1. Progress and Promise: Lessons from the Boston Pilot Schools Center for Collaborative Education January 2006

2. History of Pilot Schools Pilot Schools are the result of a unique partnership between the Boston Teachers Union and the Boston Public Schools They were created in 1994 to provide increased choice to Boston families and to serve as laboratories for innovation.

3. Pilot Schools Have Autonomy Budget Staffing Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Governance and Policies Schedule

4. Additional Key Features of Pilot Schools Accountable Small Vision-Driven Focused on Equity

5. Boston Pilot Schools Network Same per pupil expenditure Goal of being demographically representative of district students Not selective by prior academic achievement or entrance exam

6. 1. Pilot high schools outperform the district average on every indicator of student engagement Higher attendance rate Lower out-of-school suspension rate Lower district leaver rate Lower in-district transfer rate

7. Student Engagement Findings Attendance Rate Suspension Rate District Leaver Rate In-district Transfer Rate Pilot95 5124 BPS899225

8. 2. Pilot high schools outperform the district average on every indicator of student performance Lower grade level retention rate Higher MCAS proficiency rates Higher MCAS pass rates Higher college enrollment rate

11. Percent

12. 3. Pilot high school demographics are representative of district enrollment. Race/ethnicity Free/reduced lunch eligibility Mainstream special education Substantially separate special education English proficiency

13. 4. Pilot Schools achieve their results by using control over their resources to shape the school in three areas: Instruction Structure Culture

14. Instruction A core curriculum for all students A competency-based approach to graduation Integrated curriculum (e.g., Humanities) Multiple forms of assessment

15. Small school size Lower class size (18 students) Low student-teacher loads (55 per teacher in secondary grades) Long instructional periods Significant amounts of collaborative planning time for faculty Structure

16. Culture Unifying vision Professional collaborative culture Shared decision making inclusive of staff, families, students Focus on equity through use of data Support for students (advisories)

17. Implications for High Schools and Districts The Pilot Schools represent a powerful district - teachers union model of reform. Autonomy and accountability go hand-in- hand. School size is an important factor. Autonomy and school size are not the solution in and of themselves, but critical ingredients of high school reform.

18. www.cce.org