What is 'Redesign and Reinvest?'

From BPS Superintendent Carol R. Johnson:

We are beginning the second year of our Acceleration Agenda, a five-year plan for rapidly improving every classroom in the Boston Public Schools. The Acceleration Agenda calls on us to develop personalized academic plans for every student; it pushes us to do a better job evaluating teachers and helping them strengthen their skills; and it demands we rapidly turn around schools that are not making the grade.

To help us achieve these ambitious goals, we are implementing a plan called “Redesign and Reinvest.” This will improve the options for students attending schools that are not performing as well as we would like. In conversations with families this summer, in an online survey, and in many other discussions over the past year, parents told us that academic quality should be the most important factor as we build great schools for our children.

We believe the best way to offer better academic options for all our families is to close programs that are not working well and use those resources to reinforce our stronger programs and create new ones. We cannot tolerate persistent under-achievement at any of our schools. We cannot offer schools to the families of Boston that we would not choose for our own children. This plan allows us to move students into schools and classrooms that get results.

If the School Committee approves our proposal, these changes would take place in the 2011-2012 school year. This month we will hold a series of public hearings and meetings to discuss these draft suggestions. We are asking the School Committee to vote on a final plan in early November.

We are committed to building a school district that works for all of our children and now we need your help to make this a reality. Doing nothing is not an option – but doing what’s right can require some very difficult choices. I believe that the steps outlined here will help BPS deliver on our promise to provide a great education for all of Boston's children. The “Redesign and Reinvest” changes will help ensure every BPS school is an inspiring place to learn. We look forward to hearing your thoughts and addressing your questions.

Please review the specifics of our plan at http://www.bostonpublicschools.org/redesign. We will update that page regularly with information on our public hearings, which we will hold throughout October to get your feedback on our proposal. Thank you for your interest, your understanding and your involvement in your child’s education!

Sincerely,
Carol R. Johnson
Superintendent

Marshall Library gets a makeover

Thanks to our friends at Target and the Heart of America Foundation for renovating yet another BPS library! This time, John Marshall Elementary School was picked for a top-to-bottom renovation and students received thousands of new books. More than a hundred volunteers donated their time Thursday and the result is a beautiful, inspiring new library for our students.
In addition, the Target volunteers spent hours sprucing up the school's outdoor areas, including a peace garden dedicated to the memory of Louis D. Brown, who lost his life to gun violence.

Malindi's Journey

New teacher developer Alicia Carroll and Odyssey High School history teacher Lucy Montgomery spent their summers traveling through Malaysia - and blogging about it along the way. Check out "Malindi's Journey" over at http://malindisjourney.blogspot.com/ This all started with a Fulbright-Hayes Fellowship in 2001 and a Fund for Teachers grant in 2004. Below is their report from the trip - and please check out their blog, too!

Alicia Carroll, New Teacher Developer, and Lucy Montgomery, History Teacher, Odyssey High School, were invited to present their research on connections between Africa, China and Islam through the Silk Route trade, and their related children’s book entitled Malindi’s Journey, at the First International Conference on Zheng He, in Melaka, Malaysia from July 5-8, 2010. The theme of the conference was Zheng He and the Afro-Asian World. The conference was organized by the Melaka State Government, the Perbadanan Museum Melaka, Cheng Ho (Zheng He) Cultural Museum and International Zheng He Society (Singapore). Their presentation is a product of our research and writing since 2001, including research conducted in Kenya through a Fulbright-Hayes Fellowship (Alicia Carroll) and Fund for Teachers grant in 2004.

Alicia and Lucy were two of 74 paper presenters, including scholars from Australia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Panama, Singapore, Taiwan, UK, and US. The conference had over 350 participants, and Alicia and Lucy’s presentation was attended by over 200 people. The conference papers will be published in a book by the International Zheng He Society in 2011.

While at the conference, Alicia and Lucy were interviewed for a newspaper article for the New Straits Times, the major newspaper for Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Sarawak, and Indonesia, by Dr. Rosey Wang Ma, a Research Fellow in the Department of Islamic History and Civilization at the University of Malaya. Dr. Ma asked Alicia and Lucy to speak about their work on African-Chinese connections, turning research into culturally grounded curriculum for global education.

Alicia and Lucy were given first-class treatment by the conference organizers; they were picked up at the airport and given a nice hotel room. At the Zheng He (Cheng Ho) Cultural Museum, they were treated like visiting scholars and dignitaries. Everyone wanted to know how they were affording the trip as teachers, and they were able to proudly say that they had received generous funding from the Fund for Teachers! People remarked that there need to be more organizations like Fund for Teachers to support teachers and their work.

