San José (CA) Mayor Ron Gonzales is determined to improve schools and the overall learning environment for the children of San José. "The quality of our community tomorrow will be based on the quality of our children's preparation today," stated Mayor Gonzales. Mayors can play an important role in the improvement of education for the nation's youth. As a result of his dedication to improving education, Mayor Gonzales released his initiatives on education to show the positive ways Mayors can help improve public education in their own communities in an effort to build and strengthen our children's future.
1. Become a "Teacher-Friendly City". One of the biggest challenges facing public education today is the national teacher shortage. School districts everywhere struggle to attract and retain quality teachers. City Hall can help. In San José, for example, the cost of housing is very high and the dream of owning a home is often out of reach for many teachers. That is why the Teacher Homebuyer Program was started, to provide teachers with a $40,000 no-interest loan to help them purchase their first home. Already over 200 teachers have bought homes since 1999.
2. Invest in preschool programs and quality childcare. Children under the age of five need supportive, challenging, and nurturing environments to develop, grow and succeed. One of the most cost-effective ways to improve learning outcomes is to invest in preparing children to learn before they enter school. San José started the Smart Start San José Program for this reason, and is now building 20 preschool centers operated in cooperation with school districts, Head Start, and private preschool providers. In addition, the City recently launched an initiative to expand the number of quality childcare options available to parents by adding 2,000 child care seats in San José. The goal of both these programs is to help more children become ready to learn 3. Keep schools safe. Children cannot learn where they do not feel safe. San José is one of the safest big cities in America, and the goal is to ensure that the schools are the safest in urban America. The Safe School Campus Initiative was established to reduce violence and potential risk at and near our schools. They have focused this effort both on prevention through planning and training, and on swift coordinated responses to campus incidents. The main tool used is the Multi-Disciplinary team. The major goal of this Multi-Disciplinary team is to ensure that youth violence related issues are addressed in a proactive and timely manner to not only respond in crisis, but to prevent potentially violent situations from arising. The partnership with th4. Extend the school day by providing quality after'school programs. The City of San José offers a broad range of after-school recreational and enrichment programs, with the flagship being the Homework Centers at 220 sites serving schools throughout the community. At the homework centers, students can study, receive tutoring, and use computers in a clean, safe, and supportive environment. Extending the school day helps improve student achievement while providing supervised, constructive youth activities that reduce the potential for youth crime.
3. Keep schools safe. Children cannot learn where they do not feel safe. San José is one of the safest big cities in America, and the goal is to ensure that the schools are the safest in urban America. The Safe School Campus Initiative was established to reduce violence and potential risk at and near our schools. They have focused this effort both on prevention through planning and training, and on swift coordinated responses to campus incidents. The main tool used is the Multi-Disciplinary team. The major goal of this Multi-Disciplinary team is to ensure that youth violence related issues are addressed in a proactive and timely manner to not only respond in crisis, but to prevent potentially violent situations from arising. The partnership with th4. Extend the school day by providing quality after'school programs. The City of San José offers a broad range of after'school recreational and enrichment programs, with the flagship being the Homework Centers at 220 sites serving schools throughout the community. At the homework centers, students can study, receive tutoring, and use computers in a clean, safe, and supportive environment. Extending the school day helps improve student achievement while providing supervised, constructive youth activities that reduce the potential for youth crime.
4. Extend the school day by providing quality after'school programs. The City of San José offers a broad range of after'school recreational and enrichment programs, with the flagship being the Homework Centers at 220 sites serving schools throughout the community. At the homework centers, students can study, receive tutoring, and use computers in a clean, safe, and supportive environment. Extending the school day helps improve student achievement while providing supervised, constructive youth activities that reduce the potential for youth crime.
5. Encourage innovation in public education. City leaders across the country have been at the forefront of encouraging innovation in education. Charter schools, for instance, can demonstrate new models to provide quality public education. Mayor Gonzales helped found Downtown College Prep, the first charter school in San José, because it targets under-performing middle school students and offers a rigorous college preparatory program that creates the opportunity for students to go to college. There are now three more innovative charter schools in San Jose, each with its own unique mission and focus to enhance educational opportunity in the city.
6. Recognize and encourage schools that show improvement. Too often the only stories written about public education are negative. In addition, the only schools that receive recognition are those that are already high performers. There must be encouragement for more schools to improve, and a recognition of those that show significant improvement in student achievement. San José annually celebrates the five most improved schools in the 19 school districts with the "Progress to Excellence Award" that provides a much-appreciated boost to those committed to becoming high performing schools.
7. Encourage parents to be active in their child's education. There is no question that active parental involvement is one of the most important factors for a child's success in school. Cities need to be creative in order to find ways to encourage parents to get more involved in their children's lives. In San José, there is a partnership with the Parent Institute for Quality Education in cooperation with school districts to train 10,000 parents to be more effectively involved in their children's education.
8. Build strong relationships with school district leaders. All children benefit when governments work together. Because San José is served by 19 separate school districts, it established the Schools/City Collaborative to improve communication and coordination between City Hall and all the different district officials so better results could be obtained together. The collaborative meets regularly to identify issues, solutions, and opportunities to improve education for our students.
9. Support efforts to improve school facilities. A community's commitment to education can be judged by the quality of its schools — and the quality of its school buildings. Leaking roofs, cracked walls, and broken air conditioners interfere with learning and teaching. Mayors can champion efforts like school bond campaigns when the funding is clearly needed, as San José has done to help our school districts win recent bond elections.
10. Talk about education! Talk about education! Talk about education! Mayors can strengthen public interest and support to improve the quality of public education by beating the drum continuously. "We can use our influence with civic leaders, other elected officials, businesses and community organizations, and the media to ensure that education stays at the top of the public agenda, to celebrate success, and to achieve results that benefit our students and community," said Mayor Gonzales.
For more information about San José education initiatives, contact the Office of San José Mayor Ron Gonzales at (408) 277-4237, or send an email to mayoremail@ci.sj.ca.us.
