Urban school leaders took a decidedly upbeat tone at their annual fall meeting here, even while contending that teacher shortages, funding inequities, and looming privatization threaten to undermine reform programs currently under way in their schools.
Most of the sessions at the Oct. 14-18 conference of the Council of the Great City Schools, which attracted about 700 attendees, addressed ways in which urban school leaders were working to turn their systems around.
At one such seminar, Superintendent Arlene A. Ackerman of the District of Columbia schools, and Robert Booker, the Baltimore district鈥檚 chief executive officer, said parental support and good media relations are crucial starting points.
In the nation鈥檚 capital, Ms. Ackerman said, surveys revealed that parents and local residents were particularly concerned about safety and the soundness of school buildings. She quickly realized that she needed to make those issues a priority when she took over the 77,000-student district in May. In Baltimore, Mr. Booker said, parents wanted to know how he intended to improve the city鈥檚 lagging reading scores.
Michael D. Casserly, the executive director of the Washington-based council, who moderated the discussion, noted that when Ms. Ackerman took the job in the long-troubled Washington schools, she sought help from other urban leaders whose systems were showing glimmers of success.
Those collaborations were far less expensive than hiring outside consultants would have been, Mr. Casserly said. And, he added, they 鈥済ained instant credibility from people in D.C. who couldn鈥檛 say, 鈥榊ou don鈥檛 know what it鈥檚 like,鈥� because they did.鈥�
One of the liveliest sessions explored big-city school systems鈥� relations with the news media. Terry Abbott, the director of communications for the Houston schools, stressed the influence that television news in particular has in shaping a district鈥檚 image. 鈥淚f it鈥檚 not on television, it鈥檚 not on,鈥� he said.
Mr. Abbott bolstered his argument by noting that while the Houston Chronicle reaches about 540,000 people every day, local news broadcasts there reach nearly 3 million.
鈥淭o gain public support, aim at television,鈥� Mr. Abbott advised. 鈥淏ecause that鈥檚 where people are. Fight back [at negative publicity] with positive news that tells a story and captures an audience.鈥�
Mr. Abbott drew knowing nods and much laughter when he laid out his 鈥淭en Commandments of Making Television News.鈥� Among the highlights were:
- Thou shall not be seen smiling or laughing at sad or troubling moments.
- Thou shall not put thy hand up in front of the television camera, angrily demand that the reporter turn off the camera, or otherwise look guilty as sin.
- Thou shall not be seen wearing sunglasses while on camera.
Mr. Abbott also recommended that school leaders take note of his district鈥檚 top 10 banned words and phrases and urged them to make a list of their own.
Houston鈥檚, he said, are: implement; maximize; pedagogical; bifurcated; initiate; facilitate; hands-on, student-centered activities; text-based instructional device; positively reviewed multidisciplinary products; and enhanced in-home academic regimen.
At seminars on standards for teachers in urban schools and the projected teacher shortage, presenters stressed the connection between well-trained teachers and student achievement.
Clifford B. Janey, the Rochester, N.Y., superintendent, said teacher quality is 鈥渢he most critical issue facing public schools.鈥� He noted that administrators in his 37,000-student district have broadened recruitment efforts in several ways. The district has expanded the search beyond education schools to draw new teachers from business and industry. It has helped support-staff members earn teaching credentials, and it has begun a 鈥済row your own鈥� program by developing programs that entice students to go to college, get certified, and come back to the district to teach.
Martin Haberman, an education professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, warned at one session that recruitment alone is not enough. He cited the high attrition among teachers as a particular problem for urban systems. 鈥淯rban schools lose 30 to 50 percent of new teachers in the first few years,鈥� he said. 鈥淢any don鈥檛 belong. But many are leaving because they don鈥檛 have the support systems they need.鈥�
At a special luncheon, the council, a Washington-based organization of 51 big-city school districts, presented the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson with a lifetime-achievement award for his support of urban education and other equity issues.
In a speech after the presentation, the longtime civil rights leader and former presidential candidate hit on many of his favorite themes, harshly criticizing policymakers for failing to provide enough funds for urban schools and denouncing the funding priorities that shape policy in many cities.
鈥淔or the poor there is no floor,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut everywhere I go I see two new buildings: a new ballpark and a new jail.鈥�
