sit down to take the PSSAs starting Monday, Kathy Newman’s third-grader will be sitting out.
2 ex-Philly principals surrender credentials after cheating probe
Two former city school principals caught up in a widespread cheating probe have surrendered their administrative certifications in lieu of discipline, state education officials confirmed Wednesday.
Is Pa. ready for statewide authorizer of charter schools?
With the cost and quality of charter schools dominating the public education debate in Pennsylvania, lawmakers face at least a dozen major bills seeking better accountability and governance of such schools, which are publicly financed but independently run.
Philly students, parents, staff come to grips with mass school closings
When ninth-grader Zach Kaufmann found out his school was one of 27 targeted for closure in Philadelphia, he fought back. But his passion for Carroll High School was no match for the district’s dire financial situation.
Philly education officials to vote on closing 27 public schools
Education officials in the city will vote Thursday on whether to close more than 10 percent of the district’s schools, a potentially money-saving move that opponents contend will irreparably damage dozens of neighborhoods.
Philly parents' complaint questions role of philanthropy in public education
School activists are using unusual tactics to fight a contested proposal to overhaul the nearly bankrupt Philadelphia school district: They’ve gone to the city ethics board.
Some Philly school cafeterias say goodbye to fries, hello to fennel
It sounds more like a restaurant order than a school lunch menu: baked ziti with a side of roasted fennel salad and, for dessert, cinnamon apple rice pudding. But that’s one of the meals offered in the cafeteria at People For People Charter School in Philadelphia. And it’s served family-style.
Teachers ditch students' desk chairs for yoga balls
In 11 years of teaching, ditching students’ desk chairs in favor of yoga balls is one of the best decisions Robbi Giuliano thinks she ever made.
18 charged in alleged scams at Philly-area school district
An employee theft-ring and a no-show job scam have cost a suburban Philadelphia school district more than $1 million, according to authorities who arrested 18 people in the alleged schemes on Wednesday.
