FYI from BSF, 10.16.20
Some things we have read through recently…
“Systemic barriers to quality education are dismantled. Every child in Boston has access to a school environment that is safe, supportive, and thriving.” (from BSF’s “What We Believe”)
The big news this week was Wednesday’s ruling that in-person learning in Boston could continue, in spite of a legal challenge and protests by the Boston Teachers Union (BTU). You can read about it here, here, here, and here. The ruling held that the Boston Public Health Commission has the final say on in-person learning, whether or not the city-wide rate is above 4%.
This means high-needs, high-priority students can continue with in-person learning. Next Monday, those students can start attending 4 days/week, and the first cohort of all kindergarten kids starts next Thursday.
This ruling, however, brings no certainty this will happen, particularly given warnings from the Mayor yesterday.
COVID-19 rates were up again this week in Boston, and across Massachusetts. If they were their own cities or towns, several Boston neighborhoods would be “red” (cumulative week averages above 8%). Updated data will be available by next Wednesday morning.
As the BTU reminded its members, their legal fight is not over - it is just moving to a different playing field (arbitration) that could take weeks or even months to shake out.
Therefore, it is highly likely that any given upcoming Wednesday could result in a whole set of schedules, logistics, plans, and goals.
All of this draws attention to what might happen, not what actually is.
What is actually happening in schools right now?
It has been reported that approximately 1,300 Boston high-need, high-priority students are arriving at school on assigned days. That puts daily attendance rates at around 37%. 2 out 3 kids consistently missing school would typically be an emergency.
Given the dire need for in-person services for some children and mental health support for many more, strong messages from advocates (start at minute 20), massive capital investment, and even the city’s willingness to go to court, why are so few students coming? Families’ perceptions of safety? Need more outreach? Problems with buses? Too cold in classrooms?
We have also heard reports of some schools having not a single teacher report to school on a given day, or teachers taking leaves of absences after September 21.
All of these unanswered questions and disruptions arise from having just ~2% of all students and staff being in a school building on a given day.
Boston School Committee’s next meeting is Wednesday, with a planned vote to change exam school admissions policies for this year (good summary from the Shah Foundation here). In other words, the focus will be on which ~900 children might go to 3 schools 11 months from now.
If we were serious about equity, we would expect that conversation to consider two other sets of students:
What is going on with the ~4,300 high-needs, high-priority students not attending school right now? Are they receiving the services they need? How?
How much are 51,000 students (almost all remotely) learning and how are they being supported, right now?
There is an old adage: if it matters, you measure it.
The city can tell you how many classroom cameras were ordered, if needed (3,500). The city can tell you how many meals were provided remotely over a period of four days (350,000). The city can tell you the average wait time on a call about a bus issue (1:27).
Why don’t we know if kids in school (remote or in-person) are OK?
School Reopening MA, and Beyond
The state is publicly tracking around COVID-19 cases in schools, with additional assistance from a 15-year old. Outbreaks and rising cases have led to shutdowns (Marshfield) or delayed hybrid starts (Lawrence).
The other big Massachusetts news was the Governor’s budget release. The bottom line for schools - money for PPE and about a 2% bump in Chapter 70 funding, statewide, effectively delaying funding increases under the Student Opportunity Act. If this stretches into FY22, this presents an issue for Boston’s strategic plan, which relies on new revenue from the state.
Public health experts, with over two months of data in some states, are questioning the impact of very, very low (but not zero) rates of spread in schools and trade-offs with other health challenges.
Other Matters
Boston School Committee candidates are created through a citizen’s nominating panel that traditionally meets October-December, with the Mayor choosing a nominee in January to align with terms. One spot is up this year.
Further research evidence that 9th grade really, really matters.
Turnarounds, in any field, are challenging and expensive, but one type of school turnaround - restart - appears to have been more effective.
Boston is not the only city grappling with selective admissions during the pandemic.