Shakeups planned at some Boston schools

14 Boston public schools have received an ultimatum from school department officials: improve student test scores, or else your school might be closed.

The ultimatum is contained in a five-year strategic plan unveiled Wednesday night by Superintendent Carol Johnson.

The plan outlines the school district’s direction and priorities for closing access and achievement gaps and graduating all public school students from high school prepared for college and career success.

Dr. Johnson presented a working draft of the plan during a meeting of the Boston School Committee at Orchard Gardens K-8 School in Roxbury.

“The days of business as usual are over,” said Dr. Johnson. “If we intend to see all, not just some, of our schools become centers of excellence we must take bold and swift action. Every student in our city has the right to a high-quality education. I believe this plan is the road map that will lead us to new heights, where Boston can serve as a model for every urban school district in America.”

The “Acceleration Agenda, 2009-2014” proposes a new mission statement for the Boston Public Schools focused on student outcomes, as well as a new vision that describes the desired skills and characteristics of all BPS graduates. Dr. Johnson also has proposed nine core academic goals, each with specific, measurable targets for the next five years.
The plan delineates a range of key programs and initiatives, organized into four key strategies:

-Strengthening teaching and school leadership
-Replicating success and turning around low-performing schools
-Deepening partnerships with parents, students, and the community
-Redesigning district services for effectiveness, efficiency, and equity

To strengthen teaching and school leadership, the district aims to focus on the recruitment, development, and retention of the best educators, while improving systems to evaluate and dismiss ineffective teachers and leaders. Dr. Johnson cited progress in expanding rigorous learning experiences to students in every school, to ensure the improvement of all students, from those who are struggling to those performing at high levels. She committed to additional investments in Advanced Placement and dual-enrollment courses to prepare students for college-level work, as well as International Baccalaureate, public Montessori, and more opportunities in the arts, athletics, enrichment, and after-school activities.

The most immediate steps in the plan are designed to turn around some of the district’s lowest performing schools. Dr. Johnson identified 14 Boston Public Schools with consistently low MCAS scores as needing support, monitoring, and intervention. These “turnaround schools” will be expected to develop short- and long-term plans with ambitious targets for higher student achievement. As a measure of accountability, schools that do not meet performance targets will face serious consequences.

Mayor Tom Menino, recuperating from a recent knee injury, was unable to attend the meeting, but sent a letter to the School Committee in support of the Superintendent’s proposals.

“There may be some who will find it easier and safer to sit back, to stall – to use our stretched dollars as an excuse to postpone this critical work,” Mayor Menino wrote. “To these people, I say time has run out. We can no longer wait to take action. From this day forward, we must collectively re-commit ourselves and pool our energies. With diminishing resources, it will be all the more important to think creatively and to rely on those measures that are cost effective, but reap big returns.”

Dr. Johnson and members of the School Committee noted the importance of legislation pending on Beacon Hill that would give Superintendents and school districts more authority to make immediate interventions in schools most in need of improvement. They cited Mayor Menino’s in-district charter bill and other measures to transform low-performing schools without union interference as important tools in the efforts to ensure schools of excellence throughout the city.

Superintendent Johnson acknowledged that while the political environment may favor reform, the financial realities clearly indicate the district should not anticipate many new resources. “We will work to reallocate resources to where they are needed most,” said Dr. Johnson.

Another critical piece of the plan calls for deepening of partnerships with parents, student, and the community. This fall, for example, the district launched Parent University, a program designed to help families become more involved in their child’s education, with plans to expand the program in the coming months.
“We are keenly aware that family involvement matters in the lives of our students,” said Rev. Gregory G. Groover, Sr.,
Chairperson of the Boston School Committee. “It is through programs like ’Parent University’ and the involvement of members of our community that we will ultimately achieve success. This significant piece of the puzzle is among our highest priorities.”

The Acceleration Agenda identifies a “Circle of Promise” in communities with a high concentration of underperforming schools and other challenges facing students and families. Dr. Johnson called upon the community – including business, faith-based, non-profit, and health and human services partners – to target time and resources to schools and families in parts of Roxbury and North Dorchester to ensure that residents have access to a seamless network of supports that help students succeed.

Dr. Johnson’s fourth strategy calls for more effective and equitable district services that meet the needs of schools and families while making more efficient use of limited resources. She described efforts to optimize the BPS transportation system to create savings while minimizing the impact on students and noted need for additional strategies to redirect resources to classrooms.

At the start of the meeting, the Superintendent introduced student speakers and performers to highlight the intentional focus on the achievement of all Boston Public Schools students, both in academics and other enriching opportunities, such as the arts and athletics.

The Superintendent and School Committee will seek feedback on the proposal from staff, parents, students, and members of the community in the weeks ahead, with the intention to finalize the plan prior to the budget development process that begins in January.