Cities Launch National Network to Create Education Partnerships

Posted by on April 18, 2003

[Public Education Network Newsblast]

CITIES LAUNCH NATIONAL NETWORK TO CREATE EDUCATION PARTNERSHIPS

A national network to support mayoral leadership in education, which already has 40 member cities in 25 states, has been launched to develop and share ideas about ways that cities and school districts can work together to raise student achievement. The Education Policy Advisors? Network was created by the National League of Cities, through its Institute on Youth, Education and Families. The network will support the work of mayors? education advisors in several ways, including: (1) Creating a policy infrastructure that will increase the exchange of information and ideas among city officials, including regular meetings of education policy advisors to mayors in network-member cities; (2) Providing greater access to best practices and insights about ways cities can help to improve education; (3) Undertaking new research for network members and building connections to national experts and resources; (4) Highlighting city efforts to improve local schools through conference workshops, audio-conferences, and articles in NLC publications. "Even in cities where the mayor has no formal authority over school districts, there is a great deal that we can do to gather and focus resources to improve education for our children," said John DeStefano, Jr., mayor of New Haven, CT, and president of the National League of Cities. The group will focus on issue areas that include improving student achievement, alternative education options, afterschool programs, community partnerships, teacher recruitment, and school funding.

<a href="http://www.nlc.org/nlc_org/site/newsroom/nations_cities_weekly/display.cfm?id=FADE3D4E-E7AC-4DC2-859DEDA9A429A13F">http://www.nlc.org/nlc_org/site/newsroom/nations_cities_weekly/display.cfm?id=FADE3D4E-E7AC-4DC2-859DEDA9A429A13F</a>