Big-City School Districts Address Post-Election Uncertainty

SPECIAL EDITION Fall Conference

• New Leader in D.C., p.3

ANNIVERSARY • Voters Weigh In, p.4 LEGISLATIVE • Expectations, Speculations, p.10

The Nation’s Voice for Urban Education November/December 2016 Vol. 25, No. 8 www.cgcs.org

Big-City School Districts Address Post-Election Uncertainty

In one of the most contentious and divi- The majority of students in the Des sive presidential campaigns in U.S. history, Moines school system are students of color, Americans reacted with surprise, fear, anxi- and they represent more than 100 different ety and joy following the Nov. 8 election of nations. More than one out of five students business mogul Donald Trump as the na- are English language learners. tion’s 45th president. “The rhetoric of this past election has While former secretary of state Hill- caused many concerns and divisions among Eric Holder ary Clinton won the popular vote count, them, their friends and their families,” the Trump’s electoral college victory was hard Des Moines school district posted in an Former Attorney to swallow by many Americans. online “For the Record” article. A number of urban public school districts immediately reached out to their Supporting Students General Addresses staffs, faculties, students and parents to address their emotions and uncertainty of The San Diego Unified School District Urban Educators what might lie ahead with a Trump admin- is planning a countywide rally Dec. 14 to istration. support students and their families who MIAMI--Eric Holder’s worst expe- In a letter addressed “Dear Boston may feel vulnerable following the recent rience as attorney general of the United Public Schools Family,” Superintendent presidential election. “We want every child States occurred at a school. In 2012, Hold- Tommy Chang noted, “The coming days in San Diego, California, and the nation er, who held the position from 2009 to and weeks may be challenging for many, to know that schools are safe places, where 2015, visited Sandy Hook Elementary in and celebratory for others. As educators, you are welcome, no matter your religious Newtown, Conn., a few days after a gun- we should use this opportunity as a teach- background, gender identity or country of man killed 20 students and six adults. He able moment to have conversations with national origin,” said Superintendent Cin- recalled walking into a crime scene that our students about the democratic process, dy Marten in a press statement. had not yet been cleaned up, with blood on how we can resolve differences and con- Election Uncertainty continued on page 5 the walls and photos of the students that flicts, and how we can address diverse and died, and thanking first responders and sometimes conflicting ideology.” crime scene search officers, many of them grizzled veterans who were crying. Student Concerns When he came back to Washington, D.C., he talked with President Barack The divisive rhetoric during the cam- Obama and Vice President Joe Biden about paign and the surprising outcome sparked implementing gun control. “I thought we protests from students in schools and col- had a basis for getting effective gun safety leges around the nation. The day after the measures; that was my biggest failure as election, students at all high schools in Io- attorney general,” said Holder. “Not hav- wa’s Des Moines Public Schools took part Students in Des Moines took part in a protest ing the ability, in spite of what happened in a protest to voice their concerns about to voice their concerns about the outcome of the election results and to express their the recent presidential election. Photo credit: Council Conference continued on page 6 support for each other. Phil Roeder/Des Moines Public Schools INSIDE THE COUNCIL NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

Cleveland Schools CEO Named Urban Educator of the Year

MIAMI--When Eric Gordon began his tenure in 2011 as the chief executive officer of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, he was told by many people that he wouldn’t be able to tackle the challenges facing him. But under his leadership, the district implemented a ground-breaking reform initiative called The Cleveland Plan, and has experienced higher graduation rates and an increase in student enrollment for the first time in decades. As a result, Gordon was recently presented with the Green-Garner Award at the Council of the Great City Schools’ 60th Annual Fall Conference here. Sponsored by the Council, ARA- MARK Education and Scholastic, Inc., the award is the nation’s highest honor Cleveland Schools CEO Eric Gordon gives remarks after being named the winner of the Green- Garner Award. for urban education leadership. It is named for Richard Green, the first Afri- fellow nominees, staff and school board choice in the Cleveland school system. can American chancellor of the New York and recalled how his wife gave him a card City School system, and Edward Garner, that hangs in his office of a shark plow- Queen Smith Award a businessman and former school board ing through concrete. “It’s become my president of the Denver Public Schools. personal emblem of what it means to do Johanna Lopez, a Spanish teacher for Upon accepting the award, Gordon, this work.” 17 years at Colonial High School in Flor- who jokingly referred to himself as the As the winner of the Green-Garner ida’s Orange County Public Schools in Susan Lucci of the Green-Garner Award Award, Gordon will receive a $10,000 Orlando, was the recipient of the Queen for being a four-time finalist, thanked his scholarship to present to a graduate of his Urban Educator continued on page 8

