Over 150 people turned out to join A+ Schools and our partners for a lively and productive discussion about what we value about the Pittsburgh Public Schools and what we think matters when measuring success. Michael Kumer, Executive Director of the Non Profit Leadership Institute at Duquesne University moderated the evening's agenda with his trademark affirmation and eloquence. Dr. Helen Faison, A+ Board member, opened the meeting with welcoming remarks. School Board President Bill Isler and District Chief of Staff Phil Parr set the tone for a positive and productive meeting with their remarks. Saleem Ghubril, A+ Board member presented the mission and initiatives of A+ Schools. Guest Speaker, Keith Pierce, Director of Communications for the Pennsylvania Department of Education gave a powerful and inspiring presentation on the Lancaster School District's experience embracing school reform. Following his remarks, 14 small group discussions took place where participants shared what they valued about public education and what things they believed were indicators of success. After the facilitated discussions, each group reported back the three issues they thought were most important to the whole group. Councilman Sala Udin, A+ Board member and Keith Pierce each answered one question (due to time constraints) submitted by participants. Bonita Allen, A+ Board member, closed the session with her inspiring remarks, "Success is why we are all here tonight. We each believe that the children of Pittsburgh can succeed and deserve an environment in which they can succeed. We all know this is not easy work - we have our share of challenges to reach success. However, A+ Schools believes that we can succeed if we work together. Henry Ford once said, 'Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes of your goal.' "Let's keep focused on our goal of success for Pittsburgh Public School students" It's just like being there...
If you missed the meeting on June 10th, catch up now. Here, you can hear the presentations made by our speakers and view the presentation made by Keith Pierce, Director of Communications of the Pennsylvania Deparment of Education.

Audio
You'll need Windows Media Player to listen to these .wma files

• Welcome - Michael Kumer, Program Moderator and Executive Director of the Non Profit Leadership Institute at Duquesne University, and Helen Faison, A+ Schools Board Member and former Superintendent of the Pittsburgh Public Schools
  1,278KB -- 05:12 minutes
• Goals of the Meeting - Michael Kumer
  625KB -- 02:34 minutes
• Bill Isler, President, Pittsburgh School Board
  2,179KB -- 09:04 minutes
• Phil Parr, Chief of Staff, Pittsburgh Public Schools
  1,960KB -- 08:00 minutes
• The Mission of A+ Schools - Saleem Ghubril, A+ Schools Board Member and Director of The Pittsburgh Project
  3,476KB -- 14:30 minutes
• The Lancaster Story - Keith Pierce, former Director of Communications, PA Department of Education

Presentation
You'll need Microsoft Power Point to view this presentation.

From Fuss to Trust: The story of the Lancaster, PA School District

[ back ]

A+ Schools
Pittsburgh's Community Alliance for Public Education
Regional Enterprise Tower
Suite 1850
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
412.258.2660
412.258.2666 fax