Forum Question
Based on your experience with BPS, and especially this past year, we are looking for your ideas for reimagining what school could be. If there were no bounds, what would the ideal learning experience be like for our students?
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Responses
Invest in BPS Outdoor Teaching & Learning Spaces, Curriculum, and Partnerships
Vision: Every Boston Public Schools student will engage in a BPS Pathway of Outdoor Teaching & Learning (OTL) - an intentional experience with OTL at every grade level during a student's time in BPS. This pathway could be designed utilizing the existing BPS OTL assets and partners by investing in these assets and partnerships at the district level.
Boston Public Schools has 35 outdoor classrooms, 70+ school gardens, 5 green stormwater infrastructure sites, and many play structures. Two of our schools even have Freight Farms! These beautiful, invaluable outdoor teaching and learning spaces include natural ecosystem…
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Keep Student T-Passes active through the Summer, reuse in the Fall
Giving all 7th-grade+ students access to T-Passes regardless of school distance was the best policy changes in recent years. I've seen my own teenagers able to do so much more in the city with the ability to move around and connect with friends. Friends that often do not live in the same neighborhood due largely to our complex Home-Based choice system.
But the MBTA is very miserly and makes us disable the passes exactly on the last day and as soon as seniors have their last day.
We should be equitably enabling our students to be able to…
(0) |
hello
I would like to have a classroom with better air quality all year round. I would like to not open windows when its cold out to vent the air in the room. I also think that we should be given a little bit of money to by some supplies for our classrooms. BPS spend thousands of dollars just to open schools for 6 weeks we should be getting something to support our classrooms. Also the wall socks attached to the wall again. Also lights in the classroom fixed. Also be allowed to tell families there children are not allowed back…
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Ideal School
Our students would work in a school without metal detectors and security officers. They would be doing predominately project-based learning. They would gather that work in a portfolio, which would be their graduating requirement. They would not take high stakes standardized tests (ie MCAS).
They would guide their learning. All learning was cross-disciplinary, grounded in student interests, and taught in small groups.
Grades were given as feedback for growth. Revision was expected. Making mistakes was valued.
We would work extensively on making our learning communities value each other. We would value all kinds of learning and the…
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Technology/ Arts/ SEL
Students and teachers need access to good technology, arts and SEL embedded into the curriculum.
Every teacher needs a smart board, good speaker system and a laptop minimum. Paras included.
Every teacher should have access to improve their arts integration techniques into the curriculum.
Teachers/students need to be given a map of the human brain and typical developmental.
Most of the choices students make are developmentally appropriate but our discipline system is set up to punish kids who take age appropriate emotional risks without a chance to reflect on the other options they…
(0) |
Technology Integration: Blended Learning AND Keep Funding Tech!!!
My ideas are twofold, but both based around technology.
1. All classrooms should be given TVs and AirTames so that information can be clearly presented without all kinds of wires around the room. Our presentation technology is SO behind other urban school districts that I have worked in and our students simply deserve better.
2. Please take this opportunity to require teachers to use technology on a regular basis. Computers should be part of everyday instruction and data collection. One of the paraprofessionals at our school, who is a BPS graduate, said…
(1) |
Simplify Elementary Report Cards
We should just be giving simple grades. What parent wants to read a 40 item report card? Reading, Writing, Math, Science, Social Studies, Art, Phys Ed, etc. Conduct, Effort. Boom. Done. Then improve the comment area so that we can more skillfully thread together actual narrative comments to help families understand what we are seeing in school
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Keep and Toss
Throughout this school year and the end of last, we have learned so much about how to better leverage technology in the classrooms and at home! We are able to reach more families/guardians to get feedback, make connections, and provide more opportunities to have an active role in teacher/parent/guardian/school communication and involvement. It would be a great benefit to continue and increase funding to keep these tools viable. As one example (of many), I have had a much higher turn out for my virtual open houses than my in person open houses. Because I am able to offer a Zoom…
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We missed some big opportunities for restructuring this year
Age-group teaching would be reconfigured into "developmental band" teaching - Some students are ready for skills earlier/later than others and I certainly don't work with adults that were only born in the same year as I was. Let kids who are chomping at the bit move forward, and let kids who need more time take it, and use special education and language learning levels continue for students who need them. Make bands that make sense (3-5, 4-6, 6-8, 8-10, etc.) and then teach content curriculum (science, social studies) on a 2-3 year cycle and teach skills (math, reading, writing) in…
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Opportunities and Access
I feel that in times such as these, where its so easy to feel emotionally disconnected in a vastly connected world, it is more important that ever to allow for perspective and choice, especially in the classroom. Since day one, I made it a mission to understand what made students go, and who they were as individuals. It has been a long and difficult journey, one that included lots of silent Zoom rooms, names on a black background, and very little personal interaction. Nevertheless, I kept on with asking students what they needed and how I could help them achieve…
Read the Full Response(1) |
Rebekah S.
Space matters.
At the Greenwood, we need a better outdoor space, including some GREEN SPACE to run around in and play. Our schoolyard is right next to an abandoned church, and nothing has been done for decades (or ever?) to address this. There has been plenty of talk, but no ACTION.
Why can't this space be turned into a field with grass or turf? Or an outdoor classroom that uses the space effectively?
If not now, WHEN?
(-1) |
Funds for field trips, art enhancement in buildings and schoolyards garnered and allocated by the district
Students need to be out in the world. We need greatly enhanced funding from the district to get students out doing field work about the content they are studying. Likewise, we need funds for large scale art enhancements to be created by students and families in collaboration with local artists. This would simultaneously increase a sense of pride and articulate the unique mission and values of specific schools. Most schools do not have the time to grant write for themselves. This should be a system-wide initiative.
