Education to impact.
hear from city leaders
The classroom experience in mayors' own words
After the start of the inaugural program, several participating mayors shared their thoughts on the in-person classes, saying they were able to learn "just from being around other mayors" and noting that this program is the first of its kind.
from the initiative
The art of governing through questions
By Jorrit de Jong, Stephen Goldsmith, and Fernando Monge
Over the years, public leaders have shared with us their urge to develop their inquiry skills. While they seldom get rewarded for acknowledging uncertainty, they know that the tacit knowledge that lies within and outside organizations is invaluable and that questions are the ultimate tool to unlock the potential for innovation. Leaders can also use questions to hold their teams and others to account, to find shared purpose, to mobilize or to motivate. But while they acknowledge the importance of questions, they also know that not all queries are equally effective. There is an art to asking questions, and the leaders dealing with very hard problems in government are eager to master it.
case studies
Change at the Speed of Trust: Advancing Educational Opportunity through Cross-Sector Collaboration in Louisville
The Initiative’s newest case, “Change at the Speed of Trust,” explores cross-sector collaboration and governance in a city-wide context from the point of view of Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer. It supports learning about the design and management of cross-sector collaborations, including common challenges and success factors. The case is freely available to download and use, and is accompanied by a “conversation note” so anyone can use the material to guide a productive discussion around ideas and themes raised in the case.
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RT @HarvardAsh: "I don't consider myself a technocrat in the real sense of the word. I just want to get things done" —… https://t.co/8lPkxSg1lU -
Lessons from the cities honored by @WhatWorksCities for data excellence: data-driven culture comes from the top (co… https://t.co/WtR1sQS1tb
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RT @louisvillemayor: Louisville Metro has earned @WhatWorksCities Gold Certification! This is a huge deal! This program is the national… https://t.co/HaZH1RL9aL
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RT @BloombergCities: Congrats to the 7 cities who have achieved 2019 @WhatWorksCities' #WWCCert: @KCMO @louisvillekygov @DCGovWeb… https://t.co/Xt7M4JTDBK
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As we often discuss with city leaders, collecting data is step 1, but knowing how to use data can truly transform a… https://t.co/FdhrXECnk3
In the press
A summer of service to cities
Sixteen Harvard students embedded themselves for 10 weeks this summer in mayors’ offices around the country, targeting persistent local problems. These efforts ranged from understanding poverty in Laredo, Texas, to confronting an affordable housing shortage in Charleston, S.C., to improving Kindergarten readiness among low-income children in Baton Rouge, La.
Studying the art and science
of city leadership.
The Initiative's deep bench of faculty hail from varying disciplines within business and public policy. They're here to provide high-level executive education, to help mayors help cities.