Executive Director Editor Associate Editor Staff Writer Michael Casserly Henry Duvall Tonya Harris Darrell Robinson [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Council officers A newsletter published by the Council of the Great City Schools, representing 70 of the nation’s largest urban public school districts. Chair Felton Williams Albuquerque Charlotte Fort Worth Miami-Dade Palm Beach Santa Ana Board Member, Long Beach Anchorage Chicago Fresno Milwaukee Philadelphia Seattle Chair-elect Arlington, TX Cincinnati Greensboro Minneapolis Pinellas Co. Shelby Co. Darienne Driver Atlanta Clark Co. Hawaii Nashville Pittsburgh St. Louis Superintendent, Milwaukee Austin Cleveland Houston New Orleans Portland St. Paul Baltimore Columbus Indianapolis New York City Providence Tampa Secretary-Treasurer Birmingham Dallas Jackson Newark Richmond Toledo Lawrence Feldman Boston Dayton Jacksonville Norfolk Rochester Tulsa Board Member, Miami-Dade Bridgeport Denver Kansas City Oakland Sacramento Washington DC Broward Co. Des Moines Long Beach Oklahoma City San Antonio Wichita Buffalo Detroit Los Angeles Omaha San Diego Charleston El Paso Louisville Orange Co. San Francisco

All news items should be submitted to: Find the Council on: Urban Educator Council of the Great City Schools 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Suite 1100N • Washington, DC 20004 (202) 393-2427 • (202) 393-2400 (fax)

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Council Math, Science D.C. Names New Schools Chancellor; Scholars Excelling Jackson, Miss. Leader Departs In Career Pursuits

District of Columbia Mayor Muriel tendent, and at every level, he has been suc- Bowser recently named Antwan Wilson, cessful,” Mayor Bowser said in a statement. In 2010, four graduating high school superintendent Wilson became superintendent of the seniors –- three from different states -- of California’s Oakland school system in 2014, and previ- shared something in common: winning the Oakland Uni- ously served for six years as assistant super- first ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Math fied School Dis- intendent for post-secondary readiness in and Science Scholarships awarded by the trict, to lead the Denver Public Schools. Council of the Great City Schools. school system They competed among students in 65 in the nation’s Jackson Leadership big-city school districts across the nation capital. in a scholarship program created to assist He is expect- Superintendent Cedrick Gray of Jack- students of diverse backgrounds who plan Antwan Wilson ed to become son Public Schools has stepped down after to pursue science, technology, engineer- the chancellor of leading the Mississippi district since 2012. ing and math (STEM) studies after high District of Columbia Public Schools Feb. He had recently been named Superin- school. 1, taking the reins from interim chancellor tendent of the Year by the National As- So, after six years, what are these schol- John Davis, who took the helm in October sociation of School Superintendents, and ars doing today? following Kaya Henderson’s five-year ten- served on the Council of the Great City Urban Educator caught up with three ure in leading Washington’s 49,000-stu- Schools’ Executive Committee. of them, and found they are excelling in dent school district. Frederick Murray, the Jackson district’s their career pursuits – and the scholarships “In his 20 plus years in education, Ant- chief academic officer for high schools, has helped. wan Wilson has been a teacher, a principal, been named interim superintendent. Sarah Edris, who an assistant superintendent and a superin- graduated in 2010 from the School of K.C. and St. Louis Districts Reach Accreditation the Talented and Gifted in the Dallas For the first time in nearly 30 years, has taken focus, determination, dedication Independent School Kansas City Public Schools earned the and a willingness to change and think out- District, is now in points necessary for full accreditation un- side the box.” London, working as der the Missouri School Improvement a software engineer. Sarah Edris Program. Top Florida Leader “I was really In announcing the recent development, lucky to have it {the scholarship}. It helped Superintendent Mark Bedell said, “Credit Superintendent to fully fund college,” she says in a phone goes to our students, teachers, parents, sup- Barbara Jenkins of the interview from London, indicating that port staff and leadership team, who have Orange County Public she has no student loans to pay off. worked hard together to make these gains Schools in Orlando She earned her baccalaureate degree in with integrity.” has been named Flor- 2014 in computer science from the Massa- The Missouri Department of Elemen- ida’s 2017 Superinten- chusetts Institute of Technology. She then tary and Secondary Education also released dent of the Year by the went on to earn a master’s degree in com- Barbara Jenkins data showing that the St. Louis Public Florida Association of puter science in 2016 from MIT. Schools qualified for full accreditation for District School Superintendents. Last March, Edris, who likes to travel the second consecutive year. Under her leadership since 2012, the and wanted to work abroad, went to work “I am exceedingly proud of the progress district has received a number of honors, with Google in London as a software en- this school district, under the leadership of including the Governor’s Sterling Award gineer. Dr. Kelvin Adams, has made,” said Special in 2015 and 2014, the prestigious Broad At age 24, her career aspirations are to Administrative Board President Rick Sul- Prize for Urban Education in 2014, and use her skills in the future “in some sort of livan. “Turning this district around from named to the College Board’s AP (Ad- meaningful way to have an impact on the where it was 10 – or even five – years ago vanced Placement) District Honor Roll for world,” she says. three of the last five years. Scholars Excelling continued on page 9

