A Philadelphia charter school has strongly criticised a student's TikTok videos that depicted his teenage peers struggling to read or understand simple sentences, asserting that the footage was taken out of context and does not reflect the institution's educational standards.
Viral Videos Spark Controversy
Preparatory Charter High School in South Philadelphia found itself at the centre of a social media storm after a student, known online as @whatthevek, posted a series of clips titled 'Can You Read?'. In these videos, students were handed a piece of paper containing a basic sentence, but many were unable to read the words or explain their meaning.
The first video featured the sentence: 'She wore a silhouette of clothes that were extraordinary but somewhat gauche.' Several students stumbled over words like 'silhouette' and 'extraordinary'. One student was heard saying, 'She wore a soooo.. clothes that were... who is this for?' as she struggled to decipher the text.
Following the viral success of the initial clip, @whatthevek released a second video using the sentence: 'The colonel asked the choir to accommodate the governor's schedule.' This footage also garnered millions of views and provoked widespread shock among viewers, who expressed disbelief at the apparent literacy levels of Philadelphia teenagers.
School's Response
In response to the backlash, Prep Charter issued a statement denying that the student had been expelled or punished for creating the videos. The school emphasised that the footage 'does not accurately reflect our school community or the values we strive to uphold every day.'
'While some students may have agreed to be filmed, the way the footage was presented lacks important context and has led to a portrayal that is misleading and unfair,' the statement continued. 'The video titled ‘Can You Read?’ does not represent the character, effort, or abilities of our students as a whole.'
Academic Performance Data
According to state data cited by the Philadelphia Inquirer, Prep Charter enrolls approximately 600 students, with over 70 percent coming from economically disadvantaged households. In Pennsylvania state assessments for the 2024/2025 school year, only 46.5 percent of the school's students scored proficient in English language arts, while just 19 percent achieved proficiency in mathematics.
The videos sparked intense debate on social media, with many users expressing concern about the state of education in the United States. One X user, claiming to work in a high school, noted that they frequently observe students struggling with basic reading: 'Students cannot sound out words. If they see a word they don’t recognise they will just start guessing other random words that start with the same letter.' Another commenter wrote, 'I'm Dutch, and I can read that effortlessly. If that's where the bar is at for youths in the USA... doesn't bode well for the future.'
