FYI from BSF, 6.12.20
Some things we have read through recently...
Commencement
There is no shortage of creativity by schools in the attempt to honor the graduation of 2020.
BPS will have a virtual commencement tomorrow night, televised on WCVB. There have already been national and Massachusetts versions. Schools have or will hold their own version and there will still be valedictorian speeches, like this one from EMK. There is a compelling case being made to also have live graduations at a later date.
Despite the state accountability and cultural importance placed on high school graduation, we tolerate a wide variation in what graduation means at each school and school district.
Requirements and the student experience are very different, yet all kids end up with the same thing - a diploma. In an attempt to standardize, BPS has proposed adopting “MassCore” requirements which are aligned with the state standard for college readiness; this is also spelled in the MOU with the state. MassCore was extensively discussed at a School Committee on May 27th, and after that, a future vote was delayed (and MassCore was not discussed or adopted at School Committee on June 10th).
At the same meeting, School Committee waived graduation requirements for this year. The interrupted learning and grading since March brought on by COVID-19 is bound to stretch the consistent markings of a diploma this year.
Why does this matter?
First, high school graduation (and continued education) has clear economic benefits.
Second, not all high school diplomas are equal in their value or predictive of future success. The Globe’s Valedictorian Project made that painfully clear. The scandal in DC showed how easy it could be to “juice” graduation rates.
Lastly, any time you open up a new policy, it forces you to examine your current one. As a reminder, here is Boston public (BPS + charter) school high school graduation rates by race.
This is not a one-year problem. BPS graduation rates going back nearly 10 years show an average racial gap of ~10%.
We should celebrate the Class of 2020 - they earned their rite of passage in turbulent times.
But we should also pause to ask, who is not walking the virtual stage this year and why.
Last year, 541 age/grade eligible Black students did not receive a high school diploma in Boston. If trends hold, roughly the same will be true this year.
Our high schools and current graduation policies appear to tolerate this inequity.
What will we do differently?
Notes in the Margin
The issue systemic racism and policing is making its way into schools - the City Council is raising questions around policing in BPS.
As mentioned above, Boston School Committee met Wednesday. Budget implications of COVID-19, ELL task force, the Superintendent’s self-evaluation, and buses were discussed.
The state released initial guidelines for reopening schools (class size cap of 10, masks, handwashing, etc.). This has elicited a lot of reactions:
Unlikely kids or teachers will be getting off Zoom, not just in MA but around the country. Many schools have strived to adapt.
There are concerns about expenses, creating further pressure around potential layoffs. The multi-billion dollar question - will Congress pass a second stimulus to help?
Sounds pretty challenging - now try that with little, little kids. A change.org petition to change the state’s approach has over 34,000 signatures.