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Surrogate Gives Glimpse of Trump’s Voters Weigh in Position on Education On Education Ballot Issues MIAMI--During the 2016 presidential campaign between Hillary Clinton and Don- ald Trump, the candidates gave their opinions about many different issues ranging from immigration and health care to national security. But very little was heard from either Several big-city school candidate on the issue of education. districts received good So it was no surprise that a standing room only crowd was on hand for a 90-minute news on Election Day. town hall meeting featuring surrogates from the Clinton and Trump campaigns discussing A $1.5-billion bond their candidate’s positions on public education. The town hall, which also featured a panel measure was approved for of two big-city school superintendents and a board member, was held in conjunction with California’s Long Beach the Council of the Great City Schools 60th Annual Fall Conference and moderated by Unified School District broadcast journalist Dan Rather. that will be used for health and safety im- “What would be the first thing Donald Trump provements such as upgrading science labs, would change [regarding education]?” Rather asked libraries and fire alarms. Trump surrogate Carl Paladino, a school board A $668.7-million bond was approved member from New York’s Buffalo Public Schools. for Texas’ El Paso Independent School “The solution for Donald Trump is a system that’s District that will provide funds to close based in charters, vouchers and tax credits, which will nine schools and consolidate them into encourage competition in the marketplace...” said rebuilt campuses, make instructional tech- Paladino. nology, safety and security upgrades and Rather also asked Clinton surrogate and former purchase new buses. education adviser Mildred Otero the same question. Voters approved a $572-million bond She said that the recently passed Every Student Suc- that will enable Denver Public Schools to ceeds Act shifts power back to states and the discus- build and improve schools and $56.6-mil- sion should focus on how states and local districts ion in operating dollars to fund an early lit- Moderator Dan Rather can reform. eracy and classroom technology initiative. “We want to be a partner with states as they imple- Texas’ San Antonio Independent School ment the new law,” said Otero. District will make major renovations at 13 Melanie Bates, vice president of the Cincinnati Board of Education, said that her dis- schools, replace infrastructure systems and trict is experiencing growing enrollment and improved academic achievement. “Our char- upgrade science labs, as a result of the pas- ter and voucher students test scores trend lower than [Cincinnati] students test scores,” sage of a $450-million bond as well as an she noted. increased maintenance and operations tax William Hite, superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia, was asked by rate that will raise an estimated $32.1 mil- Rather what his school district’s policy was regarding charter and private schools. lion. According to Hite, there are 83 charter schools authorized by the district but “we try And Oklahoma City Public Schools to provide children with great schools, period.” He said his district has been able to com- can make improvements to heating and Town Hall continued on page 5 air-conditioning systems, purchase new computers and replace aging buses, with the passage of a $180-million bond. Ohio Voters Pass Measures

Columbus City Schools will begin implementing a five-year plan to expand pre- K, place more social workers and licensed nurses in schools and reduce class sizes by adding more teachers, as a result of the passage of a combined levy/bond. The measure also provides the ability for the district Mildred Otero Carl Paladino Ballot Issues continued on page 5

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Town Hall continued from page 4 Ballot Issues continued from page 4

