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The Urban Commission's
Belief Statement
The Urban Commission
believes that the key to the economic
success of our state depends on
our ability to adequately prepare
the workforce of the future.
While many of our students graduate
from high school well prepared
for jobs or higher education,
many others do not. We believe
that we must make changes in our
schools if we are to increase
student achievement and assure
that our students are indeed prepared
for the future. The members of
the Urban Commission are prepared
to take on this very difficult
challenge of altering the culture
and structure of our schools to
better meet the needs of our students,
their families, their future employers
and Ohio.
The
Urban Commission's Mission
The mission of
the Urban Commission is to be
a state and national advocate
and leader on behalf of urban
public education by identifying
issues and processes that challenge
urban public schools and their
students; providing a forum to
address urban concerns; and advocating
for effective responses to the
needs of urban communities.
The
Urban Commission's History
The school board
presidents of Akron, Canton, Cincinnati,
Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, and
Youngstown came together at a
Toledo school during the summer
of 1967 to form the Large City
Commission. They formed the Large
City Commission to address the
issues that impact urban school
districts in Ohio and across the
nation.
The Toledo Seven
met for its second meeting at
the Ohio School Boards Association's
(OSBA) Columbus office. The group
decided at this second meeting
to organize the group as a commission
under OSBA. The group quickly
elected their officers and identified
issues to discuss such as teacher
strikes, arson, dropouts, school
gangs, weapons, teacher attacks,
truancy, drug abuse, alcohol abuse,
parental involvement, vocational
education, special education,
testing, textbooks, curricula,
school funding and urban education
legislation.
The original members
of the Large City Commission were
delegates and alternates from
their respective seven urban districts.
Due to the growing importance
of school finance and legislative
activity to the Large City Commission
membership, district treasurers
and superintendents were added
to the list of invitees to the
Commission's meetings.
During the 1980s,
the Large City Commission continued
to make its mark on urban education
policy in Ohio by establishing
itself as a strong force for Ohio's
urban districts. One example
is the Large City Commission's
participation in the Danforth
Foundation leadership program.
In the 1990s,
the group expanded to 15 districts
and continued its legacy of serving
Ohio's urban school districts.
After that expansion, the Large
City Commission voted to rename
itself the Urban Commission, since
the members included non-large
city districts.
Today, the Urban
Commission represents 21 of Ohio's
largest urban school districts.
The Urban Commission continues
the legacy of the Large City Commission
through its advocacy of the issues
and review of the programs that impact Ohio's urban districts,
schoolchildren and communities. Furthermore, the
commission continues to raise
awareness of the issues and programs
through its production of several
statistical reports over the years.
Urban Quarterly Issues:
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