Education City Examples: Public Engagement

Akron, Ohio
(population 217,074)

After a failed attempt at passing a countywide sales tax, Mayor Don Plusquellic sought advice on other ways to raise local revenue in order to qualify for a state matching capital grant.  To receive funds from the Ohio School Facilities Commission, local school districts had to raise between 40 and 60 percent of the state grant in matching revenue. 

Determined to bring in the additional funding, the mayor, superintendent, city council, and community leaders launched a campaign to raise city income tax from 2 percent to 2.25 percent.  The mayor’s tenacity, along with support from all members of the community, secured the approval of the tax.  The measure is helping to fund a 15-year plan to rebuild schools and turn them into community learning centers and leverage state funding for capital improvements. 

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Charleston, South Carolina
(population 104,108)

The City of Charleston has held 14 community sector meetings with business representatives, teachers, faith-based leaders, parents, service providers, youth, and other community members.  The meetings were a place for participants to discuss challenges as well as improving the quality of education in Charleston and ways in which the community can contribute.  The city used these meetings to determine sector priorities and formulate recommendations.  

The City of Charleston garnered public support when budget cuts led to the closing of the summer school program.  The Mayor’s Office for Children, Youth, and Families, with help from Communities in Schools, organized Summer of Success, Supporting Our Students (SOS), a volunteer tutor/mentoring program.  Over 300 volunteers in 18 school sites participated in the program.  The program received support from the business community and other organizations that donated products and/or services such as books, t-shirts, snacks, field trips, and gift certificates for volunteers. 

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Denver, Colorado
(population 554,636)

October 2004, Mayor John Hickenlooper convened a Summit on Latino Academic Achievement with around 300 participants.  In planning the meeting, the Mayor’s Office of Education held coffees with 100 individuals and later convened smaller groups from the Latino community to help finalize plans.  At the Summit, elected officials, business leaders, education, and community activists came together to discuss topics such as parent engagement, the role of language, access to higher education, and preschool. 

The mayor held a subsequent meeting 100 days after the summit, which led to new partnerships and action steps.  These two meetings raised awareness on improving academic achievement for Latino students and brought a renewed commitment throughout the community.

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Enfield, Connecticut
(population 45,212)

The Enfield Key Initiatives to Early Education (KITE) is a collaboration between the city’s School Readiness Council, city officials, and the United Way that focuses on outreach and public education on early childhood education and school readiness.  Through its public awareness campaigned, Early Learning Matters, KITE provides educational materials for parents and customized pamphlets for various stakeholders.  Community meetings were held to make sure parents were aware of the city’s efforts.  The local shopping mall donated available kiosks in order to display information and show parenting videos in the mall’s family lounge.  

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Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
(population 154,680)

In the mid-1990’s, the city established an Education Advisory Board (EAB) made up of 20 community residents appointed by the City Commission.  To encourage cooperation and community awareness, the EAB has made presentations to the City Commission on topics such as equity, diversity, long-term facility assessments, and funding strategies.  The Council of Fort Lauderdale Civic Associations has appointed a liaison to the EAB and has begun to support efforts to reconnect neighborhoods with their schools. 

The city has distributed informational materials to the public and hosted workshops and discussions with parents, educators, residents, and other community stakeholders.  The Neighborhood Leadership College was used as a mechanism to provide information and facilitate community discussions.  The city, working with the Study Circles Resource Center (SCRC), has held a series of study circles within specified neighborhoods and school enrollment areas.  

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Springfield, Illinois
(population 111,454)

Mayor Davlin has held a series of three forums on closing the achievement gap.  The first forum provided an overview of the problem nationally, the second focused on approaches and best practices to close the achievement gap, and the third and final forum highlighted local strategies.  The meetings brought together local educators, community members, city officials, and experts to discuss and bring attention to the issue. 

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