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

Networks and Affiliations• National

– Gates– Carnegie (Schools for a New Society)– New England Small Schools Network/CES

• BPS– HSR Coordinating Group– HSR Work Group– Boston Small Schools Network– Small School Leaders– Pilot School Network– Alternative Ed Network– Community Engagement Work Group