Student Assignment: Improving school choice

"We won’t have the schools our kids deserve until we build school communities that serve them well. I’m committing tonight that one year from now Boston will have adopted a radically different student assignment plan -- one that puts a priority on children attending schools closer to their homes."
--Mayor Thomas M. Menino, January 17, 2012

We want to hear from you!

We invite you to take an on-line survey to help us learn more about your thoughts on quality and choice in the Boston Public Schools. These are the same issues we have been discussing in our community meetings.

and, tell us your school choice story!
Cuéntenos su historia en español

Join us for community meetings in May (click for the full schedule)

Did you miss the March 10 kickoff meeting? Watch a video here!

The five-year Acceleration Agenda is our student-focused road map for closing achievement gaps, enhancing equity, increasing access to high-quality schools and making every school a place any parent would be happy to choose. Our work to improve every school has gained international recognition: McKinsey & Co., a global consulting firm, recently named BPS one of the 20 most improved school districts in the world.

Thanks to our great teachers and school leaders, and with the help of hard-fought education reforms that have given us the flexibility to intervene in underperforming schools, the BPS graduation rate is the highest it has ever been and the dropout rate is at one of the lowest levels in more than two decades.

Our school improvements can be even more successful if our school choice system supports strengthened relationships between families, schools and communities.

We have asked 27 community members to help us engage the community and work with BPS to design an improved system. Learn more about our External Advisory Committee here.

Improving schools

The Circle of Promise: Links city and community resources to schools inside Boston’s most challenged neighborhoods, reducing absenteeism, improving student health and increasing academics
Turnaround Schools: Aggressive intervention in 11 state-designated underperforming schools is showing strong results
In-District Charter Schools, Innovation Schools: Reopened schools under new leadership to improve academics, student performance
BPS Arts Expansion Initiative: Today 89% of elementary/middle school students have weekly arts and music experiences, up from 67% just three years ago. We have also doubled the number of high school students with access to regular arts and music
Weighted student funding: Major shift in budget formula ensures resources follow students based on their needs and no matter what school they attend
Expanded early education: We have grown our successful early education (K1) program from 350 seats in 2004 to 2,100 today with expansionsunderway inside the Circle of Promise
Algebra: Three years ago, few non-exam schools offered Algebra I in Grade 8. Today, we offer it in every middle school
English Language Learners: Nearly one-third of our students are in the process of learning English, so we have invested heavily in teacher professional development and targeted instruction. We have hired liaisons to guide families through the enrollment and instruction process
Students with disabilities: Today we offer more opportunities for inclusive settings and services, improved academic programs, schools closer to home and fewer transitions for the 20 percent of BPS students who have disabilities

Increasing predictability and equity

More K-8 Schools: More than doubled the number of K-8 schools since 2004 (from 14 to 25)
More pathways: Created guaranteed assignments such as the Roslindale K-8 Pathway and Lee Academy/Lee Elementary
More local choices: In 2004, just 26% of elementary/middle schools had at least half of their students living inside their walk-zones (nearby neighborhoods). Today, 72% of elementary/middle schools meet this benchmark
Sibling preference: Changes to our assignment system help brothers and sisters attend the same school
More access to excellence: Four thousand students have moved into higher-performing schools through our closures and expansions. Thousands more attend our Turnaround Schools, In-District Charters and Innovation Schools, which restructured academic programs around the students already attending the school

Making the school choice process easier

Less paperwork, more online options: Cut registration requirements and improved online options for school discovery
Expanded hours at Family Resource Centers: Evening and weekend hours help families choose schools on their own schedule
Team BPS: Network of hundreds of BPS parents sharing insights and advice with prospective BPS families
Parent University: Free program, a national model, empowers parents to take control of their child’s education

Much has changed since today’s student assignment system was created in 1988. Our schools are better than they have ever been, and despite improvements, our choice system remains hard for some parents to navigate. It’s difficult for families to carpool, share homework help, visit their teachers and attend student performances. An improved system can preserve choice, equity and opportunity while strengthening our community’s ability to support all public schools.

What's next

BPS representatives have already met with many parents, families, students and community organizations to talk about the current school choice process and how we can best work together to ensure broad community involvement in this discussion. We hope you will participate in our large and small community meetings to share data and opinions, and join the conversations about how to improve school choice.

We will organize community meetings between March and September, 2012, to share our thinking and hear from you. An external advisory team of community leaders, parents, school staff and other experts will help guide the process, give feedback and share information.

BPS is committed to broad community engagement and to opportunities for diverse opinions to be represented in planning our students' future. This website is a portal to share the latest information on meetings, data, resources and proposals. If you have questions, or would like to get involved, email us at choice@bostonpublicschools.org.

Tell us your story

We would love to hear from you about your experience with today's process and your ideas for improving it. Please click here to launch a brief survey. (Cuéntenos su historia en espanol)

Resources

May, 2012 presentation to the Boston School Committee

Introducing the Boston Public Schools 2012

Presentation to the Boston School Committee, including timeline, Feb. 15, 2012 (.ppt)

Overview of how today's process works

2004 Student Assignment Task Force report

In the News

"Finally, getting kids off the bus: New faces tackle Hub school assignments,"
Boston Globe, March 3, 2012

"Menino vows change in school assignment system,"
Boston Globe, January 18, 2012

"A new school-assignment plan requires forceful leadership,"
Boston Globe editorial, January 18, 2012