Education Law

Recognizing urban districts' excellence

School governance teams are a delicate balance of many complex issues. Creating policies(and sticking to them), working through tough financial times, having forethought to see what lies ahead for your district, and of course, raising academic achievement are among the topics which school boards and superintendents must grapple with regularly. NSBA's Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE), focuses much of their attention on these issues and have announced the three finalist districts for the CUBE Annual Award for Urban School Board Excellence. This award, given annually, spotlights districts that are working hard to break down barriers and achieve academic sucess for their students.

Brownsville, Texas; Chula Vista, Calif.; and Omaha, Nebraska have been selected as the finalists due to their ability to demonstrate strength in four core areas: school board governance, community engagement, closing the achievement gap, and academic excellence.

While the award winner won't be announced until the end of September at CUBE's Annual Conference, the finalists have a lot to be proud of. All three districts serve unique communities and have overcome challenges that most districts in the country don't have to consider. Urban districts often face issues years ahead of suburban and even rural districts, but in many cases, how an urban district handles a situation can be examined and used as a training tool for all school systems.

?These finalists illustrate how essential successful board governance is for urban achievement, and we are proud to recognize these districts for their exemplary leadership,? said Anne. L Bryant, executive director of NSBA in a news release announcing the finalists. ?A great facet of the CUBE program is that all member districts have the opportunity to learn from each others? successful practices for progress.?

So take a minute and check the finalists' web sites (Brownsville, Chula Vista, Omaha) to see some of the programs and ways they're working successfully. There may be something your district can use to improve, as well!

Full post as published by BoardBuzz: NSBA's Daily Weblog on August 11, 2008 (boomark / email).