FYI from BSF, 11.3.23
The move in Boston to incorporate English Learners into more general settings through inclusion resulted in the resignation of task force members, this op-ed, and a response from the Superintendent.
2002’s passage of Question 2, which required English-only instruction, resulted in many campaign ads (start at 0:47 for one) and a policy framework that would last for 15 years. Through screening and assessments, English Learners would be placed at levels which dictated services, classroom supports, etc. Boston’s failure to do this, among other things, led the United States Justice Department to finalize a consent decree in 2012, creating even more stringent guidelines about processes and services.
Research and advocacy promoting the benefits of multilingual instruction resulted in the LOOK Act in 2017, providing districts with additional flexibility outside of traditional “English-only” models. Further action and reform was required by the 2022 state audit and MOU that averted Boston receivership.
For all the debate and changes over how to serve English Learners over the past two decades, there are two constants.
First, Boston has a lot of English learners, and their enrollment share has increased as the district's enrollment has declined.
Second, English Learners continue to have lower student outcomes than their peers and the pandemic only exacerbated these gaps. Data from English Learners of Boston’s Class of 2026, who will sit for the 10th grade MCAS this spring, tells this story.
(You can filter for English Learners here to explore maps, graphs, etc.)
Nearly half of Boston’s English Learners are chronically absent, the highest rate of any subgroup.
Graduation rates are no better.
The increase and concentration of English Learners in Boston and other urban districts is one of the largest shifts in education over the past three decades. With the exception of isolated successes at the school level, systems have failed to adapt and meet their needs.
Our current leaders have the opportunity - and the mandate - to succeed where their predecessors have not.
Notes in the Margin
Boston School Committee met on Wednesday. Full materials here, including updated exam school admissions data and progress on workforce diversity.
The superintendent saga continues in Everett.
The school culture wars come to Newton.
What is happening with migrant students enrolling in Massachusetts schools?
Massachusetts residents feel pretty good about their schools, rating Massachusetts as a national leader in higher education and PK-12 education according to a new MassInc poll.
More on cell phones in schools. Deep dive on how a ban is playing out in schools in Orlando. A potential new downside: without smartphones, we may have not learned about the moose outside of a school in Rutland.
More on schools’ looming fiscal cliff.
The human story behind the rise in schools absences.
Refreshing for our time. A provocative piece on “looping” (children having the same teacher for consecutive years) was followed by a conversation with the author and a researcher who raised a critique.
More commonplace for our time. A Washington Post article on the rise of homeschooling - and a decline of support for public education - gets a lot of clicks for graphs like this.
Looks meteoric - the recent 55% increase in Massachusetts stands out. But the actual numbers, inconveniently, don’t justify the headlines.
other matters
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