Elementary and Middle and Secondary Education Administration Commons^™

Solving For X: Centering Black Girls’ Experiences In Mathematics Education, Natasha A. Fortes

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Black girls can grow up, attend school, and move through their math classes without ever feeling seen as capable mathematical thinkers. Their teachers may not affirm their brilliance. Their voices may even go unheard. Math classes may not be a space where they can imagine themselves belonging. These experiences do not reflect ability. Instead, they reflect on the conditions in which they are expected to learn. This study centers the voices of Black girls and asks what they deserve from their mathematics education and instructors to develop a mathematics identity. The study is grounded in Black feminist traditions and draws …

Beyond Shutdown: Why Punitive Policies Fail Students With Oppositional Defiant Behaviors And What Alternative Schools Should Do Instead, Mark Barrett

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

Punitive shutdown policies at therapeutic alternative schools often do not reduce class avoidance among students with oppositional defiant behaviors. This synthesis examines why these policies do not work and proposes evidence-based alternatives. I draw on research in exclusionary discipline, Collaborative and Proactive Solutions, Self-Determination Theory, and function-based intervention, as well as my daily experience as a behavioral teacher. I argue that punitive approaches fail because they misunderstand what drives oppositional behavior. Deterrence assumes students avoid class to escape work and will return if the consequences are harsh enough. In reality, students with oppositional defiant disorder are mainly motivated by resisting …

Blackloving: The Culturally Responsive Engagement Practices Of Black Middle School Principals, Deandra L. Williams

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Black students are highly capable of learning and contributing to society when school communities are built on a foundation of love and there is meaningful school–family engagement. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine how Black middle school principals engaged with Black families using BlackLoving culturally responsive family engagement practices as Black students transitioned from elementary to middle school in Boston Public Schools (BPS). The researcher employed Black Indigenous methodology, in the form of talking circles and memoing, to gather the stories of four former Black Boston public school principals (who were all men) and to explore their …

Greatness Restored: The Development Of An Alternative To Suspension Program, Matthew Jose

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

I have been fortunate enough to work with at-risk children within the youth services and education fields for over 20 years now and through this experience I have learned much about the successes and difficulties that these young people face as they navigate life and work their way toward adulthood. An at-risk youth is a child who, because of various life circumstances, is less likely to transition successfully into adulthood. This success could include in the academic realm, job readiness as well as the ability to become financially independent as an adult. In working directly with these students and their …

Getting Power Back: Court Restoration Of Executive Authority In Boston City Government (1985), Marcy Murninghan

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article, originally published in 1985, is based partly on the author’s experience with the Boston school desegregation case, but goes beyond it. It chronicles some of the events that occurred when a state and a federal court attempted to disengage from active jurisdiction over two Boston public systems: the Boston Public Schools and the Boston Housing Authority. It makes three proposals, which, if enacted, would help to keep the courts out of day-to-day management of municipal operations. It also makes some generalizations about the court-agency interplay that are relevant to the post-remedial phase of institutional reform litigation. The author …

Behind The Numbers: Conditions Of Schooling In Boston (1981), Marcy Murninghan

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article includes portions of a report on the structure, governance, operations, and effectiveness of the Boston School Committee that was commissioned by the Boston Municipal Research Bureau in 1980. The passages provide an overview of the mandate, background, and recommendations, examining how a set of prominent professionals and citizens viewed the problem facing school department governance, including its isolation and the longstanding credibility gap fueled by patronage politics. It also looks at continued tensions between “equality” and “quality,” which occupied the heart of court-ordered desegregation; rising demands on a system that lacked the capacity to serve a broad array …

Equitable Compensation: Quantifying The Salary Differences Of Comparison Communities, Margaret A. Murray

New England Journal of Public Policy

Teacher salary scales from a target district are compared with those from six groups of comparable districts to provide a quantitative basis from which to assess self-serving bias in the selection of comparison districts. Comparison districts are used to gauge salary equity during contract negotiations. Salary data were extracted for three salary columns (bachelor’s, master’s, and master’s plus 30 credits) from the 2014–15 Massachusetts teacher contracts from forty-eight districts. Comparison district groups were formed using six methods: three single-criterion and three multiple-criteria. Implications for selecting methods are also discussed.

