Pilot articles: News and features about Pilot schools

Technology Goes Home to Stay, by Lauren Leikin, in Massachusetts Reads and Succeeds, June 2008.
This first rate portrait of the technology emphasis at the Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School appears in a monthly publication of the Massachusetts Literacy Foundation. It looks both at the one-computer-per-child program and at the way parents too are brought into computing.

These students have a (business) plan: At a Boston high school, entrepreneurship education boosts teens’ business know-how, by Stacy Teicher Khadaroo, in the Christian Science Monitor, June 19, 2008.
Pilot school Fenway High juniors are described in “The Pitch,” the culmination of their projects on entrepreneurship, where they pitch the idea they’ve developed to members of the community.

Patrick plans new kind of public school, by Tania deLuzuriaga and Matt Viser, in the Boston Globe, June 11, 2008.
Governor Deval Patrick has proposed creating “readiness schools,” which in their initial details sound as though they will enjoy similar autonomies to those of Pilot schools, although there seem to be some differences in terms of the nature of the district-teacher union partnership.

Four Parkway schools consider changing to pilots, by David Ertischek, in the West Roxbury Transcript, May 7, 2008.
“Three out of four West Roxbury Educational Complex schools are looking into becoming pilot schools.” Some are also considering Discovery school status. These schools all have planning grants awarded by the Boston Foundation. Principals are quoted about the possible appeal of Pilot status.

On the grid, a chance to learn, editorial in the Boston Globe, April 10, 2008.
Lilla Frederick Pilot Middle School students took their laptops out into the neighborhood to work with the planners of city-wide public WiFi, testing to see where the signal was strong. Other Lilla Frederick technology initiatives suggest they are a model of “incorporating technology to fuel students’ success.”

English High, Revamped: Staff, students optimistic about failing school’s turnaround, by David Taber, in the Jamaica Plain Gazette, March 21, 2008.
“Almost a year after the state Board of Education (BOE) approved Boston English High School’s proposal to become a Commonwealth Pilot school—preempting a potential state takeover—the troubled city school is on the right track, many say....On Feb. 15, the Gazette sat down with a dozen students, teachers, administrators and other Boston English stakeholders, and their message was unequivocal. The morale of the students and staff is up, parents are raving, attendance rates have improved, and students are more engaged, was their message.”

Learn from strides of pilot schools, by Dan French, in the Boston Globe “Letters to the Editor,” November 21, 2007.
Dan French replies to charges of elitism and selectivity in Pilot Schools, contained in two previous letters to the editor (linked to in this French letter).

High-flying pilot schools: study points to range of successes in Boston’s experimental program, by Tracy Jan, in the Boston Globe, November 9, 2007, p. 1.
“Students in Boston’s pilot high schools perform better on the MCAS tests, are suspended less frequently, attend class more often, and graduate in higher percentages than students enrolled in the city’s regular public high schools, according to the first comprehensive study on the effectiveness of the experimental schools.”

Press release: Boston Pilot High Schools Excel in 4-Year Study. A forum at The Boston Foundation, moderated by Paul Reville, Chair of the Board of Education, with Superintendent Carol Johsnon in attendance, looked at the new CCE study of Pilot high schools. November 9, 2007.

Easing Rules Over Schools Gains Favor—State, district leaders debate when to grant autonomy, by Catherine Gewertz, in Education Week, March 16, 2007.
“Massachusetts’ recent decision to offer charterlike freedom to four of its lowest-performing schools has renewed debate about the role autonomy plays in school improvement: Should it be earned through good performance, or given as a vital tool for improvement? Is it risky to extend it to struggling schools?”

Mission accomplished: Teen's tough times end with a title, by Jackie MacMullan, in the Boston Globe, March 13, 2007.
New Mission High School, a small Pilot school, won the Division 4 girls basketball championshiip with only six players. This article focuses on Brittany White, once a racalcitrant, angry student who had been kicked out of one school, who responded to intense care and attention at New Mission to become a star player.

