In Boston, 128 district schools, 16 charter operators, and 22 Catholic schools are represented in their Collaboration Compact. Under this agreement, the three sectors have joined forces to figure out how to best implement the Common Core State Standards, share and develop effective instructional practices via school-to-school partnerships, better align the student enrollment process, deepen the pipeline of well-prepared school leaders, and address the unique challenges of black and Hispanic boys. Compact discussions have recently resulted in Boston Public Schools’ leasing three empty school buildings to charter school tenants, and the district is planning to lease one more before the end of 2013.
As Boston’s education and civic leaders continue to implement collaborative initiatives amidst a rapidly changing landscape, two strong Compact leaders, the mayor and the schools superintendent, are stepping down. The upcoming mayoral election may have serious implications for charter school policy. Some believe the election of a pro-charter mayor could “shift the balance on Beacon Hill toward lifting the charter cap.” The gains in student achievement by “proven” charters like Brooke Charter School and Excel Academy Charter School have generated interest among the public. In a recent poll, 73 percent of respondents were particularly supportive of “allowing schools with a proven record of success to expand.”
These Boston charter schools are not alone in their success. Boston Public Schools (BPS) recently announced “MCAS ELA proficiency rates for African American and Hispanic 10th grade students are at their highest levels in Boston’s history.” New figures indicate that the achievement gap between white and minority students in BPS has dropped by two-thirds since 2007.