In addition to attending the conference in Melaka, Malaysia, Alicia and Lucy traveled to Singapore and then to Nanjing, China to continue research on Zheng He’s influence in southeast Asia, and to visit the shipyard and other historical sites.

While they travelled, they began writing a blog for teachers and students at: http://malindisjourney.blogspot.com

Dr. Jackie Jenkins-Scott, the President of Wheelock College, invited Alicia, who is a graduate of Wheelock, to make a presentation to students and faculty of the Wheelock College Teacher Training Program at Ngee-Ann Polytechnic University in Singapore. The focus of Alicia’s talk was “Early Childhood Curriculum: and Cultural Competency and Achievement;” Lucy spoke about early childhood as the building block for achievement in the high school classroom.

In Nanjing, Alicia and Lucy were invited to visit the Treasure Boat Shipyard, where a life-size replica of the largest of Zheng He’s ships is currently under construction. They were given a tour of the shipyard by the Director of the shipyard, and invited to the inaugural launch of the ship into the Indian Ocean, anticipated in late 2011!

Honoring 9/11 at BPS

Students at the W.B. Rogers Middle School in Hyde Park paused Friday to honor the victims of 9/11. In an annual ceremony, students, faculty and staff dressed in red, white and blue and left their classrooms at 8:45am, carrying American flags. Ten minutes later, Principal Corbett Coutts described what happened on 9/11, reminding students of the historical importance before pausing for a two-minute moment of silence. Most middle school students were too young in 2001 to remember what happened on that day, which is one reason Coutts says he pauses to commemorate the anniversary with students every year. Genevieve Legros, an 8th grade English Language Arts teacher, sang the Star Spangled Banner. Students also heard the poem "One," written by Cheryl Sawyer just after 9/11:

As the soot and dirt and ash rained down,
We became one color.
As we carried each other down the stairs of the burning building
We became one class.
As we lit candles of waiting and hope
We became one generation.
As the firefighters and police officers fought their way into the inferno
We became one gender.
As we fell to our knees in prayer for strength,
We became one faith.
As we whispered or shouted words of encouragement,
We spoke one language.
As we gave our blood in lines a mile long,
We became one body.
As we mourned together the great loss
We became one family.
As we cried tears of grief and loss
We became one soul.
As we retell with pride of the sacrifice of heroes
We become one people.

We are
One color
One class
One generation
One gender
One faith
One language
One body
One family
One soul
One people

We are The Power of One.
We are United.
We are America.

Cyber Mentors present to Attorney General

BPS Cyber Mentors recently presented to Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley. These Cyber Mentors were paid to work throughout the summer and held cyber safety seminars for their peers and for younger students. You can read more about the program on their website http://www.bpscybersafety.org/index.html

INDIA New England names Edwards Middle School assistant principal 2010 Woman of the Year

INDIA New England magazine has named Amrita Sahni, an assistant principal at the Edwards Middle School in Charlestown, as its 2010 Woman of the Year. Many of her colleagues from the Edwards submitted nominations on Ms. Sahni's behalf and attended the awards ceremony last month at the Westin Waltham-Boston hotel in Waltham. Read the article describing Ms. Sahni's accomplishments, including her work on the Edwards School's Extended Learning Time (ELT) initiative or watch the video about the awards ceremony.

INDIA New England's Woman of the Year 2010 from Timeless Lens on Vimeo.

Tobin K-8 principal appears on 'CityLine'

Over the weekend, Tobin K-8 principal Cheryl Watson-Harris was a guest on WCVB-TV's "CityLine" program. Host Karen-Holmes Ward invited her to participate in a discussion about the importance of community partnerships in a child's education.

Watson-Harris is a great example of a school leader who has brought non-profits, community groups and individuals into her school to help all students succeed. For years, she has spread the message that children from low-income families tend to lose an average of three months' literacy and two months' math skills during summer break. Put another way, it takes some children three months or more of schoolwork in the fall just to get back to where they were when they left their classrooms in June. Like many of our school leaders and teachers, Watson-Harris has worked tirelessly to help students enroll in productive summer programs.

The topic of the CityLine program was the "Opportunity Agenda," a groundbreaking partnership between some of Boston's leading philanthropic and nonprofit organizations. Together, these partners have pledged more than $27 million to help Boston's children succeed. The donations will be used to help nonprofits expand and coordinate their work inside and outside our classrooms -- to make sure that all of our students have the support they need to excel. The Opportunity Agenda has aligned many of its goals with the BPS Acceleration Agenda, which calls for increasing student standards and performance across all levels within the next four years.

