QUEST on Facebook:
These reports show how many seats were open in schools this past assignment season, how many students applied for these seats, and how "in demand" schools were. As always with student assignment though, there are still lots of questions to be answered.
A few days ago the federal government put into place new regulations regarding for-profit charter schools.
Among the changes:
- the Charter School Program budget was cut by $40 million
- increase in transparency and accountability requirements for charter schools that apply for grants
Carol Burris Explains the Changes to the Federal Charter Schools Program
dianeravitch.net
Make no mistake: the changes to the federal Charter Schools Program a few days ago was a big win for supporters of public schools and a major defeat for the charter lobby, led by the National Allia…Well that's that. Mary Skipper will be the next Superintendent of the Boston Public Schools.
The statement by the BuildBPS Stakeholders Coalition on the Superintendent search. QUEST is a member of the Coalition and we stand by this:
1. This search has been a failure in not producing Black and Latinx finalists.
2. We have citizens’ input, and search committees, and interviews, and community panels — and then one person makes the decision: the Mayor.
3. Despite the fanfare of public engagement, too many decisions are made behind closed doors, perhaps even before the formal process begins.
4. The threat of receivership or some other form of state control of the Boston Public Schools made the potentially exciting job of leading BPS a toxic career risk.
5. We hope the restoration of an elected School Committee, with direct accountability to the voters — not to the mayor — will make it possible to recruit, hire, and support an effective education leader for Boston.
BuildBPS Stakeholders Coalition: Mayoral control and state sabotage broke the superintendent search
schoolyardnews.com
by the BuildBPS Stakeholders CoalitionAdvocacy for Quality, Equity, and Transparency Within the Boston Public Schools System
QUEST Parents Release Analysis of Boston Public School Fundraising
April 13, 2021
In 2018, Boston Public Schools did an audit of private fundraising in its 125 schools. The information was quietly released in school-by-school reports.
QUEST has now collated the data in easy-to-read spreadsheet, examined it for racial and socio-economic inequities, and requests further study and policies to address the disparities. We believe it’s especially critical to pay attention to this information now, as Boston examines its exam school admissions policies and schools struggle to recover from the effects of Covid-19.
Current issues QUEST is focused on:
Facilities, Resources and School Closings
Quality education requires a commitment by the school district to the efficient, sustained, and equitable use of resources.
Privatization of Education
Public education, including its physical facilities, is a public good that should be under community control.
Student Assignment
All students should have equitable access to quality school options through a transparent and accessible system of school assignment.
ABOUT QUEST
QUEST (Quality Education for Every Student) is a volunteer grassroots organization of parents with children in Boston Public Schools. Founded in 2012, the group initially came together over concerns about the inequities of proposed changes to the BPS assignment system. We continue to ask how education policies and practices can help to dismantle past oppression, increase opportunity, and provide greater access to quality education for all.
Copyright © 2018 QUEST