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Public Education Network Annual ConferenceNovember 13, 2006
10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Engaging Cities: What Municipal Leaders Are Doing To Mobilize
Communities to Improve Public Schools
Engaging Cities Session Information
Panelists:
• Michael Grady, Deputy Director, Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
• Norm Fruchter, Director, Community Involvement Program, Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
• Maria Guajardo, Executive Director, Mayor’s Office of Education and Children, Denver, Colorado
To download the report Engaging Cities: http://www.annenberginstitute.org/publications/NLC_engaging.html
To order a print copy: Please email [email protected]
Objectives for Today’s Discussion
Describe purpose of Engaging Cities project
Highlight featured cities with special focus on Denver (Maria) and New York (Norm) stories
Share cross-city themes
Audience Q&A, Discussion
The Engaging Cities Project: Profiles in Municipal Leadership for Quality Schools Why We Did It
• To document a range of approaches to mobilization led by mayors and municipal leaders
• To identify “high-impact” strategies for municipal leadership in education
• To disseminate new knowledge and resources to leadership networks and other cities
The Engaging Cities Project: Profiles in Municipal Leadership for Quality Schools
Study Features
•Case study method
•Five cities: Akron, Denver, Long Beach, Nashville, New York City (Bronx)
•Consultative selection process
•Data sources: official records, national reports, newspaper archives, site visits, interviews
Civic Capacity as Basis for Engaging Cities “Civic capacity concerns the extent to which
different sectors of the community --- business, parents, educators, state and local officeholders, nonprofits, and others – act in concert around a matter of community-wide import.”
Clarence Stone, “Civic Capacity and Urban Education” (2003)
Attributes of Cities with Strong Civic Capacity
Capacity to mobilize diverse groups and resources in a sustained effort to meet a major common challenge
• Existence of a permanent institutional home with strong professional staff
• Broad-based membership with deep taproots in communities
• Series of ongoing activities designed to deepen, widen and sustain civic capacity
• Operates on a public stage
Akron: Partnership to Rebuild the City School Ohio Schools Facilities Commission
Mayor Plusquellic’s backing of Issue 10: Local income tax to fund “community learning centers” generated $800 million
Imagine Akron Community Learning Centers: Community-wide planning process
Joint-use agreements between schools, city, community agencies
Potential for new delivery system for city services
I am hopeful that by opening the doors to the public and inviting them in, there will be a sense that we must all take responsibility for educating our children. Mayor Don Plusquellic
Long Beach: A Seamless System of K-16 Education Long Beach Education Partnership: Mayor O’Neill as architect and
champion
Involves city’s three largest educational institutions
Aim: To ensure smooth transition from K-12 to Community College and Cal State-Long Beach
Alignment of curriculum, assessment, and expectations
Partnership also focused on teacher education
This city is proud of its schools. They know you can go from kindergarten through a master’s degree in the same city, and they are all outstanding institutions. Former Mayor Beverly O’Neill
Nashville: Restoring Public Confidence and Support for the Schools
Mayor Purcell started a campaign of increasing public confidence and participation in schools
Engaged over time a broad array of constituency groups: parents, community, business, government
Increased public investment: 25% in operating budget and $165 million in capital funds
Return: Strong achievement gains in 2005
Education is the most important thing we do and it always will be the most important thing we do. This will never change, in this city or any other city that wants to be successful.Mayor Bill Purcell
Denver: A Strategy to Increase Latino Academic Achievement
Crisis in Latino achievement
Mayor convenes Summit on Latino Achievement
100-day follow-up with concrete strategies and new partnerships
Summit and follow-up created sense of urgency; convinced partners they could make a difference
It makes everyone’s work harder to have so many people involved but in the end you end up with a far superior product than a city agency could come up with by itself.Mayor John Hickenlooper
The Bronx, NY: Developing Community Leadership for Education Reform
Community Collaborative to Improve Bronx Schools (CCB): Community-led effort of parents, community members, CBOs
Engaged NYC Department of Education and UFT to design Lead Teacher Program
Lead Teacher Program: Goal is to enhance teacher retention and improve instruction in District 9 schools
Mayor’s Role: System reorganization reduced bureaucratic barriers to innovations like Lead Teacher
Mutual blame shifted to mutual support; … everyone was at a place where they were ready to listen, help, support and change.Eric Zachary, Coordinator of CC9/Community Involvement Program
The Bronx, NY: Placeholder for Norm
The Bronx, NY: Placeholder for Norm
Cross-City Themes: What Municipal Leaders Are Doing to Mobilize Communities for Quality Education
Mayors convened cross-sector leadership collaboratives
Projects used data and evidence to mobilize and to inform
Goals of project sharply focused on student learning and success
Community and civic partners had authority to plan and lead work