It Takes a City: Lessons From a Systems-Change Network

• In Event: 34.095 - MTCC Roundtable Session 11
  In Roundtable Session: 34.095-11 - The Politics of Charters, Choice, and Change: Implications for Inequality and Opportunity

Abstract

School reform efforts over the past twenty-five years have not succeeded in substantially reducing the achievement gap, particularly for poor children. Based on the premise that addressing children’s needs requires a city-wide approach driven by strong leadership and multi-agency collaboration (Kania & Kramer, 2011), we recruited mayors in six small- to mid-sized cities to participate in a collective-impact experiment whose goal is to create systemic solutions to address the comprehensive needs of children living in poverty. This paper examines the enablers of and barriers to creating systemic approaches to providing comprehensive supports and services for children as well as the factors that impact the sustainability of the work.

Authors

• Lynne Sacks, Harvard University

• Jessica Boyle, Stanford University