QUEST on Facebook:
Here's a great summary of what's been happening with the Shaw/Taylor, Sumner/Philbrick mergers. Updates include
- A City Council resolution asking for justification for the choice of school to merge; reporting on what happens to students after mergers and closures; building new facilities before closing old ones (filed by Councilors Mejia and Worrell)
- School Committee member Polanco expressing opposition to the Shaw merger
- Demographics showing that the Shaw has a disproportionate % of BIPOC and low-income students, compared to BPS
- And a public records request by a BPS parent that puts into question the use of the Racial Equity Planning Tool that should be leading facilities decisions.
BPS needs to do better!
Will officials push Shaw-Taylor merger across the finish line Wednesday?
schoolyardnews.com
A new City Council resolution supports opponents, but School Committee vote is still on the agenda
Are you in favor of the MA Thrive Act? Do you know what it is?
The Act which is pending in the State House, would change graduation requirements from high stakes standardized tests to a coursework based system. It would also replace the state takeover system with a "support and improvement" system.
Wednesday is Advocacy Day on Beacon Hill. Will you join others at the State House or by calling your State Senator or Representative to express your support?
actionnetwork.org
Please join us for the Thrive Act Advocacy Day at the State House on May 24th! This is an exciting opportunity for students, families, educators, staff and community activists to come together and con...BPS is holding a Design Study Survey, OPEN til TUESDAY. Lots of questions about priorities for BPS.
BPS School Design Study Survey
dlrgroup.co1.qualtrics.com
Visit www.bostonpublicschools.org/domain/3025 for more information on the Green New Deal for Boston Public Schools.The merger of the Shaw and Taylor Schools will be voted on next week, but has BPS used the Racial Equity Planning Tool it's supposed to for this process? There's been no evidence that it has, so instead, the BuildBPS/Green New Deal Stakeholder's Coalition did their work for them.
Community coalition uses BPS equity tool to show Shaw-Taylor merger violates district policy
schoolyardnews.com
The BuildBPS/Green New Deal Stakeholders’ Coalition has carried out a racial equity analysis of the proposed merger between the Shaw and…Excellent analysis. Thanks to the Coalition for doing this work.
Advocacy 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