FYI from BSF, 04.16.21

Some things we have read through recently...

Education 2021

The excitement of the rare open Boston Mayor’s race falls into a typical frame.  Who’s in the lead?  Will they stay there?  Who’s undecided?

But underneath the names in these polls, there is often rich data about what Boston voters are thinking about.  And, as luck would have it, we have some data over time from polls.

1) One of the biggest observable shifts has been around education.  It has moved from being the most important issue to voters to be amongst the throng of tertiary issues, at best.

2) What changed? Over time, the former top issues of education, crime/public safety, and the economy/jobs have faded, ceding ground to housing and, of course, COVID-19.

3) In 2021, Boston voters that name education as their top issue show a clear demographic trend: white, female, younger, more educated, and higher income.

First, let’s remember any poll is a snapshot in time, and never definitive. What voters report in April versus September can swing dramatically because of candidates or events.

That said, it is hard not to squint and see this data reflecting a changing city. There have been very significant demographic shifts in Boston in just the last 8 years. There are less kids. Boston’s average age and household size has declined. The economy surged and crime declined, for some. Housing pressures and concerns about racism have skyrocketed, and we are now 13 months into a global pandemic.

There is a greater tension that the data reveal - education voters do not reflect school-aged children. 76% of Boston public school students are Black or Latino; 63% are economically disadvantaged.

This leads to a very important question: who will hold Boston’s leaders accountable for educational equity? And what will they ask for?

Will they ask why Black and Latino families systemically lack access to their top choice of schools?

Will they ask why literacy gaps appear by 3rd grade, and don’t close?

Will they ask why, despite a court order, we still lag in teacher diversity?

Will they ask why so many schools don’t receive outside funding and grants?

Will they ask why only about a half of our students with special needs graduate from high school?

Will they ask for a plan for ~45,000 Boston children who don’t have a guaranteed place to go to this summer?

Will they ask about re-engaging all students, particularly Asian students and English Language Learners (many of whom are recent immigrants)?

With a release yesterday, there are now education platforms up for Barros, Campbell, Essaibi-George, and Wu. Janey and Santiago have yet to publish theirs.

If our prospective leaders have real plans for Boston’s future, we should expect some answers on those pages.

Reopening in Boston, MA, and Beyond

With the release of the initial city budget on Wednesday, Acting Mayor Janey maintained the commitment to increase the BPS budget by $36M, on top of federal dollars coming in. Schools now account for 40 cents of each dollar the city spends.

Two weeks into a significant increase for in-person learning in Massachusetts and touting a national model for pooled testing, COVID-19 cases are up for children and staff from last week.

Concerning that reporting levels of child abuse and neglect are tracking with schools closing and reopening.

Two good long reads from the Times this week on remote schooling continuing beyond the pandemic and the debate over unfinished learning; there’s a local angle, too. Although, one poll of parents seems to suggest we should stop debating and just start doing stuff.

Speaking of New York, in the first signal that urban areas will continue to see enrollment issues, kindergarten demand is down 12%. Sign-up for Boston kindergarten closed 2 weeks ago.

Other Matters

Late yesterday afternoon, a federal judge upheld Boston's change in exam school admissions. The opinion's emphasis on the policy being an exception for this year and speculation an appeal will come, however, portend this matter will continue.

The state is considering changing vocational school admissions.

More data to support early college programs.

A case to rethink special education in Boston (and its disproportionate impact on Black boys).

The incredible story of former City Councilor Tito Jackson's reunion with his birth mother has a surprising tie back to race and education in Boston.