Mayors participating in the Challenge have committed to setting at least one specific, measurable target in each of the Challenge's four key areas that make sense in their own communities.  For example:

• Louisville Mayor Jerry E. Abramson is focused on cutting his city's dropout rate in half.
• Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter also seeks to halve the local dropout rate, as well as double his city's college completion rate.
• St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman seeks to expand high-quality early education opportunities for 1,600 children ages 3-5.

» View the list of mayors and their local goals

In addition to establishing specific local goals and targets, mayors joining the Challenge will highlight the current baseline measures for their targets in the four Challenge areas, the timeframe in which they hope to achieve their goals, and the actions they will pursue to make that progress.  Several mayors already have been carrying out broad-based initiatives with clear plans for achieving results and strong evaluation components.  For instance:

• Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak has developed a Blueprint for Action to Prevent Youth Violence to achieve his goals for ensuring that children have safe neighborhoods to call home.
• Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer seeks to "move the needle" on indicators such as high school graduation rates, juvenile crime, child abuse, and teen pregnancy for the 2,000 children in the Parramore neighborhood through his Parramore Kidz Zone initiative.

Mayors will report progress toward their goals on an annual basis, and will share best practices with cities across the country.

» Join the Challenge