Preliminary Draft

PRE-DECISIONAL PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL

Early insights on the Boston Public Schools

This memo presents preliminary insights drawn from early discussions and research completed to
date as part of the ongoing review of the Boston Public Schools. The consistency of sentiment
across leadership interviews to date combined with our experience in other school systems gives us
confidence in the emerging insights below. At the same time, these are preliminary views which
will be further bolstered, refined (or reshaped), and prioritized over the coming two months through
additional research, data analyses, interviews, artifact reviews, focus groups, and active engagement
with the project Steering Committee. This memo explores early views on the systems strengths
and opportunities for improvement, and it provides a brief overview for the path forward.
OVERVIEW
The Boston Public Schools is nationally known and recognized as a high-performing system. For
example, McKinsey & Companys 2010 report on the worlds most improved systems1 identified
Boston as one of the 20 systems in the world and one of just 3 in the US that has made
significant, systemic, and sustained improvements in student achievement during the period from
1995-2009. Many of the strengths that enabled Boston to make these gains, such as high quality
principals and a focus on instructional practice, are still evident in the system. At the same time, the
challenges faced by the system a persistent achievement gap (e.g., 31 and 35 percentage point
proficiency gaps in ELA and Math respectively between white and black students), growing
pressure from charter schools, and a recognized need to provide increased opportunities and quality
education to African-American and Latino boys call on the system to continue to do more and
deliver better opportunities to all of the children in the City. This will require leveraging strengths
and seizing a number of opportunities for improvement.
STRENGTHS
Conversations, early research, and experience with other systems bring to light a number of
strengths worth highlighting. These strengths include a high level of talent throughout the system, a
willingness to actively engage the community around challenging topics and take on difficult

1 McKinsey & Company, How the Worlds Most Improved School Systems Keep Getting Better, 2010,
http://mckinseyonsociety.com/how-the-worlds-most-improved-school-systems-keep-getting-better/

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improvement initiatives, recent improvements to the network operating model, and the development
of conditions for success across the system.
Talent at every level in the system
Throughout our conversations, leadership consistently identified talent as a strength. This
enthusiasm is for talent at every level - the central office, in school leadership positions, and in the
classroom. Unlike many K-12 systems where leaders cite the lack of talent as a major challenge,
BPS leaders made comments such as our principals are the best part of the organization80% of
our principals are the perfect person for the job and we have and get really good people at all
levels of the organization. The system is also making real strides to improve its talent, enacting
mutual consent hiring for teachers and rapidly accelerating the teacher hiring timeline. According to
TNTP, BPS filled 83% of its teacher vacancies by the end of June in 2014 versus just 9% in 2013.
This is a powerful improvement that allows the district to have its pick of quality candidates rather
than choosing from those that are left after competing systems have finished their hiring. There is
undoubtedly more to do, such as effectively supporting, and exiting when needed, those educators
who do not obtain a position through mutual consent hiring, but talent remains a focus of the system
and solid progress is being made.
Engaging the community to advance challenging topics
The system has had the courage on multiple occasions to start a long dialogue with the community
on topics such as weighted student funding, the design of a new performance framework, and the
development of an improved student assignment system. BPS is in the process of starting a
conversation with the community around the dramatic improvements that need to be made in
educating African-American and Latino boys. While many urban systems shy away from actively
engaging the community, preferring instead to inform the community or ask for feedback in a
superficial way, BPS has committed real time and energy to these processes. In developing the
revised student assignment process, for example, BPS invested a year and a half, conducted 70+
community meetings, and received more than 5,000 pieces of feedback. In fact, the ultimate
solution emerged from an engaged community member who developed a solution that was
embraced by the community and the district. Consistent support of the Mayor, the relative stability
of the system, and the willingness of leaders to ask the tough questions and face the scrutiny of the
community all contribute to this mindset of real community engagement. It cannot be overstated
how important this approach has been to the durability of some of the major changes the system has
made as well as the importance of maintaining this approach through the challenges ahead.
An improved network operating model
BPS has recently migrated from an operating model where three Academic Superintendents were in
charge of ~30-60 schools each to a management model with seven smaller networks each comprised
of ~10-20 schools. The previous span of control for these Superintendents was so great that they
could not provide the needed advice or oversight to school leaders, thereby leaving school leaders
empowered with greater autonomy, but with a limited ability to be held accountable for decisions

