The Urban Education Redesign Challenge for Graduate Students 

About the 2010 Challenge

In March 2010, the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) hosted the inaugural Urban Education Redesign Challenge, the first case competition sponsored by an urban school district.

DCPS invited students from across the country to compete in the Urban Education Redesign Challenge in our nation’s capital on April 9-10, 2010.

The Challenge was a case competition, showcasing a critical and pressing issue and offering graduate students the opportunity to propose innovative solutions and strategies within the context of urban education reform here at DCPS.

This year’s Challenge focused on public engagement and mobilization strategies for DCPS, as Chancellor Michelle Rhee moves into her third year of implementing urban education reform in the District.

At a critical juncture in her tenure as Chancellor, Chancellor Rhee has prioritized how to institutionalize public engagement in a way that ensures that every stakeholder has a voice in improving our schools.

Stay tuned for information about the 2011 Urban Education Redesign Challenge.

2010 University Teams and Participants

• Cornell University: Elizabeth McKenna, Edgar Córdova, Michael Jurado, Perla Parra
• Duke University: Lindsey Keiter, Paige Elisha, John Hanlon, Sarah Rosenberg, Bunny Tucker
• Georgetown University: Julia Pergola, Aaron Smith, Luis Rodriguez
• Harvard University: Kendall Fitch, Jonathan Bailey, Christopher Cummings, Marvin Figueroa, Hanseul Kang
• Johns Hopkins University: Miriam Greenleaf-Miller, Arnold Joo, Leah Dietterle, David Donaldson
• Syracuse University: Raymond Hutchison, Daniel Hammer, Rebecca Johnson, Thérèse McKinny-Wood
• University of California, Berkeley: Marialena Dawn Rivera, Danielle Love, Paul-David Perry II, Jason Atwood, Lionel (Leo) White
• University of Louisville: Trisha Gallagher, Amber Jaggers, Shawnise Miller, Grace Mathai
• University of Pennsylvania: Jacqueline Murphy, Michael John Armijo, Yuanxia Ding, Niraj Shah
• Yale University: Kenli Okada, Jan Faraguna, Julie Swerdlow, Te-Chin Cara Eng, Elizabeth Phelps

2010 First Place Winner: Harvard University

First Place $5000 and internship offers: Harvard University

• Kendall Fitch (Harvard Kennedy School & Harvard Business School)
• Jonathan Bailey (Harvard Business & Kennedy School)
• Christopher Cummings (Harvard Business School and Harvard Law School)
• Marvin Figueroa (Harvard Ed School)
• Hanseul Kang (Harvard Law School)

Main themes

• Reconciling DCPS messaging with what we know parents care about
• StoryCorps
• more inbound communication opportunities

Download presentation.

2010 Second Place Winner: University of California, Berkeley

Second Place $3000 and internship consideration

• Marialena Dawn Rivera (Goldman School of Public Policy) 
• Danielle Love (Goldman School of Public Policy)
• Paul-David Perry II (Goldman School of Public Policy)
• Jason Atwood (PhD Cognition, Development and Education)
• Lionel (Leo) White (PhD, Psychology)

Main themes

• introduce ward based organizers
• innovation grants for teachers and community members
• ward-based showcases of student work
• revising ad campaigns to be more school-based

Download presentation.

2010 Third Place Winner: Duke University

Third Place $2000 and internship consideration

• Lindsey Keiter (The Fuqua School of Business)
• Paige Elisha (The Fuqua School of Business)
• John Hanlon (The Fuqua School of Business
• Sarah Rosenberg (Sanford School of Public Policy)
• Bunny Tucker (MA, Environmental Management, Economics and Policy)

Main themes

• Create a "MyDCPS" dashboard for parents
• focus on long-term sustainability
• build brand loyalty with simple promotional items and targeted media
• demystify strategic documents

Download presentation.

Contact Information

For questions and/or comments, please contact dcps.challenge@dc.gov.