Promise of Roanoke

The Promise of Roanoke is a citizen-led project that is a partnership between the City of Roanoke, Roanoke City Public Schools, and Virginia Tech. Throughout 2007, approximately 75 leaders in the community strategically examined different aspects of what it takes to prepare the community for participation in an economy that is increasingly specialized and technical. This goal will be realized when every child in Roanoke is ready for school, every eighth grader is ready for high school, and every twelfth grader graduates and is ready to enter society. Listed below is a snapshot of various activities to date.

• Over 100 individuals from the community gathered on Wednesday, April 25th for a kick-off reception and dinner at The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center. Keynote presenters for the evening were Lucas Templeton, a senior from Patrick Henry High School, and Alexandra Amick, a senior from William Fleming High School.

• The Smart Communities: The Promise of Roanoke Symposium was facilitated by Dr. Suzanne Morse, President, Pew Partnership for Civic Change and Virginia Tech COTA Fellow, on Thursday, April 26th. Over 70 individuals learned about the Smart Communities model. Seven action teams were formed to address Dr. Morse’s seven indicators for a Smart Community . . .

Building on Community Strengths
Growing New Leaders
Inventing A Brighter Future
Investing Right the First Time
Practicing Democracy
Preserving the Past
Working Together

The Promise of Roanoke effort can be viewed in five phases:

Phase I—awareness of the problem, creation of a partnership to address the problem, and setting goals to remedy the problem
Phase II—selection of a facilitator, a process, and volunteer community leaders to engage in the effort
Phase III—teams meet to explore and determine what actions to take to meet the goals of the partnership
Phase IV—teams develop recommendations and implementation strategies to present to Roanoke City Council and Roanoke City School Board.
Phase V – City of Roanoke and Roanoke City Public Schools officials review the Promise of Roanoke recommendations to development appropriate implementation strategies and time lines.

Phase I. The Promise of Roanoke was created by officials from the City of Roanoke, Roanoke City Schools, and Virginia Tech. These officials saw a need to enhance the economy of Roanoke and believed that creating “first-rate” schools was the key. They identified three specific goals:

Roanoke children are ready to start school
Students are reading at an appropriate level by third grade
Students entering the 9th grade graduate in four years

Phase II. Each of the three entities that comprise the Promise of Roanoke partnership recruited community leaders to serve on the Promise of Roanoke action teams. Approximately 75 citizens answered the call to serve. Nationally known “Smart Communities” author, Dr. Suzanne Morse, provided training for the community leaders on April 27, 2007. Leaders were assigned to a team and each team then selected a team facilitator. The teams were given until the end of October 2007 to develop a plan of action, although some moved forward with their action before that deadline. Teams were asked to meet within three weeks and then reconvene as a whole group in about a month. Teams utilized meeting space at the Virginia Tech Roanoke Center and were provided light meals and data requested by the teams.

Phase III. By November 1, 2007 teams identified one or more activities or projects underway to achieve the goals set by the City and school officials. The amount of time needed to complete the activities varied by team.

Phase IV. On November 12, 2007 a press conference was held at Stonewall Jackson Middle School. The action teams presented their recommendations to Roanoke Mayor Nelson Harris, members of the City Council, School Board members, and the community at large. The product of this collaborative effort is entitled The Promise of Roanoke - A Report to the Community.

Phase V. City of Roanoke and Roanoke City Public Schools officials are currently in the process of reviewing recommendations contained within the Promise of Roanoke Community Report and developing implementation strategies as appropriate.

For additional information about the Promise of Roanoke, please contact Susan Short, Director of the Virginia Tech Roanoke Center (sshort@vt.edu) or Graduate Assistant Chuck Kirby (rhkirby@vt.edu). Thank you for your interest in this project!