pare public char- to borrow up to $125 million for needed ter schools with infrastructure repairs. public schools and A $48-million levy for Cincinnati Pub- the outcomes fall lic Schools was approved, providing the evenly across sec- school district with funds to expand its tors. “There are high Preschool Promise program. And the re- performing charters newal of a 15-mill levy will generate up and low performing to $69.7 million a year for the Cleveland charters and there Metropolitan School District. are high perform- A renewal levy for Minneapolis Pub- ing district schools Panel of Miami Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, Cincinnati lic Schools that was set to expire after the and low performing school board member Melanie Bates and Philadelphia Schools Superin- 2016-17 school year was approved by more district schools,” said tendent William Hite participates in the Council’s town hall meeting. than 83 percent of the voters, providing Hite. “The outcomes funding for classroom teachers and aca- are mixed, but district schools on a whole tended itself, intruding in areas that were demic and behavioral specialists. outperform charter schools.” unnecessary such as civil rights issues. And voters in Detroit passed an en- Alberto Carvalho, superintendent of During a question-and-answer session, hancement millage that will provide $18 Miami-Dade County Public Schools, ob- the surrogates were asked who might their million for students in the Detroit Public served that poor students in non-urban candidates choose for the position of secre- Schools Community District. districts often perform the same as poor tary of education. Not all districts received good news at students in suburban and big-city school “I don’t expect a person from the [tradi- the ballot box. A tax measure to fund art systems. But he said the difference is that tional] education world but someone who and music programs and services for strug- there are a lot more poor students in urban can act objectively...”said Paladino. gling learners in California’s Sacramento districts. He said that while his district is Miami Schools Superintendent Carv- City Unified School District failed. And a 1 one of the poorest in the country, it is one alho asked a question on behalf of a former percent sales tax to increase the salaries for of the top performing. “So there is hope,” student named Daniela who graduated as teachers in Oklahoma, which would have said Carvalho. “We cannot forget the nec- a valedictorian of her class with a grade- helped Oklahoma City Public Schools and essary safety nets that some kids need.” point-average of 6.42, but three weeks be- Tulsa Public Schools, also failed. fore her graduation received a deportation Questioning Common Core notice. “What is the solution to this problem?” he asked. “Will your candidate increase or elimi- Paladino said that Trump has discussed Election Uncertainty continued from page 1 nate support for the common core?” Rather immigration a great deal and believes in asked Paladino. locking down the country’s borders. Al- “We want to bring everyone together “I do not believe Donald Trump will though he cited the example of a person from across the political spectrum, across tolerate the common core any longer,” said coming across the border from Mexico and all racial and ethnic groups and across all Paladino, who believes that to try to have receiving a driver’s license and being able to communities in our county to say we sup- one national program and use it for pur- vote, he said that situation was very differ- port students,” said San Diego Unified poses such as evaluating teachers is a failing ent from the student Carvalho mentioned, school board member Richard Barrera. concept. “Education in the future is going who should be given a waiver to stay in the “What we need now is no more division. to be done on more of a state and local country. “If you understand the nature of a What we need now is unity, tolerance and level,” said Paladino. Donald Trump, he will protect that child,” respect for others.” He was also asked by Rather if a Trump said Paladino. In a letter to North Carolina’s Guilford presidency would seek to do away with the And despite their vast differences, there County Schools in Greensboro, Superin- Department of Education? was actually one area the two surrogates tendent Sharon Contreras summed up the The former co-chair of the New York were able to agree on and that was the need post-election by quoting the late Robert State Trump-Pence campaign said that he to provide access to high quality preK. F. Kennedy, “All of us might wish at times has never discussed eliminating the depart- “[Clinton] has an aggressive plan to offer that we lived in a more tranquil world, but ment with Trump, but said that he would students high quality preK,” said Otero, we don’t. And if our times are difficult and expect there to be some adjustments in while Paladino said, “those formative years perplexing, so are they challenging and areas where the department has overex- are the most important and he [Trump] filled with opportunity.” will devote the resources.”

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Council conference continued from page 1 “Sixty years you have been working to keep urban schools vibrant as the com- at Sandy Hook, to turn the nation into munities they serve and that’s something a place where effective gun safety mea- you should be proud of,” Brazile told sures were put in place.” conferees. “And because of your work, Holder spoke about his experience our urban cities bare no resemblance to in an address to more than 1,000 urban the nightmare of what Donald Trump school superintendents, senior admin- seems to think they are.” istrators, board members and deans of She recalled how Sargent Shriver, colleges of education assembled here for who helped found the Council in 1956, the Council’s 60th Annual Fall Confer- was the driving force behind many of ence. Donna Brazile President’s Kennedy’s signature pro- A graduate of New York City pub- grams, including the Head Start program. lic schools, he thanked conferees for their viewed negatively, even by educators of the The program holds a very special place work to improve the quality of education same race. in her heart because her first experience in and called them the best crime fighters. As a result, the conduct of one student school was as a Head Start student. He said that as the 82nd attorney general might be seen as a minor behavior issue, She has never forgotten her first grade of the United States he worked to ensure while that same conduct by a black or La- teacher Ms. Collins, who taught her how schools had the support they needed to tino student is seen as threatening. to write, or her other teachers because they provide pathways to success, rather than He said that the Justice Department made such a major impact on her life. pipelines to the criminal justice system. worked with the U.S. Education Depart- “At 56 years old, that’s why I can name But he lamented the fact that too many ment to create the Supportive School Dis- all of my first eight teachers,” noted Brazile. students are diverted from success by un- cipline Initiative in 2011 to make schools “They put something in me that I still have necessarily harsh discipline policies that not only safer, but help school districts im- today.” exclude them from schools for minor in- plement discipline without discrimination. During a recent visit to Spelman Col- fractions. “We can all be proud of what we lege, where she received an honorary de- “Too many of our students are suspend- achieved in recent years, but none of us can gree, she met a student who told her that ed, expelled and even arrested for minor be complacent,” said Holder. she was a Donna Brazile scholar. “I started transgressions,” said Holder, who noted He recalled that he has done things the Donna Brazile Education Foundation that disparities in discipline begin as early his father, an immigrant, could never have as my way of giving back and paying it for- as pre-school. achieved, and is optimistic that the country ward,” said Brazile. He cited statistics that while black stu- will succeed in improving schools and em- She believes that educators must not dents make up 18 percent of students in powering young people to live a better and only help students become confident and preschool, they account for 42 percent of more prosperous future. skilled citizens, but also moral citizens, and students with an out-of-school suspension. “But it’s not just enough to say we’ve recalled that Martin Luther King said in- In addition, African American students made progress,” stressed Holder. “Progress telligence plus character is the true goal of are suspended and expelled at three times is not a destination, it’s just a measure of education. the rate of white students and arrested what you are doing.” “We must prepare our students and more and referred to law enforcement in ourselves for life as it is, but we must also greater numbers. Passion for Teaching prepare our students and ourselves to make Holder believes that students must be life better than it is.” safe and held to a high standard of ac- Donna Brazile has held many positions The political commentator said that as countability whenever they disrupt the throughout her life: chair of the Demo- she travels the country she tries to encour- learning process or attempt to harm those cratic National Committee, presidential age everyday citizens to get involved and around them. campaign manager and best-selling author. engage in their own future and try to make “Effective discipline is always and will But the one position she has enjoyed the a difference in their community by answer- be a necessity,” said Holder, “but a routine most is being a teacher. “I’ve been an edu- ing the call to service. school discipline infraction should land a cator since 1993 and it’s the only thing I “If we believe in what Sargent Shriver student in a principal’s office, not a police really feel passionate about,” said Brazile in understood and Martin Luther King gave precinct.” a speech to urban educators. his life for, then we have to continue to The first African American to serve Brazile, who currently teaches a class make that part of our daily quest, how to as attorney general, Holder said that the at Georgetown University, thanked the build a more perfect union,” said Brazile. problem of implicit bias must be addressed Council of the Great City Schools for Council Conference continued on page 7 because students of color are too often its 60 years of service to America’s urban schoolchildren. 6 | URBAN EDUCATOR URBAN EDUCATOR | 7 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016 INSIDE THE COUNCIL

