Boston Schools Focus On Children by Patricia Hawke

Boston Schools have decided to pool their knowledge and focus on their students. Their ultimate goal is to accelerate the improvement of teaching and learning in all of their schools by creating a comprehensive reform plan that details everything that they know as well as the things that need to be worked on in order to create a successful school system.

Knowledge of Boson Schools Learned Over the Years

Boston Schools have gained quite a bit of knowledge over the last few years of teaching. They've learned that high standards combined with a solid curriculum can improve achievement among the students in all of their schools. Boston Schools have also learned that schools must be accountable to everyone involved, especially their students. Any effort to improve instruction must be accurately measured and reported so that everyone feels they have a stake in the education of the community's children.

They know that leadership is absolutely necessary for a successful school. Boston Schools understand that a strong principal with an outstanding teaching staff is the best combination for success. Not only is leadership important to those in Boston Schools, but so is communication. Boston Schools know that every school benefits when they communicate with each other. A problem fixed in one school can quite possibly mean that another school can fix the same problem before it begins. Teachers can communicate with one another to enhance their knowledge of teaching as well.

The Six Essential Ideas for Boston Schools Improvement

1.) Focus on Literacy and Mathematics: Boston Schools know that a good foundation in reading and math can help a child succeed to their maximum potential. Reading and math are the foundation elements to knowledge of history, science, geography, and many other useful subjects.

2.) Identifying Student Needs: Boston Schools identify the needs of their students by training their teaching staff to evaluate their work carefully and know the difference between laziness and a genuine need for help. Once the problem is identified, teachers can create a personalized, strategic plan for the individual student in order to help him get back on track.

3.) Professional Development: Offering teachers the best resources to enhance themselves professionally can not only help them, but help their students as well. Essentially, the more a teacher knows, the more a student knows.

4.) If It's Not Broke, Don't Fix It: Boston Schools are now identifying their strengths and using it to help their students as well as other schools who might not have the same strengths. Communication is especially important here because each school can give each other vital learning tools that can help them improve.

5.) Make Resources Teacher Friendly: Teacher friendly resources help teachers improve their overall knowledge of how the school works as well as their knowledge about certain subjects. Making sure that all teachers have access to the same resources promotes unity in all of Boston Schools.

6.) Engage Families: The engagement of families and the community into the Boston Schools educational community can only help the whole school system improve. The more involved people are the better.

About the Author
Patricia Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. For more information please visit Boston Public Schools