City education leaders gather in California to explore high school, college and workforce innovations.

At last week's spring meeting of NLC's Mayors' Education Policy Advisors Network (EPAN) in San Francisco, more than 35 mayors' education advisors joined representatives from the Alternative High School Initiative (AHSI) and Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI), along with other top education leaders from across the nation, to discuss ideas for adapting and expanding innovative school improvement models.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson addressed the EPAN meeting attendees on Monday, June 1, kicking off a two-day discussion on local innovations and policies that strengthen the education-workforce continuum. Sponsored by NLC's Institute for Youth, Education, and Families (YEF Institute) and supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, EPAN is a national network that supports mayoral leadership in education and enables mayors' education advisors from the nation's 75 largest cities to share best practices for improving student achievement.

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Federal Support for Education Innovation

The EPAN meeting began with an address by Jim Shelton, assistant deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Innovation and Improvement. Shelton provided insight regarding federal education priorities and new opportunities stemming from American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding.

"This is an unprecedented opportunity for investment in education," said Shelton, who went on to describe four key federal priorities: educational standards and assessments, human capital, data systems and accountability, and radical intervention in failing schools. Urging mayors to ensure that ARRA education funds are used efficiently and are leveraged to fulfill a sustainable, long-term vision, Shelton explained that there "is an opportunity for mayors to push for greater productivity and more investment in the areas where students struggle."

Following Shelton's remarks, Patrick Ainsworth, assistant state superintendent and director of the secondary, postsecondary and adult leadership division for the California Department of Education, highlighted the link between schools and economic development, and emphasized that career and technical education are now central to every student's experience.