O'Bryant school in Roxbury to serve as statewide model for school reform

BOSTON - The John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics and Science in Roxbury was recently honored for its accelerated rates of student achievement and participation in Advanced Placement (AP) courses and selected to serve as a model for schools across Massachusetts.

The O'Bryant, one of three exam schools in the Boston Public Schools, is the only school in Massachusetts to be named a 2007 Vanguard Model by Mass Insight Education and Research Institute, a Boston-based nonprofit organization. The Vanguard Models are part of the Building Blocks Initiative for Standards-Based Reform program, which recognizes the implementation of fundamental change to raise academic standards. Four other BPS schools -- Brighton High School, Charlestown High School, McKay K - 8 School and Mason Elementary School -- as well as the district's Whole School Improvement Plan have been selected as Vanguard Models in the past.

"Selection as a Vanguard Model school means that the O'Bryant has pursued successfully a school-wide strategy for change, rather than just demonstrating pockets of improvement," said Superintendent Carol R. Johnson. "Schools within the district and across the state can learn from the O'Bryant's experience and can use similar strategies for improving student achievement in their own programs."

The O'Bryant was recognized for the unique and successful elements of its Advanced Placement program and companion Bridge to AP Calculus program (which is being replicated already in other AP subjects at the school), as well as for creating a college-ready culture throughout the school.

"This recognition from Mass Insight honors the tenacity of our students and faculty as they pursued excellence at the Advanced Placement level in Calculus over the past 5 years," said Headmaster Joel Stembridge. "We are now using what we learned to attain the same level of achievement in our AP sciences to prepare more students for higher levels of performance."

Each Vanguard Model receives a giant banner for display at the school or district, a report on its most effective school-improvement strategies, and opportunities to describe successful strategies in a range of venues, including the chance to act as a "host" school - providing consulting services to visiting school leadership teams. The O'Bryant already has presented a portion of its improvement plans for students at a conference attended by more than 600 state leaders, educators, and business leaders.

The 2007 Vanguard Models, which also included Harwich Public Schools and Revere Public Schools (both recognized for exemplary science education), were chosen by a panel of Massachusetts educators and school reform experts. This brings to 42 the total number of Vanguard Models selected in the program's seven-year history. The complete list of BPS honorees is below.

"Educators at these three Vanguard Models will join 39 earlier models as the true architects of school reform in Massachusetts," said Mass Insight Executive Director Andrew Calkins. "We congratulate them and hope to help other schools and districts build on their success."

Mass Insight Education and Research Institute is an independent non-profit organization that works with public schools, higher education, and state government to improve student achievement. For more information, visit www.massinsight.org.

4 schools, and won the 2006 Broad Prize for Urban Education as the top city school district in the country.

2007
John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics and Science (Roxbury)

2005
Brighton High School
Charlestown High School
Donald McKay School (East Boston)

2003
Samuel W. Mason Elementary School (Roxbury)

2001
Boston's Whole-School Improvement Model