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Established in 1994, Boston's Pilot Schools emerge from a unique collaboration between the Boston Teachers Union and Boston Public Schools, aimed at enhancing educational choice and serving as innovation laboratories. These schools boast autonomy in budget, staffing, curriculum, and governance, and prioritizing equity and student engagement through smaller class sizes and tailored instruction. They outperform district averages in metrics like attendance, suspension rates, and college enrollment. This model serves as a significant example of effective reform that integrates autonomy with accountability.
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Progress and Promise:Lessons from the Boston Pilot Schools Center for Collaborative Education January 2006
History of Pilot Schools • Pilot Schools are the result of a unique partnership between the Boston Teachers Union and the Boston Public Schools • They were created in 1994 to provide increased choice to Boston families and to serve as laboratories for innovation.
Pilot Schools Have Autonomy • Budget • Staffing • Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment • Governance and Policies • Schedule
Additional Key Features of Pilot Schools • Accountable • Small • Vision-Driven • Focused on Equity
Boston Pilot Schools Network • Same per pupil expenditure • Goal of being demographically representative of district students • Not selective by prior academic achievement or entrance exam
1. Pilot high schools outperform the district average on every indicator of student engagement • Higher attendance rate • Lower out-of-school suspension rate • Lower district leaver rate • Lower in-district transfer rate
2. Pilot high schools outperform the district average on every indicator of student performance • Lower grade level retention rate • Higher MCAS proficiency rates • Higher MCAS pass rates • Higher college enrollment rate
3. Pilot high school demographics are representative of district enrollment. • Race/ethnicity • Free/reduced lunch eligibility • Mainstream special education • Substantially separate special education • English proficiency
4. Pilot Schools achieve their results by using control over their resources to shape the school in three areas: • Instruction • Structure • Culture
Instruction • A core curriculum for all students • A competency-based approach to graduation • Integrated curriculum (e.g., Humanities) • Multiple forms of assessment
Structure • Small school size • Lower class size (18 students) • Low student-teacher loads (55 per teacher in secondary grades) • Long instructional periods • Significant amounts of collaborative planning time for faculty
Culture • Unifying vision • Professional collaborative culture • Shared decision making inclusive of staff, families, students • Focus on equity through use of data • Support for students (advisories)
Implications for High Schools and Districts • The Pilot Schools represent a powerful district - teachers union model of reform. • Autonomy and accountability go hand-in-hand. • School size is an important factor. • Autonomy and school size are not the solution in and of themselves, but critical ingredients of high school reform.
