A+ Schools: Pittsburgh’s Community Alliance for Public Education
A+ Schools is an independent community advocate for improvement in public education. Our vision is a community mobilized to improve public education to produce successive generations of young people who thrive and who build their families and futures in Pittsburgh. Our purpose is to be a community force advancing the highest educational achievement and character development for every public school student.
A+ Schools’ board is comprised of seventeen people of different backgrounds, skills and interests. All share the belief that every child deserves an excellent education. And all are committed to dramatic improvement in student achievement. A+ Schools is staffed by three professionals -- an Executive Director, a Program Associate and an Executive Assistant. A+ Schools is funded by independent local foundations. A+ Schools is neither a government agency nor an agency of the Pittsburgh Public Schools.
Advocacy initatives
Civic organizations devoted to education reform play a major role in the cities around the country that are making real improvements. To focus community energy and engage the school district leadership, A+ Schools works in the following areas.
Community Engagement
Community engagement is a defining an on-going activity for A+ Schools. We believe that broadly based community participation in public education is the best way to insure accountability and high standards for Pittsburgh’s students. In 2007, over 900 parents, community leaders, educators, elected officials, and providers were engaged in A+ Schools’ community discussions about school improvement. A+ Schools recently collaborated with the Coro Center for Civic Leadership to deliver a 10 week experiential leadership program for 20 emerging leaders in public education entitled “Leaders in Learning.” We hope to make this a regular program that can help to build and sustain a cadre of effective community leaders for education reform. A+ Schools reaches out to existing community organizations and numerous stakeholders by making presentations at meetings, disseminating information via reports, newsletters, and emails. Our Student Advisory Group is made up of high school students from across the City of Pittsburgh and meets monthly to discuss education reform issues and the impact on students. Refer to our website at www.aplusschools.org for summaries of our community discussions.
Community School Progress Report
In February 2006 A+ Schools released its inaugural report to the community detailing progress on key indicators of academic performance for the Pittsburgh Public Schools as whole as well as individual schools within the district. Since the release of the first edition in December 2006 A+ Schools has released the second and third editions of the report in December 2006 and November 2007 respectively. The 2007 report was mailed directly to every PPS household and distributed through the Sunday, November 11th Pittsburgh Post Gazette. The “Report to the Community” will be released annually and we expect the report to grow in breadth and depth over time.
Governance
Good governance is essential for sustained and focused school reform in Pittsburgh. We believe that an engaged and informed public is essential to improved outcomes for the Public Schools. A+ Schools is collaborating with the Local Government Academy to develop a tool by which citizens can monitor and evaluate the performance of the Pittsburgh Public Schools’ Board. This tool will help to focus the public’s attention on key practices of the Board and inform the community about good governance and school reform.
This is just a sampling of the work of A+ Schools. To learn more please call (412) 258-2660.
A+ Schools
Pittsburgh's Community Alliance for Public Education
Regional Enterprise Tower
Suite 1850
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
412.258.2660
412.258.2666 fax