Editorial Staff

Study: Signs of Progress at Madison Park, but Still a Long Way to Go

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

New Pioneer report reviews enrollment, graduation, and absenteeism rates as well as academic performance, at Boston’s only vocational-technical school

BOSTON – Four years after it began to implement a turnaround plan, Boston’s Madison Park Technical Vocational High School is showing clear signs of progress, but its performance continues to lag behind that of other vocational-technical schools in Massachusetts, according to a new study published by Pioneer Institute.

“Madison Park is improving,” said Jamie Gass, Pioneer’s director of education research and policy.  “But a great deal of additional work and leadership from the state and district will be needed for the school to effectively prepare students for both careers and post-secondary education.”

Madison Park was designated as a Level 4, or “underperforming,” school by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) in December 2015.  School officials developed a turnaround plan, which began to be implemented in June 2016.

In “Madison Park Technical Vocational High School Turnaround Update,” author William Donovan reports that the school had for a period suffered from unstable leadership.

Kevin McCaskill has been serving as executive director of the school for the past five years, but has taken a position in the Boston Public Schools (BPS) central office. Though he remains as executive director and interim headmaster at Madison Park, this change raises questions about succession and the future stability of leadership at the school.

There are also questions about BPS’ commitment to Madison Park. The BPS has urged that vocational programs be offered at 22 other city high schools. The programs often duplicate those offered at Madison Park and depress enrollment at the school.

Performance on several metrics has improved during the turnaround.  Madison Park’s graduation rate has risen from 57 percent in 2017 to 68 percent last year.  During that time the dropout rate fell from over 6 percent to less than 5 percent.

During the 2018-19 school year the chronic absenteeism rate (students who miss school at least 10 percent of the time) was 47 percent.  The following year it fell to 32 percent.

Madison Park’s enrollment declined by about half between 2005 and 2017, but has climbed by 17 percent over the last three years.

Despite these encouraging signs, Madison Park is still behind other Massachusetts vocational-technical schools academically.  Its MCAS scores rank at or near the bottom in all categories and it remains the worst performer in terms of graduation and dropout rates.

Madison Park faces demographic challenges.  During the 2019-20 school year, 92 percent of its 1,021 students were classified as “high needs” and 94 percent were students of color. According to 2018-2019 academic year data, about 73 percent were economically disadvantaged, the highest of any voc-tech school in Massachusetts.  Just over 30 percent of its students had disabilities and about 35 percent were English language learners.

Comparing Madison Park to two of the highest performing regional vocational technical schools, 0.2 percent of the students at Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School in Upton are English language learners and more than 78 percent of the students at Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School in Marlborough are white.

A 2018 report from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, a regional accreditation association, found that expenditures at Madison Park were less than all but one of eight comparable voc-techs in the region, and per-pupil spending was more than 20 percent below the average of the eight.

As the Lynn Vocational Technical Institute (LVTI) demonstrates, turnarounds are possible at high-need vocational technical high schools. LVTI’s student body was only slightly less challenged than Madison Park’s.

Kevin McCaskill leads the Madison Park turnaround and led one at the Roger L. Putnam Vocational Technical Academy in Springfield. While at Madison Park, he has instituted several new programs.

“MCAS Bootcamp” strengthens students’ English, math and science skills in preparation for state exams.  English and math results have been mixed, but the percentage of students scoring “Proficient” in science has more than doubled and the percentage in the “Needs Improvement” category has fallen.

“RoxMAPP” allows students in grades 10-12 to earn college credits while still in high school.  Since the 2014-15 school year, the number of students participating in the program has risen from 15 to 83 and total credits earned have jumped from 45 to 716.  Two students have earned associate’s degrees before graduating from Madison Park.

Among Donovan’s recommendations are that Madison Park be granted more autonomy.  He calls for the school to become an independent district with its own school committee, as is the case with most successful vocational-technical schools in Massachusetts.

Until such autonomy can be achieved, it’s important that the BPS superintendent be a champion for the school.  Support from the top was critical to the Lynn Vocational Technical Institute turnaround.  Related to that, Madison Park must obtain resources to hire the personnel who can address the unique needs of the school’s student body.

