Engagement

Our goal for the city—building and sustaining great public schools in the nation’s capital—will require a relentless, long-term commitment from many local stewards—parents, educators, business and civic leaders, and philanthropists.  We believe that real progress will last only if many stakeholders consider DC’s schools to be our schools—shared civic assets that must be strong to ensure a strong democracy and the future of our city and citizens.  Part of our work at CityBridge is to cultivate knowledgeable, long-term Stewards for Education—the citizens and civic leaders who can make sure real educational progress survives. 

All over Washington, DC many such stewards already exist.  Across a decade of building a practice area in public education, we have met many remarkable individuals, deeply committed to advancing what is best and right for kids.  We have learned, however, that the “system” is opaque to many who desire real engagement and that diverse groups of stakeholders have few opportunities to work together and magnify their impact.   Many potential stewards are looking for knowledge:  ways to deepen their understanding, to familiarize themselves with the current systems going on in DC, and to “go deep” into the causes of and solutions for the educational achievement gap.   In response to the genuine interest we have found, CityBridge is committed to sharing best practices and providing venues through which many potential stakeholders can understand and participate in the work of urban school reform.

Our engagement offerings range from school tours and the CityBridge Book Club to comprehensive board candidate training.