Almost 100 Corporate And Civic Leaders Will be 'Principal for a Day' in City's Public Schools on November 1

BOSTON - The Boston Plan for Excellence and the Boston Public Schools announced today that 95 CEOs, university presidents, nonprofit directors, and elected officials would be Principal For A Day on November 1 in the fourth annual jointly sponsored event. This year will bring to more than 225 the number of corporate and civic leaders who have been a "PFAD" in a Boston public school since October 2003, including five who have taken part all four years.

"The Boston Public Schools is widely regarded as among the best urban school districts in the country, and everyone who has visited our schools knows why," said Mayor Thomas M. Menino. "Our challenge is to ensure that members of the community and leaders of business, health care, higher education, and public policy who work here in the city not only receive that message but are actively engaged in the education of our students. It is a great pleasure every year to hear the feedback from our Principal For A Day participants who gain the firsthand experience with our rigorous education program and are witness to the hard work of our students, teachers, and staff."

Principal For A Day is organized by the Boston Plan for Excellence and the Boston Public Schools, with support from Bank of America. Participants will spend the morning in a school shadowing the principal, helping resolve questions that come up, observing classroom instruction, and sitting in on study groups led by literacy or math "coaches." Later, the executives will meet to share experiences and offer their observations in a roundtable with Mayor Menino, Boston school superintendent Michael Contompasis, and Chad Gifford, chairman emeritus of Bank of America and chairman of the board of the Boston Plan for Excellence.

"For the last ten years, Boston's schools have focused intently on teaching and learning," said Gifford, "and the result has been steadily rising MCAS scores. The Broad Prize for Urban Education, which honors one district annually for improving student performance and reducing achievement gaps, recognizes Boston's considerable accomplishments. On November 1, corporate and civic leaders will be able to see improvements for themselves, as well as to talk with school staff about what challenges are ahead. I'll be in a school, too, serving as Principal For A Day myself again this year."

Among those participating this year are the following:

• CEOs or top executives from 23 corporate, financial, or consulting firms including Bank of America, Bridgespan Group, Comcast, Cumberland Farms, Fidelity Investments, Fidelity Management & Research, Genzyme Genetics, Humphrey Enterprises, IBM, Marsh USA, Mellon Financial Corporation, Parthenon Group, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Smith Barney, Suffolk Construction, 033 Asset Management
• Leaders of 27 nonprofits, foundations, or community-based organizations, including Boston Bar Association, Boston Foundation, City Year, Freedom House, Haitian Multi-Service Center, Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción/IBA, Jumpstart, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, Nuestra Comunidad, Posse Foundation, Red Sox Foundation, Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts, and Year Up
• Ten elected officials including Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea Cabral and members of the Boston delegation
• Presidents or administrators from four colleges or universities: Simmons College, UMass/Boston, Wentworth Institute of Technology, and Wheelock College
• Leaders from six hospitals or health care insurers: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Children's Hospital, Dimock Community Health Center, Harvard Pilgrim, and Partners Healthcare
• Members of seven major law firms including Bingham McCutchen, Brown Rudnick, Choate Hall & Stewart, Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge, Hale & Dorr, and Nutter McClennen & Fish
• Executives from three major media outlets: Boston Business Journal, WBUR, and WCVB

Link to a full list of participants.

About the Boston Plan for Excellence in the Public Schools
Established by the corporate and foundation communities in 1984, the Boston Plan for Excellence is the primary partner of the Boston Public Schools in improving instruction, with a focus on school-based professional development. Led by a volunteer board of trustees, the Boston Plan also manages Boston Teacher Residency, an independent teacher preparation and certification program, and directs Fund For Teachers/Boston, which awards grants for summer sabbaticals to Boston's public school teachers.
Principal For A Day is a registered trademark of PENCIL Inc.