School Committee member, BPS staff make El Planeta's "PowerMeter" list

El Planeta recently released its 2009-2010 "PoderoMetro" ("PowerMeter"), a list of Massachusetts's 100 most powerful people in the Latino community. Several members of the Boston Public Schools community made the list, including Boston School Committee member Claudio Martinez, Assistant Superintendent for English Language Learners Eileen de los Reyes, and Edison K-8 School music teacher Gilberto Rivera. The "PoderoMetro" also includes Mayor Thomas M. Menino, Governor Deval Patrick, State Senator Sonia Chang-Díaz, State Representative Jeffrey Sánchez, City Councilor Felix G. Arroyo, and Boston Public Health Commissioner (and former BPS high school headmaster) Barbara Ferrer, among others. See the complete list of honorees online.

Mayor, students kick-off citywide campaign against cyber bullying

Mayor Thomas M. Menino visited the McCormack Middle School in Dorchester last Friday to to kick-off a citywide campaign against cyber bullying in response to several reports of disturbing incidents nationwide. At the event, students from TechBoston Academy shared their new public service announcement aimed at ending cyber bullying. The PSA, along with other internet safety resources for students, teachers and families, can be found on the BPS Cyber Safety Campaign website. See coverage on WHDH-TV and read the Globe article or visit the BPS Internet Safety blog for the latest updates.

Boston Anti-Bullying Hotline: 617-534-5050

NECN's "Bending the Curve" series looks at education reform and the achievement gap

The latest installment of NECN's series, Bending the Curve: Closing the Economic Divide in Massachusetts, examines the achievement gap and the education reform legislation recently passed in Massachusetts. The first part of the program features an interview with Boston School Committee member John F. Barros. In a second segment, Nicole Mack, principal of the Everett Elementary School in Dorchester, participates in a panel discussion on the education reform law with Paul Reville, Education Secretary for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Mass. State Rep. Marty Walz, chair of the joint committee on education, and Kevin Andrews, Headmaster of the Neighborhood House Charter School and President of the Board of Directors of the Mass. Charter Public School Association. Later in the program, NECN profiles the TechBoston Academy Lower School in Dorchester as a model of innovation.

Banner newspaper launches new monthly section for high school students

The Bay State Banner this week launched STEP UP - Focus Your Steps Toward Success, a new monthly supplement to provide high school students with information and inspiration around academic achievement. The inaugural STEP UP issue features a story about local students selected for the 2010 Posse Scholarships. For a complete list of the 23 Posse Scholars from the Boston Public Schools, read the press release.

Students surprised with $100,000 worth of musical instruments

Yesterday at Symphony Hall, Fidelity Investments surprised Boston-area students with a donation of $100,000 worth of new musical instruments. The event, which linked students from Boston Arts Academy, Boston Latin Academy, the Roland Hayes School of Music, and Cambridge Rindge & Latin School via satellite to students in Los Angeles, Houston, and Chicago, was part of the national kick-off of Fidelity's 2010 FutureStage program.

Read coverage in the Boston Herald or watch the NECN story.
(Photo: Boston Herald)

Boston parents head back to school

Boston Public Schools and Northeastern University welcomed 250 parents to campus on Saturday for the second session of Parent University, the new, free, year-long education and training program to help BPS parents support their children’s academic achievement. The district, in conjunction with partner organizations, offered a wide range of workshops, many in both English and Spanish, including:
• Easing your way into Algebra
• Raising our sons
• MCAS: A roadmap to understanding your child’s scores
• K-8 science, your child and you!
• What is self esteem? How do we get it? How do we give it?
• No Child Left Behind: What’s in it for families?
• Let’s talk about it: Keeping communication open with your teen

View a slide show of photos from the event.

Umana students launch East Boston Historical Society

Students at the Umana Middle School Academy in partnership with the Boston Museum and other cultural organizations recently created the first student-led historical society for East Boston, a neighborhood rich in history that has never had such a group. The East Boston Historical Society's inaugural exhibit, held last week at the 80 Border Street Cultural Exchange Center, featured a student-created iPhone mobile game based on the Battle of Chelsea Creek (the first Naval battle of the American Revolution); designs for an immigration memorial (visitors could caste votes for their favorite design); 3D maps and architectural studies; and wooden ship hulls and student narratives of life in Donald McKay's shipyard. Read coverage in The Boston Globe or visit the East Boston Historical Society's blog.