Denver’s Mayor Michael B. Hancock was on fire when he spoke about education reform at the U.S. Conference of Mayors last night – and I’m not just talking about when he introduced himself as “the mayor of the next Super Bowl champions.”
In front of a national audience and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Mayor Hancock, who leads the Conference of Mayors’ task force on education reform, laid out his vision for reform, framing the discussion outside the divisive politics that too often inhibit real progress. Check out the video. Mayor Hancock speaks for the first 10 minutes or so.
“What we’re finding across the country is that the word ‘reform’ is being defined as the end game. The whole objective or goal of having our kids prepared to compete in the global economy is getting lost or muddled in politics,” Mayor Hancock said during his opening remarks to the task force.
Hancock encouraged his fellow mayors to think of reform as a means to an end, with the goals being the elimination of the achievement gap in our education system and young people who are prepared to lead our country forward.
Mayor Hancock laid out four pillars to focus on in order to reach that goal:
1. Increase access to high quality early childhood education
2. Increase the number of high-performing seats in classrooms
3. Keep kids on track to graduate, including re-engaging dropouts
4. Give students the skills they need to complete a postsecondary pathway and get a job after graduation
Mayor Hancock called for improving teacher performance, ensuring schools have high-quality principals, and expanding afterschool and summer programs that stop the summer slide and keep kids engaged. He insisted that reforms focus on first-generation Americans and that they help students in whatever path they choose after graduation – be that attending college, finding a vocation or something else entirely.
“Yesterday mayors from across the country agreed that they can’t stand on the sidelines when it comes to the quality of the public school systems in their cities. Regardless of their level of direct control of local school districts, mayors can and must play an increasingly active role in education,” said Lindsay Neil, Director of Children’s Affairs for Mayor Hancock and a member of the DFER-Colorado Advisory Board.
Mayor Hancock’s final message was to remind everyone in the room that when it comes to education, there is no such thing as “one size fits all,” and as such, school reform must use multiple strategies that support all types of students. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
Jennifer Walmer is the state director of DFER Colorado (DFER-CO). Prior to joining DFER-CO, Walmer was the Chief of Staff for the Superintendent of the Denver Public Schools, Tom Boasberg, where she helped pass a $500 million bond and mill initiative in November 2012. Walmer also was the Superintendent’s primary strategic liaison with a divided Board of Education; managed government affairs for the district; and led strategic partnership efforts with community organizations. Read more about Jen here.