HIGH SCHOOL RENEWAL 2004

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HIGHSCHOOLRENEWAL2004
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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.

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Agenda

• Introductions
• Questions and expectations
• Overview of BPS Reform Initiative
• Dialog for RFP process
• Guided Reading
• Facilitated table discussion
• Open discussion
• QA

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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)

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High School Renewal Prior to 2002

• School-to-Career
• Annenberg Challenge
• Pilot Schools
• High School Restructuring Task Force
• Interventions

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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

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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
• OBryant

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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
• OBryant

Pilot school located at DEC
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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.

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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

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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

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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

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

• 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 -gt 400 students

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Pilot vs. Non-Pilot

• 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

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Challenges

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

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Reframing OrganizationsArtistry, Choice
Leadership

• Lee G. Bolman
• Terrance E Deal

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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

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Four Types of Frames

• Structure Frame
• Human Resource Frame
• Symbolic Frame
• Political Frame

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Overview of the Four-Frame Model
Structural Human Resources Political Symbolic
Metaphor for an Organization Factory or machine Family Jungle Carnival Temple Theatre
Central Concepts Rules, roles, goals, policies, technology, environment Needs, skills, relationships Power, conflict, competition, organizational politics Culture, meaning, metaphor, ritual, ceremony, stories, hereos
Image of Leadership Social architecture Empowerment Advocacy Inspiration
Basic Leadership Challenge Attune structure to task, technology, environment Align organizational and human needs Develop agenda and power base Create faith, beauty, meaning
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http//www.highschoolrenewal.orgkmullin_at_boston.k
12.ma.ussmccann_at_boston.k12.ma.us

• Office of High School Renewal