Community Gets Chance to Help Improve Pittsburgh Public Schools

Those who want better quality in the Pittsburgh Public School District now have a place to talk about it online.

VIVA Idea Exchange is designed for parents, teachers and community members to share ideas for improving educational environments and student experiences online—a forum that allows for conversation without racial disparities, according to a release from the district.

“We are in the midst of a planning process that is challenging District officials and the broader Pittsburgh community to think differently about how we deliver education and boost student achievement in light of continued enrollment decline, increased costs, flat revenue projections and strong state-level support for more school choice,” Superintendent Linda S. Lane said in a prepared statement. “Our goal is a school system that provides high quality learning experiences for our students and positive teaching environments for our educators. We want to know what people think the District should do to ensure that happens.”

VIVA is an acronym for “Voices, Ideas, Vision, Action.” The program is a partnership between Pittsburgh Public Schools and New Voice Strategies.

The first stage of VIVA Pittsburgh is an open brainstorming session for people to share their ideas and solutions on a specific question: What should Pittsburgh Public Schools do to ensure high quality schools that prepare all students—both academically and non-academically—to succeed in all aspects of life?

To answer the question, see the VIVA Pittsburgh Community Idea Exchange website.

After this collaborative brainstorming, a small group of participants, identified based on the intensity of their participation, will be invited to join a Writing Collaborative tasked with turning ideas into actions.

During the third and final phase, members of the Writing Collaborative will present their ideas to Pittsburgh Public Schools officials.

To share ideas for improving Pittsburgh Public Schools, and see what others are saying, see the VIVA Pittsburgh Idea Exchange website.