Read the Full Response(7) |
Ideal School
My ideal school ..
Clean
AC & heating system that works and is controlled by the classroom not by the Bolling Building
A separate area for the cafe, gym, auditorium, etc.
A bathroom on each floor for students
More than one bathroom for staff
A My Way Cafe which has the food that is listed on the monthly schedule
Classroom with working technology for each student
Windows that work in all classrooms
An outside area that is appropriate for all ages ranges - a basketball court area,…
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Special Education Equity
Some schools have strong inclusion practices that benefit the school. Other schools, such as the Sarah Greenwood, have sub-separate special education classrooms in a dual-language school. The special education students in these classrooms do not get the benefit of learning a language. Additionally, students get referred to our programs and even if they are ready to transition into general education classrooms the only way for them to do so is often to go to another school, which takes them away from the support system they had built. This is problematic for the students and families. Sadly we have been trying…
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From Marginalized to Realized
A stand alone building designed to address the needs of the 18-22 population of young adults with special needs in our district. These young adults should attend a traditional high school for their usual grade 9-12 programming and then "graduate" with their peers after the 12th grade. They would then attend this reimagined post grad program designed to help develop their work readiness, recreation and leisure, daily living, functional, and self advocacy skills in an environment that will help to increase their access to, and independence in, the community and world around them. Being able to provide individualized and targeted…
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Prioritizing Safety and Sustainability
Outdoor education is a huge opportunity for BPS students to enhance their learning, especially living in a dense, urban environment. By bolstering our garden education programs, outdoor classrooms, and professional development around learning in nature, we can provide these amazing assets to our school communities. With COVID-19, there has never been a better time to make outdoor learning possible for our students and teachers. This is the perfect way to make our communities feel safe, and confident being back in school, while also providing equitable access to outdoors and nature.
Our school gardens and outdoor classrooms…
(4) |
Learning Models
It would be great to see BPS provide a cyber school opportunity in order to provide options for students and families for whom online learning helped them make academic progress and to excel. We have had a few students for whom the remote option has been beneficial. It makes sense that BPS would use this opportunity to create a BPS Cyber School option. Students and staff who want to remain remote even after the pandemic subsides would have this option. I realize this would affect students' connections with their original school, but Cyber School models could allow for a school…
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Dual language program inventory and assessment of equity
There are currently four dual language Spanish-English programs in the city. One is city-wide, while the others serve specific zones. Two of the four are located in zip code areas served by Northeastern as part of its commitment to giving back to the city. Two are located in areas that have undergone enormous gentrification in the past twenty years. The two Spanish-English dual language schools located in these gentrified areas have a single mission of creating top-notch dual language programs. This gives those schools the ability to focus on a single mission, and do substantial fund-raising. Parent groups at those…
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Equity & Neurodiversity
Scrap the MCAS - it perpetuates inequity and says nothing of the individual's academic ability. Teaching and prepping for it steals both teachers and students time for actual worthwhile study and learning.
Sever ties with ABA Therapy and begin taking the lead from Neurodiversity Advocates. ABA is inhumane and has been condemned by the UN as infringing on the rights of individuals with disabilities. It was born from the same mind who birthed Gay Conversion Therapy and causes high levels of trauma and PTSD in those subjected to it.
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Marcia K.
I have taught for years using quality diverse picture books and novels. All of the standards can be taught using this method along with Reciprocal Teaching strategies. My students will tell you how much they love reading and excel using RT. We just can't continue to bounce from one ELA curriculum to another. BPS should consider supplying amazing books like Brown Girl Dreaming, Dave the Potter, Number the Stars, Bud Not Buddy and so forth so that our students can make connections to the characters in the books we are reading. I would also like to see reading coaches in…
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After school programs for high needs dual language schools
The dual langauge schools that serve high needs populations do not have the capacity to raise enough money to fund high quality afterschool programs. We need after school programs in Spanish in order to support biliteracy development, along with culturally relevant enrichment programs.
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Equitable resources for very high needs schools
Some BPS schools have Parent Councils that raise a lot of money every year. Some schools have no fundraising at all, no "Friends of the...school" accounts, because the population we serve is extremely marginalized in every way and families simply do not have extra to donate. These schools that serve a high concentration of homeless, undocumented and otherwise underserved families need more support from the district in terms of resources and programs that help our students. We need before school and after school programs, funding for field trips and funding for enrichment programs/partnerships that provide music, arts, etc. for our…
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Adopt an "embedded coaching" model in which coaches lead lessons and work directly with students
To model good practice and to create opportunities for children to benefit from guided small group instruction, shift from the model of coach as observer/supervisor to coach as instructional point person who unpacks, adapts and enhances curricula, delivers lessons and works in collaboration within the classroom.
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Global Citizenship
The students of BPS deserve opportunities to explore the world through experiential global learning experiences and robust dual-language and world languages programs that begin in elementary school and continues throughout multiple schools for all languages. Our students come from so many varied linguistic and cultural backgrounds: we have the opportunity to make BPS a school district that fully embraces and celebrates multilingualism and multiculturalism by making it a robust part of the student experience. We should have language programs in the languages that our school communities speak AND in languages that are in demand in our country and our world.…
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Funds for School Specific Before and After School Programs for students
Rather than use "partners" for before and after school programs, channel funding to schools to create their own programs that align with their specific missions and needs. For example, our dual language program needs bi-lingual before and after school services and has never had them. We have worked with neighborhood and local groups, but they cannot offer the dual language services to support academic growth in both languages.
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1st grade teacher
Keep zoom for family conferences and family council meetings (and school committee meetings).
