Managing Fundamental Change in High School Reform Presentation by: Kathleen A. Mullin, Director...
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Transcript of Managing Fundamental Change in High School Reform Presentation by: Kathleen A. Mullin, Director...
Managing Fundamental Change
in High School Reform Presentation by:
Kathleen A. Mullin, DirectorBoston Public Schools Office of High School Renewal
Under Performing High Schools
• Key indicators:– Low achievement– Low test scores– Low attendance– High Incidents– High SPED population– High DYS population
Theory of Action• Something has got to change.
– small schools must, by their vary nature, be different than their predecessors, and demands that we all make adjustments and provide the conditions for these changes
• Small in and of itself does not make schools successful. It is what small allows:– More personalization and improved instruction– A strong focus on academics ; equal emphasis on relationships – Accountability/ownership for success or failure
– Encourage stronger adult-adult, student-student, adult-student relationships
– Close the achievement gap for all students
Financial Support
Carnegie Corporation of New York
Small Learning Communities
• Literacy• Student Alienation• Collaborative Coaching and Learning
(CCL)
Funds held centrally and brought to schools via literacy coaching and Student as Researcher projects.
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Small Schools
• Technology• Instructional Materials• Technical Assistance• Student Achievement• Key Student Activities• Consultancies• Curriculum
Funds go directly to the schools
HSR Collaborating Partners
Boston Plan for Excellence
Boston Private Industry Council
Center for Collaborative Education
Jobs for the Future
Key Elements
Small Schools• Autonomous• Single Leader• Budget• Staff• Students• Real Estate (Portions of a
building)• Size (no larger than 400
students)
Small Learning Communities• Within a comprehensive high
school• May have an SLC leader• Staff assigned• Students assigned (9-12)• Budget (?)• Real Estate• Size = 275 -> 400 students
SLC Policy• Supt. Payzant instituted a policy: high schools to be
structured into SLCs. The format was not clearly defined.
• SY 03-04 HSR Work Group completed a study to assess how high schools were instituting the SLC policy.– There were SLCs, but no uniformity, no solid structures.
– HSR Work Group made recommendations to the Supt. To change the SLC policy to mandate that all small schools be vertically aligned grade 9 – 12.
• Supt. presented findings and made recommendation to the Boston School Committee. School Committee voted in favor of recommendation.
SLC Policy Update - 2004
By September 2005, All Boston Public
High Schools will institute a vertical
framework (grades 9 – 12) as one of
the following models:
–small schools
–small learning communities
TimelineSLC Rollout• Brighton• English• East Boston• Burke• Charlestown
Small School Rollout• SBEC• DEC• BIHS• ACC• BCLA• Quincy Upper• Orchard Garden• New Boston Pilot Middle• Community Academy• Boston Day Academy• WRHS/HPHS
Rollout for September 2005
SLCs• Brighton• English• East Boston• Burke• Charlestown• Snowden
Small Schools• WRHS
– 5 design teams competing for 4 small schools
• HPHS– 5 design teams
competing for 3 small schools
BPS Now (2005)BPS Now (2005)High Schools with SLCs
– Brighton– Burke– Charlestown– East Boston– English– Madison Park– Snowden
Pilot High Schools– New Mission High– Boston Arts Academy– Fenway High School– Quincy Upper School– Boston Day & Evening Academy– Health Careers Academy– Greater Egleston
International High School– Boston International High School
Exam Schools– Latin School– Latin Academy– O’Bryant
Education Complexes– Dorchester Ed Complex
• Academy of Public Service• Economics & Business Academy• TechBoston Academy*
– South Boston Ed Complex• Excel• Monument• Odyssey
– Taft Ed Complex• Another Course to College• Boston Community Leadership Academy
– Hyde Park High School• TBD• TBD• TBD
– West Roxbury High School• TBD• TBD• TBD• TBD
Graduation Policy• Ungraded policy
– Students who fail courses are not held back; they repeat only the courses that they fail.
– Students who need more time to finish high school can take it.
• Alternative Ed• DYS• New Comers
HSR Projects• Policy Development/Changes
– High School small school/SLC policy– Ungraded policy/Graduation policy– Alternative Ed Network– DYS– Student Assignment
• Over-age student analysis
• Small School Selection Process
– SPED – SCAN/Universal Design/Partnership
• Design Team Coordination
• Study Groups – Research and Due Diligence
• Student Voice/BSAC
Student Voice
• Boston Plan for Excellence hired high school students to survey their peers.– Students as Researchers
• HSR has contracts with two youth voice organizations to work with schools around creating a more active student voice within schools.– Youth on Board
http://www.yob.org – Teen Empowerment
http://www.teenempowerment.org
Technical Support to Small Schools
• Design Team Coordination
• Building Conveners and Capacity Coaching
• Boston Student Advisory Council (BSAC)
• Gates grant management
• Program development (grants)
• Curriculum development (signature courses)
• Family and Community Engagement
• Professional Development– Small School Leaders
– Middle Managers
– Design Teams
– Central Office
Small School Design Teams
• RFP• Rubric• Design Team PD• Co-facilitation of team activity• Align proposal review committees• Make recommendation to Supt.• Technical assistance for proposal
writing– HSR bulletin board
Small School Development Areas of Work• School Vision and Culture• School Organization• Curriculum and Instruction• Student Assessment and Performance• Special Education• Family and Community Involvement• Professional Culture• Student Support• Student Voice and Engagement• Staffing• Governance Structure