FYI from BSF, 3.6.20
Some things we have read through recently…
Pomp and Circumstance (Revue)
We heard a lot from readers last week about our graduation data. Specifically, what the big average (~73%) does not tell us.
In addition to school types, other gaps below the surface are in subgroups.
So we pulled data again for all Boston public school students (BPS + Commonwealth charters + Horace Mann charters).
Special Education
The largest gap for the largest subgroup is special education. Only about one-half of students with disabilities graduate in 4 years.
That is not the case at Boston Arts Academy, which closes the gap for students with special needs (meeting the general education average).
English Language Learners
Success for English Language Learners (ELL) students requires significant resources, particularly because a large percentage of ELL high school students are newcomers, joining Boston in 9th grade.
It is interesting that a dual-language high school, Margarita Muniz Academy, is one of the few schools nearly closing that gap at scale (73.8%). Also, the highly specialized programs at Boston International and Newcomers Academy closes that gap with a five-year approach.
Income Status
We see the oft-cited correlation between income and achievement/outcomes here in Boston.
But there are exceptions. Nearly all low-income students (96.8%) at EMK Health Careers Academy graduated on-time, prepared for college and/or career.
Race
Achievement and opportunity gaps persist by race.
But not at New Mission High; nearly all (96.4%) of New Mission’s Black students graduate in four years. And not at Excel Academy in East Boston - 93% of Latinx students graduated in four years.
So, solutions to the gaps exist.
The question is whether as a community we have the will and skill to implement those solutions.
Notes in the Margin
The release of the BPS audit from the state has educators (and media) watching and waiting:
Many schools and districts were headed this way, but Governor Baker made it official and requested the end of overseas travel for PK-12 students.
The RFP was released to design the new Boston exam school admissions test. 83 pages long. The biggest shifts from the current system appear to be orienting more to Massachusetts standards and potentially moving the test online. Edify at WBUR has a long read on the long story of exam schools, admissions, and race.
Boston Indicators released a dynamic tool to examine student diversity in Massachusetts schools.
School Matters
In what has become a new tradition/activity, BPS high school students did poll work on Super Tuesday.
Rigorous research supports the effectiveness of KIPP middle schools.