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?
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…
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…
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…
Read the Full ResponseIdeal 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…
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…