Council of the Great City Schools

10/21/2026

🎉 Welcome to Boston and the Council’s 70th Annual Fall Conference, hosted by Boston Public Schools.

We’re thrilled to welcome educators, district leaders, and education partners from across the country as we come together for this special milestone celebration!

As we kick off an exciting week, hear a warm welcome from our Executive Director as we celebrate 70 years of collaboration, leadership, and dedication to urban public education.

We’re excited for the conversations and connections ahead as we continue Revolutionizing What’s Possible in Urban Education!

10/20/2026

We’re excited to welcome Black Violin to the Council’s 70th Annual Fall Conference!

Black Violin features Kev Marcus on violin and Wil Baptiste on viola, who together merge string arrangements with modern beats and vocals. The two met in orchestra class in high school, received classical training in college, later won “Showtime at the Apollo” in 2005, and sold out a two-night headline show at the Kennedy Center, among other successful appearances. They have produced five albums and earned two Grammy nominations.

Both musicians are graduates of Florida’s Broward County Public Schools, where they received a big boost from James Miles, their orchestra director at Dillard High School of the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale. Among other efforts, he bought Baptiste’s first viola and Marcus’s first violin.

Paying it forward, the duo has performed at numerous schools for thousands of students over their careers. In 2019, they set up the nonprofit Black Violin Foundation to help young musicians “foster the creativity within themselves to bring their original takes on music to life.”

📆 Howard Hepburn, superintendent of Broward County Public Schools, will moderate a conversation with Marcus and Baptiste at the Council’s 70th Annual Fall Conference on Thursday afternoon, Oct. 23. That evening, Black Violin will perform at the Excellence in Urban Education Awards Ceremony, where several awards will be presented, including the Green-Garner Award, honoring the nation’s top urban educator.

10/19/2026

Meet Dr. Mark Sullivan, one of the finalists for the Council’s Green-Garner Award.

A graduate of Birmingham City Schools, Dr. Sullivan was named interim superintendent in May 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and by August of that year, was officially appointed to lead the district. Before becoming superintendent, he served as academic officer, interim assistant superintendent, and chief of staff.

In May 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Sullivan was named interim superintendent. By August of that year, the school board officially appointed him as the district's leader.
Under his leadership as superintendent:

🔸 Math proficiency in the district nearly tripled between 2021 and 2023, rising from just 4% to 19%.
🔸 Third-grade reading proficiency jumped from 50% to 81%.
🔸 Chronic absenteeism dropped, and student engagement increased due to initiatives like intersession learning, personalized academic interventions, and mental health supports.

The district’s recovery from the pandemic has become a template for pandemic learning recovery, receiving national attention. In early 2024, The New York Times spotlighted Birmingham as one of the rare districts beating pre pandemic learning levels. The Education Recovery Scorecard ranked Birmingham City Schools among the nation’s elite.

Superintendent Sullivan earned both an Educational Specialist degree and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Outside of education, Dr. Sullivan retired from the U.S. Navy Reserve, having served for 24 years.

Congrats to Superintendent Mark Sullivan! The winner of the Green-Garner Award will be announced Thursday, Oct. 22 at the Council’s 70th Annual Fall Conference in Boston.

10/16/2026

Los Angeles Unified School District Makes History with Record-Breaking Academic Performance!

Great City Spotlight: Congratulations to Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) for achieving its highest scores on record in English language arts, mathematics, and science.

According to the recently released 2025-26 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) results, LAUSD has reached a major academic milestone, marking its third consecutive year of improvements across all three subjects. In addition, the district’s gains outpaced statewide improvements in every tested subject, demonstrating continued progress in student achievement.

Key highlights include:

🔶 LAUSD achieved its highest proficiency rates on record in English language arts, mathematics, and science

🔶 For the first time since state testing began in 2014-15, LAUSD’s 2025-26 mathematics proficiency rate of 39.8% surpassed the statewide average

🔶 LAUSD exceeded statewide improvements across all three subjects
🔹 Math proficiency increased by 3 percentage points, triple the statewide gain of 1 percentage point.
🔹 Science proficiency rose by 4.8 percentage points, exceeding the statewide increase of 3.3 percentage points.
🔹 ELA proficiency increased by 1.9 percentage points, more than four times the statewide gain of 0.45 percentage points.

🔶 Every student group improved in mathematics, with particularly strong gains for English Learners. Black students also demonstrated gains across every category.

These historic results mark an important milestone for LAUSD students, families, educators, and the LAUSD community.

“Behind every data point is a student whose future we are working to strengthen,” said Los Angeles Schools Superintendent Andrés E. Chait. “Our responsibility is to make sure every student has access to excellent teaching, meaningful academic support, and the opportunities they need to thrive. These results encourage us to keep raising expectations, learning from what works, and ensuring that every school is equipped to help every child succeed.”

10/16/2026

Meet Dr. Alex Marrero, one of the finalists for the Council’s Green-Garner Award.

Dr. Alex Marrero has served as the Superintendent of Denver Public Schools (DPS) since 2021. He oversees Colorado's largest school district, which includes nearly 85,000 students and 14,000 staff across over 200 schools. As the son of a Cuban refugee and a Dominican immigrant, Dr. Marrero understands firsthand and advocates for the diverse needs of his students. When federal immigration authorities threatened students, he stood up in court to defend their right to learn without fear.

Under his leadership as superintendent:

🔷 DPS students have achieved their highest math scores ever on state tests.

🔷 The district received back-to-back "green" performance ratings on the Colorado state SPF rating system for the first time in history.

🔷 Graduation rates have reached record highs for four consecutive years.

🔷 DPS established the Latine Education Advisory Council (LEAC) to enhance educational outcomes for Latino/Hispanic students and created and implemented the district’s first-ever equity-based strategic plan.

