FYI from BSF, 06.30.23
Thank You
With another school-year ending, we want to close 2022-2023 with gratitude. It takes a lot of work to produce this newsletter every week, but we also know it takes your time and effort to read it. Even as readership for this newsletter has grown into the thousands (still surprising to us), it hasn’t lost the friendly feel of the list of eight we started with in 2017. Each week, you click, read, write “thank you,” add a comment, ask a question, share a critique, find a broken link, or forward to someone else.
We learn and you learn; hopefully, Boston educators, leaders, and kids and families benefit.
Longtime readers know the education news volume turns down a bit in the summer months, but you can still expect at least a weekly round-up of articles most Friday mornings.
Notes in the margin
Although long predicted, perhaps the most significant change in American education policy in the last half century was official yesterday. The Supreme Court has held strict race-based admissions for private and public colleges and universities is unconstitutional. Given the massive size of the Commonwealth’s higher education sector, this will have big impacts for Massachusetts (the Governor has already convened an advisory committee). It also guarantees Boston will be debating exam school admissions for the foreseeable future.
The first affirmative action admission policies were enacted in the late 1960s/early 1970s (and challenged and upheld in the Bakke case in 1978). College enrollment has increased and gaps have closed since that time. What will the data show in 2073?
With criminal charges announced, the media feeding frenzy continues on the curious case of the 32 year-old woman who attended three BPS high schools this past year.
Empty office buildings may mean less for Boston classrooms.
The City announced a task force to address adult literacy.
The final Board of Elementary and Secondary Education meeting of the year was lively. Full materials here. A new Board member was appointed. You have to wait for the meeting recording to see Professor Tom Kane’s sober assessment of student achievement, but this piece from a BESE Board member brings it to the family level. New health and sex ed standards were approved (now out for public comment). New education licensure requirements were passed, hoping to ease teacher shortages at the same time advocates are debating how to address teacher layoffs.
The big news, however, was Commissioner Riley giving the BPS improvement plan an “incomplete” and implying some summer work was due in September.
A reflection on the last year in Massachusetts schools.
On average, 1-2 teachers in a building are responsible for ⅓ of the racial discipline gap.
OTHER MATTERS
The end of the school-year always brings transitions.
You are probably receiving this email because of Natalya Subbotina; after six years of supporting data, operations, and general operational excellence at BSF, Natalya is headed north to Tuck for business school. We also want to publicly thank Stephen Chan for his years of service as a BSF advisory board and board member. The City of Boston is fortunate to have his leadership and talents. We are grateful that John Nelson, another Boston parent dedicated to the city's success, will be joining our board.
As you may have seen in a joint BPS press release, Dorie Withey is joining us to drive evidence-based literacy at our newest PEAK schools; we are incredibly excited to have someone with Dorie’s passion and expertise for literacy, educator development, and equity working full-time in our schools. Yully Cha will also be joining as our first Managing Director of Philanthropy. Yully brings over 20 years of experience in education and fundraising, and comes aboard as we begin to close out our current strategic plan and prepare for BSF’s next chapter by 2025.