Council Conference continued from page 6 you are and where you aren’t.” According to Khan, more and more Education For Everyone people are using the site as a replacement of traditional textbooks. He cited a study Also addressing the conference was by the New England Board of Higher Ed- Sal Khan, the founder and CEO of Khan ucation across all of their community col- Academy, a learning platform that includes leges, which found that 73 percent of the instructional videos, practice exercises and students preferred Khan Academy to their teacher tools with more than 46 million textbooks. registered users. Khan has also started a partnership with Khan Academy began 12 years ago in the College Board to provide free SAT 2004 when Khan, an analyst at an invest- and PSAT prep for students in an effort to ment firm, began to tutor his 12-year-old Sal Khan address decades of inequity around prepa- cousin who tested into a remedial math ration for the college entrance exam. class. “You have to start with delusional op- The partnership enables any student After several tutoring sessions conduct- timism whenever you do something entre- taking the PSAT to synchronize their ac- ed over the phone, his cousin was retested preneurial,” said Khan. After nine months count with their Khan Academy account. and placed in an advanced math class. of trying to financially support the site, “It’s not about gaming the system but fill- “Word got around in my family that he was considering giving up when he re- ing in those gaps and learning the informa- free tutoring was going on,” recalled Khan, ceived a $110,000 donation from a woman tion properly,” said Khan, “because that’s who began tutoring 10-15 cousins. And whose children used his videos and wanted the best way to prepare for college.” what he noticed is that they were all bright to help him reach his goal, of providing a And Khan Academy is global, available students but had accumulated gaps in their “free world class education for anyone, any- in several languages and used in countries learning. “I started writing software for where.” ranging from France to Mongolia. them; that was the first Khan Academy.” With backing from The Gates Foun- “Education has always been scarce and He began to record the lessons as vid- dation, as well as Google and other orga- expensive but we are in a special time in eos and upload them on YouTube, and by nizations, he was able to build a team and history because we can give students access 2009 there were about 50,000 people view- immediately start working on creating the to whatever they want,” said Khan. “I think ing them every month. It was at this point software platform. “Videos are nice and still together we have a chance of making edu- Khan quit his job to work full-time on the a part of Khan Academy,” said Khan, “but cation like drinking water, a fundamental site and set it up as a not-for-profit, with to learn something you have to get practice human right.” the hope that it could one day reach mil- and feedback and information about where lions of people. College Board, Khan Academy Partner With Council to Aid Urban Students

