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2 Things Every Prospective Boston Public School Parent Should Know

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For young parents in Boston, anxiety is beginning to build around the Boston Public School lottery, the mechanism by which the district assigns students to various schools. I’ve discussed the subject in some depth previously. From hearing anecdotal reports and seeing the evidence on our local school listserv, I wanted to pass on two vital pieces of info. First, at every school you visit, every parent should be asking “How many kids in last year’s entering class were siblings?”. The BPS resists issuing this data, and to my knowledge, only released the data publicly in a single year (2005). They also released 2008-9 data for the West Zone to me after multiple requests. The reason it is important is that […]

How big of a deal was the 2010 ed reform law?

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Back in January 2010, there was a lot of hoopla around the passage and signing of the new Achievement Gap law. At the time: “We are standing up for children,’’ Patrick said before an upbeat gathering of educators… And Education Secretary Paul Reville released this statement: Last week, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Governor Deval Patrick signed historic education reform legislation which will forever alter the landscape of public education in Massachusetts. The most significant piece of education reform legislation since the 1993 Education Reform Act, the Achievement Gap bill signals the beginning of a new chapter in education reform. With hindsight (and time to unpack the law’s provisions), the answer is that the achievement gap law was a […]

Rhee Out in DC

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Got sad news in the middle of a screening of Waiting for Superman last night. Somewhere right after the section on how bad the DC schools are, I got a text message that Michelle Rhee would be stepping down today. Yup. Today Michelle Rhee is announcing that she is resigning in a “mutual” decision aimed to refocus the schools on kids and learning, rather than on the tug of war that might ensure between her and newly elected Mayor Vincent Gray (above, at right). The Washington Post is reporting She will be replaced until at least the end of the school year by Deputy Chancellor Kaya Henderson, a close associate. Rhee and presumptive mayor Vincent C. Gray recently reached a […]

Higher State Charter Caps: A Small Step in the Right Direction

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HIGHER STATE CHARTER CAPS A SMALL STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION New Study Finds Vague Language, Bureaucracy and Focus on Compliance Likely to Open the Door to More Political Interference, Limit Effectiveness Contact Jamie Gass at 617-723-2277 ext. 210, or jgass@pioneerinst.wpengine.com Charter School Caps and Strings Attached BOSTON – While the limited increase in the number of charter schools allowed in a bill enacted in January is a step in the right direction, vague language, provisions that pull charters into the very bureaucratic web they were designed to bypass, and a focus on promoting compliance over excellence limit the progress to baby steps, according to a new study published by Pioneer Institute. In “Charter School Caps and Strings Attached: The […]

Pension Protest Style Points

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I am increasingly dismayed at the lack of style at American (and especially Boston) protests. Seems we have gotten in the habit of going “military” with protesters being dolled out in the equivalent of uniforms. The old “sea of humans” and “huddled masses” thing just doesn’t cut it in a 21st century world where fashion never sleeps. A quick sampling of comparables we might want to start emulating. We’ll stick to pensions, because of the number of countries where pension protests are occurring, and especially the ability to get the French to weigh in on this important question. First, the Aussies: The Brits show that their former colonies are still hundreds of years behind in character (and they have gotten […]