Last Night At School Committee Shah Family Foundation

Standardized testing has long been a cornerstone in educational systems, serving as a tool for measuring student achievement and influencing decisions at every level of schooling. Supporters see standardized tests as essential for maintaining accountability and providing clear metrics for comparison across educational landscapes. However, many have called for moving away from standardized tests, with critics arguing that these tests can reinforce inequality, pressure teachers to "teach to the test," and fail to capture the full scope of student potential. 

In today’s episode, Jill and Ross are joined by two experts to explore this topic. Harry Feder is the Executive Director of Fair Test, a national organization that advocates for fair and equitable testing practices. Harry brings a wealth of experience in challenging the way tests are used and proposing alternatives. 

Dr. Martin West is a professor and academic dean at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a board member of the National Assessment Governing Board. Dr. West offers a unique perspective with his extensive research on education policy and his involvement in shaping how assessments are created and implemented. 

To learn more about Dr West’s research and Harry’s work with Fair Test, check out the resources below.

Harry Feder Bio

Dr. Martin West Bio

Fair Test

Research on MCAS in Massachusetts
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Last night’s meeting was long anticipated as the meeting where BPS would begin to actualize the actions of their long term facilities plan by announcing a comprehensive list of school closures, mergers and consolidations, but this was not the case. 

The meeting began with the Superintendent’s Report, where she discussed a recent update she gave to the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education on the district’s systemic improvement plan, where BESE did not raise any concern or alarm.

The School Committee took action on three items, with unanimous approval of grants and a renewed charter memorandum of understanding for UP Academy Boston and Dorchester. The third vote of the evening was on opting out of the state’s school choice program. Typically a routine decision to opt out of the state’s school choice program, the vote sparked a lively discussion. Committee members debated the benefits of participating in the program, suggesting it could potentially boost enrollment in under-enrolled schools and help retain students forced to move out of the city due to rising housing costs. Despite these arguments and pleas to have these conversations earlier in the year, the Committee voted to opt out of the program, with one member voting to opt in and another abstaining.

The only report of the evening was a report on the long-term facilities plan, where the Superintendent insisted that this is the most action taken in the last 40 years combined. Contrary to expectations of numerous school mergers and closures, the Superintendent announced only one school closure which had already been disclosed earlier this year, and a merger of two schools that share the same building. The report focused on programmatic and design changes, emphasizing the challenges of implementing a long-term plan due to secondary programming issues. Committee members pushed for a comprehensive master plan and raised concerns about budgetary implications without long-term projections.

The next School Committee meeting will be held in-person or on Zoom at 6 pm on June 5th.
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Last week, Jill and Ross hosted a live podcast recording at the University Club in Boston, MA, with College Uncovered co-hosts Jon Marcus and Kirk Carapezza. Jon is a higher education editor for The Hechinger Report, and Kirk is the managing editor and correspondent for higher education at GBH News. Their podcast, College Uncovered, helps families and students navigate higher education and understand the problems and risks in higher education. In this live recording, Jill and Ross talk to Jon and Kirk about the state of higher education and what families need to know in helping their kids get into college.

To listen to College Uncovered and read more of Jon and Kirk’s work, check out the resources below.

College Uncovered

Jon Marcus’s Bio

Kirk Carapezza’s Bio
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Last night’s meeting featured the Superintendent’s Report and three reports, including reports on participating in the school choice program and the district’s facilities plan. The meeting began with a brief Superintendent’s Report. Members asked about the status of the district’s budget, which is currently being considered by the City Council. There have been four budget hearings so far, on topics including special education and school offerings, and City Councilors have continued to express concern.

The first report of the evening was an amendment to the charter memorandum of understanding for UP Academy Dorchester and Boston, slated for a vote at the next meeting. The second report addressed the Massachusetts School Choice Program for the 2024-25 school year. Annually, the School Committee decides whether to participate in this state program, and traditionally, the district has opted out. More than half of the districts in Massachusetts allow School Choice, meaning students from other districts can enroll in their schools and vice versa, while Boston and its surrounding communities do not (this map from 2017 shows interesting geographic trends across the state on school choice). Last night, the Superintendent and her team advocated against participation, citing several reasons but omitting many benefits of the program. School Committee members highlighted potential advantages like allowing families displaced by rising housing costs to remain within the district and increasing diversity in Greater Boston schools through a pilot initiative. Nevertheless, the Superintendent emphasized the program's perceived negative impacts.

The final report of the evening was an update on the district’s facilities planning. At the last meeting, the Superintendent announced that her team would come to the Committee on May 22nd with a list of recommendations for mergers, closures, and reconfigurations. Last night, the Superintendent’s team provided updates on current projects and gave historical context, noting that they would be investing in and creating thousands of high quality seats. However, the report did not include a long-term strategy nor any budget, enrollment projections, and timeline. School Committee members continued to point out the need for a long-term plan and strategy. The Superintendent will bring forward proposals at the next School Committee meeting.
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There are over 50,000 teacher vacancies in classrooms across the country, with certain parts of the country seeing large numbers. As the number of individuals enrolled in teacher prep programs has dropped off and more and more teachers are leaving the profession, schools are struggling to keep teachers in the classroom.

In today’s episode, Jill and Ross dive into the teaching shortage issue and how to keep teachers in the classroom with two experts: Dr. Tequilla Brownie and Dr. Carole Basile. Dr Tequilla Brownie is the CEO of TNTP, a national organization that works with schools and teachers across the country to advance high quality education for all students by ensuring an effective teacher in every classroom. Dr. Carole Basile is the Dean of the Arizona State Mary Lou Fulton Teachers’ College. Dr Basile is leading efforts at Arizona State focused on redesigning the education workforce and changing practices in teacher and leadership preparation. 

To learn more about Dr. Brownie’s work with TNTP and Dr. Basile’s work at ASU, check out the resources below.

Dr. Tequilla Brownie’s Bio

Dr. Carole Basile’s Bio

About ASU Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College

About TNTP

The Widget Effect: Our National Failure to Acknowledge and Act on Differences in Teacher Effectiveness

The Irreplaceables: Understanding The Real Retention Crisis in America’s Urban Schools

A Broken Pipeline: Teacher Preparation's Diversity Problem

One Million Teachers of Color (1MToC)
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Last night’s meeting was fairly light, with only one report. The meeting began with the Superintendent's Report, where she announced that her team would have an update on the district’s long-term facilities plan on May 22nd, including an initial list of closures, mergers, and reconfigurations. The Superintendent then went on to briefly discuss student assignment and demand data, where she noted the release of this past year’s assignment data that shows the number of families that chose a particular school and the number of families on a school’s waitlist. School Committee members highlighted the importance of this data in understanding what families want, and how it can guide the district’s decision making about school closures and mergers. The Superintendent also discussed exam schools, where she highlighted baseline data from this past admissions cycle.
The only report of the night was an update on summer learning. As the Superintendent’s team provided an update on the increase in the number of offerings and opportunities for students, School Committee members raised some concerns, including the difficulty for parents to sign up for summer school on the website. There were also questions about the impact of ESSER funding on summer programming and future funding, as well as the usage of pools across the city and whether students would actually be able to use them this summer.
Despite the light agenda, the Committee is gearing up for significant discussions in the coming weeks and months.
The next School Committee meeting will be held in-person or on Zoom at 6 pm on May 8th.
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