0 Increasing the Number of Quality Schools in Boston: School Climate

Whether we realize it or not, when selecting a school to send our child to, we all assess the climate of each school we examine prior to making our choices regarding the school we would like our child to attend. We have all gone into schools which feel friendly, inviting, and supportive, and others which feel exclusionary, unwelcoming, and even unsafe. These feelings, attitudes, and the reputations which evolve from a school’s environment are referred to as school climate. This is true whether we live in Boston or a suburb. School climate has been recognized by educators and researchers as one of the key ingredients to whether a...

0 BPS Will Present In-Depth Analysis of New Assignment Models Wednesday

Tuesday afternoon BPS released three new proposals in advance of the External Advisory Committee on School Choice (EAC) meeting scheduled for Wednesday night: The 10-zone Proposal Home-Based Proposals A & B Only elementary schools are highlighted on these maps, but elementary schools will feed into middle schools under BPS' proposed "middle school feeder pattern", much like the Roslindale K-8 pathway does already, if incorporated into whichever proposal is finally selected by the EAC for recommendation to Dr. Johnson. Also, if incorporated into whichever proposal is finally selected by the EAC,...

0 New Boston 'Guaranteed Assignment' Option for Incoming Kindergarten Students

On Monday, January 7, 2013, Boston Public Schools (BPS) published a press release stating that there is a new 'Guaranteed Assignment' option for incoming kindergarten students. As soon as this hit the web, there was much conversation about it on listservs, facebook and twitter. Of course, the way this is worded sounds wonderful to families in Boston hoping to gain a kindergarten seat for their 4 - 5 year old child, for won't a school "close to home" be the one right down the street, or maybe a mile away at most? The real answer? No. Once you read the release thoroughly, disappointment comes to those whose children would only...

0 Parent activist from Roslindale pushes for change in Boston schools

Parent activist from Roslindale pushes for change in Boston schools By Paige Moulton, Globe Correspondent Karen Kast-McBride has always fought for the things she loves. She grew up in Boston, on a street full of boys, who taught her what a real physical fight was – no hair pulling involved. She defended others with words and fists. Following in the footsteps of her Navy veteran father, Kast-McBride joined the Army after high school, serving as a combat field medic in the Gulf War. But the Roslindale resident’s biggest fight has been as a parent. “I never realized when I went over to Kuwait and was on the front line and saw stuff that I never...

2 Advanced Work Class Seats Under New Boston Public School Proposals

When looking at Advanced Work Class (AWC) 6th grade options for my daughter back in 2009, I was told by a Boston Public School enrollment administrator to not even bother applying for the Ohrenberger, King or Curley schools AWC 6th grades as "those seats are already taken by the students at those K-8 schools - there will be no openings for students from other schools" which I knew, but it was great to get confirmation by a BPS official. I chose the Irving and am now happy for it, but at that time it was a roll-of-the-dice move on my part as a parent, and my child's education was what was at stake.  Thankfully, through community...