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and results. Through the new network model, school leaders get a greater level of support from and accountability to - their leaders. The hope is that the network model will ensure sufficient
support to every school and ensure no school falls through the cracks. The network model also has
started to create a tighter and more supportive connection between schools and the central office via
dedicated departmental liaisons. This liaison model is not without its problems (see below), but it
represents a step in the right direction.
Improving the conditions for success across the system
Urban systems face a range of challenges, from funding inequities to teacher performance to
students who need greater support from the K-12 system. BPS has made a number of
improvements across the system that work to address challenges faced by all schools. Investing in
teacher hiring and evaluation, developing and implementing a weighted student funding formula,
and most recently agreeing to extended time in the system are all examples of improvements that
can benefit all students. We also heard individuals comment that the environments within the
schools were well organized and not chaotic which can sometimes be the case in urban systems.
Taking full advantage of these building blocks is not easy. Ensuring high-quality teacher
professional development aligned to evaluation results and effectively using the additional
instructional time recently agreed upon, for example, will be critical. That said, having these
conditions in place does position BPS well for the road ahead.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
The strengths above have allowed BPS to continue to make progress despite financial and other
pressures. At the same time, there are opportunities for improvement that can help BPS create an
inflection point in its trajectory for all students. By developing a clear and actionable strategy,
improving its ability to execute, more sharply defining the organizational roles and responsibilities,
improving the consistency of supports to struggling students, and building a sharper and more
connected linkage with the operational side of the house, BPS can accelerate progress.
Developing a clear and actionable strategy
Leaders whom we interviewed struggled to articulate a clear strategy for the system. Unlike some
portfolio systems where the strategy is autonomy2, BPS sees autonomy as one of many levers to
advance a broader vision. That isnt to say that there arent high-quality initiatives underway, such
as ensuring high-quality teacher evaluations, engaging parents to improve student learning, and
developing tiers of intervention for different types of schools. However, these initiatives seem to be
more a part of a long list of areas for improvement rather than a focused set of improvements that fit

2 The Center for Reinventing Public Education ranks Boston squarely in the middle of the pack on fully implementing the
elements that a true portfolio system would seek.

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together as part of an integrated view of what will drive the improved performance of the system.
The two issues that many cited were 1) that there are a range of competing priorities from the city,
the Superintendent, and the School Committee and 2) that these priorities were not sharply defined
enough to both clarify what should be and what should not be done. As such, leaders at every level
feel empowered to move forward in the same general direction, but without the focus that a clear
strategy would provide. As described above, the system has been able to successfully address a
number of key issues such as teacher evaluation, weighted student funding, and changing the
student assignment process, however there is still a sense of missed opportunities and an inability to
focus and integrate the work. We may be able to identify priorities, but we dont know how to go
after itwere all trying to close the achievement gap, but in different ways. This issue is not
atypical of a district working hard on big challenges. BPS has an opportunity to bring greater
clarity and define the core priority initiatives that will build alignment and deliver greater progress.
Improving its ability to execute
Leaders are frustrated by the systems inability to consistently follow through. With all of the talent
at its disposal, they feel the system is falling short of its potential. We heard a few examples of
where the District was really able to take something and get it done and done well. For example, on
the topic of teacher evaluations, 93% received a mid-year evaluation and 86% received an end-ofyear evaluation, and the system is actively working to improve the objectivity and reliability of
those that evaluate teachers. This is in stark contrast to 2010 at which point fewer than half of the
teachers had been evaluated in the prior 2 years. At the same time, there are examples where things
did not get done such as far fewer principals being evaluated than was hoped for - despite the
effort being agreed upon as a priority. Another potential issue underlying this is departments
ability to effectively implement communication plans tied to the execution of initiatives both the
ability to communicate priorities (and the evolution of those priorities) well and the extent to which
a lack of communication precludes the system from moving as quickly as originally planned when
actions are agreed upon. If execution does not include informing key stakeholders in a timely and
clear way about impending changes (e.g., families informed about changes in transportation) then
changes are delayed and put at greater risk. When projects are tightly defined, ownership is clear,
and there is alignment on the importance of the work, things get done. BPS will be better able to
deliver when these characteristics describe more of what it does.
Sharply defining organizational roles and responsibilities
The organizational model at BPS is evolving, with building level autonomy increasing and the
improved network model. This evolution is creating ambiguities in who does what (and who is
accountable for what) at the school and central levels, and this ambiguity can get in the way. BPS
values the autonomy of its principals and research has shown that good systems aspiring to get
better results do devolve more and more authority to their school leaders and teachers. That said,
the system is in need of greater role clarity and accountability between the central office and the