🔷 Opened six community hubs, connecting students, families, and community members with free services to increase their economic self-sufficiency and academic success.

Superintendent Marrero holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Russell Sage College and certificates from Harvard and Columbia Universities. Beyond his role in Denver, he is deeply involved in educational leadership on a national scale, serving as president of the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents and chair-elect for the Council of the Great City Schools.

Congrats to Superintendent Alex Marrero! The winner of the Green-Garner Award will be announced Thursday, Oct. 22 at the Council’s 70th Annual Fall Conference in Boston.

10/15/2026

Great City Spotlight: Congratulations to Kentucky’s Fayette County Public Schools (FCPS) for demonstrating meaningful gains in their recent accountability results:

🔶 No FCPS school was identified for Targeted Support and Improvement for the first time since the establishment of Kentucky's current accountability system in 2018.

🔶 For the second time since 2024, no FCPS schools were flagged for Comprehensive Support and Improvement.

🔶 All FCPS schools met or exceeded state benchmarks for Black, Hispanic, and Economically Disadvantaged students.

🔶 All schools rated "Very Low" in 2025 made improvements in 2026, with only one FCPS school remaining in this rating category for 2026.

🔶 FCPS earned a four-year graduation rate of 93.9%, representing an all-time high.

🔶 Postsecondary readiness rates increased to 86.4%, an increase of 17 percentage points from 69.4% in 2022.

“This is really a testament to the opportunities and access that we are providing to our students at the secondary level, many of which have been made possible by our Fayette County Board of Education prioritizing initiatives such as dual credit courses, career academies, and work-based learning,” said Interim Superintendent Bill Bradford.

Read more at: https://www.fcps.net/post-details/~board/fayette-county-public-schools-news/post/fcps-reaches-new-heights-in-student-achievement

10/14/2026

10/13/2026

Meet Dr. Adrienne Battle, one of the finalists for the Council’s Green-Garner Award.

A graduate of Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS), Dr. Battle was named interim superintendent in 2019 and permanent superintendent in 2020. She is the first woman and the first MNPS graduate to lead Tennessee’s second-largest school district with approximately 81,000 students.

Under her leadership as superintendent, the district:

🔷 Earned the highest possible Level 5 TVAAS growth rating in the Tennessee Value Added Assessment System for four consecutive years from 2022 through 2025.

🔷 Recorded its highest proficiency rates in 2025 on the state’s testing program, the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program.

🔷 Earned national recognition from the Education Recovery Scorecard for ranking among the nation’s leading large urban districts in post-pandemic academic growth.

🔷 Initiated Better Together, a joint venture with Nashville State Community College to create more and stronger pathways to college and career success for MNPS graduates, and University MNPS, which has created full-ride scholarship opportunities and student supports for MNPS graduates at several Nashville colleges and universities.

Superintendent Battle earned her master's, education specialist, and doctorate degrees in Educational Administration and Supervision from Tennessee State University. A Nashville native, Dr. Battle has spent almost her entire career with MNPS, serving as a teacher, assistant principal, academic principal, executive principal, and community superintendent.

Congrats to Superintendent Adrienne Battle! The winner of the Green-Garner Award will be announced Thursday, Oct. 22 at the Council’s 70th Annual Fall Conference in Boston.

10/12/2026

You will not want to miss this webinar tomorrow featuring Council Executive Director Raymond Hart.

As artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly transforms the educational landscape — creating new opportunities for teaching and learning while raising critical questions about safety, privacy, transparency, and educator voice — education leaders face an evolving policy environment.

Join the campaign for Grade-Level Reading for a conversation exploring the national AI policy issues and safety standards most likely to shape school governance and classroom practice in the years ahead.

Participants will leave with actionable insights into the emerging national AI conversation, practical strategies for school-level policy implementation, and a deeper understanding of the safety guardrails and equity considerations shaping the future of teaching and learning.

A National Conversation on AI in Education: Policy, Privacy, and Practice With Randi Weingarten
📅 Tuesday, October 13, 12:30-2:00 p.m. ET/9:30-11:00 a.m. PT

Register now! ➡️
https://glrcenter-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_XGHgg_JnRLGb135_2lwbCQ #/registration

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10/09/2026

Great City Spotlight: Over the last several years, Richmond Public Schools (RPS) has adopted the very best research-based curricula, invested heavily in teacher training, expanded the number of teachers who support multilingual learners and students with disabilities, deepened its commitment to students’ social and emotional health, and innovated with programs like RPS200, an extended year program.

The results are paying off. Virginia recently released its state accountability results, which reflect newly raised proficiency cut scores. Richmond Public Schools demonstrated strong academic growth and improvement across multiple measures.

🔷 RPS outpaced statewide growth on Standards of Learning (SOL) assessments between SY 2022-23 and SY 2025-26:
🔶 Mathematics: +7 vs. +4 statewide;
🔶 Reading +7 vs. +1 statewide;
🔶 Science +15 vs. +4 statewide;
🔶 History +11 vs. +5 statewide.
🔷 English learner students exceeded the statewide proficiency rate in both reading and mathematics.
🔶 Reading: 39% in RPS vs. 34% statewide.
🔶 Mathematics: 49% in RPS vs. 46% statewide.
🔷 The reading proficiency gap between Black economically disadvantaged students in RPS and the statewide average was reduced by half.
🔷 Six RPS schools exited Virginia's Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) list.

“This is a tremendous accomplishment for our schools and a reflection of the life-changing work happening in classrooms every single day,” said Superintendent Jason Kamras in an email to families. “It takes strong leadership, talented and dedicated educators, rigorous academics, and a relentless focus on what our students need to succeed. I’m incredibly proud of the students, teachers, school leaders, and families who have made this progress possible.”