Between 2006-2008, the Secondary Education Blueprint Steering Committee met on a monthly basis and guided the planning process, monitored and adjusted it as needed, and ensured that the multiple strands were brought together in order to produce a unified Blueprint. The members of the Steering Committee were selected to represent the diverse perspectives and interests of the City of Philadelphia's key sectors, stakeholders, and demographic composition. These included the following:
- School District of Philadelphia
- Intermediary Organizations (i.e., Policy, Research, and/or Technical Assistance)
- Institutions of Higher Education (two-year and four-year)
- Family, Youth, and Community Advocates (e.g. African-American, Latino, Asian)
- State/Local/Municipal Leadership
- Industry
The Steering Committee played a key role in shaping the secondary school reform blueprint by:
- Articulating a recommended shared vision that provided the glue that bound all of the targets/strategies into a cohesive plan
- Maintaining a lens on equity as a priority for systemic reform
- Maintaining a lens on issues of teaching and learning as a fundamental component
- Recommending budget priorities
- Recommending how the district can be organized to support reform
- Working with the Office of the Chief Academic Officer to integrate and coordinate across major components of the school system (i.e., curriculum, professional development, support services, leadership development, etc.) and initiatives (i.e. Penn/21st Century Skills, Knight/CTE, Broad/Leadership, etc.)
- Working with the School District of Philadelphia to facilitate a vetting process with key community stakeholder groups.