A partnership recently launched among every student practicing for the SAT and encourage students to spend meaningful the Council of the Great City Schools, the preparing for college success,” said Coun- time using the free practice tools provided College Board and the Khan Academy cil Executive Director Michael Casserly in online. The tools were built to enhance a aims to boost college and career readiness announcing the initiative at the organiza- student’s SAT knowledge, skill set, and in urban school districts. tion’s recent Fall Conference in Miami. overall preparedness. The new initiative invites Council mem- Thus far, some 25 big-city school dis- At the Council conference, a student ber school districts to sign up for the Offi- tricts have signed up for the challenge, with from Booker T. Washington High School cial SAT Practice All In Challenge, which others considering participation. of the Houston Independent School Dis- offers free, online personalized SAT prepa- “It is wrong to test young people over trict noted that she had practiced on the ration tools to help urban students prepare and over and reminding them of their limi- Khan Academy site daily after school, re- for the SAT exam and postsecondary suc- tations of which they are highly aware by sulting in a 470-point boost in her SAT cess by accessing the Khan Academy’s Of- high school, and not delivering to them scores. ficial SAT Practice site. personalized help,” said David Coleman, Districts can sign up for the challenge “With the ‘SAT Practice All in Chal- president of the College Board, at the con- by accessing SATPracticeChallenge@col- lenge,’ school districts across the country ference. legeboard.org. are working to level the playing field for One of the goals of the initiative is to

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Journal Chronicles Council’s 60 Years Urban Educator continued from page 2

As 2016 winds down, the Council of “… Questions of race and language, the Great City Schools paused this year to governance, school choice, academic per- reflect on and celebrate 60 years of service formance and mobility remain on the to the nation’s urban public school systems. Council’s agenda, as they are expected to It has grown from 12 big-city school remain for many years to come. districts in 1956 to 70 urban “But the Council and public school systems today, its membership have evolving over the years into built a strong enough a national policy and re- foundation over the Johanna Lopez, center, a teacher for 17 years search organization that is years that together we in Florida’s Orange County Public Schools in considered the voice in rep- should be able to move Orlando, is presented with the Queen Smith resenting the needs of large forward with a greater Award, from left, Council Executive Director city school districts and the sense of confidence that Michael Casserly and a McGraw-Hill represen- tative. more than 7.3 million stu- public schooling in the dents they serve. nation’s major urban ar- Smith Award for Urban Education. The “Over the course of the eas will not only survive $5,000 award is named in honor of the late last 60 years, the Council but thrive,” the journal vice president of urban programs for Mac- and its membership have faced enormous stresses, which also gives “a look ahead.” millan/McGraw-Hill Publishing Com- challenges,” says a journal published by The 58-page booklet on the history of pany. the coalition to chronicle its history titled the Council can be accessed at www.cgcs. Lopez, who is now an instructional 1956-2016 – Celebrating 60 Years of Service org. coach in multilingual services, is also the to America’s Urban Public Schools. 2017 Orange County Teacher of the Year, the first Hispanic to receive the honor. Des Moines Holds First Young Men Urban Impact Award Of Color Conference The Council of the Great City Col- leges of Education, an affiliate group of deans working with urban school leaders, Iowa’s Des Moines Public Schools re- Moines school system, such as Corey Har- presented the Dr. Shirley Schwartz Urban cently held its first ever Young Men of Col- ris, the district’s director of middle schools, Impact Award to Cleveland Metropoli- or Conference. More than 200 middle and who told the conferees, “I never thought tan School District and Cleveland State high school students attended the confer- seriously about going to college until I University for the Campus International ence, sponsored by the Des Moines school was in 12th grade. But because I had al- School, which is based at the university and district, Drake University and several local Des Moines continued on page 12 opened in 2010. The K-8 school is popular non-profit organizations. with families, filling its seats by lottery ev- The one-day conference was held on the ery year and keeping a waiting list. campus of Drake University and was created to allow students to interact with inspir- ing role models in a positive environment. “It is going to impact students’ lives and improve outcomes and it is absolutely the right thing for the district to be involved,” said Matt Smith, Des Moines chief of schools. “We owe it to these young men.” The conference included multiple work- shops aimed at college planning, financial literacy, and social networking. Students from Des Moines Public Schools attend Students also heard from several key- the district’s first Young Men of Color Confer- Winners receive the Urban Education Impact Award from Lehman College CUNY Dean note speakers who work for the Des ence. Photo credit: Jon Lemons/Des Moines Public Schools Deborah Shanley, second from right.

