Let’s Continue The Search For A New Superintendent

Posted on 07/22/2013 at 10:52am

We can’t sit on our hands. Now is the time to do our homework.  The School Committee needs to identify the desired leadership qualities and experience in candidates, interview and select a search committee and begin the community engagement process so that once the new mayor is elected; we can quickly begin interviews and make the final selection.

I address the qualities needed for the next Superintendent in my education blueprint and am sending a copy to each Boston School Committee member and encouraging them to move forward.

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The State of Florida v. George Zimmerman Verdict

Posted on 07/14/2013 at 7pm

The Trayvon Martin case is tragedy that has far reaching impacts on mothers,  fathers, friends and communities across the country.  We must strive to keep finding solutions to the things that divide us.

This case is a prime example of why one of my top priorities is job creation initiatives – especially for young men of color – and public safety.  As mayor, I will work everyday to create a safer city so that our residents feel secure in their neighborhoods, our diverse neighborhoods respect each other, and all have opportunities to excel.

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Why Reading on Grade Level is Important in the Early Grades

Posted on 06/25/2013 at 2pm

One of the major components of my education blueprint is harnessing the resources necessary to have tutoring available for reading in the primary grades.

This is not just a good thing to do. We know that only about a third of Boston’s third graders read on grade level.  But research shows that children who read at grade level in third grade are 30% more likely to graduate from high school and twice as likely to graduate from college. This is because it is in the third grade when children go from learning to read to reading to learn.   If a child is behind at that point, it becomes difficult for the child to keep pace with learning in the later grades. We need to greatly increase the number of our children who read at grade level if we are to produce a more successful school system.

Many schools have figured out how to get tutors in their schools, and there are lots of good examples of schools that have well trained tutors helping their students.  But it is a fragmented system, and many schools do not have the support they need.

That is why my blueprint for education reform has an office in City Hall for a “Chief Service Officer.”  A Chief Service Officer will coordinate the great work currently going on by many nonprofits which provide volunteer services, and work with our universities to develop programs in which college students are trained to provide excellent volunteer services in our city, especially in our schools.  I would like our colleges and universities to have systems like most of our high schools in which service to a community is part of the expectation of being a student.  In that way we can ensure that all our schools have sufficient numbers of well-trained volunteers ready to help.

There is no single solution to create more high quality Boston schools.  Instead, it is a series of interventions, built around strong leadership, good ideas, and sense of urgency to get it done.  My blueprint for education reform has many such ideas.  Check it out on my website. You can get more information on this topic at the Mass Budget and Policy Center.

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Saving the Shattuck Child Care Center

Posted on 06/25/2013 at 9am

Last week, I put forth my blueprint for Transforming Boston’s Educational Systems. In it, I highlighted the deep importance of focusing on early childhood education as means of closing the achievement gap and ensuring success for our next generation. Read the full blueprint here.

On the subject of preserving early childhood services, the Shattuck Child Care Center is being slated for closure, and something must be done to preserve this resource.  High quality early childhood programs need to be expanded, not ended.  We know from research that two years of high quality early childhood education increases both the high school and college graduation rates of low income children.  We need to build and strengthen the early childhood services we provide to families in the city of Boston. Not only that, but we need to ensure that every family has access to those services, which means that we need to expand these services.

Childhood development shouldn’t be a lottery; it should be available to every child, in every neighborhood. I am committed to that effort, and as mayor, I will work to ensure that all children have access to early childhood education.  It is a top priority.

As I said in last week’s education forum, the city of San Antonio recently passed a tax that allows all of the children of the city access to early childhood education. If San Antonio can do it, Boston, with our abundant education, health care, and business resources, can most certainly accomplish it.

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To Our Service Men and Women: Thank You

Posted on 05/27/2013 at 9am

Today is a day to take a step back from our regular lives in order to appreciate our servicemen and women. In particular, we honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our nation.

President Kennedy once said: “For those to whom much is given, much is required.” With that in mind, our city has an ongoing obligation to support those veterans who return from tours abroad. That means ensuring that veteran families — all families — have access to affordable housing and health care. That means providing every veteran a chance to get not just shelter, but a home. That means ensuring that every veteran has access to education, training and support services, to maximize their opportunity to find a good job.

To our servicemen and women and their friends and families: Thank you, and Happy Memorial Day.

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Bill speaks with Codman Academy Principal, Thabiti Brown

Teacher Evaluations: What We Need Is Better Leadership, Not a Debate on Evaluations

Posted on 05/24/2013 at 2:55pm

On Wednesday night, we learned that 92% of Boston Public School teachers rated proficient or better under the new teacher evaluation system. This news comes as a surprise to some, but I don’t find it all that shocking. While evaluations are important, I think we miss the point when we focus on teacher proficiency, without thinking about how we create a school environment with great leadership that inspires exemplary teachers. That should be our goal.

Our city’s teachers have one of the most difficult jobs in Boston. They are our children’s greatest resource, working in a tough environment. I should know, since I married a Boston public school teacher.

Over the coming weeks I will be rolling out more detail on my plan for Boston Public Schools. I firmly believe that if we can improve our schools through leadership and resources, we can ensure that every child from any income level in any neighborhood of Boston can get a great education.

As a community leader who has run a health center and co-founded two schools, I know what good leadership means, and how important a good evaluation process is. I know that, when employees are evaluated honestly, they are given a chance to learn and grow. That is the purpose of an evaluation system. Making that happen is the role of our leadership.

I also understand the importance of evaluating the measurable aspects of our educational system. There are percentages more important than those of our successful school teachers. We need to pay more attention to the graduation and dropout rates for our schools to be truly successful. We need to allow parents to spend more time supporting their children’s learning and less time raising money to fill funding gaps. That requires strong leadership from principals to Court Street to City Hall.

Blaming teachers and making their jobs even more difficult than they already are will not make more excellent schools. Let’s recognize that 8% of under-performing teachers is not a small number. We need to work to shrink that number. But we also need to value the work our teachers do, not for pay or for recognition, but because they want to better the lives of our children. We need to put strong leadership in place to support that remarkable effort.

I co-founded Codman Academy Charter Public School 13 years ago because I wanted to create a model of a high school operating within a professional environment, connecting children to that professional environment, and providing kids from low-income families an opportunity to have great career opportunities. I am proud of the work we have done in establishing that model, but our work does not end with charter schools.

We must focus on the 56,000 children who are in the traditional public school system, and how we ensure that they are the best educated in the world. We need to think about what our next mayor can do to ensure that every child has a chance at higher education, at a good job, at learning from great teachers.

That’s not just talk. I’ve done it.

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Need for Increased Bike Safety Measures

Values of a New Superintendent