Pilot Schools
The Boston Public Schools' pilot schools are the result of a unique partnership launched in 1994 among Mayor Thomas M. Menino, the Boston School Committee, Superintendent, and the Boston Teachers Union (BTU). The pilot schools were explicitly created to be models of educational innovation and to serve as research and development sites for effective urban public schools.
Pilot schools are part of the school district but have autonomy over budget, staffing, governance, curriculum/assessment, and the school calendar to provide increased flexibility to organize schools and staffing to meet the needs of students and families.
The Center for Collaborative Education, a non-profit education organization, provides the pilot schools with coordination support and assistance, including coaching services, professional development, advocacy, and research and evaluation.
Boston is now home to 18 pilot schools, two Horace Mann Charter Schools, and one Commonwealth pilot school. Together, these schools serve more than 7,000 students in pre-kindergarten through grade 12. The current collective bargaining agreement with the BTU allows for the creation of up to seven additional pilot schools.
For more information, contact the Pilot Schools office.
The pilot schools
Boston Community Leadership Academy
Boston Day and Evening Academy
Greater Egleston Community High School
Young Achievers Science and Mathematics K-8 Pilot School
New Pilot Schools
In November 2008, the Boston School Committee approved the following new pilot schools (press release) to open in September 2009:
· The Boston Teachers Union (BTU) School will open in Jamaica Plain next September with kindergarten through grade 2, as well as grade 6 classrooms with priority for students completing particular Roslindale elementary schools, eventually becoming a full K-8 school.
· The Mary Lyon Pilot High School in Brighton will serve high school students beginning with the addition of grade 9 next year. The school will serve students from the existing Lyon K-8 School, which operates a full inclusion model for students with and without disabilities.
· The Dennis C. Haley Elementary School in Roslindale is converting to a pilot elementary school beginning next year.
