The Extraordinary Transformation of a City and Its Schools—Pt. 2

In Part 1, we heard how Reading, Pennsylvania, began to turn outward—listening to families, students, and educators to rethink what their school system could be. In Part 2, we see what happened when a new mindset and civic culture shifted from data gathering and healthy conversation to concrete action.

Host Ken Futernick and Rich Harwood, founder of the Harwood Institute, return to trace three major initiatives that are reshaping life for students in the Reading School District—and changing how the community relates to its schools.

You’ll hear how:

• After-school programs came back into school buildings after years of being kept out, transforming schools into safe, vibrant hubs where students can learn, eat a hot meal, and connect with caring adults.
• Youth and families themselves shaped these programs—from asking for more experiences and field trips to naming something as basic as food as a barrier to participation—leading partners like Centro Hispano and Communities In Schools to step in with thousands of daily meals.
• A new English as a second language network grew from simple church dinners into a citywide web of support, helping parents gain the confidence to talk with teachers, support their children’s learning, and fully participate in school and community life.
• Faith communities adopted schools, not by deciding what they would offer, but by asking principals, “What do your students and teachers need?”—and responding with practical support, from tutors to winter coats.
• Early childhood leaders, backed by a major grant, made a courageous public “U-turn,” shifting from adding more childcare slots to building demand and awareness so that more families see high-quality early learning as essential to their children’s success in school.

Throughout the episode, educators and community partners describe how these efforts are changing the district’s relationship with the city it serves. Schools are no longer expected to shoulder every problem alone; instead, they’ve become the center of a shared project, with nonprofits, churches, funders, and residents working alongside them.

Rich and Ken also step back to ask: What does this mean for other communities that want to strengthen their own school systems—whether they’re in deep crisis or simply trying to move from good to great? Drawing on Reading’s experience, Rich offers four practical mantras for getting started: turn outward, get in motion, start small to go big, and build a “trajectory of hope.”

This is the story of a school system being rebuilt not just from the inside out, but from the outside in—one partnership, one program, and one act of listening at a time.

Download a free study guide and find related resources for this series at schoolconversations.org/reading and theharwoodinstitute.org/reading.

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