Apr 29, 2007 3 min read

On April 23, the Mon Valley Education Consortium became The Consortium for Public Education, a change that reflects the widening scope and reach of the work of the education fund. Executive Director Linda L. Croushore and Consortium Board President James Lenkner made the formal announcement at a leadership retreat.

In revealing the new identity, they stressed that “our commitment to all those who work in the public schools as the leaders and champions of children will not change. … Every child must receive a high quality public education to succeed in life. That is not a right for some children, but for all children.”

And, they added, “we still will be ‘the Consortium’, which is the shorthand way most people refer to us.”

The Consortium prides itself on constantly growing and evolving, Croushore said. It has been a hallmark of the organization since 1985, “when we received a check for $5,000 and a challenge from the Allegheny Conference on Community Development and the Mon Valley Commission.” With that money, one room and a start-up staff of two, an organization emerged to restore pride in and uphold the McKeesport Area public schools following the collapse of big steel.

Two years later, that McKeesport operation expanded to include 19 more school districts in the region and became the Mon Valley Education Consortium. Today, the central office staff numbers 14, with another 19 in two satellite operations. The Consortium works in six western Pennsylvania counties and regularly collaborates statewide with other Pennsylvania education funds, agencies, advocacy groups and legislative bodies. It maintains membership in the Public Education Network, based in Washington, D.C., and is composed of Local Education Funds (LEFs) across the nation.

The new identity is part of a repositioning for the organization, one that will bring substantial changes over the next three years. There will be an increasing effort to grow and strengthen the network of partners needed to address crucial issues and to engage the public.

Expanded networks and teamwork will be essential to the major areas that the Consortium plans to focus on as its reorganization moves forward, including a middle/high initiative that strengthens students’ experiences from middle school into high school and on to post-secondary education or work, and early literacy, where partnerships among schools, young families and other agencies are needed to make sure children come to school ready to learn.

The Consortium has been working to form a long-term strategic partnership with Duquesne University and its School of Education.

Croushore noted that the Consortium will also continue to provide regional professional development opportunities and to coordinate the many other smaller projects that have become part of the fabric of the organization over the years.

It has welcomed Mary Kay Babyak, formerly director of APEX (Agenda to Promote Educational Excellence), to the staff as Director of Initiatives. Babyak brings not only leadership development experience but also networks formed under the auspices of the former APEX organization.

“Our journey since 1985 has been amazing. However, we believe the future, while daunting, holds even more exciting possibilities. Bold changes are required of everyone to keep up with advances in technology, learning, and the world marketplace into which we send our graduates. There is less room today for failure – by institutions or by individuals. For us, when it comes to kids, failure is not an option.”