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Scholars Excelling continued from page 3

Named for former NASA astronaut from a public school to fit in with many Dr. Bernard Harris Jr., the first African students who were not from a big-city American to walk in space, the scholarship school district. is awarded annually to African-American Before graduating from Princeton in and Hispanic seniors from high schools 2014, earning a bachelor’s degree in ecol- in the 70 urban school districts repre- ogy and evolutionary biology, he had to sented by the Council of the Great City write a required thesis. He spent two Schools. Each of four scholars selected re- months in Kenya dong research leading to ceives $5,000 for continued education in a his thesis --“The Impacts of Water, Sanita- STEM-related field. tion and Hygiene on Diarrheal Disease in Laikipia, Kenya.” Physician-Bound Hall took a year off from school after Laura Montoya Ashton earning his undergraduate degree from Leangelo Hall, a 2010 graduate of Cor- Princeton and worked for a year in Phila- Subsequently, she accepted a position at al Reef Senior High in the Miami-Dade delphia at Thomas Jefferson University Sandia National Laboratories, which sent County Public Schools, today is a second- Hospital as a HIV counselor and tester in her to Cornell to earn her master’s degree. year student at Harvard Medical School. the Emergency Department. She enrolled at the Ivy League university After graduating high school, he went He enrolled at Harvard Medical School last August. straight to Princeton University, where he in August 2015. At age 23, he’s not sure at The 25-year-old’s career aspiration is to worked three jobs – two on campus and this point what medical specialty he wants become a research engineer working on de- served as a care coordinator at a homeless to pursue, but says his primary focus is “to veloping “the energy system of the future,” prevention center. take care of patients.” she emphasizes. Raised in a single-parent household “I have no idea what field of medicine I The fourth winner of the inaugural with two brothers, he says in an Urban want to pursue,” he explains. As a second- ExxonMobil Bernard Harris scholarship Educator interview, “Financial concerns year Harvard medical student, he is rotat- program in 2010 was Anthony Miller, who were something we always discussed.” He ing in various fields, and now in pediatrics graduated from Sickles High School in said the ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Math at Massachusetts General Hospital. Florida’s Hillsborough County school sys- and Science Scholarship was instrumental tem in Tampa. He couldn’t be reached, but in his education, helping to pay for tuition Energy-Minded was headed to the University of Florida to and a laptop computer, which he still uses pursue a degree in aerospace engineering today. Laura Montoya Ashton, a 2010 gradu- six years ago. ate of Sandia High School in the Albu- “We are proud of the winners of this querque Public Schools, is also in school highly competitive scholarship program,” today, seeking a master’s degree in me- says Council Executive Director Michael chanical engineering at Cornell University. Casserly. “These young men and women After high school, Ashton went on to will be able to become the leaders and in- pursue a baccalaureate degree in chemi- novators of tomorrow thanks to the gen- cal engineering from the New Mexico erous support of ExxonMobil and the en- Institute of Mining and Technology. The couragement of Dr. Harris.” ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Scholarship “helped me get through college; it was very helpful,” she says in an interview. Moreover, she notes that since the scholarship is also named for the giant ExxonMobil oil and gas company, it prob- Leangelo Hall ably contributed to her interest in the energy sector. Moreover, Hall points out that winning She graduated from New Mexico Tech the highly competitive national scholar- in 2014, and then worked as a ballistics ship gave him confidence to excel at the engineer with an oil and gas company in Ivy League university, especially in coming Texas for two years. She also got married. Bernard Harris

8 | URBAN EDUCATOR URBAN EDUCATOR | 9 LEGISLATIVE COLUMN NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

Expectations and Speculations

By Jeff Simering,Director of Legislation

The election of Donald Trump as President of the To be sure, a variety of new rules promulgated United States has prompted an avalanche of opinions by the Education Department under the and prognostications on possible changes in federal Obama administration are expected to be education policy. Nearly everyone in Washington has reconsidered in both elementary and secondary an opinion or has been asked for one. The value of and higher education sectors. For example, such speculation, however, is in inverse relation to its recently finalized regulations and any proposed amount and frequency. The Council of the Great City regulations that may be finalized in the waning Schools is actively avoiding ongoing speculation—for days of the outgoing administration are subject the moment. Either way, the organization’s policies to a rarely used congressional review process to and positions will continue to reflect its long-range discourage “midnight” regulating by a lame duck priorities, values, and goals without regard to partisanship. administration. The Congressional Review Act (sec. 251 of Public Law 104-121) was enacted in 1996 to create a process Nonetheless, a few observations might be warranted and for Congress to overturn executive branch regulations. irresistible. For instance, the process of enacting federal While CRA action cannot be filibustered in the Senate, legislation is a cumbersome undertaking, typically requiring it still requires a presidential signature to take effect. Not some degree of bicameral and bipartisan cooperation. surprisingly the CRA has only been used successfully one This won’t change. However, the traditional procedures time -- to overturn a Labor Department regulation in 2001 for legislating, particularly in the U.S. Senate, are more following the change of administrations from President complicated since the body was designed to be more Clinton to President George W. Bush. deliberative—and the chamber is even more sharply divided than before. In addition, the expedited legislative process It seems likely that a number of federal regulations finalized of “budget reconciliation” is limited to actions resulting in within the 60 legislative-“session”-days preceding the new reducing federal expenditures rather than transforming Trump Administration may be subject to a CRA “resolution federal policies. Even in the aftermath of an election, of disapproval.” President-elect Donald Trump is expected enacting, revising or repealing most federal statutes is to sign these resolutions and void regulations that the new neither quick nor assured—regardless of how eager the administration disapproves of. Among the federal regulations administrative or legislative branches may be. that are candidates for CRA disapproval are the proposed regulations to implement the Every Student Succeeds Act On the other hand, much of the federal government’s (ESSA), including the pending supplement-not-supplant business is not really conducted through federal legislation. regulations, the accountability and state plan regulations, Regulations and other executive actions, including and the assessment regulations. The CRA, however, is an “all enforcement of laws, rest primarily with executive branch or nothing” mechanism by which the entire final regulation agencies under the leadership of the president. While federal must be overturned, in contrast to the regular legislative regulations must follow certain basic procedural rules, such process through which Congress could invalidate, amend, or as those laid out in the Administrative Procedures Act, repeal parts of a final rule. their revision or repeal is not particularly complicated or time-consuming. A plethora of regulations across multiple At this point, the reversal of a considerable number of federal federal agencies, including the Labor Department, the regulations and executive actions appears nearly certain. Any Environmental Protection Agency, and even the Education remaining uncertainty may be related simply to timing and Department, could now be subject to review and revision. the vagaries of an uncertain political situation. Other executive actions, including federal-contracting policies, foreign relations, and immigration enforcement actions, can be modified or reversed even more expeditiously than regulatory changes.

