A few months ago, parents, teachers, community partners and staff from Boston Public Schools gathered at Blackstone Elementary School in the South End.
“The district came in, and they put up flip chart papers on the wall and they said different things like ‘English language learners’ or ‘inclusion classrooms’ or ‘family supports’ or ‘partnerships,’” said Ariel Branz, senior parent organizer at St. Stephen’s Youth Programs, which runs the Blackstone’s library and a parent mentor program. “Then families and teachers were asked to put up stickers for each one, saying which they valued more.”
Branz said when people at the meeting refused to participate, the district said it was only a thought exercise to understand their priorities.