波市幼兒教育有進展

Early childhood study: BPS K1 program helps close achievement gaps New report released today    A report released today by the Boston Public Schools indicates that students enrolled in the District's free pre-kindergarten (K1) program may be more prepared for success in elementary school than children who enter Kindergarten who do not. BPS currently offers more than 2,300 pre-kindergarten K1 seats. Mayor Martin J. Walsh has pledged a significant expansion of the program, with a $1 million investment to add 100 additional seats next year and a more dramatic increase in the future. In 2013, more than 3,000 families applied for the city's free K1 program. Last week Mayor Walsh and BPS hosted 40 community leaders and educators from Seattle, who are observing the BPS early-education program in an effort to bring Boston's successful model to the west coast. (watch a video of the visit on the BPS YouTube Channel at http://youtu.be/MzU6-vRJ0hU )   The internal BPS study relies on results from the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) assessment. Among the highlights: Participation in the BPS K1 program closes Kindergarten racial and income achievement gaps as measured by DIBELS: Black and Hispanic/Latino students who participate in BPS K1 outperform white students who do not participate in K1; and Students who qualify for free or reduced lunch who participate in BPS K1 outperform students who do not qualify for free or reduced lunch and who do not participate in BPS K1. Upon entering Kindergarten, students who participated in the BPS K1 program were 50% more likely to be "ready for kindergarten" than students who did not participate, as measured by the benchmark assessment tests offered at the start of the school year. Seventy-six percent of students who participated in BPS K1 programs scored at or above benchmark upon entering Kindergarten, compared to 51 percent of students who did not participate. Only 11 percent of students who participated in BPS K1 programs were "well below benchmark" at the beginning of their Kindergarten school year, compared to 30 percent of students who did not participate in K1. According to the study, the academic improvements were even more dramatic for African-American and Hispanic/Latino students: 80 percent of African-American students who participated in the BPS K1 program reached benchmark levels upon entering Kindergarten, compared to 56 percent of students who did not. 70 percent of Hispanic/Latino students who participated in the BPS K1 program reached benchmark levels upon entering Kindergarten, compared to 39 percent who did not. The study also examined results by socioeconomic and disability status: Among students who qualified for free-or-reduced-price lunch, 71 percent who participated in a BPS K1 program scored at or above benchmark when they entered Kindergarten, compared to 46 percent who did not. Among students who have a disability, 57 percent who participated in a BPS K1 program scored at or above benchmark when they entered Kindergarten, compared to 41 percent who did not. The full study is available at bostonpublicschools.org/reports. Last year, a Harvard study published by the Society for Research in Child Development found the academic gains achieved by students in the BPS early childhood programs are the "largest found to date in evaluations of large-scale public pre-kindergarten programs." Superintendent Search Committee hearings begin   Mayor Walsh and Boston School Committee Chair Michael O'Neill have announced six public hearings hosted by the Superintendent Search Committee as the group prepares to finalize the Superintendent's job description and begins the process of attracting highly qualified candidates. All hearings will take place from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. The hearing dates and locations include: March 11 at WGBH in Brighton March 19 at Harbor Middle School in Dorchester March 20 at Orchard Gardens K-8 School in Roxbury March 25 at the Dever-McCormack K-8 School in Dorchester March 27 at East Boston High School in East Boston March 31 at Washington Irving Middle School in Roslindale In addition, the Search Committee is working with a series of youth organizations to plan a youth hearing. Details will be finalized in the coming days. Tonight the Superintendent Search Committee discuss the search firm at a public meeting from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., at the Boston Public Schools central office (26 Court Street), in the Edward Winter Chambers. The Search Committee will then recommend a search firm to the Boston School Committee at the March 12 meeting. Did you know? Zoo New England is on the lookout for this year's Zoo Youth Hero. The deadline to nominate a conservation-minded 8 to 18-year-old who loves Franklin Park Zoo and/or Stone Zoo is March 21. One of last year's winners was BPS student Adam Crellin-Sazama, whose love of animals dates back to his earliest visits to Franklin Park Zoo. Adam set a goal of raising $500 to support Zoo New England, in particular Ussuri the Amur leopard - his favorite animal. He dedicated his $10 monthly allowance towards this goal, and he sold hot chocolate and cookies outside his home to raise more money. Adam spoke about his efforts at his school assembly to inspire schoolmates, and he created an informational flyer explaining the impact of fossil fuel on wild habitats and offering tips on how to support conservation organizations including Zoo New England. Not only did Adam reach his $500 goal, he far exceeded it by donating more than $2,000 to date in support of the Zoos' conservation efforts. You can nominate a student for the $1,000 scholarship on the Zoo New England website.    Be sure to read... U.S. Education chief heading to Boston (WBUR) The federal education chief is traveling to Massachusetts for a series of meetings on transformation of underperforming schools, career and technical education and teacher preparation programs. Education Secretary Arne Duncan will visit Orchard Gardens K-8 Pilot School in the Boston neighborhood of Roxbury on Tuesday. The school is undergoing a dramatic transformation from one of the lowest performing schools in Massachusetts to an excelling school. Kids, it's time to ride the T to school (Boston Globe opinion) School transportation officials in Boston want to give 4,500 middle-school students a taste of independence and recoup millions of dollars at the same time by replacing yellow school buses with MBTA passes. It's the kind of bold proposal that springs up during tough budget debates. And it's a good idea on both counts. Want a longer school day? Pay up (Boston Globe opinion) So far, we haven't had a frank, freewheeling discussion about how Massachusetts can expand the school day in a way that's educationally effective, affordable in tight budgetary times, and fair for teachers in both traditional and charter schools.