Options limited on Academy pilot school vote, by Alexandra Perloe, in the Fitchburg Sentinel & Enterprise, January 15, 2007.
“Voting yes to Academy Middle School's conversion to a Commonwealth pilot school is really the “only option,” Bill Bourbeau, president of the Fitchburg Teachers Association, said last week.” Article analyzes options for teachers facing a vote on becoming a Commonwealth Pilot.

Painting a picture of education, by Alexandra Perloe, in the Fitchburg Sentinel & Enterprise, January 14, 2007.
This tells the story, in its first year, of the Fitchburg Arts Academy, the first Pilot school to be established outside of Boston. There is a fine explanation of what it means to be a pilot.

An Unlikely Spot at the Head of the Class:Top honors for the once maligned Boston schools, by Elizabeth Weiss Green, in U.S. News & World Report, October 2, 2006.
In a feature story on Boston’s winning the Broad Prize for having the most improved urban school in the nation, the focus is on Boston Community Leadership Academy and Pilot Schools, including interviews with principal Nicole Bahnam and CCE Executive Director Dan French.

Belmont learning from here, by Jessica M. Smith, in the Roslindale-West Roxbury Transcript, August 24, 2006.
Local weekly looks at Los Angeles school district importing successful Boston model of Pilot schools.

L.A. Proceeds With Plans to Open ‘Pilot Schools’ in Belmont Area, by Kathleen Kennedy Manzo, in Education Week, August 9, 2006.
Article emphasizes the coordination of community organizations, teachers union, and school board in bringing about the introduction of Pilot schools to L.A. “Advocates say that adapting the Boston program to other cities will help promote the need for districts, unions, and communities to work together to foster more innovative school models.”

L.A. school district to model pilot program after Boston system, by Greg St. Martin, in Metro/Boston, August 8, 2006.
‘Over the next five years, the Belmont district of Los Angeles plans to open five to 10 pilot schools, with the first opening in September 2007 — all based upon a model that began in Boston. “We knew that it was not good enough to have high standards if there weren’t the right conditions ... and the best model we knew of was in Boston,” said Cris Gutierrez, director of the Civitas School of Learning in Los Angeles.’

Plan Would Give More Flexibility in Pico-Union Schools: L.A. Unified and union officials agree on a concept that would give new campuses freedoms similar to those of charter sites, by Arin Gencer, in the Los Angeles Times, July 25, 2006.
The Los Angeles Unified School District announced the creation of the Belmont Pilot Schools Network, the first replication of the Boston Pilot Schools concept outside of Massachusetts. The plan calls for the creation "of five to 10 fully autonomous high schools launched over the next five years, with a maximum of 400 students each. Principals and teachers at those schools would work under a separate contract that would free them to determine school calendars, curricula, budgets and administrative structures."

MPS students to pick school’s new name, by Kyle Alspach, in the Fitchburg Sentinel & Enterprise, June 2, 2006.
Students at the Museum Partnership School have received an unusual assignment: They must pick a new name for the school. Many changes are afoot at the school, which will gain independence from B.F. Brown Middle School this fall and become the first pilot school in the state outside Boston.

MPS brings in a new principal, by Kyle Alspach, in the Fitchburg Sentinel & Enterprise, May 31, 2006.
Challenges lie ahead for the Museum Partnership School, but soon-to-be Principal Leslie Edinson says he is optimistic, calling it a "unique opportunity." Edinson will become the first principal of the school when it gains independence as a pilot school this fall.

Some Hub youths making a stand as peacemaker, by Marie Szaniszlo, in the Boston Herald, May 11, 2006.
Article discusses the third annual Boston Pilot School Student Leadership Conference, on the theme, “Violence in Our Communities,” which took place May 10 at the Boston Day and Evening Academy.

100 years of ABCs for Mason School, by Darren Sands, in the Boston Globe, April 23, 2006.
Celebrating its “Masontennial,” the Maon school is having great success while being located in an area that Principal Janet Owens-Palmer describes as having “a lot of issues of violence.”

