In "Character Compass," Scott Seider offers portraits of three high-performing urban schools in Boston, Massachusetts that have made character development central to their mission of supporting student success, yet define character in three very different ways. One school focuses on students' moral character development, another…

City Year is a learning organization committed to the rigorous evaluation of its "Whole School Whole Child" model, which trains and deploys teams of AmeriCorps members to low-performing, urban schools to empower more students to reach their full potential. A third-party study by Policy Studies Associates (PSA) examined the impact of…

In the past several decades, Boston has been a proving ground for new strategies such as mayoral control, charter schools, and expanded access to early childhood education. Located in a state known for rigorous standards and accountability, Boston Public Schools (BPS) has consistently ranked among the top-performing large public school districts…

In many ways standards-based school reform is at a crossroads. On one side, the movement has made tremendous strides. The Common Core State Standards Initiative, known simply as Common Core, is now strongly established in more than 40 states. Many teachers believe that the new, higher academic standards have helped them improve instruction. And,…

Much of the achievement gap between rich and poor students can be attributed to out-of-school factors, yet few schools have a comprehensive, coordinated system for addressing students' nonacademic needs. Within a group of Catholic schools located in one city, this study examined academic achievement on the Stanford Achievement Test battery in…

The Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) is a study of the school district-level administration of National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in selected urban districts. This report presents 2009 math results for AISD students with disabilities as compared with other similar students in TUDA districts.

Research shows low-income students suffer disproportionate learning loss over the summer and because those losses accumulate over time, they contribute substantially to the achievement gap between low- and higher-income children. The Wallace Foundation is funding a five-year demonstration project to examine whether summer learning programs can…

Research shows low-income students suffer disproportionate learning loss over the summer and because those losses accumulate over time, they contribute substantially to the achievement gap between low- and higher-income children. The Wallace Foundation is funding a five-year demonstration project to examine whether summer learning programs can…

While structural reform has certainly inspired change in Boston's public schools, its true value is best measured by examining the impact those changes have had on students. Seen through the lens of student performance over the past five years there is ample suggestion that these structural changes have been more than just window dressing--they…

Describes the processes of creating two small elementary schools: Central Park East Elementary School in New York City and Mission Hill Elementary School in Boston. Describes what successful schools have in common. (PKP)

Case study explores why a group of seven excellent urban high school teachers in Boston Public Schools have stayed in teaching. Finds teachers shared several common characteristics, such as love of teaching, hope and faith in their students, anger at student injustices including racism and poverty. (PKP)

Defends the exam school concept. Using Boston Tech as an example, argues that clearing the admittance-exam hurdle motivates students. Views the magnet school concept as an idealistic vision that Boston has not accepted. (LHW)

Federal court intervention to make Boston Latin School a magnet school rather than an exam school was beneficial to the life of the school. Academic elitism cannot be reconciled with the imperative to eliminate racial dualism. (LHW)

This presentation describes the development process behind the Boston Schoolyard Initiative: a 5-year, inner city, community-driven initiative to transform neglected and unwelcome schoolyards into active centers of school and community use. Each phase of the initiative is discussed from community organizing through design, construction, and…

The poems in this anthology were written by elementary school students in the Oliver Hazard Perry School in South Boston, Massachusetts. The students were participants in a Federally funded special arts project, TryArts, which sought to stimulate self-expression by exposing children to professional artists and performers and by involving them in…