Listening tour captures hopes and priorities of students, families, educators and community members; Transition team announcement forthcoming
After 100 days spent listening to students, families, educators and community members, Baltimore City Public Schools CEO Dr. Jermaine Dawson today will share what he learned during his First 100 Days Listening and Learning Tour, highlighting the hopes, priorities and shared vision that will help shape the district’s future.
The First 100 Days Listening and Learning Tour was designed to help Dr. Dawson better understand the experiences, challenges and aspirations of the people City Schools serves. More than 800 individuals attended one of the nine in-person and virtual sessions. Additionally, nearly 440 people who couldn’t attend in person responded to the online survey. These events gave community members a chance to share their perspectives on what is working, where improvements are needed and what they hope to see in the district’s future.
Three messages were repeated across the city: protect what works, make the everyday run smoothly and build schools every neighborhood believes in.
To bring the community’s voices to life, Dr. Dawson unveiled a visual installation featuring hundreds of handwritten words on sticky notes representing the community's aspirations collected from listening sessions and school visits. The installation serves as a tangible reflection of the voices, ideas and experiences that will inform the district’s work moving forward.
“I’ve spent my first 100 days as the City Schools CEO listening to Baltimoreans, both inside and outside our schools,” said Dr. Dawson, CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools. “These words reflect many different hopes, but they come back to something we all share: the belief that every student deserves to be known, valued, challenged and supported.”
In a symbolic conclusion to the event, Dr. Dawson added the 100th and final word to the installation.
“My word is possibility because I want every student in Baltimore to see a future filled with opportunities and know that City Schools is committed to helping them achieve it,” Dr. Dawson added.
While the first 100 days focused on listening and learning, the next phase will turn those conversations into action. The themes and priorities emerging from these conversations will help guide the district’s strategic direction, strengthen community engagement and support its commitment to ensuring every student graduates career-ready, future-ready and world-ready.
As part of that next phase, City Schools will announce members of Dr. Dawson’s transition team in the coming weeks. This team will help translate the community’s feedback into recommendations and opportunities to strengthen the district’s operations, educational outcomes and relationships with the Baltimore community. The transition team includes students, staff, families, and national experts who will meet three times between November and January to review feedback collected during the listening tour and help develop the district's strategic direction.
To view the full 100-Day report and Dr. Dawson’s continued transition plan, visit https://www.baltimorecityschools.org/page/entryplan.