A group calling itself Stand for Children has submitted a citizen's petition that may be on the ballot this November. The petition — if passed by the voters — will have a drastic effect on how teacher evaluations are performed and how school staffing decisions may be enacted.
As part of their continuing effort to reach out to and engage the community, members of the Boston Teachers Union will host meetings in every neighborhood library branch throughout the first two weeks of February. All meetings will take place during the weeks of February 6, 2012 and February 13, 2012, from 6:00 - 7:30 PM. Read and download a flyer with a complete schedule here or see the list at the bottom.
KIPP charter middle schools enroll a significantly higher proportion of African-American students than the local school districts they draw from, but 40 percent of the black males they enroll leave between grades 6 and 8, says a new nationwide study by researchers at Western Michigan University written up in Education Week.
Under a new state law, all Mass retirees who are eligible for Medicare must sign up. The ins and outs of the law are too cumbersome to explain here. We have therefore scheduled a few information sessions, one on 1/12 and another on 1/24, at the BTU office, from 10 to 1. More information will be forthcoming. Save those dates if you'd like. It is advisable that you attend a session if you will be signing up for Medicare. Thank you.
You might be interested to know that from January 1, 1994 through July 31, 2011, the appointed School Committee has voted 100% in support of the Superintendent's recommendations on school policy issues and that 98.85% of those School Committee votes have been unanimous. View the voting record (which is based on information from the City of Boston) here.
On October 25, AFT President Randi Weingartenand Superintendent Carol Johnson, among others, will be speaking at The 2011 Expanding Learning Time Convening, a two-day conference at the Hynes dedicated to investigating "how more time, when used well, can lead to increased student achievement and a well-rounded education."
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