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Technology Beyond Chromebooks
With all students having their own Chromebooks, it is clear that our classrooms can better leverage this student-facing resource with more technology enhancements. Several of our classrooms have outdated Smartboards that no longer work. With the new display screens/Airtames in all classrooms, students' Chromebooks could be utilized even more effectively.
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Technology That Facilitates Universal Design for Learning
With BPS funding Chromebooks for every student, we now have an opportunity to continue leveraging technology for greater student access to grade level learning. Through ST Math, Lexia, Peardeck, Seesaw, and Boomcards, our educators have designed engaging and accessible learning opportunities that have UDL supports built into their overall design and specialized features. It is important for our teachers to continue having access to these rich online resources, most of which require costly subscriptions, beyond this year. Given the constraints of our small school budget, we will not be able to fund these exciting but expensive resources via our WSF…
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Take action to create safe, healthy and adequate facilities for BPS programs
Our school is geographically marginalized within the BPS schools. We serve one of the poorest neighborhoods in Boston. Our building houses three high needs programs that can work at crossed purposes, although the staff works collaboratively and we respect the each others' skills and talents. The building has no special facilities for the programs housed in it. The Franciscan Hospital counselors work in windowless closets. The lighting is poor in the halls. There are gendered bathrooms in the basement (long rows of toilets in the girls' room, a wall of urinals and some stalls in the boys' room) to be…
Read the Full Response(3) |
Equity For Dual Language Schools
Dual language schools require more resources because we work in two languages rather than one. We need appropriate funding for guided reading libraries and classroom libraries where books in both languages are equal in number and quality. Any curricular materials offered by the system (such as Focus on K-2) need to be provided in the two languages to address serious inequities between monolingual programs and dual language programs. Currently this is not the case. Dual language programs need bilingual office staff to create a culture of linguistic equity for families. Likewise, we need Parent Centers to fully inform prospective families…
Read the Full Response(3) |
Equity for Dual Language Schools
The dual language schools need equitable access to resources, materials and outside-of-school learning experiences for our students. The district mandated the 80% Spanish/20% English program from K1 - 1st grade and 50/50 2nd - 8th in the dual language schools, but has never provided Spanish resources in any of the Focus on K - 2nd programs, Summer Focus programs or any summer academies, after school programs or other materials in Spanish. The guided reading libraries in Spanish are a tenth of the size of the English guided reading libraries. There is no Spanish partner phonics program to Fundations. ARC Bookshelf…
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Mindfulness, SEL and Self-Compassion: from inner change to outer change
As a district, we need to take on supporting the social emotional needs of all community members - students and staff members alike with direct experiential practice. Enough research shows us that practices such as mindfulness and self-compassion boosts well-being, productivity, focus, relationship quality with ourselves and others, emotional regulation, etc. These effects translate to improved learner readiness, resilience and well-being. This requires a true culture shift to teach to and support the whole student and the whole educator with district wide initiatives, cultural responsiveness and trauma sensitive approaches.
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vo-tech
BPS needs a fully reformed state of the art vocational education program
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community service
All members of our learning communities, students and staff, should be involved in making a difference in their communities. Service should be required for all students, just as math, English, science, and history are.
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Global Awareness
Global Awareness builds empathy and understanding. All students should participate in either virtual or face to face global learning experiences, travel, or exchange.
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stronger co-curricular programming
All students should be involved in co-curricular programming connected to their advisory or a class.
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Modern Science Labs
Students in all schools should have modern science and technology facilities.
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Expanding Strong Programs
We have three of the top high schools in the state with OB, BLA, and BLS. We should expand all of these programs, increasing enrollment in all of these highly successful schools. Why are we denying good students seats in these schools? Students in good standing should be offered admission to at least one of the schools. Build, Bigger, Better
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Ideal learning experience
An ideal learning experience would follow the Classroom Without Walls structure, but it would make quality education accessible to all students and not only in a remote setting. Programs like METCO are great, and students should not have to travel 2hrs outside of their community for quality education, access to classroom/school materials and equitable opportunities to make them competitive students.
Multiple Social workers instead of school resource officers. Social workers being able to really work with students and not be bogged down by paperwork or being overwhelmed with case loads.
Restorative or…
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More Guidance Counselors
Guidance Counselors in every school! And more in the schools that already have them!
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Increased instructional supports for students
It would be wonderful to see each grade level at each school assigned one or more "specialists" (reading, math, etc.) to facilitate 1:1/small group instruction that helps all students access grade-level work.
Likewise it would be wonderful to see Reading Recovery fully implemented across the district (1-2 Reading Recovery teachers at each elementary school) in order to help more students make early progress in reading/writing and lessen to the load for teachers in later grades.
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Basic materials
The more time I spend thinking about this question, the more ideas I come up with. I was thinking today how refreshing it is that I am currently in a school that provides all the materials I need. I haven't had to make a single run to Staples for file folders, tape, paper clips, packing tape, glue, paint, construction paper, lamination, binders, colored copy paper, cardstock, or anything! Usually those trips are every 2-3 weeks! Then it occurred to me. It's pretty concerning that this is an unusual experience! Teachers but things ALL the time, so much so that it…
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More Vocational/Tech Programs
Ramp up/reinvest in our vocational/technical programs for students who do not have plans to go to a 2/4 year college. We have so many talented young people who want to make a good living, do not have the desire to go to college, but are eager to jump into a trade. How can we set them up for success?
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Licensed Reading Teachers in ALL Middle Schools
One of many things that need attention in the district is the reading gaps at the middle school level. Many middle schools do not have the appropriate number of licensed reading teachers to address student needs. While every classroom teacher should be literacy-focused, it takes special training to be an effective rules-based reading teacher. Often times this essential type of instruction needs to happen in small groups. If we focus on improving reading skills, student achievement will increase in other content areas as well (science, math, social studies, writing).