What Academic Grades Mean To Seventh Grade Students, Margo Joan Moore

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

This study explores how seventh grade students in an urban school district make meaning for their teacher-assigned report card grades. A great deal of research has been done on report card grades from the perspective of teachers and administrators, but few studies have examined what teacher-assigned grades mean to middle school students. This qualitative study attempts to develop an understanding of the meanings attributed to teacher-assigned grades by 56 seventh grade English Language Arts (ELA) students in an urban middle school in Massachusetts.

Three major research questions were addressed: 1) How do 56 seventh-grade English Language Arts students in an …

Calderwood Writing Initiative At Umass Boston, Denise Patmon, Carolyn Wong, Cedric Woods, Elena Stone

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Founded in 2003, the Calderwood Writing Initiative is dedicated to improving the teaching and practice of expository writing. In the past, the Initiative has sponsored a wide variety of experimental programs & approaches.

It Seemed Like Such A Good Idea: Making Sense Of How Two Schools, A Major Philanthropy, And A Prestigious Teacher Training Program Agreed On A School Reform Strategy That Was Bound To Fail., Brian C. Clark

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

This Capstone project is a reflection on the process through which a major Jewish Philanthropy, two Jewish Day Schools, and a major Teacher Training Program worked together to craft an agenda for school reform and technological progress. That four-month process is carefully narrated in a portion of this document, as is a postscript that explains subsequent events and outcomes. The analytical portion of this document follows, in which concepts drawn from Actor-Network Theory and sensemaking theory are used to make sense of how each institution contributed to the creation of inherently unworkable and impractical plans for school reform.

Latinos In Massachusetts Public Schools: Pittsfield, Michael Berardino, Valerie Watson

Gastón Institute Publications

This report provides a snapshot of current educational outcomes of Latino students in the city of Pittsfield. It is based on publicly available data from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MADESE) that has been analyzed by the Gastón Institute for the 2014 Latinos in Massachusetts Regional Meeting in Pittsfield. This report uses the ethno-racial categories assigned by MADESE. It focuses on the evolving demographic trends and the most recent educational outcomes of Latino students relative to other ethno-racial groups in the school district and to students statewide. The first section illustrates the demographic shift occurring within the …

Latinos In Massachusetts Public Schools: Springfield, Michael Berardino

Gastón Institute Publications

This report provides a snapshot of current educational outcomes of Latino students in the city of Springfield. It is based on publicly available data from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MADESE) that have been analyzed by the Gastón Institute for a community meeting in Springfield. This report uses the ethno-racial categories assigned by MADESE. It focuses on the evolving demographic trends and the most recent educational outcomes of Latino students relative to other ethno-racial groups in the school district and to students statewide. The first section illustrates the demographic shift occurring in the Springfield Public Schools, with …

Camp Shriver – A Free Inclusive Summer Sports Camp For Children With And Without Disabilities, Mark Spolidoro, Barbara Gildea, Kathleen Ghio, Gary N. Siperstein

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Camp Shriver at UMass Boston is in its 9th year, providing a free and fully inclusive summer recreational program for children in the communities of Boston and Quincy.

Having served almost 1,000 campers, Camp Shriver at UMass Boston reaches out to children and families who have few opportunities, particularly families of children with disabilities.

Thrive In 5 Boston Initiative, Center For Social Policy, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The Center for Social Policy (CSP) is the external evaluator for Thrive in 5 Boston. As part of the initiative, CSP is helping to identify, implement, and evaluate community interventions designed to increase the readiness of Boston children for success in school at kindergarten age.

Thrive in 5 is transforming Boston into a city that values and proactively nurtures young children’s school readiness, and envisions a city where families, educators, providers, business leaders and communities come together with the knowledge, skills, and resources to prepare children for success in school and beyond.

Impact Of The Young Athletes Program On Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders In Quincy Public Schools, Christopher B. Denning, Kathleen Ghio

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The Center for Social Development and Education (CSDE) and the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) are supporting the implementation of the Young Athletes (YA) program for preschool children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Quincy Public Schools.

