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Voices in Urban Education
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VUE Number 5, Fall 2004
| VUE Home | Archives | Order Print Copy |
EXCERPT:
Putting the "Public" Back in Public Education: A Community Covenant
By Kay S. James
Executive Director, Durham Public Education Network
> Complete bio
In Durham, North Carolina, hundreds of community, civic, and education leaders have signed a “covenant” pledging support for public education. This document has galvanized community support for schools and refocused the district's efforts to close the achievement gap.
In March 2003, hundreds of civic, community, and education leaders in Durham, North Carolina, signed a one-page statement that pledged their support for public education in the city. The statement, known as Durham's Covenant for Education,1 read in part:
The event was a significant milestone in Durham's history. But the Covenant was a springboard, not an end point. Rather than allowing civic leaders to sit back and bask in the good feeling of having endorsed education, the Durham community has challenged them to commit resources and staff time to data-driven planning and to the creation of services that can promote student success.With the Covenant putting the signers on record in favor of a high priority for education-related programs, there is a mandate for agencies to attack and solve the problems that face students and their families.
The Durham community now has an expectation, a structure, and a vehicle for making changes in policy and practices in education. And we now have a record of success, as well as public responsibility. Together, the Durham community is moving forward on behalf of all children in the Durham Public Schools.
Following Up on the Covenant
The Covenant has transformed all of the segments of the Durham community who were party to the document — including the Durham Public Education Network (DPEN), which organized the effort. Prior to the community engagement initiative, which generated the covenant, DPEN had focused its energies on relatively small projects in support of schools and classrooms. Now, the organization is devoted to engaging all segments of the Durham community in educational improvement in more systemic ways.
Archives
Smart Districts
VUE Number 5, Fall 2004
| VUE Home | Archives | Order Print Copy |
EXCERPT:
Putting the "Public" Back in Public Education: A Community Covenant
By Kay S. James
Executive Director, Durham Public Education Network
> Complete bio
In Durham, North Carolina, hundreds of community, civic, and education leaders have signed a “covenant” pledging support for public education. This document has galvanized community support for schools and refocused the district's efforts to close the achievement gap.
In March 2003, hundreds of civic, community, and education leaders in Durham, North Carolina, signed a one-page statement that pledged their support for public education in the city. The statement, known as Durham's Covenant for Education,1 read in part:
The event was a significant milestone in Durham's history. But the Covenant was a springboard, not an end point. Rather than allowing civic leaders to sit back and bask in the good feeling of having endorsed education, the Durham community has challenged them to commit resources and staff time to data-driven planning and to the creation of services that can promote student success.With the Covenant putting the signers on record in favor of a high priority for education-related programs, there is a mandate for agencies to attack and solve the problems that face students and their families.
The Durham community now has an expectation, a structure, and a vehicle for making changes in policy and practices in education. And we now have a record of success, as well as public responsibility. Together, the Durham community is moving forward on behalf of all children in the Durham Public Schools.
Following Up on the Covenant
The Covenant has transformed all of the segments of the Durham community who were party to the document — including the Durham Public Education Network (DPEN), which organized the effort. Prior to the community engagement initiative, which generated the covenant, DPEN had focused its energies on relatively small projects in support of schools and classrooms. Now, the organization is devoted to engaging all segments of the Durham community in educational improvement in more systemic ways.
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