Secretary Duncan Calls For Strengthening Leadership In Urban Education
Alexandria, Va., – September 9, 2009 – Education Secretary Arne Duncan has penned an article for the National School Boards Association’s American School Board Journal, examining the challenges facing urban school districts and calling for board members to seek active partnerships with city leaders.
In his article, "The Importance of Board and Mayor Partnerships" Duncan notes that schools "play a pivotal role in the social and economic vitality of cities," and contends that too often school boards "get trapped in maintaining the educational status quo." The article appears in the October issue of the magazine.
Duncan points out that urban schools need all stakeholders involved for students to be successful. "It takes more than a school to educate a student," he says. "It takes a city that can provide support from the parks department, health services, law enforcement, social services, after-school programs, non-profits, businesses, and churches. And it takes a group of caring, committed individuals – the mayor, the city council, and the school board – working together."
The education secretary, who was superintendent of Chicago Public Schools for seven years, points to his former district and others where partnerships between mayors and school boards have made significant accomplishments.
"You can see evidence of this sort of progress through partnerships in other big-city school districts," Duncan said. "In Boston, Mayor Thomas Menino and the school committee work together to promote the growth of student achievement. In appointing the school board, Menino works from a slate determined by a nominating committee consisting of community representatives. In Norfolk, Va., the school board is appointed by the city council, and the two groups meet regularly to look at issues that affect not just the schools, but the community as a whole."
But the article is not without its criticism, "Elected boards are not the cause of the failures of urban school systems. Yet too many big-city districts today suffer from frequent turnover of superintendents, school boards dominated by adult interests, and pass-the-buck blame games for stagnant or failing student performance."
"We are acutely aware of the challenges in urban school districts and we welcome partnerships with city leadership to ensure that student achievement is a citywide priority," said Lock Beachum, chair of NSBA’s Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE). "Particularly in tough economic times, it’s critical that urban boards embrace the opportunity to engage mayors and other leaders in order to make our schools stronger. We’ve seen these kinds of partnerships work time and again, and now more than ever we need to make use of all of our resources and build relationships that work."
In Chicago, Duncan writes, he "saw firsthand that a mayor’s influence over a troubled big-city district can be a powerful tonic for the local economy and for school reform."
"But it is no panacea – the success of school reform still depends on the vision, commitment, and resources that a mayor can bring to bear, working in tandem with the superintendent and appointees to the board," he says.
"The reason the system works in Chicago is that there is a strong relationship between the school board, the superintendent, and the mayor – all working together to ensure that our students are achieving," said Tariq Butt, a school board member in Chicago and member of CUBE’s steering committee who worked with Duncan. "The mayor recognizes the value and power of the school board. There is a mutual respect for the role that both the mayor and the school board play in our city."
Founded in 1891, American School Board Journal (www.asbj.com) is an award-winning, editorially independent education magazine published monthly by the National School Boards Association. School Board News, the only national newspaper written from the school board member's point of view, is also published by NSBA.
Founded in 1940, the National School Boards Association (www.nsba.org) is a not-for-profit federation of state associations of school boards representing 95,000 local school board members throughout the United States. Its mission is to foster excellence and equity in public elementary and secondary education through local school board leadership. NSBA represents the school board perspective in working with federal government agencies and national organizations that impact education, and provides vital information and services to state associations of school boards throughout the nation.
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