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Size Matters
First off, thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to weigh in here. I appreciate that this request comes jointly from Brenda AND Jessica.
I have taught in BPS for over two decades and only in two schools. One started as a fantastic small school that transitioned twice to become a much larger school (more than 600 students). When we doubled our student population, our tight-knit community disappeared. The strong school culture that had been built and nurtured by staff, students and families became so watered down that it was no longer present in a…
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Meeting Students Where They Are
I have had the great opportunity to serve as a school psychologist intern and substitute this year. My greatest adjustment to practice has truly been reimagining counseling services. Students have shown me that they are able to engage in meaningful conversations and activities in a variety of remote modalities, and I have provided more flexibility than ever before in terms of giving students choice in how we connect. For some students, the Zoom platform has created space for engagement in shared documents or journals, as opposed to sessions where dialogue leads the work. I have connected with students via phone…
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Positive Reinforcement
Schools should be a place where students are recognized for their achievements. That recognition needs to come in a form that is meaningful for the student. The achievements should be based on what the student can already do and what they need to get better at to promote individual growth.
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Student Development Counselor - school counselor
We need school counselor's in every school and at every grade level. I support and encourage the increase in social workers to support the mental health needs of our students. But let us not forget the academic needs of our students that have always existed but that are going to be significantly increased because of COVID. As a district we have adopted Naviance and want to intentionally provide our students with the skills to be successful after high school yet in too many schools we do not have a trained person to begin this support early on. In order to…
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Transition students
Create a studio apartment type of space in each high school that houses a transition program. These students are working not only on academic skills, but also vocational and daily living skills. My having a simulated living situation they can practice real life skills in a realistic environment helping to bridge the gap between home/school, and day programs/group homes.
It would also be worthwhile to create a library of vocational and ADL tasks that could be built and developed by specialists. Protocols, data collection sheets, and hierarchies could be developed by a team so that each…
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Soup to Nuts
BPS has long been a reactive district.
We have had district plans in the past (small learning communities, robust academic departments to no academic departments, opening early learning seats but never enough), but each is a stop gap measure. It is my feeling that BPS should begin with a district wide elementary (starting at K1) academic curriculum and social emotional curriculum that is standardized across the district. Teachers will bring themselves and their spirit to the pedagogy but teachers should not be forced to beg, borrow and steal curriculum (K1 all the way through 12) in…
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Stop adding or changing curriculum
I can't tell you how exhausting it is to learn a new curriculum. I know to some extent this is unavoidable. But there was a period of time where every year we had to adapt a new or updated curriculum. It's SO much work to prep a new curriculum. It takes time to really learn it ourselves, to read through all the lessons (sometimes twice), prep all the materials, make modified materials, laminate and cut the reusables, etc. To have this happen constantly is just kind of cruel. We need time to get good at something, and if you keep…
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Service animals
I've felt for a long time that schools would benefit from service animals. I've seen children in the middle of a breakdown stop and smile at a dog. They are transformative. Every school should have access to a service animal. This would help with trauma, as well a as easing transitions bank to school.
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Comprehensive, Consistent Music Education in All BPS Schools
BPS students deserve access to comprehensive music education regardless of the school they attend. My understanding of the current state of music education in BPS is that access to general music classes, strings, band, and chorus, is inconsistent across schools. This places our students at a distinct disadvantage in comparison with their peers in most other school districts in MA. If we seek to be an anti-racist district, we must no longer accept second best for our students. We must offer music programs that are comparable to those of better-funded districts.
- Equity: It is a matter…
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“guidance counselors”
Every single student in Boston would have a guidance counselor assigned to them. The duties would align with the ASCA model. The guidance counselors would not be pushed out of the schools (who then claim to have mental health workers)when 5 percent or 10 percent of the school is actually being serviced by school social workers or outside partners. Students would know their counselor and meet with them regularly for a connection to someone in the school. Students would feel supported by their counselor and build a relationship with them. As a high school counselor at a high school previously,…
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Trauma Sensitive and Anti-Racist Schools--for real, not buzz word style
The terms "trauma sensitive" and "anti-racist" have become the it words to throw around in PD, but if we truly want to do right by our students, we need to focus on making them the core of all of our schools rather than a topic we skim through and them never revisit. Other districts in MA have had success raising test scores solely through focusing on becoming trauma sensitive. I would highly encourage leaders in BPS to work with the Lesley Institute for Trauma Sensitivity to reframe our understand of and focus on trauma. I would also love to have…
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The Real Marie Kondo-ing
Throughout the pandemic, people have talked about the idea of Marie Kondoing the curriculum. They generally mean cutting out the "less important" material and teaching the most critical elements. But if you really listen to Marie Kondo, that's not what she's about. She doesn't tell people to find the most functional, critical items in their homes and get rid of everything else. The whole purpose is to find the items that spark joy.
When I think about what kids have missed this year, it's not just time learning to read or mastering number sense. Really what…
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Inclusion Done Right
All students in Boston should have access to equitable models of inclusion classrooms. All inclusion classrooms would benefit from having two teachers: a general education teacher and a special education teacher, with the support of a paraprofessional. Inclusion classrooms taught by one teacher underserve students, as one teacher is required to do the job of two people. A two-teacher inclusion model would benefit all students in the classroom, both with and without disabilities.
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Elementary School Inclusion Teacher
BPS should take this opportunity to REALLY make inclusion a better model for both SWD and Gen Ed Students. A two teacher model would go such a long way in helping close the gaps created by the pandemic and the gaps that existed before the pandemic.
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Full-Service Hub Schools
What if our schools were a one-stop shop that provided access to all the community supports families were looking for? We're moving in that direction with a nurse, social worker, and family liaison in most schools. We need to make these staff FULL TIME in every school so that they can support families on any day of the week.
