BPS launches effort to simplify school choice and registration

Boston Public Schools is inviting parents to participate in a major effort to significantly improve the school choice and registration processes. When parents received Round One school assignment notifications for the 2011-2012 school year last month, BPS asked them to help shape the future of our choice process by sending an email to choice@bostonpublicschools.org. Now, BPS is inviting all members of our community to join the effort. Click here to RSVP for our first round of parent feedback sessions in May.

“This year, we will create a simpler, more customer-friendly school choice system that makes sense for parents,” said Superintendent Carol R. Johnson. “Our goal is to streamline and simplify the system for comparing, selecting and enrolling in schools. Our students come to us from many different backgrounds, and we want to make next year’s school choice process much more welcoming than it is today.”

An internal BPS study conducted this winter found it takes the average family approximately 15 different steps to choose a school and register each child, with relatively few options for submitting information on-line. “We have listened to parents, and we know that their experience with our school choice process often feels cumbersome and time-consuming,” Dr. Johnson said. “Together, we will create a system that works well for every family in Boston and encourages them to choose our schools.”

The plan presented to the Boston School Committee Wednesday night includes regular community meetings, forums and public hearings beginning in May and continuing throughout this summer and fall, with conversations about assignment policies and boundaries continuing into the spring of 2012. These community conversations will also discuss BPS efforts to improve schools, including plans to reduce transitions, broaden opportunities for students to pursue more rigorous coursework and dual language options, expand early education opportunities in the Circle of Promise, and long-term planning for English Language Learners and students with disabilities.

Changes to reduce paperwork and create a more family-friendly registration process would take effect for the 2012-2013 school year. Where necessary, changes to assignment policies or boundaries would take effect for the 2013-2014 school year.

For more information visit: www.bostonpublicschools.org/redesign

Queremos escuchar a las familias que recientemente se han registrado y desean compartir sus recomendaciones sobre cómo construir un mejor sistema de inscripción.

Las conversaciones se centrarán en los siguientes temas relacionados con la inscripción:

• Hacerle llegar la infamación a las familias
• Requisitos de documentación
• Uso de Tecnología 
• Logística

Todos son bienvenidos a participar en esta conversación, pero deben reservar su espacio al:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BPSregistrationprocess

O llame al: 617-635-8040

Visite el “link” para elegir la sesión y háganos saber si usted necesita cuidado de niños. También puede utilizar el “link” si usted no puede asistir pero deseas dejarnos saber sus recomendaciones para compartir con los presentes.

Estas conversaciones se llevaran acabo en las siguientes comunidades:

• Brighton
• Chinatown
• Dorchester
• Downtown
• East Boston
• Roslindale
• Roxbury
• South Boston
• West Roxbury

Muy pronto habrá más oportunidades para hablar sobre el proceso de asignación (el proceso de elección, la lotería, zonas, etc) y todas las personas interesadas podrán participar en uno o ambos de estos esfuerzos.