Mayor Juilán Castro is in Denver today for the launch of the Mayors for Educational Excellence Tour (MEET), a partnership among the mayors of four major U.S. cities to highlight the educational innovations that are working in their respective cities. The tour includes four stops:
- Denver, Colorado on October 16-17, 2013, hosted by Mayor Michael Hancock
- Sacramento, California on December 11-12, 2013, hosted by Mayor Kevin Johnson
- Providence, Rhode Island on January 30-31, 2014, hosted by Mayor Angel Taveras
- San Antonio, Texas on March 6-7, 2014, hosted by Mayor Julian Castro
Read more about the tour:
- “On the road to school success”, Michael Hancock, Kevin Johnson, Angel Taveras & Juilán Castro, Politico, October 15, 2013
- “Castro to join other mayors for education talks”, Maria Luisa Cesar, San Antonio Express-News, October 10, 2013
- “The Mayors for Educational Excellence Tour (MEET) Launches October 17, 2013 in Denver”, Mayors for Education Excellence Tour news release, October 14, 2013
- “Four City Mayors Educational Tour Kicks Off”, Mayors for Education Excellence Tour news release, October 15, 2013
- “Taveras joins prominent U.S. mayors for national education reform tour”, Dan McGowan, WPRI-12 (Providence), October 15, 2013
Perhaps in March, when Mayor Taveras visits San Antonio, he will have time for a side trip to Austin to visit the giant photo of him at the LBJ Library. “Providence Mayor Angel Taveras has a place in LBJ Library”, Richard C. Dujardin, Providence Journal, October 14, 2013. The library, unbeknownst to Taveras, used his image in an exhibit about Head Start, a signature program of Lyndon Baines Johnson’s presidency; Taveras attended a Head Start program as a young child in Providence.
In my opinion, the mayors’ tour is a Big Deal. These cities are all doing interesting things with education. The tour will build relationships and give the participants an irreplaceable sense of place about the successful new schools and programs.
I feel like I should mention that Mayor Kevin Johnson is married to Michelle Rhee, the controversial former chancellor of D.C. Public Schools and the current leader of Students First, an advocacy organization. “Lunch with the FT: controversial schools reformer Michelle Rhee”, Edward Luce, Financial Times, October 4, 2013; this earlier post gives a sense of what Students First is about—parent empowerment.
Related content:
- Earlier post about Rhode Island Mayoral Academies, a charter school network supported by Mayor Taveras
- Earlier post about Pre-K 4 SA, Mayor Castro’s early childhood education initiative