Additionally, being full-service means we would have access to comprehensive, regularly updated lists of services and supports for families. If a family is facing food insecurity and is having trouble paying their bills, any staff member should…
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Culturally Responsive Libraries
All Early Childhood classrooms and curricula to be updated and embedded with culturally and linguistically responsive read alouds that the represent the diversity of our community. All schools that use guided reading practices need to have book room upgrades to include leveled libraries from companies like Songlake or Eagle Crest, that celebrate stories, customs, traditions and language of people from culturally diverse backgrounds. The Early Childhood Department needs to work smarter to embed culturally responsive practices in activities, choice boards, materials and building in family connections and participation. We need to focus on "cultivating the genius" of our students through…
Read the Full Response(7) |
Full Time Social Worker in every school
There has never been a better time to increase Social Workers in our schools. The current plan has many schools sharing a Social Worker between two different schools. It is already tricky to support students and families with our part time Social Worker. Once more students are back in-person the needs will be far greater.
From the practitioner's perspective, building trusting relationships with staff, families and students on two different campuses and with only 2.5 days a week is not setting anyone up for success.
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Virtual Home-School Visiting Project
In many early childhood programs, supportive, trusting, and connective relationship with families are initiated by home-visits. As a teacher, I gained so much insight and knowledge about children when I stepped into their homes before they stepped foot into the classroom. As a parent, I saw how meaningful it was to my child to have his teacher see him in his "real" world, outside school. My idea would be to develop this practice throughout the district.
Primary Goal: Create an interactive "meet and greet" platform for both teachers and families. Along with virtual classroom tours, teachers could…
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Return to Affirming, Developmentally Appropriate, 21st Century Equipped Spaces
The walls would have faces of people that look like the students of Boston Public Schools, colorful with positive messages- made by artists in the community, the heart of the school would be a library. One filled with diverse books books about dancers, musicians, scientists, and social justice warriors, books that all students could find inside traits they identify with (curious, hard working, talented, creative), with an intentional focus to uplift our students of color and counter the negative narrative our children are immersed with or an opportunity to see and learn about people with experiences different from their own.…
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Re-Invigorate Learner Centered Innovation Program
About five or six years ago, the district had an Innovation Program which built capacities in teachers to create innovative, interdisciplinary, hands-on curriculum with local companies like AutoDesk and Suffolk Construction and also Project Lead the Way. Teachers had externships during the summer and worked collaboratively across schools to develop engaging opportunities for secondary school students to experience opportunities in an innovation economy. It was STEAM not just STEM. It focused on school-reimagined as well as combined humanities with engineering and the sciences. Sadly, this initiative as well at its network of BPS educators has all but disappeared. We need…
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Remote access to Boston Latin for all BPS students & remotely taught arts and tech instruction for every school that doesn't offer it.
Let me preface this by saying I'm just a SLIFE/ESL BPS elementary school teacher, so I'm not necessarily aware of the broad overview of BPS or Boston Latin School, so forgive me if these ideas are too simplistic or ill thought out.
Idea 1: In regards to making a remote school, could we not through a remote school platform make Boston Latin School accessible to every age appropriate student in BPS? Now that every child has a laptop, they can access the exact same instruction that enrolled BLS students are getting online. The lessons the BLS teachers…
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Honor Our Paras With Livable Wages and Opportunities to Plan with their Team
COVID has taught us a lot. At my school, one that was clear before but has become overwhelmingly evident now, is that our paras are not just homework checkers and copy-makers, they are our second teacher in the classroom. My team could not have had the success that we have had over the past without the unbelievable support we have had from these second teachers - they have built relationships with parents, ran lessons in breakout Zoom rooms, conferenced with students on writing and math strategies, developed SEL lessons and so much more. My grade-level partner and I have made…
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More Pathways to Recruit Teachers of Color and Bilingual Teachers
It is incredibly important to increase and retain the diversity of BPS staff as new hiring commences. If we are truly to combat white supremacy within our schools, then we need to ensure that our school staffs reflect the ethnic and cultural backgrounds of our students. We need to recruit and retain more educators of color and bilingual educators.
One strategy is to offer more pathways for paraprofessionals to pursue teaching licensure or increased compensation and benefits. There are many paraprofessionals in our district with years of experience working with our students. Many speak additional languages…
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Intervention Staff Needed
This was already a challenge prior to COVID and has been highlighted even further by the pandemic.
There are always students in any class that need significant intervention outside of their grade level curriculum (not only students with disabilities). For example, students in grades 3&up who may need phonics intervention or still have to count on their fingers for single digit addition and subtraction. Or students in grade 2, who may still be decoding at a kindergarten reading level.
Teachers can't control what students have mastered before they arrive in their classrooms…
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Standardized Testing Takes Away Quality Learning Time
Educators already have our own tools in place for assessing students outside of standardized testing. Teachers use data from a wide variety of assessments, including rubrics, informal observations, exit tickets, and more formal observation tools such as reading benchmarks, etc. I find all of those tools more useful than standardized test results. For any students who struggle with reading, if they score low on the ELA part of a standardized test, that tells me nothing about their ability to understand ELA content since they most likely couldn't read the passage and had to guess their way through the assessment. It…
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Time for Deeper Learning Benefits All
Each day we have planning time that is spent connecting with families, getting materials ready for students, making copies, preparing manipulatives, creating engaging lesson plans and learning targets. Once a week we spend this time in Common Planning Time sessions with our grade level teams. Teachers spend after school hours doing the same thing as they also try to balance their work life schedules. This leaves little time to extend and deepen our knowledge to help us be even more targeted in our teaching goals for whole group, small group and individualized instruction of our students.