50-73% of children with ASD have significant motor delays compared to normative peers. Concerns include:

Delays in overall gross motor skills, including manual dexterity, balance, gait, motor coordination, and ball handling skills.
• Motor development appears to slow for two- and three-year-old children with ASD.

Young Athletes is a theoretically-based program designed to improve the motor development of children with disabilities (ages …

3pointfoundation Partnership, Joan Arches

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

An exciting partnership in collaboration with the Division of Athletics, Recreation, Special Projects and Programs, and the College of Public and Community Service. The project involves students at UMass Boston and the 3PointFoundation which is affiliated with the Boston Celtics. Its mission is to provide academic support and mentoring to middle school urban males using basketball as an incentive and vehicle for growth and development. Through their roughly two hour weekly sessions they hope to build character, academic strength, and promote the pipeline to higher education.

Project Reach Talent Search At Umass Boston, Academic Support Services And Undergraduate Studies, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

We identify disadvantaged middle and high school students in the Boston Public Schools (BPS) who have the potential for education at the post-secondary level, we support those students as they complete a rigorous high school program of study, and we encourage them to enroll in programs of post-secondary education.

Admission Guaranteed Program At Umass Boston, Academic Support Services And Undergraduate Studies, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Every student, whether low-income, first-generation, with a disability, or at high risk for academic failure, will develop the skills, knowledge, and motivation to successfully enroll in and complete postsecondary education.

The Value Of Teamwork, Oderra Jones

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Beacons Academy is a collaboration between UMass Boston Athletics, Codman Academy, Dorchester YMCA and the Walter Denney Youth Center to expose students in our local community to sports they may or may not have played through instructional sessions with our intercollegiate coaches and athletes. The goal is to teach the sport while also promoting the value of education, hard work, and teamwork.

Educational Engagement In Boston’S Vietnamese Community: Asian American Studies Program Student-Faculty-Alumni Engagement With Teachers, Students, And Families Of The Mather School (Bps) In Dorchester, Asian American Studies Program, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Founded in 1639, the Mather Elementary School in Dorchester is the oldest public elementary school in the US. In 2012, nearly 40% of Mather students were Vietnamese American from immigrant households. The Mather School’s Vietnamese Structured English Immersion (SEI) program is the largest in Boston. In 1993, Ngoc-lan (Loni) Nguyen, a Vietnamese refugee student in education and Asian American Studies at UMass Boston, was hired as a 4th grade bilingual teacher. Many of Lan’s students later attended UMass Boston where they reconnected educationally with the importance of Vietnamese American identity, community, and empowerment in AsAmSt courses. In 2007, Lan visited …

Adopting Evidence-Based Practices In Elementary School Math: The Collaborative For Improvement Of Problem Solving (Cips), Scott Methe, Meghan R. Silva, Kristin Iodice, Carrie Fortunato, Sheila Desai

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Two key activities in building and sustaining a change-based model are (a) enhancing buy-in for the change and (b) evaluating capacity to evaluate the change before, during, and after adoption. Unfortunately, the construct of buy-in is frequently used but poorly defined. Furthermore, adopting precise methods to evaluate implementation of evidence-based practices is challenging for schools. Partnerships with universities have been shown to help schools better understand the complexity of sustained change (Shernoff et al., 2011). This poster discusses methods used by the UMass-Boston and Burlington Public Schools Collaborative for the Improvement of Problem Solving (CIPS) to enhance the use of …

Massachusetts Education Partnership: Policy, Leadership, Labor-Management Collaboration, Nancy Peace, John W. Mccormack Graduate School Of Policy And Global Studies, University Of Massachusetts Boston, Edward J. Collins, Jr., Center For Public Management, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The Massachusetts Education Partnership (MEP) is a collaborative endeavor on the part of four education-related organizations representing teachers, superintendents, and school committees and four research institutions. By working together, the Partnership aims to improve student achievement through labor-management collaboration and to foster the development of collaborative cultures in Massachusetts school districts. As of March 1, 2014, the MEP has trained labor and management leaders from 34 school districts in interest-based bargaining (IBB) and provided intensive facilitation to seven school districts where labor and management are working collaboratively on a program or issue of their choosing.