Boston teachers volunteer in the Dominican Republic this summer

Teachers at the Young Women's Summer Leadership Program

This summer nine Boston Public Schools teachers are spending four weeks in the Dominican Republic teaching English, health, reading, math and leadership skills to young girls through the Mariposa Foundation's Young Women's Summer Leadership Program. The BPS teachers come from several different schools, including the Blackstone Elementary, Ohrenberger K-8, Frederick Pilot Middle, Harbor Middle, Boston Latin Academy, and Boston Adult Technical Academy (BATA). The group also includes one retired teacher from Madison Park High School. They are among 22 educators -- some from other parts of the U.S. and others local volunteers from Cabarete, DR -- who are participating in the program this summer.

Teachers help students measure the perimeter of their desks.

In addition to teaching, BPS teachers help to create individual education plans and personal profiles of each girl so that their progress can be tracked throughout their adolescence.  Working together with a group of parents and leaders from the Cabarete Community, the teachers are part of an experiential education program that teaches young girls leadership qualities and marketable skills - setting them off on the right path to become active leaders for social change in their communities. Follow the program's progress on the teachers' blog.

Founded in 2009, the Mariposa DR Foundation is a US 501c3, community-run organization that provides sustainable and creative solutions to end extreme poverty, especially empowering girls and women to achieve their full potential. The organization serves Dominican and Haitian children and families, providing them with the tools they need to become active community leaders for social change.

Photos courtesy of the Mariposa Project.

BPS in the News: Dorchester Reporter story on Haitian children who came to BPS after the earthquake

This week's issue of the Dorchester Reporter has an article about students who came to the Boston Public Schools after the earthquake in Haiti earlier this year. Since January, BPS has enrolled 159 Haitian students. The article highlights the district's SIFE program for Students with Interrupted Formal Education and features interviews with students and with SIFE teacher Evelyn Prophete, who was a 2010 Boston Educator of the Year.

Photo: Tara Merrigan, Dorchester Reporter

Mayor, Superintendent host healthy BBQ to launch Summer Food Program

Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Superintendent Carol R. Johnson joined hundreds of students for a special barbecue lunch on July 13 at the Mildred Avenue K-8 School to kick off a summer of healthy eating and launch the Summer Food Service Program. This event was the first in a series of healthy barbecues that BPS and BCYF will host this summer at locations throughout the city to highlight the importance of healthy eating and the benefits of fresh, local foods.

Chef Kirk Conrad and his student “sous-chefs” from the Boston Collaborative for Food and Fitness Youth Advisory Board prepared healthy side dishes to be served at the barbecue using local produce from Czajkowski Farms in Hadley, MA. On the menu were corn-on-the cob, cold green bean salad, and fresh blueberries.

Dr. Johnson also stopped by the Boston Public Health Commission's booth and signed the "Soda-Free Summer Pledge," a promise not to drink soda for the entire summer.

The summer meals program provides free daily meals for children ages 18 and under at approximately 148 sites and programs across the city and runs through September 3. For information and serving times, please call the Project Bread Hotline at 1-800-645-8333.

Two BPS teachers travel to Malaysia to present at international conference on Chinese explorer Zheng He

Two Boston Public Schools teachers are traveling to Melaka, Malaysia to present at an international conference on the Chinese explorer Zheng He. Alicia Carroll and Lucy Montgomery will speak about their children's book, Malindi's Journey: An African Giraffe Encounters China. Malindi's Journey tells the story of the giraffe's journey from Malindi (Swahili coast) to China, to be presented to the Yong-Le Emperor by Zheng He. Following the conference, Ms. Carroll and Ms. Montgomery will travel to Singapore and Nanjing, visiting cultural and historical sites and learning more about Zheng He. Their three-week trip is funded by a Fund for Teachers grant, and you can read more about it on their blog.

Two BPS schools designated International Baccalaureate (IB) world schools

Two Boston schools have been designated International Baccalaureate (IB) world schools. Muriel S. Snowden International School at Copley and the Josiah Quincy Upper School located in Chinatown will serve as IB sites starting immediately. The world-renowned non-profit organization is known for high standards and pedagogical leadership. Students at both schools will spend their junior and senior years studying college-level material in six, two-year long courses. Students will also work on substantive research papers, integrative thinking, and achieving goals they set to become people of creativity, action and service.  The BPS Acceleration Agenda, unveiled in November 2009, sets a goal of having 100% of BPS students take at least one college-level course (Advanced Placement, Honors, International Baccalaureate and/or dual enrollment) during high school. Read more in the press release.

