NLC Web Seminar on Improving Public Schools September 21, PM EDT Engaging Cities: How Municipal Leaders Can Mobilize Communities to Improve Public Schools

Web Seminar Panel  Moderator:Michael Grady, Deputy Director, Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University  Panelists: Marc Hill, Director, Mayor’s Office for Children and Youth, Nashville Maria Guajardo, Executive Director, Mayor’s Office of Education and Children, Denver  To download the report Engaging Cities:  To order a print copy: Please 

Objectives for Today’s Seminar  Explain purpose of Engaging Cities project  Recap the stories of the five “engaging cities”  Share the common themes  Respond to audience questions

The Engaging Cities Project: Profiles in Municipal Leadership for Quality Schools  Why We Did It Document promising approaches to civic engagement led by mayors and municipal leaders Identify “high-yield” strategies for municipal leadership in education Disseminate resources for 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 (Bronx) Consultative selection process Data sources: official records, national reports, newspaper archives, site visits, interviews

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

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 District 9 Schools (CC9): 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

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

Common Themes: How Municipal Leaders Are Building Public Will for Quality Schools  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