City Forward Collective is focused on making sure every student has access to a quality school. (Picture provided by City Forward Collective)
By Nyesha Stone
After a year of doing outreach, PAVE + STCM have decided to rebrand themselves into City Forward Collective which will have a new organizational vision led by Dr. Patricia Hoben—the founding head of the Carmen Schools of Science & Technology Network.
PAVE + STCM recently merged together because their missions were similar, said Hoben. After merging, both parties realized their original vision was so different from their current one that they decided to rebrand and rename themselves.
According to a press release, City Forward Collective is a new effort to move Milwaukee forward by eliminating educational inequities and ensuring every child has access to a great school.
“We want to create a more specific vision for what it means to be a quality school,” said Dr. Hoben. Hoben added that this rebranding is focused on giving parents and the community a voice in education, which means asking them what it means to be a quality school.
According to the press release, for nine months an independent steering committee, representing communities across the city, determined the best strategies to improve education outcomes through City Forward Collective:
1. Family and community organizing
• Year one actions:
• Hire two community organizing fellows
• Pilot community organizing strategies to engage residents in two neighborhoods– one North Side, one South Side
2. Community-informed policy
• Year one actions:
• Research and gather input to formulate specific policy recommendations
• Create an advocacy strategy to enact needed policy changes
3. Diverse governance
• Year one actions:
• Lead by example: implement the first phase of a multi-year plan to increase the number of women and people of color on our board
• Connect diverse board candidates with schools and other education nonprofits
4. Effective and representative talent
• Year one actions:
• Landscape analysis to assess strengths and gaps in Milwaukee’s talent pipelines
• Continue in-demand programs: Burke Fellowship, Emerging Leaders Program, and School Leadership Coaching and Collaboratives
5. Quality schools
• Year one actions:
• Work with diverse stakeholders to develop a robust definition of ‘high-quality schools’
• Convene an advisory investor council to design an investment fund and campaign
Hoben stated that Black and brown teachers only make up 22 percent of Milwaukee County’s school teachers, yet Milwaukee schools are mostly attended by black and brown students.
“That number needs to go up substantially,” she said. “[We need] more people that look like our kids and lived the life our kids.”
For more information on City Forward Collective, visit https://www.pave.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=360504&type=d