10 1010| || URBANURBANURBAN EDUCATOR EDUCATOREDUCATOR URBANURBAN EDUCATOREDUCATOR || 1111 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016 INSIDE THE COUNCIL

Pictorial of 60th Annual Fall Conference

Council Chair Felton Williams welcomes conferees to the 60th Annual Fall Conference.

Broadcast journalist Dan Rather, left, talks with former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.

Los Angeles Schools Superintendent Michelle King listens intently during a conference session.

Carmen Fariña, chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, presents information at a session on promoting equity and excellence in urban school districts.

Arlington (Texas) Schools Superintendent Marcelo Photos by Clarence Tabb Jr. Cavazos participates in a session.

1010 || URBANURBAN EDUCATOREDUCATOR URBANURBANURBAN EDUCATOR EDUCATOREDUCATOR | 11|| 1111 Council of the Great City Schools PRESORT FIRST-CLASS MAIL ® 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Suite 1100N U.S. POSTAGE PAID Washington DC 20004 MERRIFIELD, VA PERMIT NO. 2333

City Schools Leader, Teacher and CFO Honored

Robert Run- Kyriakakos, an art teacher at Mergenthaler nio during the Council’s annual Chief Fi- cie, superinten- Vocational-Technical High School in Bal- nancial Officers Conference. dent of Florida’s timore. She was recently selected as the A 14-year veteran of the school sys- Broward County Maryland State Teacher of the Year. This tem and chief financial officer since 2014, Public Schools in marks the second consecutive year a teach- Marte oversees the management of the Fort Lauderdale, er from the Baltimore City Public Schools district’s financial transactions, including was recently pre- has been named the winner. directing the preparation and management sented with the An art teacher since 2011, Kyriakakos of the district’s $4.6 billion annual operat- Joseph E. Hill encourages her students to seek knowledge ing budget. Robert Runcie Superintendent of through the arts. Many of her students The Bill Wise Award was originally the Year award by the National Alliance of have received awards for their artistic piec- established in 2000 and is named after an Black School Educators. The award hon- es, and her own artwork has been recog- outstanding financial leader from the Met- ors school district superintendents who nized on the international stage. ropolitan Nashville Public Schools. have shown a quality of leadership that re- Miami CFO Wins Award sulted in significant positive outcomes for Des Moines continued from page 8 students of African descent. Runcie, who has been the superinten- Judith Marte, chief financial officer with ways taken my schoolwork seriously, I was dent of Broward County Public Schools Miami-Dade County Public Schools, re- offered a full academic scholarship. I had since 2011, was recognized for his efforts to cently received the Bill Wise Award, spon- kept myself in the game.” close achievement gaps and improve school sored by the Council of the Great City Students were also asked to sign a Call discipline by erasing the schoolhouse to Schools and AXA, a financial service com- to Action and pledge “to take immediate jailhouse pipeline. pany. This annual honor is bestowed upon action to stop derailing behaviors, habits, a school business official who exemplifies thoughts and deeds…exhibiting appropri- Baltimore Teacher Honored professionalism, integrity, and outstanding ate behaviors, completing all classes with service to urban education. high grades, attaining a healthy lifestyle Also receiving an award was Athanasia Marte received the award in San Anto- and graduating from high school college- prepared and career-ready.”