The New York City Department of Education (DOE) provides primary and secondary education to more than one million students in over 1,350 schools. With over 130,000 employees and an annual budget of $13 billion, the DOE manages highly complex operational and organizational challenges. Under the leadership of Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Chancellor Joel Klein, Children First – a multi-year reform effort to improve New York City’s public schools – is driving one of the largest transformations of any public agency in decades. Key tenets of Children First include: • City-wide core curriculum, including math and literacy coaches for every school; • Increased emphasis on school leadership and increased autonomy for school leaders; • Focus on parent engagement in schools; • Improved organizational and management structure; and • Accountability and transparency throughout the system.