FYI from BSF, 05.13.22
Quorum
For the first time in memory, on Wednesday night the Boston School Committee could not meet as scheduled. With only three members present, only public comment could move forward, and there could be no discussion of the planned topics or anything else.
The inability to meet is curious given the big events of the week in education.
Nearly 7 years after then Marty Walsh announced BuildBPS outside of the McKay, now Mayor Wu stood in front of the McKinley to announce a Green New Deal for Boston Public Schools.
The difference? Double the money ($2B committed), centralized planning by the city, more building data, and the rapid deployment of new projects. To top that off, building upgrades will assist in reducing carbon emissions in the city.
The goal itself is more specific and comprehensive. Mayor Wu: “I would like us to have fully redone every single school building in Boston in the next decade.” May sound ambitious, but it has been done - as our policy brief lays out, following a similar strategy, Washington, DC modernized more than 100 buildings in 15 years. It is possible, but it will require planning, new money, and political will. To date, no new school building has been planned, funded, and constructed through the BuildBPS.
Earlier this week, the city also announced new work in early college. Career pathways were described, as well as a plan to enhance the role of Roxbury Community College. Research has shown that early college programs, following evidence-based research, have dramatic, positive effects for students, particularly students of color. Emphasis on “evidence-based”: the outcomes rely heavily upon the actual program and quality of the partnering higher education institution.
Although not discussed, the Boston School Committee meeting did offer materials on public exam school admissions. The numbers are pretty clear - the policy shifts worked as designed.
Admissions by race have changed dramatically, particularly for Black and white students.
Particularly at Boston Latin.
There appears to be a shift towards more low-income students being invited, up 11% over the past two years.
No doubt this data will be pored over more, but it does raise two systemic questions related to demand and enrollment.
First, the data reveals that demand and competition is very different in the 8 “tiers” (the new assignment system slots students in succession in groups by socioeconomic status, with tier 1 being the lowest).
Half of the tiers didn’t even have enough qualified applicants (assuming 125 per tier).
The data also shows that demand for exam schools has dropped significantly (by nearly 50%) in the past three years (with slight uptick in 9th grade this year).
As we noted in our annual enrollment analysis, exam school enrollment declined last year. With less applicants and a new, unclear waitlist process, this may happen again. Not only does this affect the three exam schools' budgets, it also has a systemic effect.
The three exam schools are big. Last year’s decline alone will result in a loss of 1,500 students over time, around 3% of all students enrolled in Boston Public Schools.
Just three schools of more than 120.
But changes have and will create ripples for the city.
There were other topics on the School Committee agenda. There are now additional safety concerns being raised. Prospective superintendent applications are due today. The state’s audit of BPS is likely done and could be discussed at the state Board meeting on Tuesday, May 24th.
Boston School Committee meets next on Wednesday, May 25th.
Let’s hope there is quorum.
Reopening Boston, MA, and Beyond
COVID-19 in schools continue to be on the rise; Massachusetts is up 63% from last week, Boston is up 21 %. At least one community, Northampton, has reinstated a mask mandate.
Yet another academic study chronicles setbacks caused by remote learning, particularly for low-income students.
Other Matters
Why are there 16,000 less Black children in Boston Public Schools than a generation ago? For starters, housing.