5:23 p.m., Apr. 18, 2008

School forum to meet in Detroit
By Leah Boyd

Detroit will be hosting this year’s Schools That Can national forum next month in an effort to bring the country’s educational leaders together to examine and strengthen inner-city schools.

The forum, May 7-9 at the Renaissance Center, will showcase the city’s members of Schools That Can — a national nonprofit that works to help existing high-performing inner-city schools survive.

Detroit’s member schools include: Detroit Edison Public School Academy, David Ellis Academy, Winans Academy of Performing Arts and the YMCA Service Learning Academy.

Guest speakers at the forum are Joe Williams, executive director of Democrats for Education Reform, and Earl Phalen, co-founder and CEO of the Building Educated Leaders for Life program. Area organizations, such as the Skillman Foundation, Kellogg Foundation and Johnson Center for Philanthropy, will be represented on panels.

Schools That Can, of Evanston, Ill., reaches 10 major urban markets — Detroit, Indianapolis, Cleveland, New York, Los Angeles, Oakland, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Chicago and Boston — with three to seven schools representing each market.

The organization offers grants, helps with recruitment and accreditation, and advocacy campaigns that raise awareness of STC schools.