Progress and Promise: How Pilot Schools Stack UP, in tBf News, Volume V, Issue 1, 2006, published bimonthly by The Boston Foundation.
This is a photo-feature on the Boston Foundation’s Understanding Boston forum devoted to the CCE Pilot Schools study. It also includes a link to a Boston Foundation Request for Proposals that offers funding for Boston public schools interested in converting to Pilot status.

BCLA Students, Mayor ‘Seek Answers’ on Youth Violence, by Robert Frank, press release, March 2, 2006.
Students at the Boston Community Leadership Academy wrote letters to Mayor Menino about teen violence and ways to curb it. Then the Mayor came to listen to and respond to the letters.

School committee member criticizes planning process for school expansion, by Kyle Alspach, in the Fitchburg Sentinel & Enterprise, February 7, 2006.
The Fitchburg School Committee, responding to a lone dissenter about opening a local Pilot School, strongly backed the plan. At the committee meeting, CCE Executive Director Dan French pointed out that Pilot schools have outpaced other Boston schools in every category, from MCAS scores to attendance. He said, “We feel like that’s a pretty compelling reason to look at how you begin to create a new breed of urban schools. Fitchburg is the first district outside the Boston Public Schools that is engaging in this type of innovative reform.”

Boston’s Small ‘Pilot’ Schools Found to Outperform Others, By Kathleen Kennedy Manzo, in Education Week, January 25, 2006.
“Boston’s experiment with small, autonomous public schools appears to be paying off in higher test scores, attendance, and college-going rates, a report sponsored by supporters of the schools concludes.” Article quotes Dan French, Adam Urbanski, Richard Stutman, and Tom Payzant.

Museum school may follow Boston pilot schools’ model, by Kyle Alspach, in the Fitchburg Sentinel & Enterprise, January 24, 2006.
“The Museum Partnership School may become the first school in the country to follow the Boston pilot schools model, which advocates say has improved student learning since starting in 1995. The model gives school officials more control over things like curriculum, spending, schedule and other matters. Converting the Museum Partnership School to the model was a major reason for a $600,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a spokesperson said Monday. ‘We are very enthusiastic about the work with the pilot schools in Boston,’ said foundation spokesperson Barbara Semedo. ‘We think they provide for a good investment for us.’”

MPS to become independent school, by Kyle Alspach, in the Fitchburg Sentinel & Enterprise, January 24, 2006.
The Museum Partnership School will open this September, with the help of a $600,000 Gates grant secured by the Center for Collaborative Education, as an independent school modeled on Boston’s Pilot Schools.

Fitchburg takes a lesson from Hub pilot schools, by Tracy Jan, in the Boston Globe, January 23, 2006.
Fitchburg has decided to introduce the Boston Pilot School model into its public schools. CCE director Dan French “said he expects to see more urban districts turn to pilot schools as a way to boost student performance.” Adam Urbanski, head of the Rochester Teachers Union, said, “Pilot schools are one of the most promising examples in America for change strategies for school system and labor management relations.”

Partnership speaks volumes, by Glenn Yoder, in the City Weekly section of the Boston Sunday Globe, January 22, 2006.
The Boston Symphony Orchestra has teamed with the jointly housed Pilot Schools, Fenway High School and Boston Arts Academy, to create a formidable arts and academic library. Through its involvement with the library, the BSO is “part of the cultural and academic life of the school.”

Check out ‘Pilot’ schools that steer Boston pupils to achieve, op-ed by Mary Doyle, in the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, January 20, 2006.
“A new report by the Center for Collaborative Education in Boston provides hope for school districts, such as Rochester, that face low graduation rates, high poverty levels and the departure from the district of families concerned about the quality of urban education.”

Study says city’s pilot school pupils shine, By Kimberly Atkins, in the Boston Herald, January 18, 2006.
“A new study to be released today shows students in Boston’s pilot schools outpace other city students in MCAS scores, have lower suspension rates and are more engaged in the classroom.”

Report says Pilot school students top peers, by Tracy Jan, in the Boston Globe, January 18, 2006.
“Students who attend experimental schools within the Boston public school system, on average, are performing better on state tests and other measures than their peers in regular city schools, according to a new report.” Article explains the just released CCE study, Progress and Promise: Results from the Boston Pilot Schools.”

