Ideas, standards for plan detailed

Excellent Schools Detroit is a broad and diverse cross section of Detroit’s education, government, community, parent, and philanthropic leaders who have developed a citywide education plan to help ensure that all Detroit children receive the great education they deserve. Participants include Michael J. Brennan, Michael Tenbusch, and Kelly Major Green, United Way for Southeastern Michigan. To learn more, visit www.excellentschoolsdetroit.org.

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COMPILED BY ROBIN ERB
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20103110445&template=fullarticle

Excerpts from "Taking Ownership: Our Pledge to Educate All of Detroit's Children"

On what makes an

excellent school:

"Excellent schools have several core attributes, including strong leaders, excellent teachers, high-quality curriculum and instruction, and safe and supportive learning conditions that create a culture of trust, respect and academic achievement among students, teachers and parents."

On the status quo:

"Part of being bold means ending what does not work. Closing schools, even when they are not succeeding, is an emotional process. We understand that. But we also believe that the status quo is indefensible. Without dramatic changes, we won't be doing students any favors. And this citywide plan is about them -- and their futures."

On citywide standards:

"Students in Detroit attend more than 250 schools, which are governed by many different masters with differing expectations and results. The divided authority makes it too easy to fingerpoint and too hard to make the tough decisions that are needed to ensure every child is in a high-quality school. ...

"Each of these school governing bodies has different standards of success. They also have weak or no definitions for failure -- allowing chronically failing programs to stay open for years. This mishmash makes it impossible for parents to get credible, easy-to-understand information about which schools are helping students and which are not. They need that information to make good choices for their children."

On the new schools:

"When we say we want to open 70 new schools, we are not talking about needing to build 70 new buildings. We believe new schools can operate in old buildings. Our emphasis is not on facilities, but on what happens with the school program. For us, a 'new school' is defined as a new school program, which consists of effective teaching and learning, a culture of high expectations, a strong and new leadership team, a new rigorous academic program and a laser-like approach on student academic success."

On measuring

performance:

"Measuring the effectiveness of principals and other school leaders is difficult; years of service and levels of certification don't tell much. What matters most is the performance of their schools; great leaders do what it takes so that their schools perform at high levels. They drive change and innovation and build a culture of quality that helps attract and support excellent teachers. The current student achievement data alone underscore that not nearly enough Detroit public schools currently have effective leadership; or, if schools do have great leaders, they're hamstrung by bureaucratic rules that limit their effectiveness."

On mayoral control:

"DPS will not be able to make and sustain the necessary reforms without a single source of credible leadership and accountability. Specifically, we will help build public support for making the mayor accountable for Detroit Public Schools. He or she would appoint the superintendent/CEO, who would be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the schools, including budgets, staffing, and programs. The school board should be disbanded."

On an independent accountability commission:

"All city schools will be monitored by the citywide Standards and Accountability Commission, which will report on school performance and fiscal management. An outside watchdog organization such as this also will help monitor and limit any potential financial abuses of single-source accountability."

On developing a community schools initiative:

"There's no reason schools should close at 3 p.m. weekdays and on the weekend, and there are multiple reasons to keep them open. Using the school as the neighborhood hub to provide a range of services (such as arts, music, after-school programs, health clinics, mental health services, mentoring and counseling services) will provide students with the nonacademic supports they need to succeed in school. Plus, using these facilities to offer additional services that help parents, such as adult literacy and job training, also will pay off. Colocating city, school, and community services is an especially cost-effective strategy to combat city and school deficits."