by Clifford M. Johnson

Nearly a dozen prominent mayors from cities across America took part last week in a groundbreaking forum on strategies for improving their public schools held by NLC?s Institute for Youth, Education, and Families.

Held in St. Petersburg, Fla., on April 10-11, the meeting showcased some of the nation?s most innovative approaches to mayoral leadership in education, ranging from robust corporate partnerships that create school-level strategic plans to city efforts that promote quality and accountability in newly-established charter schools.

Municipal roles in promoting school readiness, supporting afterschool programs, offering incentives for teacher recruitment and reforming high schools were among other key topics discussed by forum participants.

St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker hosted and helped design the highly interactive session. NLC First Vice President and Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson joined Baker in welcoming mayors from a very diverse group of cities, including: Akron, Ohio; Coral Springs, Fla.; Hartford, Conn.; Las Cruces, N.M.; Miami; Milwaukee; San Jose, Calif.; Toledo, Ohio; Washington, D.C.; and West Sacramento, Calif.

In addition, education policy advisors from mayors? offices in nearly 20 other cities nationwide participated in the forum.

?This forum is a great example of the role NLC can play in connecting mayors to solve problems facing cities,? said Peterson. ?We learned a lot from each other and created connections that will help us deal with other issues in the future.?

?While there?s no single solution to our education challenges that will work for every city, the forum offered a great opportunity to share ideas and strategies with other mayors,? said Baker. ?I was particularly excited to talk about the gains we are seeing in St. Petersburg public schools because I believe that mayoral leadership in education can make a big difference.?

Daunting Challenges
Much of the forum discussion centered on the gravity of the problems facing public schools, particularly in urban districts, and the importance of mayoral leadership as part of sustained, community-wide efforts to ensure that all children acquire the skills they need to succeed.

?Most mayors now find it unacceptable to say that ?it?s not my job? to worry about education,? noted Miami Mayor Manuel Diaz. ?We?re not experts in school reform, but we have to do what we can to improve the quality of life in our cities and that includes working to improve public schools.?

Akron Mayor Donald Plusquellic sounded a similar theme. ?If we had the best schools in the area, people would flock to Akron instead of the suburbs. And if schools were doing well, mayors would find something else to do.?

Several participants observed that the challenges of improving public schools are made greater by rapid changes in school district leadership and inequities in school financing. For example, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett pointed out that his community has had six superintendents over a span of just nine years, and he has struggled to ensure that state funding for its school voucher experiment does not leave the city and school district shortchanged financially.

Plusquellic also urged his fellow mayors to take steps to defuse the political tensions associated with mayoral leadership on education issues, including recruitment of business leaders and former school board members to be part of a broad-based, community-wide effort.

High School Reform
City leaders at the forum agreed that reform of underperforming high schools represents one of the greatest challenges facing mayors and school leaders. They stressed that improvements will come only if the problem is tackled on multiple fronts.

?Increased parent involvement and a shift toward smaller high schools are two key steps to raising academic achievement,? stated San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales. ?The issue of social promotion is also huge. We?re trying to address all of these issues with NLC?s help through the Alternative High School Initiative.?

Collaboration with school district officials, business and community leaders, and area colleges and universities also constitutes an essential element of high school reform efforts.

?When you don?t have the resources, it can be frustrating to do the work of building partnerships,? admitted Mayor Eddie Perez of Hartford. ?But it?s an important first step, and we have to get started.?

High Stakes for Cities
In working to improve public schools, mayors as well as school leaders confront deep public skepticism about prospects for change.

?People have resisted putting money into schools because they have been dissatisfied with the results coming out of urban districts for the last 30 years,? warned Mayor Baker. ?If the community starts to see that changes are occurring and schools are beginning to make progress, however, they will start to change the way they think.?

At the same time, mayors at the forum voiced a sense of urgency about reform efforts, stressing that the push for better schools is a high-stakes battle for cities.

?The flight of people out of our communities over the past several decades has been in part due to the poor quality of education in our cities,? concluded Mayor Peterson. ?High-quality education is essential because it helps retain our population base and economic vitality.?

Details: For more information regarding NLC?s school improvement efforts, the Alternative High School Initiative, or the Education Policy Advisors Network (EPAN), contact Lucinda Dugger at NLC?s Institute for Youth, Education, and Families at dugger@nlc.org or (202) 626-3052 or visit www.nlc.org/iyef.