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Communities Building Smart Education Systems

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While no school community in the country has, so far, completely realized the vision of a smart education system, many urban communities have begun to build components.


FEATURED SITES

Chicago Community Schools Initiative, Chicago, IL
A citywide initiative seeks to transform public schools into hubs of learning, services, and enrichment for students, parents, and entire communities.

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Their story

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Site Profile 2008 [PDF: 6 pages]

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  View video [1 minute, 30 seconds]

Elevate Miami: Rites of Passage, Miami, FL
Situated within a broad effort to elevate a city out of poverty, the City of Miami and the Miami-Dade County Public Schools partnered to launch the Rites of Passage Initiative, which uses technology as a vehicle for growth at every life stage.

Green Dot Schools, Los Angeles, CA
Green Dot creates small high schools that hold high expectations for every student. Families are encouraged and expected to participate in the life of the school, and school buildings stay open late for after-school and community activities. The model works.

Massachusetts Expanded Learning
Time Initiative, MA
A public/private partnership between the state department of education and an intermediary organization that supports schools, with the help of community providers, offers academic and enrichment opportunities in an expanded school day to improve student performance and increase engagement.

Plant a Thousand Gardens Collaborative Nutrition Initiative, Miami, FL
The Education Fund — Miami–Dade County's local education fund — and it partners are implementing an action research–based project with a collaborative, interdisciplinary, seed-to-table garden approach that focuses on improved eating habits and academic success.

Tower Hamlets Children’s Services
London, United Kingdom
Governmental authorities, community and nonprofit organizations, religious institutions, and parents within a diverse neighborhood in central London--Tower Hamlets--work together in partnership to improve outcomes for children and youth across a range of educational, social, health, and economic indicators.

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MORE EXAMPLES

DALI/Dallas, TX
A citywide collaborative of over fifty arts and cultural organizations, an urban school district, and a city government to ensure equal access to arts learning opportunities, in and out of school, to all Dallas ISD elementary students.

Denver, CO
Mobilizing the Denver community around Latino academic achievement.

Hamilton County/Chattanooga, TN
A countywide collaboration between the school district, foundations, businesses, postsecondary education institutions, and other civic partners to build pathways of success from high school to college and employment.

Logan Square, Chicago, IL
A neighborhood association working with parents to build a comprehensive set of programs to create opportunities for parents to support their neighborhood schools in a broad set of roles, including classroom tutoring, community organizing, school council membership, community learning center employment, and training to be bilingual educators.

Manchester Bidwell Corporation, PA
A set of community-based organizations, under the umbrella of the Manchester Bidwell Corporation, creating pathways through education to employment in a neighborhood in need, using arts programming to inspire urban youth and innovative career training to support struggling adults.

Urban Youth Collaborative, NY
Youth organizing, in a citywide collaborative of high school student organizations, to improve college preparatory supports and expand youth voice in New York City high schools.