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Teacher Leadership and Coaching
I feel strongly that there need to be more opportunities for educators to advance to positions of support for their colleagues. This work can be overwhelming at times, and there should be official staff members in every school whose job it is to support their colleagues professionally with coaching, observations, co-teaching, and instructional support.
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Allow more autonomy
As I've been teaching longer over time, I have felt increasing pressure from admin and district to teach a particular curriculum. Previously, I had felt empowered to create things myself that felt engaging and motivational for kids. Now, between all the different curricula and their accompanying assessments, there's little to no space for improvisation and ingenuity. I'm afraid I'll get in trouble if I "step out of line." Those additional projects were my favorite. They were fun and very intrinsically motivating to students. I know the data says that formal curricula are more rigorous, but isn't there something to be…
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Arts nourish the soul
Far too few schools have access to quality arts education. Every child should have the opportunity to create real art (not just trace), learn to play an instrument (not just sing), and move their bodies in new ways (not just dance along to videos). Every child should have the same access to the things we know build character, brain function, and self-regulation skills, as well as create an outlet for them in a healthy way.
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4 day week
I know in other school districts around the country, schools utilize a 4 day school week. They make the school day a bit longer and have no school on a Monday or Friday for example.
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Project Based Learning
I am imagining a change in the specialist's schedules where homeroom classes might have the same special for an extended time; one, two, or three weeks to work on a project daily in the specialist classes, related to the curriculum units. For instance, instead of having Physical Ed once a week, students could have PE every day for an extended period, and work on some physical skills related to an academic curriculum unit. Then the specialist class could change to a new class and a new project that helps support the curriculum units.
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4 day in person will reduce teacher and student burn out!
Staff and teachers (in my school and in a few others I have spoken to) LOVE having Wednesday as a remote learning day for a number of reasons.
It gives staff and students a day without having to commute or walk or take the MBTA to get to the school building.
It allows for a more balanced work/home life.
After remote Wednesday's staff and students felt refreshed and had a renewed sense of focus.
It keeps students engaged and prevents staff burn out!
…
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Remote Wednesdays For the Win!
This school year, two major positives came out of our remote Wednesdays: 1. Long chunks of uninterrupted meeting time with colleagues and 2. Dedicated time to meet with small groups to target specific learning needs.
While we will have to reimagine what this looks like in a 5-day-a-week world, I think that with creative scheduling ideas, we could make those two things possible. Many schools already use a Wednesday half-day-for-students model to accommodate longer adult learning/teaming time - why not BPS? The earlier part of the day could be used for so many different, vitally important things: longer…
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Thinking small
As a district we need to catch up to the reality that smaller classes are better, more engaged students are more productive and more successful, and students need learning opportunities that are tailored to their specific strengths, weaknesses and interests. We need to invest in more teachers and more real estate to create smaller class sizes to make this possible. This pandemic and the incredible speed at which we purchased and deployed chromebooks has shown us that the money can be found if the need is urgent enough. The need is urgent! We can't have students crammed 20-30 in a…
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Student Centered Curriculum
Gather resources and construct a curriculum that incorporates students' interests in mind. I have never met a student who is not interested in learning. I have met plenty in BPS who are disinterested with our curriculum. Tap into one's passion and witness how engaged each student will become.
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A BPL connected library in every school
I had it as a student at BLS. Why don't my students have it at their school?
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An Ideal World
An ideal learning experience for our students would activate the community around them. Elders from the community would be invited to history classes to share how they experienced class lessons such as the Civil Rights Movement, the Holocaust, and more. Students would learn through experiential learning that's connected to the world around them. Learning would seem like less of a task and more of a way of being. All subjects would be taught thematically, so if we were learning about math we could relate it to history and art so that students can make inferences throughout their curricula.
…
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Standardized Testing Does Not Support An Anti-racist Platform
I cannot say it any better than Ibram X. Kendi, who spoke to the entire BPS staff in the fall, and also joked before he began his address by asking why he was being brought back if nothing had changed from the last time he talked. I think his comments still stand. Pasting quote below. I am so deeply concerned about the state of mass testing and the time spent on it in BPS (MCAS, interims, ACCESS, MAP etc..) and staff CPT and PDs that address them all year round, and that provide no space for any other model of…
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Funded School Libraries and Teacher-Librarians for Every School
Remote learning has exacerbated the vast inequities that exist between our schools. In my position as a teacher-librarian, I have seen how essential having a well-stocked library staffed by a teacher-librarian has been for my school. I've been able to support my colleagues by providing them access to eResources in place of print, helping them find replacements for things not available as an eResource, continuing to support a strong culture of reading and literacy throughout my school, and teaching digital literacy and information literacy skills to our students.
When I speak to colleagues at other schools, those…
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classrooms without walls
Our students will have meaningful projects to work on that will help them understand and experience life during and after high school. For example, they can read Walden by Thoreau and build a cabin. They will go to Thompson Island and do backpacking, rope climbing and kayaking to get to know themselves and their peers. They will do community service work and then go to city hall and Washington DC to talk to legislators about their ideas for working on local and national issues. They will go to the school library and learn how to choose books that speak to…
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A Vision for Education in the 21st Century
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Vi5H-6-Mpo8E5dITBdqcsyi-Llqnzu4UCzgwnG2-gpU/edit?usp=sharing About 2 months ago I began writing a reflection on the effect of the pandemic on education. It was and remains very personal, and I never gave that much thought to putting out in public. However, when this forum was opened, I thought that it might be worth sharing. The paper is long, but if you want to skip to the end, it has a bookmark at the end of the introduction to take you to the section where I propose ideas.
