New Fordham report highlights best and worst cities for school reform

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New Orleans, Washington, and NYC top list; San Diego, Philadelphia, Gary, and Detroit bring up rear.


America’s Best (and Worst) Cities for School Reform: Attracting Entrepreneurs and Change Agents

Which American cities have cultivated a healthy environment for school reform to flourish and which have not? In an exploratory study of 30 major cities, nine reform‐friendly locales surged to the front: New Orleans, Washington D.C., New York City, Denver, Jacksonville, Charlotte, Austin, Houston, and Fort Worth. Six cities
trailed far behind: San Jose, San Diego, Albany, Philadelphia, Gary, and Detroit. Letter grades range from B to F.

The study examines six domains that are crucial to a reform‐friendly climate: 1) access to a steady flow of talented individuals; 2) a pipeline of readily accessible funding from public and private sources; 3) a thriving charter‐school market; 4) attention to quality‐control metrics that guide and regulate entrepreneurial ventures; 5) openness to nontraditional providers and reforms at the district level; and 6) similar openness at the municipal level.

Among the key findings:
• No cities earned an “A” grade. There were nine B's, 11 C's, and 5 D's. Detroit was the sole F. (Four cities did not receive grades, due to insufficient data.)

• Scores were generally highest on the funding and municipal environment fronts.