Worcester Schools - Can They Be Fixed?

Friday, January 15, 2016

GoLocalWorcester News Team

Worcester Schools have been under criticism for a range of shortfalls including in school crime, poor test score, and lack of leadership.

Now, the Worcester Research Bureau has published a major report calling for immediate action to improve the Worcester Schools -- titled, "The Urgency of Excellence."

The report put significant blame on the Worcester School Committee.

READ THE RECOMMENDATIONS BELOW

In October, the controversial Superintendent Melinda Boone resigned. She had been widely criticized for failures of school safety and faculty moral. A GoLocal review showed that her performance of achieving critical education targets were mixed results.

In November, the election delivered a significant change in the make-up of the School Committee. The most politically liberal members were replaced by two significantly more conservative members.

The study identifies the School Committee as one of the problems facing the schools in Worcester. In strong language the reports writes, “Too often, the School Committee is perceived to act not as a policy body but rather as a collection of individual priorities and agendas. In order to support the work of a new superintendent and accelerate the pace of district-wide improvement, the School Committee should work intentionally to develop a strategic vision to improve the district as well as each individual school.”

As GoLocalWorcester reported in November, Worcester’s PARCC test scores and the underperformance of the school district in comparison to the rest of the Commonwealth, “Statewide, 60 percent met the standard in English and 52 percent in math. In Worcester only 41 percent met the standard in English and a woeful 29 percent for math.”

The consistent underperformance of Worcester Schools is worrisome to the long-term economic growth of the region and it improve the fabric of the community. “For the Worcester Public Schools to offer a competitive education to the city’s students, the work of several entities must be aligned—the School Committee and City Council, the WPS and City Administration, and the private and non-profit education communities,” states the report.

The Research Bureau Report identifies a range of “change” issues that needs addressing, “Worcester has a shortage of teachers, impacting both class size and course offerings. This shortage is particularly acute in certain subjects and specialties, notably English as a Second Language (ESL). WPS has also been criticized for a lack of diversity among its teaching staff.”

Related Slideshow: Recommendations to Fix Worcester Schools - 2016

Here are some of the most important recommendations from the Worcester Research Bureau to improve Worcester Schools.

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With half (22 out of 44) of Worcester’s schools at Level 3, WPS must prioritize the stabilization and improvement of Level 3 schools through district-driven turnaround initiatives prior to a drop into Level 4 status.

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The appointment of new teachers offers an opportunity to target skill sets with individual school needs. In order to do so, however, existing contracts must be amended to prioritize classroom needs and individual school dynamics.

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Principals are crucial to individual school success; current leaders must be offered ongoing professional development opportunities, especially in management and school turnaround, while a new cadre of leaders should be cultivated from within the ranks of existing educators.

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WPS students are increasingly High Needs, with growing numbers of English language learners and students in poverty as well as students with disabilities. WPS must find new ways to address High Needs students through expanded wrap-around services that address linguistic isolation, combat the impacts of economic disadvantage like nutrition, access to extracurricular activities, and general adult involvement, and provide necessary supports to students with disabilities.

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In order to compete to retain high-achieving students, WPS must expand its pilot Academy concept to provide additional advanced offerings to exceptional students at every grade level.

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WPS must build stronger partnerships with families, non-profits, and businesses to leverage Worcester’s significant non-school resources into teaching and learning opportunities for schools and students throughout the district. This includes formal arrangements with organizations and institutions to provide enhanced services as well as informal relationships through improved communication and coordination of programs and initiatives.

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WPS must actively recruit allies in efforts to implement changes to the Commonwealth’s funding formula recommended in the Foundation Budget Review Commission’s final report. While new local and private resources may materialize, only a revised state formula promises a predictable, recurring source of revenue. A coalition of local partners should work together and with other Gateway Cities to secure adoption.