My hope is that we can look back on this year with…
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School Buildings
We have to reimagine our school buildings. Years and years of "deferred maintenance" has resulted in unacceptable conditions for many of our schools. With the one time funding that the recovery act has brought to BPS, it is imperative that we focus on improving school buildings throughout BPS.
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Allow a Remote Option for Students in Each Grade Level
After following a lot of posts here, it seems as though remote learning has been beneficial for many, including myself. Remote learning worked extremely well for my student population, my families, and my teaching methods/strategies. In terms of "re-imagining" BPS, I would like to propose that there be one teacher per grade level that offers a remote option class. In grades 5-8, I found that remote learning worked really well for a lot of students, families, and teachers. Offering students the ability to work remotely for the entire year and/or tune into a class remotely if they are absent from…
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The BPS Open-Air Learning Experience: The Learning Environment of the Future
This year has demanded that teachers and administrators find innovative approaches to how we serve our students. What we previously thought about the learning environment has been upended by remote and hybrid learning.
What if we extended our collective thinking and applied it to a long-term design vision of the physical and virtual space of the future? What if there were a way to capture the excitement of the Dearborn 6-12 STEM Academy or the upcoming Boston Arts Academy by introducing new, innovative learning environments designed for today’s integrated student experience? Combined physical and virtual learning spaces…
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Breaking down barriers
First of all, please know the emphasis in this post comes from my passion and deep care for our children, and I mean no disrespect to anyone. I believe every child deserves the very best we can give them, and there are some major flaws in our system that need to get fixed.
We are an incredibly diverse district, in every meaning of the word. We have students of all racial and ethnic groups, from all different language backgrounds, with all different learning profiles, family make-ups, gender and sexual identities, personalities, and aptitudes. I have worked in…
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Standards-Based Report Card
If we are truly committed to providing equitable instruction we need to shift to a standards-based report card. Standards-aligned is always the first adjective used to describe the instruction we hope to see for our students or a first question when considering curriculum. The fact that the elementary school report card looks the way it does sends mixed messaging on what we value to both educators, students, families, and caregivers.
I think if we made this shift to a standards-based report card it would also help strengthen the academic conversations occurring with families & caregivers. They would…
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More Inclusive Opportunities/Experiences for Our Students
I think the ideal learning experience for our students moving forward would involve putting priority, strategic planning and designated funding into creating more inclusive opportunities and experiences for students. I feel this should be a focus moving forward, especially with the variety of substantially separate programs currently present throughout the distirct. Inclusion should be viewed as supporting the civil rights of our students, not viewed as a choice or something students have to earn. Inclusive opportunities should be embedded within each grade level in some capacity. It encourages all those involved, both teachers and students, to collaborate and work as…
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K2 classroom teacher
I would like to see students be provided with some of the many experiences they have missed out.
Field trips, outdoor Field days and being able to feel, hear, touch, taste, smell all they have missed out the last year by being at home.
Provide classrooms with additional staff to support students that are way behind. Many students need one on one support at this time.
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Field trips/incentives
I would like to see my students explore more outside of the school building, going on field trips that connect to learning. I would like to see my students rewarded more for all the hard work they do... Teachers are motivated by incentives, so are kids.
I imagine learning being more fluid and the idea of "grades" being more fluid.. acknowledging that learning happens differently and at a different pace for all kids. As teachers we all know this, we are encouraged to differentiate, but our assessment methods are outdated and uniform.
I…
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Flexible Staffing and Additional Support
The return to in person learning has been beneficial for my students with severe special needs. However, the transition has been difficult after being home for such a long period of time. We need additional paraprofessionals to help support challenging behavior, such as a floating paraprofessional to support the ABA strand.
I also echo the sentiment of 1:1 iPads for special needs students, especially at the early childhood level, as they are easier to navigate and are capable to support more applications that provide access and support student learning.
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Ms. Katzeva
Safety, compassion, creativity and play for the youngest learners
We are still in the mids of the pandemic and things are not easy or clear. There are lots of open questions and anxiety. We need to continue engage in these convesations:
1. How do we protect ourself from burn out so that we can have more energy and compassion to give to others? 2. How do we keep safe everyone? 3. How do we bring mre creativity and play for our K1 and K2 students?
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Teacher
I would love to see 1:1 IPADs with key boards and pens for each student. The chromebooks are difficult to operate and don't have many features for the students. I have accessed so man programs to aide in my teaching; nearpod, Boomcards, seesaw, EPIC, google forms, drawing and coding, etc. It would be wonderful to use these in my everyday teaching for my students in my ABA based classroom. The opportunities I can give to my students using these tools would increase the ways they can access their learning!
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NIcole F
As we transition back to school all elementary schools should be provided with additional reading teachers in order to support students who have missed out on direct instruction and are now struggling with basic reading skills. These conversations around reading difficulties are coming up more and more in SST meetings and children will need much more support in reading than was in the building in the past, just to catch up. This doesn't necessarily need to be a long term staffing response but definitely as we transition back next year.
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Pete I.
I think we should do STEAM projects on a weekly basis at the middle school level. I believe students would be more active and learn more when they can see the results quickly. STEAM projects cover all subject areas, but ELA could be set aside for works of fiction, poetry, etc. if schools felt it was necessary. I also think there should be a monthly (or every other month) field trip so that students can be a part of an expanding world.
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NIcole F
I think that we should keep some form of remote options for the students who thrived with this option, while also allowing them to stay connected to a school so that they could join in on extracurricular activities and other social connections.
I also noticed that some parents are much more comfortable with using technology to connect with schools. We should value connections with parents in any way that they can engage.
I am very excited about the new investment in social workers throughout the district. We need to ensure that the social…
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Redesign School Buildings
We need to provide students with better quslity school buildings.
