This report shares findings from a six-year research study on the impact of PACT’s education organizing on Miami schools. The study showed that PACT’s organizing had a positive impact on district policies and resource allocation, school climate and instruction, and student outcomes. People Acting for Community Together (PACT) led a successful campaign to implement a new literacy program in low-performing schools serving...
Recent Publications
This report shares findings from a six-year research study on the impact of ACORN's education organizing on Chicago schools. The study found that community organizing contributed to increased educational opportunities. Like many other urban districts, Chicago Public Schools struggles to recruit and retain experienced, successful teachers in schools serving low-income communities. The community organizing group ACORN...
This report shares findings from a six-year research study on the impact of Community Coalition’s education organizing on Los Angeles schools. While it is too early to assess the impact of Community Coalition’s organizing on student outcomes, the study found that organizing efforts contributed to increased educational opportunities in several important ways. The Los Angeles Unified School District, the second-largest...
Unlike in the past, Washington is now a hotbed of education-policy activity, and the federal education budget is at record levels. Yet precisely what the federal role ought to be and how federal funds ought to be used remains a topic of heated debate. This issue of Voices in Urban Education examines the evolving federal role in education from a variety of perspectives. Articles by Robert Rothman; Gail L. Sunderman; Linda Darling-Hammond; Susan B. Neuman; Heather B. Weiss, Priscilla...
This report shares findings from a six-year research study on the impact of OCO’s education organizing on Oakland schools. It is not often that a government entity publicly credits community organizing for a positive transformation in public schools. But this is exactly what happened in Oakland, California, where years of on-the-ground organizing – community meetings, relationship building, and public actions – led to the...
This report shares findings from a six-year research study on the impact of Austin Interfaith’s education organizing on East Austin schools. Austin Interfaith, part of the Industrial Areas Foundation organizing network, organized high-poverty, low-performing schools on the city’s east side into a network of “Alliance Schools,” which grew to about a quarter of the district’s elementary schools and half of its high-poverty...
THE IMPACT OF COMMUNITY AND YOUTH ORGANIZING ON PUBLIC SCHOOL REFORM
Since the emergence of education organizing for school reform in the early 1990s, organizers, researchers, and foundations have debated the impact of community organizing on educational outcomes. The Annenberg Institute, with funding from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, conducted a six-year research study – the first of its kind – to examine this question. The study looked at...
As just about everybody now knows, President Barack Obama began his career as a community organizer. He knew that, often, lasting and effective change comes from a community, rather than to a community. Increasingly, this view is taking hold in education. This issue of Voices in Urban Education examines civic capacity and the role of community organizing in building such capacity.
A new report from the NYC Coalition for Educational Justice detailing the challenges of the new Regents diploma requirements to the city’s already low graduation rates. CEJ calls on the city and state to take immediate steps to help students meet the higher standards. The report was researched and prepared for Coalition for Educational Justice by Annenberg Institute staff.
Using data in educational decision making has become one of the hottest topics in the field. But using data for decisions still poses a challenge. How can districts and communities sift through data, analyze the data, and make sure those who make decisions are able to make use of the data? How can decision making really be data-driven? This issue of Voices in Urban Education looks at districts and communities that have shown success in using data effectively.