Civic Leadership Program Connects with Dayton Public Schools

The second session of Civic Leadership Program (CLP) was held last week, beginning with the Dayton Public Schools (DPS) convocation - a celebration of the achievements of DPS students, teachers, and principals over the past year and kickoff to the new school year.

The energy of the convocation carried directly into the second part of the session: a debrief and conversation with the Superintendent and senior DPS staff. This was where the real work of the cohort began.

The session was built around three goals — understanding the Superintendent's priorities for the school year, surfacing the education issues our community is grappling with, and starting to build the relationships that make coalition work possible. On all three, the conversation delivered. Cohort members asked direct questions and got direct answers, gaining real insight into how DPS is thinking about collaboration, community partnership, and parent involvement as levers for student opportunity.

Cohort member Lyn Rivera captured the moment well:

"As the 2nd cohort of the CLP we had the great privilege in sharing in the joy, celebration and recognition of the successes of Dayton Public Schools, DPS teachers, principals and students held at the University of Dayton Arena. During our debrief, we were offered a seat on this flight with DPS which allowed us to share in the vision of 'Let's Take Flight Together.' We were able to converse and ask questions and get real answers in real time. We received insight on what the power of collaboration would look like, what community partnership would look like, and what the incorporation of parent involvement would look like to help create opportunities for our students and families. I was very impressed and moved by how DPS made emphasis on the importance of strengthening Dayton as a whole to help every student reach their full potential. Working together for our students is building a stronger future for our community."

This session was a first step, not a finish line. Introductions were made, priorities were named, and issues were surfaced — the groundwork for the kind of sustained, cross-sector partnership that Learn to Earn Dayton exists to build. As the cohort continues, we're looking forward to turning these early conversations into the shared commitments that move outcomes for Montgomery County's students and families.