HIGH SCHOOL RENEWAL 2004

1. HIGHSCHOOLRENEWAL2004

2. Objectives • Provide a clear understanding of the BPS context for small school reform. • Provide tools for small school reform • Provide an overview of BPS policy challenges and impediments to the reform initiative.

3. Agenda • Introductions • Questions and expectations • Overview of BPS Reform Initiative • Dialog for RFP process • Guided Reading • Facilitated table discussion • Open discussion • Q&A

4. PARTNERS Boston Public Schools (BPS) Boston Plan for Excellence (BPE) Boston Private Industry Council (PIC) Center for Collaborative Education (CCE) Jobs For The Future (JFF)

5. High School Renewal Prior to 2002 • School-to-Career • Annenberg Challenge • Pilot Schools • High School Restructuring Task Force • Interventions

6. Institutionalizing High School Renewal (2002 – Present) • Established Office of High School Renewal and appointed Special Assistant to lead change effort • Developed SLC policy • Promoted workshop approach to literacy in all schools and Collaborative Coaching & Learning • Obtained School Committee approval of new small schools in existing facilities

7. BPS Then (2000) • 12 large comprehensive high schools • Brighton High • Burke High • Charlestown High • East Boston High • English High • Hyde Park High • Madison Park High • Snowden International High • West Roxbury High • Dorchester High • Boston High • South Boston High • 6 Pilot high schools • Boston Arts Academy • Fenway • New Mission • Boston Evening Academy • Health Careers Academy • Greater Egleston • 3 Exam Schools • Boston Latin • Boston Latin Academy • O’Bryant

8. Boston High Schools 2004 • 9 comprehensive high schools • Brighton • Burke • Charlestown • East Boston • English • Hyde Park • Madison Park • Snowden • West Roxbury • 11 Pilot high schools • Boston Community Leadership Academy • New Mission High • Boston Arts Academy • Fenway High School • Another Course to College • TechBoston Academy* • Quincy Upper School • Boston Evening Academy • Boston Day Academy • Health Careers Academy • Greater Egleston • 2 Education Complexes • Dorchester Ed Complex • Academy of Public Service • Economics & Business Academy • TechBoston Academy* • South Boston Ed Complex • Excel • Monument • Odyssey • 1 International high school • Boston International High School • 3 Exam Schools • Boston Latin • Boston Latin Academy • O’Bryant * Pilot school located at DEC

9. Lessons Learned • Small school development can be an effective strategy for improvement of large high schools. • Small learning communities can result in more personalization and improved instruction - if they are not layered onto a comprehensive school framework. • Administrators can have major impact by promoting and supporting literacy work. • Community involvement is an essential component of high school renewal. • Schools going through transformation need substantial technical assistance to build capacity.

10. Challenges • Accelerating the process of renewal - the pace of restructuring for some schools has been too slow! • Reducing available restructuring options to those that will make the greatest difference • Keeping momentum for change after initial restructuring - shift to more personalized approaches, encouraging stronger adult-adult, student-student, adult-student relationships, and improving academic achievement for all students

11. Challenges (cont.) • Identifying and developing interventions for over-age and other youth at risk of not graduating • Building community support and demand for high school renewal • Continuing the scale-up of teaching and learning for all students • Engaging more students in the reform effort • Aligning central office support and resources

12. Recommendations • All high school small learning communities will span grades 9-12, eliminating options for separate 9th grades • Seven new high schools will be created for start-up in September 2005 • A new Policy for Ungraded High Schools

13. Boston Public Schools Portfolio of High School Offerings Large Schools With SLCs Alternative Schools Small Schools Exam Schools Pilot Schools Most Autonomous Least Autonomous

17. Small Schools Autonomous Single Leader Budget Staff Students Real Estate (Portions of a building) Size no larger than 400 students Small Learning Communities Within a comprehensive school May have an SLC leader Staff assigned Students assigned (9-12) Budget? Real Estate Size = 275 -> 400 students Small Schools vs. SLCs

18. Pilot 5 autonomies Budget – salary set by BTU Curriculum - Governance – board structure Time – hours, start time, extended day, ect. Staffing – write their own job descriptions – not subject to union standards Joint agreement with union and management Non-Pilot Have to follow district policy for Staffing - BTU Budget Governance Time Pilot vs. Non-Pilot

19. Challenges • Union Contract • Existing BPS Policies • Facilities • Faculty • Community and Family Engagement

20. Reframing OrganizationsArtistry, Choice & Leadership Lee G. Bolman Terrance E Deal

21. Frames and Reframing • A frame is a set of ideas or assumptions you carry in your head. • Frames help you understand and negotiate a particular “territory.” • Artistic managers are able to frame and reframe experience, sorting through the tangled underbrush to find solutions

22. Four Types of Frames • Structure Frame • Human Resource Frame • Symbolic Frame • Political Frame

23. Overview of the Four-Frame Model

24. http://www.highschoolrenewal.orgkmullin@boston.k12.ma.ussmccann@boston.k12.ma.ushttp://www.highschoolrenewal.orgkmullin@boston.k12.ma.ussmccann@boston.k12.ma.us Office of High School Renewal