Larger classrooms
Large windows - that open
Comfortable seating
Teachers with touch screen boards
Up to date chromebooks
Large recess yard with safe playground equipment
Surround schools with greenery (trees, shrubs, flowers, grass)
fully sticked and staffed libraries
Media centers
Maker spaces
Refocus rooms that are colorful and contain calming objects
Cafeteria that is…
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Summer Orientation for Middle and High School Students
Schools should prepae incoming middle and high school students (rising 6th and rising 9th graders) with a week long summer orientation in mid-August.
Students can do extra curricular activities related to the content area, meet and get to know their teachers, and learn about school rules and expectations. They can get a jump on any materials they need for school and learn about programs the school offers.
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Extended Day for Middle and Early High School
There are after school and extrended day programs in elementary school. I think there should be that for middle and early high school (up through 10th grade).
This would give middle schoolers and high schoolers a safe space to get help, complete assignments, and socialize with their peers.
The extended day could be up til 6 PM.
Parents would pick up students or students would have permission to walk home.
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Fully staffed/Fully funded libraries
Kids (and adults) become better readers by reading books that they choose to read. Independent reading is the backbone of any strong literacy program. But for independent reading to be successful in the classroom and at home, readers must have access to thousands and thousands of books. Providing that access is just one of the many very important jobs of a school library and its staff. In order for a school library to do this, it has to be fully funded so that it is staffed by a certified school library teacher and paraprofessionals. Not only must the school library…
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Competency Based Learning
If there were no bounds, I’d like to see Competency Based Models in schools to measure and track student learning based on mastery rather than completion.
- Students move on when they’ve mastered concepts in a variety of domains
- Students learn at a pace appropriate to their needs
- Students are assessed through portfolios
- Students demonstrate mastery through real world projects and experiences
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Don't forget the libraries
BPS does an appalling job in supporting their libraries. For a city that prides itself on academic achievements their lack of funding and support for school libraries is heinous. Every single Boston public school NEEDS a professionally trained and certified librarian as well as a budget. No excuses Boston!
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A new kind of hybrid?
Some students seem to have flourished from being home (they could sleep in and thus were more productive, they didn't have to deal with uncomfortable situations that might provoke social anxiety, they were not forced to interact with unsupportive peers, etc). This is not ideal, as it would remove a significant opportunity for students to work through and grow from these types of experiences, but I wonder - could we offer this remote platform for those students who might benefit from the academic experience without having to deal with the aspects of school that can cause them to stay away…
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School Libraries Are Essential and School Librarians Matter
Every single school in BPS would have a thriving library program and a certified librarian on staff that would provide BPS students and school community members with physical and intellectual access to library materials, services, and space that nurture academic, social, professional, and personal growth. The library would be a place of comfort, safety, and inclusivity for students. The library is a place they gain support and are allowed to be themselves. Every library collection would have a budget to purchase print and non-print materials that are up-to-date and represent the historical and cultural backgrounds of the entire school community.…
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A BPS Remote K-12 School
While remote instruction has been challenging for many, approximately 10% of my students are thriving online, in comparison to their academic and social performance during in-person instruction. These students have noticed their improvements and are joyous online.
Would BPS please consider creating a remote BPS school for students in the district who thrive in the online environment? I think there would be great interest in having one K-12 (or possibly 6-12) remote school.
It would backstepping and unnecessary to remove the option of remote learning for those that learn best in that…
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Science Labs
It would be great if all schools had Science Labs instead of having to teach without a lab/sink/storage, etc. The newer schools (Mildred for example), have beautiful labs with all of the necessities. This gets the students excited and allows the teachers to engage students in real science work...thus creating more buy-in from students and leading them toward the field of science.
It would be an investment that would be well worth it.
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Accountability
Schools could be places where students are actually held accountable for demonstrating mastery of content as opposed to being passed through the system with "deals" at the end of the year.
We harm our students by passing them when they are not ready. Repeating a course is not a punishment. It is a service. Too many of our students are going to find themselves in college, realize they are unprepared, and drop out with nothing to show for it other than massive debt.
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Redefining attendance requirements
Since the pandemic started we have changed our definition of attendance many times. At various points in the last year, students have received credit for attending classes if they: did school work at any point during the 24 day, tried to log into class but had tech issues, joined class via zoom, joined class in person, joined class but then left and did work on their own, if their parent communicated that the student couldn't attend, etc. Not to mention that Wednesdays this year look very different with many schools not running the same schedule those days.
…
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Facilities
Repaired, renovated, and modernized facilities, with a long-term plan for regular maintenance and updates, would have the biggest impact on the learning conditions for students. Adequate heat, air-conditioning and ventilation including windows that open with shades that work. Equitable technology in every classroom, for example, Airtame screens mounted on the wall. Sinks in every classroom and well-maintained student bathrooms on every floor. Gymnasiums, libraries, art rooms, and science labs.
Some of these are more challenging and costly than others (I really don't understand why it is so hard to replace window shades, for example), but BPS and the…
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Truly embrace project-based learning
We know that truly engaging in PBL could push us to reimagine the siloing of content and the antiquated worksheet culture students too often encounter throughout the day. I would like to help launch a deeper transformative initiative, one that does more than provide lip service to the pedagogical ideals underlying PBL.
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Equity Roundtables
Equity Roundtables are truly a hidden gem and resource at the Joseph Tynan Elementary School. Initially, I was extremely frustrated with the ask of holding Equity Roundtables during the closure of BPS in March 2020. At the Tynan we were trying to adjust to our new normal of remote learning while balancing life in the pandemic. In many ways I felt the ask was too much. However, I was compliant and sent out a communication to the entire Tynan Community - families, partners, and staff, for our first Equity Roundtable meeting. The outcome was so much more than I had…
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