that they will be continuously employed, and earn a living wage, drop precipitously. The key to prosperity for any community is an educated citizenry, equipped with the skills to succeed in the modern workplace. The economic losses to the City of San
Jose due to dropouts are estimated at al- most $400 million over these students’ life- times. According to economist Joe Cortright (2009), for each 2 percent increase of the population with a college degree, there is a 1 percent increase in personal income growth In San José, 12,052 additional degree holders would translate to an additional $1.4 billion in aggregate personal income every year.
The launch of an initiative Clearly, this is a situation that none of us
should be willing to tolerate. It’s not just ed- ucators who feel that way; civic, business and community leaders also recognize the grav- ity of the situation. That is why, about two years ago, I was joined by San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed, educators at every level, the Sil- icon Valley Education Foundation, business leaders and community-based organizations in launching an initiative called SJ2020. The goal of this wide and highly inclu-
sive collaboration was stated simply: to eliminate the achievement gap in San Jose by the year 2020. Our vision for SJ2020 was one community working together to ensure that all of our students, from cradle to ca- reer, receive the high-quality education and support they need for college and workplace success. Although it was independently designed,
our initiative is similar to the Strive Partner- ship in Cincinnati. Strive is a collaborative of early childhood advocates, district superin- tendents, college and university presidents, community funders, business leaders, and service providers in the greater Cincinnati area, working to benefit every child, every step of the way. The Strive Partnership is an example of
the “Collective Impact” approach, which includes five key elements: common agenda, shared measurement, mutually reinforcing activities, continuous communication, and a backbone support organization. Our initiative also was informed by “All Systems Go,” Michael Fullan’s book about
Jo Dalit, instructor at the Santa Clara County Office of Education’s Santee Head Start classroom in San Jose, helps students construct a monster, guided by Ed Emberley’s “Go Away, Big Green Monster.”
in the country has been a key element in SJ2020. While the mayor has no formal role in the educational system, he recognizes the importance of education to his city’s economic vitality and quality of life. That’s why the city has examined its programs to support and improve alignment with SJ2020 strategies and partners.
Important players come to the table Mayor Reed also has the wherewithal to
bring important players to the table; he’s recruited leaders in business, philanthropy, higher education and the rest of the com- munity to our executive and steering com- mittees. Senior staff in his office and mine serve as leads for the initiative, meeting regularly to coordinate activities and work with the many SJ2020 partners. In addition, through San Jose’s involvement with groups such as the National League of Cities, CEOs
phasis on 21st century skill development that will prepare students for college and career success. Last year, we took a big step in that first
area by launching the Santa Clara County Early Learning Master Plan. As we all know, high-quality early learning enables children to develop the skills they need to succeed in school. It also helps to reduce the “readiness gap,” the disparity among students’ skill lev- els as they enter the early grades, which is the precursor to the achievement gap. Like SJ2020, the Master Plan operated
with a highly collaborative dynamic. It was created by education professionals, commu- nity members, civic leaders, and child devel- opment advocates. We strongly feel that the more inclusive our approach, the greater the chance for community buy-in, viability and ultimately, success. The key SJ2020 strategies are a focus on
November/December 2011 19
the elements of successful, whole-system re- form involving schools and the community working together.
The city’s role SJ2020 grew out of discussions with edu-
cation, business and community leaders convened by Mayor Reed and me (we serve as co-chairs of the initiative). The partner- ship with the mayor of the 10th largest city
for Cities, Talent Dividend, and California Mayors Roundtable, the initiative has access to talent, examples and ideas that help shape strategies and partnerships. Since the launch of SJ2020 in October
2009, we developed four major focus areas: access to high-quality early learning; cul- tural changes in homes and communities; cultural, instructional and new opportuni- ties in schools and classrooms; and an em-
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