In 1994, JFF launched the
Benchmark Communities Initiative a five-year, systemic education reform
initiative. In collaboration with JFF, five communities—Boston, Massachusetts;
Louisville/Jefferson County, Kentucky; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; North Clackamas,
Oregon; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania—set out to develop and demonstrate
effective approaches to improving young people’s transitions into postsecondary
education and careers.
At the height of the nationwide
movement toward standards-based reform, these communities placed themselves at
the forefront of a particular approach to improving student outcomes, one that
sought to:
- Engage all students in intellectually
challenging and relevant studies;
- Provide those students with productive workplace and
community learning opportunities;
- Personalize learning by creating small communities of teachers and
learners, bound by a unique identity, a curricular focus, and a common purpose;
and
- Establish structured connections to higher education and economic
opportunities.
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From Innovative Programs to Systemic Education Reform: Lessons from Five Communities 
