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School reform advocates from West Philly will no doubt be on hand for a rally today in front of the Philadelphia School District offices at 440 N. Broad St. to call on the district to open up the process of reform to students, parents, teachers and community members.

Teacher Action Group (TAG), an organization of reform-minded teachers, is organizing the rally, which is scheduled for 4 p.m.

Writer Tim Whitaker puts this week’s late-night theft of 58 laptops and other equipment from West Philadelphia High School – valued at about $80,000 – into context with the other struggles the school has had in recent months in a post on Philadelphia Magazine’s website today.

The ski-masked thieves were caught on surveillance video taking the equipment early Wednesday morning. Police are still investigating the thefts, which are the latest blow to West. Earlier this month, dozens of students walked out of the school in protest of ongoing changes there, including three new principals this school year.

In the article, entitled The Biggest Embarrassment in Philadelphia, Whitaker lauds former principal Saliyah Cruz, who was also praised by students and parents before she was moved out of the school. He writes:

Things have been deteriorating steadily and dramatically at West Philadelphia High, one of the city’s oldest and most iconic educational institutions, for decades.

But for a brief time, just a moment ago but all but forgotten already, there was hope. Hope came in the form of Saliyah Cruz, a passionate principal who mobilized and inspired a troop of young and devoted teachers to her mission for three years at West Philadelphia High School until she was shown the door at the end of the 2010 academic year.

If you have any spare time between 6 p.m. and about 7 p.m. tonight, we highly suggest you go to the Penn Bookstore (3601 Walnut St.) and hear Wes Moore talk about his New York Times Bestseller “The Other Wes Moore: One Name Two Fates.”

The book contrasts the lives of one Wes Moore, the author, who was a Rhodes Scholar, combat veteran, White House Fellow, and another Wes Moore, who is serving a life sentence in prison for murdering an off-duty Baltimore police officer. Both men grew up in the same neighborhood and are two years apart in age. The book is about how two lives that started so similarly could end up so differently.

“The chilling truth is his story could have been mine,” Moore has said. “And the tragedy is that my story could have been his.”

Here is a video clip of the author talking about the book:

Curio Theatre Company‘s staging of Great Expectations continues with performances tonight, tomorrow night and Saturday. All three performances begin at 8 p.m. and so far the play, which is adapted and directed by Jared Reed, has gotten rave reviews. Theater criticism is not our strong point so we turned to folks who know more than we do.

Here is a comment from Roger:

“The plot is complicated, the actors play multiple characters, the performance is “in the round,” and the show lasts almost three hours! I went last Saturday night, dead tired … and found myself riveted to the action, enjoying every minute! The Curio people never cease to amaze … each time the old sanctuary at Calvary has a new set-up and each production presents something totally new and exciting. We have one of the best theatre companies in the city, and it’s all right here at 48th and Baltimore.”

Tickets are $10 to $15.

We are happy to report that Saad’s Halal Restaurant at 4500 Walnut St. has reopened after a fire on Feb. 17 that heavily damaged the three floors of apartments above the restaurant.

The fire began on a third floor apartment, according to the Philadelphia Fire Commissioner’s Office, and the cause is still under investigation. The fire destroyed the top two floors of the building, forcing out about two dozen residents. The apartments will require extensive rebuilding and the roof of the building will likely need replaced.

Saad’s suffered some water damage and minor smoke damage, but is back in business.

The fire commissioner’s office also confirmed this morning speculation that smoking in bed caused the Feb. 16 fire at the single-story Transition to Independent Living Inc. building at 4536 Spruce St. The official explanation was “discarded cigarette in unit 4.”

The Philadelphia Weekly’s Tara Murtha has taken a thorough look at the aftermath of the Windermere fire for today’s paper. The piece, “Burning Questions in West Philly Apartment Complex Fire,” fleshes out all the parties in this tragic story – from the residents protesting for access, to the owners’ PR agent to a spokesman for the Mayor’s Office. The story also introduces us to a little known city agency that seems to share in some of the responsibility – Philadelphia’s County Animal Rescue Team (PHL-CART).

Many of us have been following this story for more than a month. Murtha’s piece is a must-read for a look behind the emotions and blame to see what a breakdown in communication between a city government, its residents and private enterprise looks like.