Urban Schools Kick Off the School Year with Exciting New Initiatives
Urban school districts are introducing various initiatives for the 2025-26 school year to enhance attendance and educational programs. Some of these initiatives include campaigns to boost student participation, the opening of new schools with innovative programs, and the implementation of math and literacy programs.
Buffalo Names New Superintendent; Several Districts Start School Year with Interim Leaders
Pascal Mubenga, most recently superintendent of Durham Public Schools in North Carolina, now leads Buffalo Public Schools, the second-largest school district in New York State.
Superintendents Continue Leading L.A. and Philadelphia Schools with New Contract Extensions
Alberto Carvalho has won a four-year contract renewal as superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation’s second largest, with more than 500,000 students. The board vote was unanimous.
Philadelphia Inquirer Editorial: Urban Schools are Making Great Strides
In an op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Council Strategic Adviser Michael Casserly writes that not only have the nation’s large city schools — including Philadelphia — made progress, but their gains are larger between 2003 and 2024 than schools in the nation at large.
Baltimore School Library Makeover Opens a New Chapter for Students
Hazelwood Elementary/Middle School in Baltimore serves approximately 527 students in preK through eighth grade. It has been 20 years since the school’s library was last remodeled, so Principal Amanda Rice was thrilled when she was joined by district officials recently to cut the ribbon on the newly transformed library.
Since January, the nation’s schools have watched in horror at the drama being produced by leaders in Washington. Funding cuts, shifting definitions of longstanding discrimination laws, and mass firings have filled educators with apprehension about what else could possibly happen next.
A newsletter published by the Council of the Great City Schools, representing 81 of the nation’s largest urban public school districts. Click here to learn more. All news items should be submitted to Tonya Harris (tharris@cgcs.org).
 
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