Local leaders in Youngstown, many of whom have been using Harwood tools and ideas, have stepped forward to help lead an effort to understand the city's aspirations for education, and ensure that school reform reflect's people's concerns in the context of the community.

I spent last week in Brazil, and came away with a feeling of immense possibility for that nation and its people. Part of my trip took me to the rain forest where my colleague, Lisa Flick Wilson, and I visited one of them most innovative schools I have ever seen. And where there are lessons for all of us.

This Sunday another salvo in the school reform battle hit The New York Times in the form of an article the title of which was, “Whose Failing Grade Is it?” by Lisa Belkin. The piece discusses new state-based efforts to punish parents if their kids don’t show up at school and perform certain tasks. But, is this the form of accountability we really want and need?

Last week I wrote about whether public school transformation was now dead in Washington, D.C. as a result of Mayor Adrian Fenty’s election defeat. Now, this week, in New York City, NBC News and a host of partners are putting on “Education Nation” to raise ideas and spark discussion about how to change public schools. In both instances, there’s a key ingredient to success missing: creating a new ethic in the nation for mobilizing people to transform public schools.

Is school reform dead in Washington D.C. now that Mayor Adrian Fenty was solidly defeated for re-election? Many observers see his defeat as a sign that people don’t want genuine reform or have the stomach for it. They’re wrong. But to create real and sustainable transformation, we’ll need to take a different path. There are lessons from DC for all of us.