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THE CONTEXT
KEY TRENDS AND FINDINGS
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND INNOVATIONS 2002 - 2004
REMAINING CHALLENGES
COMPETITION
CONTEXT
Boston anchors a region containing 74 institutions of higher education with a combined annual enrollment of more than 260,000 students. About half — 35 public and private colleges and universities — are within the city limits. Boston contains more institutions of higher education in its vicinity than any other city in the world, contributing to its highly skilled and educated workforce, high quality jobs, track record in federal research funding, innovative nonprofit sector, and steady stream of local start-ups. The state’s public higher education system, coordinated by the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education, incorporates 29 institutions, which includes 15 community colleges serving about 117,500 students, nine state colleges serving about 72,500 students, and five University of Massachusetts campuses, including one in Boston, serving about 73,000 students. In addition, state-funded Adult Basic Education classes include English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), basic literacy, math skills, and high school equivalency/adult diploma programs.
The Commonwealth’s 1993 Education Reform Act generated the rigorous Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) test to measure student achievement and encourage new public school options, including state-level Charter schools and city-level Pilot schools with flexibility from collective bargaining agreements. In addition, legislation passed in 2004 creates a new Department of Early Education and Care to begin the process of expanding access to high quality early education to all Massachusetts preschoolers.
The Boston Public Schools (BPS), with about 58,000 students in the 2004-2005 school year, runs seven early learning centers, 66 elementary schools, 11 elementary and middle schools, 18 middle schools, 1 middle and high school, 25 high schools, three “exam” high schools, six special education schools and two alternative programs for at-risk students. These include 17 Pilot schools and two Horace Mann Charter Schools. In addition, about 4,000 BPS students attend 21 state-chartered Charter schools in Boston, and 3,000 students attend suburban METCO schools. The BPS strategy focuses on achieving higher standards and accountability bolstered by greater choice and innovation.
For the past decade, Boston has had the rare stability of one superintendent who has overseen two five-year school improvements plans with a commitment to system-wide reform and to eliminating racial and income achievement gaps. Boston Public School partnerships include the 1982 Boston Compact between the BPS and Boston’s business community, as well organizations that facilitate school reform and leverage outside funding, including the Boston Plan for Excellence in the Public Schools, the Center for Collaborative Education, which supports learning among Pilot schools, Jobs for the Future, and the Massachusetts Charter School Association.
KEY TRENDS AND FINDINGS
Educational attainment is increasingly important to Greater Boston’s competitive, knowledge-based economy, and Boston has one of the highest educational attainments rates in the nation among large cities. Higher education attainment rates in those aged 25 and higher rose in Boston from 10% in 1970 to almost 36% in 2000, reflecting in part the retention of local college graduates. (see indicator 4.1.1). In addition, an increasing number of Boston Public School graduates seek additional educational opportunities, rising from 25% in 1960 to 36% in 1970. 68% of class of 2002 BPS graduates who responded to a Boston Private Industry Council survey reported that they attended either college or a training program in the year following graduation. (see indicator 4.2.2)
For the past decade, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has committed major public resources to funding K-12 Education Reform, more than doubling annual state spending from $1.3 billion in 1993 to $3.2 billion in 2002, creating a level foundation of funding in all communities. However, with a few notable exceptions, educational attainment in Boston and the Commonwealth reflect family and community economic status. Overcoming disparities of race and class within and across municipal school districts at all levels of education remains the single greatest challenge for educators, public officials, and civic leaders. For example, the Boston Public Schools and other large urban school districts are educating high percentages of low-income and limited English proficiency children compared to statewide averages. The Great Schools Campaign, organized by Mass Insight Education, proposes a focus on turning around failing schools, promoting excellence in math and science education, and increasing the MCAS high school graduation requirement so that passing means proficiency.
Following a decade of education reform as well as stable leadership in the Boston Public Schools, Boston is considered by educational experts to be a leader among large urban school districts in making system-wide progress. Boston contains a high number of innovative Pilot and Charter schools and is also at the forefront of large urban school districts, particularly in its citywide implementation of classroom-based professional development for teachers (known as “Collaborative Coaching & Learning” in Boston), and in the high school restructuring movement, which is creating small learning communities and new small high schools with specialized curricula across the city.
New technologies are reshaping the landscape for teaching and learning in Boston. Boston became the first urban
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