The addition of Snowden and Quincy brings to 13 the total number of IB programs in Massachusetts. A July 2 New York Times story discusses the rise in popularity of the IB program in U.S. schools.

Principals and headmasters get jump start on school year at leadership conference

Principals and headmasters from all 135 BPS school programs are attending an intensive two-day leadership conference this week at Simmons College. The focus is on advancing three key goals of our Acceleration Agenda: MCAS proficiency for all, closing achievement and access gaps, and graduating students prepared for college and career success.

The theme of this year's conference is "Building Schools of Excellence: Meeting the Needs of All Students." On Wednesday, our school leaders heard from Kati Haycock, the president of the Education Trust. Haycock is the former executive vice president of the Children's Defense Fund, and has spent years advocating for the kinds of educational improvements that are underway right now in Boston. She told our principals and headmasters that the United States still has a long way to go towards closing the achievement gaps that still separate students of different ethnic backgrounds. Despite successful trends in elementary education around the country, Haycock pointed to other data that shows the gaps are wider than ever in U.S. high schools. Her challenge to BPS was a call to intervene early for all children, so our educators can ensure that every child in Boston has access to great teachers and a promising future.

On Thursday, Derrick Ashong spoke about his own personal journey to achieve success in the United States. Ashong is a native of Ghana, West Africa, and came to the U.S. with his family during a period of profound government upheaval at home. He is the founder of Take Back the Mic, a youth-centered cultural movement that encourages young people to take leadership in art, society, business and politics.

The Leadership Conference is designed to help our principals and headmasters learn from each other and have access to nationally-renowned education experts. In a series of break-out classes, our school leaders learned about creating high-quality programs for English Language Learners; building stronger, student-focused teacher teams using data analysis as a guide; closing achievement gaps; helping teachers become leaders and mentors for their colleagues; engaging families in school communities; and fostering school atmospheres that discourage bullying and make students feel more confident.

Alfreda Harris Recognized by Basketball Hall of Fame

Mayor Thomas M. Menino today joined School Committee Chairperson Rev. Dr. Gregory G. Groover, Sr. and Boston Public Schools Superintendent Carol R. Johnson in congratulating long-serving school committee member Alfreda Harris on being honored by the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Harris, along with Sacramento Kings center Samuel Dalembert and Hall of Fame Coach Jim Boeheim of Syracuse University were named winners of the 2010 Mannie Jackson – Basketball’s Human Spirit Award. The award is presented to individuals who have honored the game of basketball by virtue of their personal growth and life-long accomplishments.

"As the longest-serving member of the appointed Boston School Committee, Mrs. Harris has been my personal guide," said Mayor Menino. "I trust Alfreda Harris: her good sense, her judgment, her straight talk, her values. In everything she does, I know that her top priority is and always has been in the best interest of kids. There are many who claim to make a difference; Alfreda Harris is among the few who actually do. She is the real deal."

Harris founded the SAT Preparation Program serving high school students in Boston while also founding and coordinating girls’ basketball leagues and Amateur Athletic Union teams for the city. Harris also founded the Owen Wells Fitness Center and the Reebok Educational Athletic Partnership that provides students with community programs in social development, computer skills and tutoring. Beyond serving on the Boston School Committee, Harris also serves as a Board member for the Shelburne Community Council, Boston Neighborhood Basketball League and the Police Athletic League.

The criteria for award winners include embracing the core values of the game, hard-work, striving to improve the community and making a commitment to others. Beyond the game, award winners must reflect the values of Mannie Jackson’s life-long mission to overcome obstacles and challenge the status quo, while taking responsibility for his or her actions and seeking the highest standard of excellence.

Read the press release.

Deb Socia recognized for technology leadership

The Capital Region Society for Technology in Education (CRSTE) named Principal Debra Socia of the Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School in Dorchester a recipient of its first ever “Leadership and Vision” award. The award recognizes leaders in the field of education who have started programs that promote the effective infusion of technology into instruction that reflects the skills, knowledge and experience that are essential for success in the 21st century global economy. After serving as the principal of the Frederick for seven years, Ms. Socia will next year serve as a “principal on assignment” coordinating and expanding Technology Goes Home, a city-wide technology training program serving inner-city families through the Boston Public Schools.

