What New York Sees In Cincinnati | P.G. Sittenfeld

What New York Sees In Cincinnati | P.G. Sittenfeld:

What New York Sees In Cincinnati

Posted: 07/29/2013 10:10 am

 For the candidates hoping to be mayor of New York City, the campaign trail has led to unexpected destinations. Specifically, in recent months, most of the strongest candidates have visited Cincinnati.

Christine Quinn has made the trip. As has Bill Thompson. Bill de Blasio's been here. John Liu, too. Had Anthony Weiner entered the race earlier, a swing through Cincinnati might well have been on his agenda.

And it's not just political heavyweights who have paid us a visit. Leadership from the Partnership for New York City business coalition, the United Federation of Teachers, and Trinity Wall Street Church have all journeyed to Cincinnati.

All of which begs the question: What's happening here?

The answer: a model of educational innovation yielding big results, and catching the country's attention.

What the mayoral candidates have come to see is our Community Learning Center Initiative. A little more than a decade ago, voters passed a bond levy making possible the rebuilding or renovating of every public school in the district. The promise to taxpayers was that the facilities would be much more than just traditional academic settings during