Description
This report looks at five cities where mayors have engaged the public and built civic capacity around education reform, using the leverage of their office in strategic ways.

The stories of Denver, Akron, Long Beach, Nashville, and New York identify and describe practical, high-yield strategies and solutions mayors are using and resources they have found or created. The report also includes an annotated list of resources for municipal leaders on public engagement in support of schools.

What Mayors Can Do
Mayors are in a unique position to rally civic and community stakeholders around a compelling common interest — the future of their cities’ children. The visibility and authority of the mayor's office provide opportunities to:

• place public education high on the city's list of priorities,
• work toward ensuring adequate funding and resources,
• forge partnerships that enrich and sustain schools, and
• build public will and support to improve outcomes for the city's children and youth.

About the Report
These studies of mayoral leadership in five cities were completed by the Annenberg Institute in cooperation with the Mayors’ Education Policy Advisors Network of the National League of Cities, with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Institute staff conducted the research for the city cases and wrote the report.

About the National League of Cities
The National League of Cities (NLC) is the oldest and largest national organization representing municipal governments throughout the United States. Its mission is to strengthen and promote cities as centers of opportunity, leadership, and governance. The NLC serves as a resource to and an advocate for the more than 18,000 cities, villages, and towns it represents.