Community Learning & Technical Assistance Network

Creating a culture of learning is central to CPER's long-term success. CPER is committed to creating a learning community for parent leaders, community organizers, funders and other key stakeholders from all sites participating in the initiative.

The Community Learning & Technical Assistance Network (the Network) provides CPER participants with several avenues for increasing their capacity to achieve the systemic education reforms they and CPER envision. The Network's components are designed to strengthen and complement each other to create a coherent, comprehensive program that informs the work of each site and of CPER overall:

• Annual convening - CPER hosts annual meetings of all its partners. These convenings provide an opportunity for all CPER donors and grantees to share what they are learning about systemic education reform and to deepen their understanding of the common issues and opportunities emerging from their organizing and policy-reform efforts. The first convening was held in Chicago on April 3-5 2008. The second convening will take place on May 28 – 30, 2009 at the Radisson Plaza – Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia, PA.

• Special learning opportunities - CPER helps grantees attend conferences, trainings and other education-reform and education-organizing events.

• Cross-site learning opportunities - CPER supports grantees who wish to visit other CPER sites to attend trainings, receive technical assistance or work with other sites' staff to inform their own work.

• Communications - CPER provides capacity-building support to help sites effectively use media to tell their stories.

• Presentations at regional and national conferences - CPER staff and other partners plan and organize conference presentations to raise the visibility of organizing as an education-reform strategy.