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schools. As a recent Educational Resource Strategies report3 stated, the complex and varied rules
governing the systems autonomous schools hinder the ability of district and school leaders to
operate effectively. Those we interviewed described a system where the process for granting
autonomies is unclear, the range of those autonomies is unclear, and the extent to which the central
office should or should not get involved in schools is unclear. As a result, the central office
struggles to implement ideas it considers essential for all schools and some school leaders take
advantage of the ambiguities to serve their own needs. While in some cases this can help an
effective school leader work around the system to benefit her students, it can also lead to bad
decisions that the central office then needs to remedy later, and thus greater clarity is needed. This
issue also muddies the accountability of the central office to provide excellent service to schools.
Sharply defining the shaping, servicing, and safeguarding roles of the center and the bounds of
those roles will help maximize the performance of the system. From an organizational design
standpoint, we heard that departments are working together more cross-functionally than before, but
with 15+ direct reports to the Superintendent these interactions still do not seem to get to the level
of collaboration that may be needed.
Improved consistency of support to struggling students
One particularly important manifestation of the execution and organizational challenges described
above is the consistency of support provided to struggling students, including students who are
behind grade level, those identified for special education, and English Language Learners. Because
students in BPS are fairly mobile between schools (and struggling students are often the most
mobile), consistency is doubly important. Early interviews suggested a significant opportunity to
improve the systems support to struggling students.
The foundation of such a support system must be timely and based on detailed data on student
progress, which interviews suggested that BPS largely has in place via its work with the
Achievement Network.
In general education, early discussions suggested that the implementation of the Reading Street
curriculum varied across schools, and most novice teachers were not trained to make full use of the
resource that such a curriculum provides. Leaders also mentioned that the interventions available to
struggling readers varied widely between schools and many are not in line with research on what
works best (additional, small group instruction for students at similar levels from an expert reading
teacher).
One interviewee suggested that this inconsistent support in general education leads some parents
and teachers to look for something more to help their students in special education, and BPS
identifies more students for special education (20%) than do other systems around the country (13%

3 The Path Forward: School Autonomy and Its Implications for the Future of Bostons Public Schools, June 2014,
http://www.tbf.org/~/media/TBFOrg/Files/Reports/BPS_Report_2014_6-2-14.pdf

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overall). However, special education often does not adequately address the issue and instead often
provides a lower quality of instruction and less opportunity for students to interact with their
typically developing peers. (In Boston, 43% of students with disabilities are in separate classrooms4,
3-4 times the rate of a typical urban district.) There is an opportunity strengthen core instruction,
and educators ability to differentiate instruction for all students, so as to support struggling readers
(with and without IEPs), reduce referrals to special education, and include more students with
disabilities in the general education classroom with a clearer model of inclusion support.
Interviews also suggested an opportunity to improve support for English Language Learners,
indicating that ELL support operates in parallel, almost separate from the overall academic strategy.
By bringing consistency to these supports aligned to existing research, BPS can accelerate progress.
Building a sharper and more connected linkage to the operational side
Another theme that has emerged from conversations is the need for more effective and efficient
business operations for the system. While the intense focus on academics is critical, some worry
that it has meant an inattention to system operations and controls. We heard examples of funds for
a given student being allocated to two schools, of positions being posted without confirming room
in the budget for the new hire, and processes that were so confusing (or non-existent) that outside
help was needed to both map the processes and accelerate the navigation of those processes. Back
office inefficiencies and lack of controls can become a real drag on the system, tying up people
and resources that would be better dedicated to improving outcomes for students. At the same time,
some observed that the system is too operationally driven, with the calendar being driven by
budgeting and other operational requirements. The contours of this challenge will need to be better
understood over the coming weeks.
NEXT STEPS
The emerging portrait of BPS is that of a solid system with a track record of success, a growing
reputation for engaging and building trust in the community, and a talented group of hardworking
people at every level. This is a great foundation from which to build, and one that many urban
systems would envy. At the same time, the systems high aspirations for the children of Boston,
continuing financial pressures, and a likely increase in pressure from a high-performing charter
sector mean that there is much work to do.
Over the next few weeks, we will round out our broad review across the 20+ dimensions outlined
by the city, narrow the works focus with the guidance of the Steering Committee, and develop a
short list of high-impact areas of improvement to guide the system as it moves forward.

4 http://www.bostonpublicschools.org/cms/lib07/MA01906464/Centricity/Domain/249/2013-0620%20Inclusion%20plan%20FINAL.pdf

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