Thursday, March 14, 2013
The new program will use a computer-generated list of six schools for parents to choose from based on a variety of factors.
The Boston School Committee adopted a new assignment policy that does away with a decades-old system at a landmark Wednesday night vote. The new policy will use a computer-generated algorithm to produce a list of six schools for parents to choose from based on distance to school, capacity and MCAS test scores, according to Boston.com. Four of the six schools listed will be of “medium to high quality,” Boston.com reports. The system will be implemented beginning September 2014. “Tonight’s historic vote marks a new day for every child in the City of Boston,” said Mayor Thomas M. Menino. “A more predictable and equitable student assignment system that emphasizes quality and keeps our children close to home has been a long time coming for …
Monday, February 25, 2013
Boston City Councilor Connolly says the student assignment plans for Boston still fall short in several important areas.
On Monday night the External Advisory Committee on Student Assignment is slated to recommend a new assignment model to the Superintendent and School Committee. After nearly a year of work, the models put forth by the district for the EAC's consideration still fall short in a several areas. In October, a coalition of six elected officials put forth the Quality Choice Plan as a comprehensive model that addresses the issue of uneven quality across the city as an integral part of the creation of a new assignment model. Over 7,000 Bostonians signed onto the plan and, as this process comes to a conclusion, their voices must be heard. There are a few key elements that should be included in the final recommendation to the School Committee. A …
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
The city councilor wants to see the Boston Public Schools system easier to navigate for parents.
While Boston Mayor Thomas Menino is pushing three new proposed student assignment plans, At-Large City Councilor John Connolly said he wants to see more. "The EAC [External Advisory Committee on School Choice] has pushed BPS [Boston Public Schools] to offer two creative options that move beyond arbitrary lines on a map. I'm still concerned about the lack of a real plan for quality, the complexity of a system that needs to be easier for parents to navigate, and the likelihood that limited capacity will prevent BPS from offering real close to home options," Connolly told Patch. School officials offered three options in mid-January, different than the five plans they originally presented last year. One option would create 10 community-…
The External Advisory Committee on School Choice is meeting on Mon., Feb. 4 at 6 p.m. at Orchard Gardens K-8 School. BPS will present the latest options and the EAC will invite public comment.
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Tuesday, January 29
The following is by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino. With your support, in the coming weeks we will achieve meaningful education reforms that will benefit an entire generation of students and the broader community. Today I am asking for your help so we can move forward together. For nearly 25 years we have split the city into three sprawling student assignment zones - North, East and West. Families today are faced with a bewildering set of options with no assurance they'll get what they asked for. Our schools are better than ever and we do our best to match families with their choices, but too often, children are sent to schools far from home because we couldn't give them what they wanted. Many families avoid the process altogether. The …
Monday, September 24, 2012
Boston Public Schools will release five alternative plans for school choice. What would you like to see the school system do to improve school assignments for kids?
Boston Public Schools will host a meeting 6 p.m. Monday night to announce five alternative school choice plans. The five alternatives were designed to improve local school access while preserving a parent's ability to choose the best school for their child, according to Superintendent Carol Johnson. Johnson made her remarks to WBUR. The schools have been mum on the details of the plan, preferring to present them Monday night at the Lilla Frederick Pilot Middle School in Dorchester. From there, the department plans more public meetings to present and vet the alternatives, which will also be examined by an advisory committee appointed by Mayor Thomas Menino, according to boston.com. What do you think? What kind of changes should the school …
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Jay K.
7:02 am on Saturday, September 29, 2012
Yes, Toonie. You have it correct. The only thing I would say slightly differently is that the children of affluent parents tend to be better students, not that they are inherently. This is well known and is because of precisely what you say - a good school starts at home. Affluence strongly correlates with education. People who value education tend to be more wealthy. People who don't value … more ›