Current Spotlights
Tight-knit Community at Patrick J. Kennedy Elementary
The Patrick J. Kennedy Elementary School is a small elementary school in East Boston, established in 1893, where 97% of students walk to school. This has been a clear advantage in establishing relationships with the mostly Latino families who live in this tight-knit neighborhood.
Read more about Patrick J. Kennedy Elementary School, featured in this month's "We're Learning Here."
Spotlight on Learning at East Boston High School
Google Maps sent our author over the Charles, Mystic, and Chelsea Rivers to East Boston High School. It sits high on a hill and is one of the largest schools in Boston, serving nearly 1,400 students!
Read more about East Boston High School, featured in this month's "We're Learning Here."
Spotlight on Roger Clap Innovation School
The Roger Clap Innovation School has fewer than 150 students. It sits on a tiny one-way street just off Dorchester Avenue. Just two years ago the school was slated for closure when a group of parents proposed reopening with “innovation” status – the state’s “pilot” school program.
Read more about the Roger Clap, featured in this month's "We're Learning Here."
Achievement at the Washington Irving Middle School
Hallways at Washington Irving Middle School have names such as “Warrior Way” and “Integrity Court” – making school values a daily reference. I noticed that the warrior theme is carried out throughout the building with small signs reminding students of appropriate behavior – in hallways, bathrooms, and the auditorium – an idea worth sharing.
Read more about the Irving, featured in this month's "We're Learning Here."
Thriving Students at Channing Elementary School
The Channing Elementary School is tucked away on a quiet residential street in Hyde Park. In the lower grades students were busy with morning meetings, activity centers, literacy and math lessons. Kindergarteners were building with blocks, playing with puppets, and putting jigsaw puzzles together.
Read more about the Channing, featured in this month's "We're Learning Here."
Spotlight on Charlestown High School
Charlestown High School is a sprawling complex which serves nearly 1,000 students. I was happy to see “Welcome back” greetings posted at the entrance and in the main stairways.
Read more about Charlestown High School, featured in this month's "We're Learning Here."
Spotlight on Learning at the Edison K-8 School
There are almost 800 students in this unusually diverse school in Brighton. Originally a middle school, the Edison became a K-8 four years ago. One of the teachers told me that the population of the school continues to change, this year adding a large number of SEI classes for English Language Learners... almost 40% of the student body!
Read more about the Edison K-8, featured in this month's "We're Learning Here."
New Teachers Institute 2012: Welcome to 200 New BPS Teachers
Back-to-school for New Teacher Developers (NTDs) means planning for the annual New Teacher Institute, held this year at Roxbury Community College. Despite budget cuts and layoffs in June, over 200 teachers new to Boston gathered in the Reggie Lewis Center gymnasium at the end of August.
Read more about the New Teacher Institute, featured in this month's "We're Learning Here."
Supportive Community at the Haynes Early Education Center
The Haynes Early Education Center, which serves students as young as 3 years old (K0) through first grade, is perched at the busy intersection of Quincy Street & Blue Hill Avenue. Inside, the rooms are light and airy, and classrooms are set up for a variety of learning experiences.
Read more about Haynes Early Education Center, featured in this month's "We're Learning Here."