Donovan also recommends that Madison Park continue to expand early college options.  Under RoxMAPP, Madison Park partners with Bunker Hill Community College, Roxbury Community College, Wentworth Institute of Technology, and Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology.  The program has been a resounding success and should be expanded to include other local colleges.

Finally, the Boston School Committee should approve a new admissions policy that has already been approved by the DESE.  The policy is similar to that used by other Massachusetts voc-techs and would ensure that students enrolled at Madison Park are those who want to take advantage of the opportunities offered by career vocational technical education.

About the Author

William Donovan is a former staff writer with the Providence Journal in Rhode Island where he wrote about business and government. He has taught business journalism in the graduate programs at Boston University and Northeastern University. He received his undergraduate degree from Boston College and his master’s degree in journalism from American University in Washington, D.C.

About Pioneer

Mission

Pioneer Institute develops and communicates dynamic ideas that advance prosperity and a vibrant civic life in Massachusetts and beyond.

Vision

Success for Pioneer is when the citizens of our state and nation prosper and our society thrives because we enjoy world-class options in education, healthcare, transportation and economic opportunity, and when our government is limited, accountable and transparent.

Values

Pioneer believes that America is at its best when our citizenry is well-educated, committed to liberty, personal responsibility, and free enterprise, and both willing and able to test their beliefs based on facts and the free exchange of ideas.

Get Updates on Our Education Research

Related Posts

National Alliance’s Nina Rees on Charter Public Schools in America

Prof. Albert Cheng and Charlie Chieppo interview Nina Rees from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools on policy gains, charter school growth, challenges, debates, federal spending, and academic recommendations.

Harvard Prof. Leo Damrosch on Jonathan Swift & Gulliver’s Travels

Harvard Prof. Leo Damrosch discusses Jonathan Swift's satirical genius, political critiques, and literary legacy. He emphasizes Swift's wit, insights, and commitment to liberty, and closes the interview with a reading from his book, Jonathan Swift: His Life and His World.

Vanderbilt’s Dr. Carol Swain on U.S. History, Race, & 1776 Unites

Dr. Carol Swain, a political scientist, discusses her background, experiences with discrimination, faith's role in justice, and her work with 1776 Unites and public intellectuals on The Learning Curve podcast.

Leslie Klinger on Sherlock Holmes, Horror Stories, & Halloween

Mr. Klinger discusses Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, Edgar Allan Poe's influence on the detective genre, and the significance of 19th-century horror stories such as Dracula, Frankenstein, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in popular culture.

Pioneer’s U.S. History & Civics Book with Chris Sinacola

Chris Sinacola discusses Pioneer's new book "Restoring the City on a Hill: U.S. History & Civics in America's Schools" based on U.S. K-12 history and civics education, highlighting declining standards, leadership importance, crisis, primary sources, and state profiles, underscoring academic content's value.

Prof. Jeff Broadwater on George Mason, Federalism, & the Bill of Rights

Prof. Broadwater delves into Mason's views on constitutionalism, federalism, leadership among Anti-Federalists, and concerns regarding emerging commercial interests. He emphasizes Mason's belief in civic virtue as the bedrock of American self-governance and even provides a reading from his biography on George Mason.

Former D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty on School Reform

Former D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty discusses his education reforms with Michelle Rhee, addressing DCPS challenges, politics, leadership transitions, and teacher unions in urban education reform.

UCLA’s Prof. James Stigler on Teaching & Learning Math

Professor Stigler discusses the enduring teaching and learning challenges in U.S. STEM education, international student achievement, math pedagogy debates, and international standardized tests. He explains possible strategies for mitigating COVID-19-related learning loss.

UK’s Laura Thompson on Agatha Christie, Queen of Crime Mystery

In this week's episode of The Learning Curve, guest co-hosts Mariam Memarsadeghi and Mary Connaughton interview Laura Thompson, author of "Agatha Christie: A Mysterious Life." Ms. Thompson discusses into Agatha Christie's life, her iconic characters, and her impact on the mystery genre, including adaptations of her works in film and theater, as well as her mysterious 1926 disappearance. The interview concludes with a reading from Thompson's biography of Agatha Christie.

