July 12, 2004

The Education Standing Committee focused on the American high school and what needs to be changed so students graduate prepared for either postsecondary education or a career. Providence Mayor David Cicilline chaired the meeting because Cleveland Mayor Jane Campbell had a scheduling conflict. The two speakers were Stefanie Sanford from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Hilary Pennington from Jobs for the Future.

Sanford explained three key factors to combat the secondary education quality gap: building or creating new schools is easier than fixing existing schools; applied learning is the most effective type of learning; and strong relationships between students and teachers. Sanford stated that, "high school is about preparing kids for what comes next." This statement fits closely with Conference's policies and priorities. Two other key issues linked to high school change are cracking the code on adolescent literacy and rectifying the unequal distribution of teacher talent.

Pennington is one of the founders Jobs for the Future, one of the first national organizations to be involved in bridging high school and post high school experiences to ensure there is a continuum from school to career. Her opening point was that "high school is a key part of the human resources pipeline for our cities, but too many of the students are failing." She discussed the concept of secondary school students having a "portfolio of opportunities" to better prepare graduates for postsecondary education or a career.

Clearly, for our youth to survive and thrive as students and beyond, a community needs to have high schools committed to strong academics, a connection between community and work, wrap-around social services tied to the school, and a connection between students and adults to create an outside family.

The United States Conference of Mayors at its annual meeting in Boston passed the following education focused resolutions. These resolutions take a groundbreaking position in affirming the policy for an education stakeholder organization. The resolutions are:

Increase the National Investment in and Expand After'school Programs requests additional funding for the 21st Century Learning Centers program to expand after'school programs. There is significant public support of across the country for after'school programs. These programs both promote learning and provide a means to reduce the risk of youth involvement in crime, violence, gangs, substance abuse, and teenage pregnancy.

Quality Pre-Kindergarten for All stresses the importance of and need for early education for children in developing educational success and adult productivity. Lacking access to quality pre-kindergarten programs results in lost economic growth to cities, lower worker productivity, and increased costs to government.

Reforming America's High Schools: Alignment of Standards and Graduation Requirements recommends the establishment of standards that are aligned with the knowledge and skills expected by colleges and employers from high school graduates. Also, colleges and employers need to honor and reward student achievement by using performance data in admissions, placement, and hiring decisions. The United States Conference of Mayors calls for the federal government to provide support such as providing student financial aid incentives for high school students who take a college or workplace readiness curriculum.

Equity and Adequacy in Education Funding calls on school districts and state governments to equalize funding and resources within the district to accomplish equity and adequacy for funding for schools with significant numbers of low-income students. Recent research findings indicate that disadvantaged students require more resources than previously determined to meet standards. The United States Conference of Mayors asks state legislatures to fix school financing problems, especially when there have been court decisions to redesign the state's school foundation formula.

Increase Support for School Construction and Schools as Centers of Community urges Congress to extend and improve the authorization of Qualified Zone Academy Bonds that are used to assist in financing school renovation and repair. In addition, the United States Conference of Mayors calls for Congress to introduce and pass legislation that would assist funding school construction in cities and school systems by financing the interest on the school construction bonds. The resolution further recommends that when building new schools or renovating existing structures there should be an awareness of the school building as a community resource and critical to the revitalization of neighborhoods. Therefore schools become centers of community accessible to all citizens for a variety of needs and services.

Beating the Summer Learning Loss: Urban Summer Education Programs advocates federal and state governments to establish policies and programs, and to make appropriations to assist in the funding of high-quality summer enrichment and camp programs for all children and youth throughout their education. Literacy and reading-levels are at particular risk over the summer, especially for lower-income students, and mayors are called upon to take a leadership role in forming partnerships to improve collaboration and leveraging of funds and resources to ensure greater levels of access to programs for all children, especially those most adversely affected by summer learning losses.

Improving the Preparation, Recruitment, Induction and Retention of Teachers in Urban School Systems calls for funding to encourage individuals to become educators and to reduce teacher attrition by aiding new teachers in their development of skills that will consistently impact student learning and achievement. This will be achieved by means of induction programs, where teachers will be properly trained and supported, especially during the first two years of entering the profession.