Education That Works: Ideas for Sacramento

By: Mayor Kevin Johnson

As part of the California Mayors Education Roundtable Initiative, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson held a March 2009 summit that brought together nationally renowned educators to discuss their work, successes, and lessons learned. The gathering was the first step towards his goal for each Sacramento student to have full access to a rigorous curriculum that equips him or her to graduate from high school with the skills necessary to be successful in later life. This white paper, developed from the ideas and discussions emanating from the gathering, is the continuation of a dynamic citywide discussion about how to ensure academic success for all Sacramento students.

Recommendations and key research questions are presented, and five areas were identified as starting points:

• School Accountability
• Portfolio of School Choice
• Human Capital
• Parent Participation
• External Resources

The California Mayors Education Roundtable is led by Paul Koehler, Director of WestEd's Policy Center.