John Steele Gordon on America’s Economic Rise

This week on The Learning Curve, guest co-hosts Charlie Chieppo and Derrell Bradford interview John Steele Gordon, the author of 10 books on business, economic, and technology history. They discuss the keys to America’s transformation into the world’s foremost economic power and its economic prospects for competitiveness in the twenty-first century.

Dr. Ramachandra Guha on Gandhi’s Enduring Legacy

This week on The Learning Curve, guest co-hosts Charlie Chieppo and Mariam Memarsadeghi interview writer and biographer Dr. Ramachandra Guha. The author of the definitive two-volume biography of Mohandas K. Gandhi, Guha discusses Gandhi’s formative educational experiences, spirituality, political leadership, and philosophy of nonviolent resistance.

Paul Vallas on Chicago, School Reform, and Teachers’ Unions

This week on The Learning Curve, guest co-hosts Charlie Chieppo and Mary Tamer, executive director of Democrats for Education Reform, Massachusetts, speak with Paul Vallas, former CEO of the Chicago Public Schools and a candidate for mayor of that city earlier this year.

U-Ark. Prof. Albert Cheng on Classical Education & School Choice

This week on The Learning Curve, guest co-hosts Charlie Chieppo and Alisha Searcy speak with Albert Cheng, an Assistant Professor at the Department of Education Reform in the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas. Professor Cheng talks about the importance of classical education for guiding educational philosophy and practice and shaping the character of students.

Professor Jay Parini on Thirteen Books That Changed America

This week on The Learning Curve, Jay Parini, Professor of English and Creative Writing at Middlebury College, discusses his book Promised Land: Thirteen Books That Changed America, detailing how William Bradford’s Of Plymouth Plantation, The Federalist Papers, and the works of Thoreau, Stowe, Twain, Du Bois, and others have shaped the American mind, character, and identity.

Colossal Academy’s Shiren Rattigan on Microschools and School Choice

This week on The Learning Curve, guest co-hosts Charlie Chieppo and Kendra Espinoza interview Shiren Rattigan of Colossal Academy, a microschool in Florida. They discuss how Shiren became interested in K-12 education and how and why the COVID-19 pandemic led to her founding a microschool.

U.K. Cambridge’s Prof. David Abulafia on Oceans, Seas, & Global Trade

This week on The Learning Curve, Professor David Abulafia from Cambridge University discusses the many roles of the world’s oceans in human history and trade. He focuses on how the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic oceans, along with the Mediterranean Sea, have spurred the rise of civilizations. He concludes with a reading from his book The Boundless Sea: A Human History of the Oceans.

Dr. Peter Wood on Diversity and Anger in America

This week on The Learning Curve, Dr. Peter Wood, president of the National Association of Scholars, discusses the invention of the modern concept of diversity, the history of U.S. Supreme Court rulings on the concepts of diversity and race in college admissions, and how a culture of anger seems to pervade American life.

UConn’s Prof. Manisha Sinha on The Slave’s Cause: A History of Abolition

This week on The Learning Curve, UConn Professor Manisha Sinha discusses the influential figures and seminal events that created the abolitionist movement. She describes the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade, Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment, and other key moments in the fight to end slavery.

Pulitzer Winner Tamara Payne on the Life and Legacy of Malcolm X

This week on The Learning Curve, guest cohosts Alisha Searcy and Mariam Memarsadeghi interview Tamara Payne, award-winning biographer, about Malcolm X. They delve into his early life, rise in the Nation of Islam, civil rights movement involvement, pilgrimage, assassination, and ongoing legacy debate. Ms. Payne concludes with a reading from her book.

Johns Hopkins’ Dr. David Steiner on Teaching Wisdom in Schools

This week on The Learning Curve, guest cohosts Charlie Chieppo and Alisha Searcy join Dr. David Steiner for a wide-ranging discussion about the importance of education as a means of transmitting enduring wisdom to young people.