FYI from BSF, 2.14.20
Some things we have read through recently…
School Matters…
In case you missed it, we announced over a half million dollars in grants yesterday, supporting 6 East Boston elementary schools and in the Channing in Hyde Park.
2020 Enrollment, Continued...
We dug into BPS enrollment a few weeks ago, so now will turn our attention to Boston charters.
In this analysis, we included Commonwealth charters and Horace Mann charters. There are 22 charter schools/networks in Boston. Commonwealth and Horace Mann charters differ in their formation and relationship with BPS, but are all solely authorized by the state as their own, independent legal entity with their own boards.
Boston charter enrollment has more than doubled, with a steep increase following implementation of the Achievement Gap Act (2010). Enrollment is slowly leveling off, as some charters complete growth plans and Boston approaches its cap (upheld by a 2016 ballot question).
2. Nearly two thirds of all Boston charter enrollment is in middle grades and high schools. However, after 6th grade, enrollment declines on the whole. This indicates some schools are still growing, and sector-wide attrition through high school.
3. Over 90% of Boston charter students are Black or Latinx (BPS = 72.4%).
4. For special populations, Boston charters are similar to the district in some areas, and not in others.
Notes in the Margin
The Boston Globe is promising continued coverage of the entrance admissions test for Boston’s three exam schools. Annual testing is less than 7 months away (with an annual summer access program about 4 months away), with a minor snag - there is no test selected or created yet. Here is an email sent out by Supt Cassellius on the matter.
BPS started budget hearings. Here is the presentation being used.
Councillor Flaherty re-proposed his Year 13 idea.
Concerns are being raised about active shooter drills in Massachusetts, citing impact on children’s stress/mental health in school.
Child homelessness is on the rise in MA.
The federal government is investigating overseas funding at Harvard (and Yale).