The Challenge:
Leaders across St. Louis’ public schools often face shared challenges: staffing shortages, the impact of a new law, population changes, and so on. These extend beyond the different approaches to teaching and learning frequently highlighted by the news media and focused on by politicians. So why try to address these shared challenges alone?
The Approach:
In the spirit of cooperation, the St. Louis Schools Collaborative brings together the leaders of all public schools in the city to speak with a single voice when the moment requires, and work together on initiatives that can benefit all students, regardless of their school.
Members currently include leaders of St. Louis Public Schools and the city’s charter schools. SKIP provides facilitation and research support.
The Action:
Together, members of the Collaborative are pursuing opportunities for greater coordination that leads to better educational outcomes for all children. The Collaborative is gathering, organizing, and analyzing data, facts, and various points-of-view regarding public education in St. Louis. It will develop collective priorities and recommend changes to the current educational landscape based on a holistic systems perspective, informed by parents and educators. With collective support for positive change, the educational outcomes of students will measurably improve. A pilot project is underway to pool resources around special education so schools can offer better services efficiently.