MISSION
The Center for Cities and Schools works
to promote high-quality education as an essential component of urban and metropolitan vitality. Through our work, the Center makes visible the ways in which
cities and schools are interconnected in order to inform public policy,
urban planning, and educational practice.
STRATEGY
Working at the intersection of urban policy
and public education, we utilize three strategies to advance our work: Education, Collaborative Practice, and Research. Through public forums and courses at UC Berkeley, the Center educates future and current leaders on how to improve both cities and schools through their professional work. To engage the broader community, the Center provides direct service "collaborative practice" through activities such as: professional development workshops for public school teachers, district officials, and elected leaders; and public events and symposiums highlighting key issues. To better inform practice and policy decisions, the Center conducts and disseminates scholarly research. Through these mechanisms, the Center cultivates systems change by bringing diverse actors together, growing active and informed participants, and constructing common language.
THEORY OF CHANGE
Download PDF of Theory of Change. (138kb)
HISTORY
The Center for Cities
and Schools, formally established in 2004, was born out of over ten
years of work related specifically to schools and public housing in the
San Francisco Bay Area and across the nation. The Center is located in the Institute of Urban and Regional Development (IURD) at the University of California, Berkeley. The Center is closely affiliated with Berkeley’s Department of City and Regional Planning and the Graduate School of Education.
