EdWeek / May 29, 2012 Urgency and Complacency in Public Schooling
I was reminded of the energy, commitment, and innovative practice at the district level at a U.S. Department of Education conference last week in Cincinnati, Ohio, entitled Collaborating to Transform the Teaching Profession. I think a more accurate conference title would have been Collaborating to Transform the Education Experience, but I can’t quibble with the wealth of good stories presented on the value of collaboration to address challenges in local districts.
Two sessions I attended were especially illustrative of the lack of complacency on the part of education leaders working in urban school districts with enormous challenges. The Syracuse City School District has a relatively new superintendent and school board president and a thoughtful union leader who has been in the district for more than 20 years. The district has a partnership with the Say Yes to Education Foundation, a Teacher Incentive Fund grant, and a Transformation Initiative that includes curriculum development; emphasis on the importance of instruction; new teacher and principal evaluation systems; creation of an innovation zone for highly impacted schools; development of a five year strategic plan; and a new compensation system for teachers and principals. The goal is to build the capacity for leadership throughout the district so all staff are problem-solving in ways that help students succeed. There is nothing complacent about the work going forward in Syracuse.
The second story I heard involved Cincinnati Community Learning Centers that are “putting the public back in public education.” The goal is to make all 57 public schools in Cincinnati into Community Learning Centers, and the district is well on its way to reaching that goal. Each Community Learning Center School has the support of a Site Resource Coordinator who collaborates with health, legal, afterschool and other services that provide wraparound services for the students and families served by that school. The schools become “neighborhood hubs that provide academic and enrichment support to students, families, and communities beyond the traditional school day.” There is absolutely nothing complacent about the community leaders and educators in Cincinnati, Ohio, as they galvanize their communities to meet the complex needs of the students they serve.