Editorial Staff

Pioneer Institute Statement on the Latest State Audit of the Boston Public Schools

/in , , /by Editorial Staff
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on
LinkedIn
+

View media coverage on this topic in The 74, State House News Service, The Boston Globe, NBC10, the Boston Herald, WGBH News, Greater Boston, and Education Next.

The third review of the Boston Public Schools (BPS) in fewer than 20 years makes clear: Things are getting worse.  Graduation rates are down, achievement gaps are up, an unacceptably large percentage of students attend schools ranked in the lowest 10 percent statewide. In a cruel twist, more than three in five students still are not taught material on which they are tested. There remains no clear strategy for improvement.  

Since the 2020 review we’ve learned that the district’s own data are unreliable. The district has underestimated the number of English language learners it is serving inadequately and may have overestimated graduation rates in five of the last seven years. Bullying is rampant across the district. Today we find out that student transportation has deteriorated even further.

With BPS spending $26,000 per student, money is no longer the issue. Out of the 100 largest school systems in the U.S., BPS funding ranks second. 

The central office has grown chaotic under a “musical chairs” of superintendents and is no longer capable of leading the necessary change. State and city officials must partner to:

  1. Provide stable district leadership by appointing a receiver-superintendent for a term of six years.
  2. Address widespread mistrust and lack of oversight and ensure accountability by appointing a hybrid school committee comprised of state and city designees.
  3. Enact a time-limited (six-year) joint state-city intervention that focuses on a short list of key actions that can put the district on a path of improvement: (a) right-sizing the district’s central office, which on a pro-rated basis employs far more people than other districts, freeing up and redirecting tens of millions of additional dollars to BPS classrooms; (b) aligning the district’s and various schools’ curricula with the state standards; and (c) implementing a targeted effort to improve the 31 Boston schools that are performing in the bottom 10 percent statewide.

Get Updates on Our Education Research

Related Content

Teachers strikes hurt the students

At a time when the country’s basic commitment to the rule of law is being questioned, Newton educators are teaching their students that breaking the law and thumbing one’s nose at a judge’s order are OK — if it is in your self-interest.

Admissions lotteries would harm vocational-technical schools

Expanding the number of seats available in vocational-technical high schools is a good investment for Massachusetts. But it’s critical they are expanded in a way that promotes equity without endangering the academic and occupational excellence that continues to drive burgeoning demand for these schools.

Remove roadblocks for charter schools

Worcester, Brockton, Fall River, New Bedford, and other Gateway Cities in Massachusetts have large waiting lists for charter schools plus room to expand under state caps. What's needed are ways to curb obstructionist behavior that is blocking that expansion.

Poll Finds Charter Schools Widely and Broadly Popular in Massachusetts

More than six years after the failure of a statewide ballot initiative that would have increased the number of charter public schools in Massachusetts, a poll shows that 62 percent either strongly or somewhat favor them, with only 16 percent opposed.

Teachers union wants ed reform money — but not accountability

MTA campaign against graduation test takes their stand to 'farcical…

Civics education is crucial to engaged citizenship

0 Comments
/
The Founding Fathers believed the main role of public education was not workforce development, but to create citizens prepared for informed participation in American democracy. Without this, they feared the nation might dissolve. Never have the founders looked more prescient.

Study Urges Massachusetts to Embrace Innovative School Models

A new policy brief from Pioneer Institute urges Massachusetts policymakers to encourage the proliferation and progress of non-traditional models that offer families creative, flexible, personalized and low-cost private education options.

Poll Finds Strong Majority of Massachusetts Residents Support Restoring U.S. History MCAS Graduation Requirement

Sixty-two percent of Massachusetts residents support restoring passage of a U.S. history test as a public high school graduation requirement, according to a poll of Massachusetts residents’ attitudes toward education policy commissioned by Pioneer Institute and conducted by the Emerson College Polling Center.

Two Stars in a Glowing Voc-Tech Education System

“A Tale of Two City Schools: Worcester Tech and Putnam Academy Become Models for Recovery” is a new white paper by Pioneer Institute that analyzes how Worcester Tech and Putnam Academy — schools with high numbers of low-income and special needs students — leapt from the bottom of Massachusetts voc-tech rankings to become leaders among local schools.

Toolkit Highlights Keys to Massachusetts’s Vocational-Technical School Success

Alternating weeks of academic and vocational education, school autonomy, and close ties with local businesses have been key to the success of Massachusetts's  vocational-technical high schools, according to a report published today by Pioneer Institute.

Book Finds Massachusetts Voc-Tech Schools Are National Model, Calls for Expansion

Massachusetts vocational-technical schools -- boasting minuscule dropout rates, strong academic performance, and graduates prepared for careers or higher education -- should be expanded to meet growing demand, according to a new book published by Pioneer Institute.

METCO Works Well, Small Tweaks Could Make It Even Better, Study Says

The Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity, or METCO program, has successfully educated thousands of students for 56 years, but several minor changes could make it even better, according to a new study published by Pioneer Institute.