lucky to be a dad, husband, son, brother, teacher, and yankee fan living in beantown. my heart belongs to these others but my views are my own
Nov 13, 2021 • 18 tweets • 4 min read
My wife sent a letter to @MASchoolsK12 and Commissioner Riley a couple days ago. The @curleyk8 closed due to a COVID outbreak on Tuesday. She wrote it on Wednesday.
Here are some excerpts…
1/x
Today, my 2nd grader wrote an outline for an argumentative writing paper about deforestation, using evidence from his reading of The Great Kapok Tree.
2/x
Say you have an arrangement with your neighbors to order pizza together every Saturday night. Your family gets 20 slices. The other families split about 10 slices among them. This goes on for years.
Then one of the neighbors says, “Wait. Maybe you should get 15 slices and the rest of us should split up the remaining 15.”
Jun 30, 2021 • 9 tweets • 2 min read
Please share and amplify… 🧵
Jun 30, 2021 • 15 tweets • 2 min read
🧵
Let me tell you how BPS works to maintain white supremacy. Buckle up. Story time.
1/
In 2005 at the ripe age of 29, I was hired to be the principal of the Media Communications Technology HS in what was formerly West Roxbury High. An overwhelming percentage of the faculty were white veteran teachers. The students were overwhelmingly students of color.
2/
Jun 29, 2021 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
Let’s say that you have a bunch of kids who would do great at an exam school. Some are wealthy. Some are not.
We know the wealthy ones pay for test prep. Or attend private schools like Holy Name that give all students A+’s.
The exam school policy MUST…
1/
… help level this playing field.
Rank ordering students for selection favors the wealthy. A one point difference in test score or grade can end up boosting a student 50-100 spots in the order. The task force favors rank ordering already.
2/
Jun 28, 2021 • 6 tweets • 1 min read
The exam school task force is looking at simulation data. The question… should test scores be weighted 20%, 30%, 40%, or 50%.
Also, should 20% of seats be set aside to be assigned citywide for the “best” scoring students regardless of geographic zone or not?
1/
Also, should students be accepted by rank order within geographic/SES zones or by lottery?
Quick and dirty results of the simulation…
2/
Jun 28, 2021 • 8 tweets • 2 min read
There is a critical school committee meeting Wednesday when hopefully a policy will be proposed. Stay tuned for a breakdown of the key elements what are being decided today and tomorrow by the task force who will make that proposal.