Here is a roundup of some recent press coverage of Deb Socia and the Frederick Middle School:

Intel produced a case study on the Frederick's eLearning initiative.

Ms. Socia has co-authored articles on technology, including “Moving Beyond One Size Fits All With Digital Citizenship,” for the Publius Project at Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society. She has also been quoted in a New York Times story about cyberbullying and a Wall Street Journal story on laptops in the classroom.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation produced a video showcasing a unique mental health program for Somali students at the Frederick.

Clinton, Alliance for a Healthier Generation praise BPS schools for healthy practices

Former President Bill Clinton and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation recognized seven Boston Public Schools for transforming themselves into healthier places for students and staff. The Boston schools were among 179 from across the country honored at an awards ceremony in New York City.

The seven BPS winners are as follows:
    * Young Achievers Science and Math Pilot School – Silver Award
    * Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School – Bronze Award
    * Nathan Hale Elementary School  – Bronze Award
    * Media Communications Technology High School  – Bronze Award
    * Mission Hill School  – Bronze Award
    * New Mission High School  – Bronze Award
    * Josiah Quincy Elementary School  – Bronze Award

To earn this award, the schools created healthy eating and physical activity programs that met or exceeded stringent standards set by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation’s Healthy Schools Program, which provides free support and technical assistance to more than 9,000 schools nationwide to help them reverse the national trend in childhood obesity. Schools were eligible for Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum National Recognition Awards based on their level of achievement.

For example, moving students out of classrooms and into neighborhood parks helped the Young Achievers Science and Math Pilot School win the Alliance’s “Silver Award.” Science and math teachers identified green spaces within walking distance of the school, transforming urban forests, farms and gardens into learning opportunities. Read more in the press release.

Red Sox Scholars Class of 2010 inducted at Fenway

The Boston Red Sox introduced the Red Sox Scholars Class of 2010 in an on-field ceremony with Red Sox players at Fenway Park prior to the Sunday, June 13th Red Sox vs. Philadelphia Phillies game.  The 25 new Red Sox Scholars, who will enter sixth grade in the fall, are all academically talented, financially challenged middle school students in the Boston Public Schools and join seven previous classes of Scholars. There are now 200 Red Sox Scholars supported by the Red Sox Foundation, the official team charity of the Boston Red Sox, including 18 Scholars  in the first class of Red Sox Scholars selected in 2003, who are graduating from high school, and who will be attending college in the fall.

It's graduation time .. for parents!

High school graduations are in full swing around the city, but students aren't the only graduates in the Boston Public Schools this year. The district recently honored its very first class of graduates from Parent University. School Committee Chair Rev. Gregory G. Groover, Sr., Vice-Chair Marchelle Raynor, Superintendent Johnson, City Councilor Ayanna Presley, several BPS principals, and other special guests gathered at the Reggie Lewis Center last week for a special ceremony honoring the 86 parents who completed the full program. Parent University, developed by the Office of Family & Student Engagement and launched last October, consists of a series of three day-long learning sessions throughout the year designed to support parents and empower them to become leaders and advocates for student learning and school improvement.

Valedictorians Luncheon celebrates top students from each BPS high school

Last week Mayor Menino and Boston Public Schools honored 36 valedictorians from every Boston public high school at the 12th annual Valedictorians Luncheon at the Boston Harbor Hotel. The students and their invited guests enjoyed a three-course lunch, and each valedictorian took home a backpack and gift card courtesy of Reebok.

Several news outlets covered the event, including WBZ-TV, the Boston Herald, and Fox 25. This coming Sunday, the Boston Globe is set to run its annual valedictorians feature, showcasing the top students from all public schools in the city.

Superintendent, BAA honored at Arts Advocacy Awards

The nonprofit organization Arts/Learning recently honored Boston Public Schools Superintendent Carol R. Johnson and Boston Arts Academy at the 24th Annual Champion of the Arts Advocacy Awards Ceremony held at the Massachusetts State House. Arts/Learning honored Dr. Johnson with the Municipal Leadership Award and BAA with the School of Distinction in Arts Education Award. All of the honorees received handmade "spirit boxes" created by Cambridge artist Judith Motzkin.

Four students from the Kenny Elementary School in Dorchester also attended the event and read poems, including those they had written in response to the earthquake in Haiti. The students participate in a program with Troubadour, a nonprofit organization that uses poetry, prose and song lyrics to improve literacy and student achievement.

Read the students' poems after the jump.