Press Releases
2009-09-21
Distinguished Urban Fellows Release Two Key Papers
Papers address education reform and homelessness in America
NEW YORK---
The plight of the homeless in America, and the need for public school reform are
at the heart of two separate compelling Reports issued by Living Cities - a
result of their Distinguished Urban Fellows program launched in 2008.
Despite decades of calls for reform, America's public education system remains
the target of sharp criticism for failing to adequately prepare young people for
higher education and the jobs of the new economy. But there is hope, as evident
in the report, "Transforming Urban Public Education through Education
Entrepreneurship." Written by former Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson, the
report argues that the energy and innovation needed to transform America's
public schools must come from the outside - from talented and dedicated
entrepreneurs with ideas that produce results.
In his paper, Peterson makes a strong case that the source of change in U.S.
public education must be America's mayors in partnership with philanthropists
and education entrepreneurs. He lauds the record of charter schools, plus the
achievement of organizations such as Teach For America, which has brought
well-educated younger people eager to teach in today's classrooms, especially in
underachieving urban schools. The ultimate goal of entrepreneurs like Peterson
is to bring the innovation, urgency, flexibility and focus on educational
outcomes that characterize charter schools and their allies to traditional
public schools.
The second report, titled "A Human Connection: How Portland, Ore., Made a Big
Dent in Chronic Homelessness" is written by former Portland, city commissioner
Erik Sten who says that policies to reduce homelessness, although
well-intentioned, treaded water for decades because the architects of those
policies did not consider the perspectives of the homeless themselves.
Using Portland as an example, Sten describes a plan known as "Home
Again" which gave a voice to the homeless and bridged a human connection that
didn't previously exist. As a result, a dedicated team of officials rethought
their policies, and spawned a new program that has reduced the number of its
chronically homeless by 70 percent.
Neil Kleiman, Director of Policy and Research for Living Cities, says, "The
Distinguished Urban Fellows program and these two resulting Reports are a
critical knowledge component of Living Cities' approach. The idea behind them is
that the Fellows bring real-world governing and executive experience to help
shape Living Cities' agenda to transform America's cities into engines of
opportunity."
AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEW: Bart Peterson and Erik Sten
MEDIA:
Living Cities
Andrea Martone, 917-929-0527
amartone@livingcities.org
www.livingcities.org