Calderwood Writing Initiative, Charlestown High School, Another Course To College, Snowden International School, Denise Patmon

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Since 2010, UMass Boston has received funding from the Calderwood Writing Initiative to improve the quality of the teaching of writing in Boston area schools through two major programs that constitute this collaborative work.

Latinos In Massachusetts Public Schools: Fall River, Michael Berardino

Gastón Institute Publications

This report provides a snapshot of current educational outcomes of Latino students in the city of Fall River. It is based on publicly available data from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MADESE) that has been analyzed by the Gastón Institute for the 2013 Latinos in Massachusetts Regional Meeting in New Bedford. This report uses the ethno-racial categories assigned by MADESE. It focuses on the evolving demographic trends and the most recent educational outcomes of Latino students relative to other ethno-racial groups in the school district. The first section illustrates the demographic shift occurring in the Fall …

Latinos In Massachusetts Public Schools: New Bedford, Michael Berardino

Gastón Institute Publications

This report provides a snapshot of current educational outcomes of Latino students in the city of New Bedford. It is based on publicly available data from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MADESE) that has been analyzed by the Gastón Institute for the 2013 Latinos in Massachusetts Regional Meeting in New Bedford. This report uses the ethno-racial categories assigned by MADESE. It focuses on the evolving demographic trends and the most recent educational outcomes of Latino students relative to other ethno-racial groups in the school district. The first section illustrates the demographic shift occurring in the New Bedford …

Latinos In Massachusetts Public Schools: Taunton, Michael Berardino

Gastón Institute Publications

This report provides a snapshot of current educational outcomes of Latino students in the town of Taunton. It is based on publically available data from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MADESE) that has been analyzed by the Gastón Institute for the 2013 Latinos in Massachusetts Regional Meeting in New Bedford. This report uses the ethno-racial categories assigned by MADESE. It focuses on the evolving demographic trends and the most recent educational outcomes of Latino students relative to other ethno-racial groups in the school district. The first section illustrates the demographic shift occurring in the Taunton Public Schools, …

Latinos In Massachusetts Public Schools: Brockton, Michael Berardino

Gastón Institute Publications

This report provides a snapshot of current educational outcomes of Latino students in the city of Brockton. It is based on publicly available data from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MADESE) that has been analyzed by the Gastón Institute for the 2013 Latinos in Massachusetts Regional Meeting in New Bedford. This report uses the ethno-racial categories assigned by MADESE. It focuses on the evolving demographic trends and the most recent educational outcomes of Latino students relative to other ethno-racial groups in the school district. The first section illustrates the demographic shift occurring in the Brockton Public …

Thrive In 5 – Boston Initiative, Center For Social Policy, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The Center for Social Policy (CSP) is the external evaluator of Thrive in 5 Boston. Thrive in 5 is transforming Boston into a city that values and proactively nurtures young children’s school readiness – because when our youngest children thrive, we all prosper. Thrive in 5 envisions a city where families, educators, providers, business leaders, and communities come together with the knowledge, skills, and resources to prepare children for success in school and beyond. The center is helping to identify, implement, and evaluate community interventions designed to increase Boston children’s readiness for success in school at kindergarten age.

Admission Guaranteed Program (Agp) At Umass Boston, University Of Massachusetts Boston, Jeremiah E. Burke High School, Boston Green Academy, Dorchester Academy

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Initiated in 1989, the Admission Guaranteed Program at the University of Massachusetts Boston guarantees admission to the university for students enrolled at partner high schools. Through AGP, students who take courses in the required subject areas and meet specific program criteria are assured admission to the university in the College of Liberal Arts or the College of Science and Mathematics.

Umass Boston Project Reach Talent Search, University Of Massachusetts Boston, Jeremiah E. Burke High School, Dorchester Academy, Madison Park High School, Dearborn Middle School, Mccormack Middle School

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

REACH identifies and serves disadvantaged young people who have the potential for education at the post-secondary level and encourages them to continue and graduate from secondary school and enroll in programs of post-secondary education. High school and post-secondary dropouts are also encouraged and assisted in returning to school.