School’s pride alive in a name, by Megan Tench, in the Boston Globe, January 11, 2006.
This is the story of the re-naming of the New Boston Pilot Middle School to the Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School. It explains who this very local, determined hero was.

Ukraine President Victor Yushchenko makes visit to Roxbury - Thanks students at Boston Day and Evening Academy, in the Dorchester Community News, December 12, 2005.
Students at Boston Day and Evening Academy, a Horace Mann Charter School in the Pilot Schools Network, studied the storied history of hero and Ukranian president Yushchenko. Then they were invited to see him presented with the Profile in Courage Award at the JFK Library. To the students’ delight, he subsequently wrote to them, sending them a collection of Orange Revolution gifts.

Boston Pilot Schools: Where Families Are Partners in Creating High Performing Schools, by Ruth Rodriguez, in Parent Leaders in Action (published by the Boston Parents Organizing Network), Fall 2005.
Article explains the critical role of parents at Pilot Schools “as the School Site Council takes on increased governance and policy-setting responsibility, including principal selection, supervision, and dismissal.”

College prep gets technical: Kids see advantages fall into their laptops, by Patrick Gerard Healy, in the City Weekly Section of the Boston Sunday Globe, June 26, 2005.
TechBoston Pilot High School has its emphasis clearly on college preparation, using computers extensively but not as an educational focus. Long days, college coursework, and high expectations guide a student body selected randomly from the city student population.

Boat builders ply a sea of learning, by Michelle Apuzzio, in the City Weekly Section of the Boston Sunday Globe, June 19, 2005.
Kindergarteners work with fourth and fifth graders, at the Young Achievers Math and Science Pilot School, to build and learn about the East African “mtepe,” a boat that used to carry goods in trade with China. It’s a remarkable story of engaged education, Pilot-style.

Mean streets: Colombian artist’s urban studies find beauty amid the bleakness, by Christine Temin, on the front page of the Weekend section of the Boston Globe, March 25, 2005.
The Globe’s leading reviewer takes a prolonged look at an exhibit erected at the Boston Arts Academy by BAA students under the guidance of renowned Colombian artist Jaime Ávila and BAA teacher/curator Guy Michel Telemaque.

Tech Boston, radio report by Robin Young, in Here & Now, on National Public Radio, March 9, 2005.
This is an in-depth look at an already highly touted and successful Pilot school, Tech Boston Academy, including interviews with headmistress Mary Skipper and with a number of students. Discussion of how being a Pilot school helps move the school forward, and of the relation of Gates Foundation support to the school’s approach.

A twist on the parent-teacher conference, by Barbara F. Meltz, staff writer, in the Boston Globe, October 7, 2004.
Detailed article looks at the “controversial” issue of parent-teacher-student conferences, a “new concept” in place of the traditional parent-teacher conferences. The example focused on is at the Mission Hill School, a Boston Pilot, with distinguished educators called upon to give their views on the practice.

Good things are taking place this fall in Boston schools, by Mayor Thomas M. Menino, in the Allston/Brighton Tab, September 17, 2004.
Boston’s mayor emphasizes conversions of large schools to small schools and singles out some Pilot schools as he looks optimistically to the new school year.

Their homework is hell, by Lauren Smiley, in the Boston Globe, July 10, 2004.
Three student interviews, along with photos of them with their artwork, are the bulk of this feature story on the Pilot school Boston Arts Academy’s exhibition at the Bromfield Gallery. The exhibit continues through July 17. The print version of this article, including the photos, is available in the CCE offices.

Night gallery: Teen artists find inspiration in Dante’s dark, disturbing ‘Inferno’, by Joanne Silver, in the Boston Herald, July 6, 2004.
Review/Preview of an art exhibit of works by Pilot school students from the Boston Arts Academy. “Living Inferno: Boston Arts Academy Responds to Dante’s ‘Inferno’,” at the Bromfield Gallery in Boston, shows students making modern day artistic connections to Dante’s classic depiction of hell

.8th-graders draft handbook for choosing Hub high schools, by Anand Vaishnav, in the Boston Globe, May 24, 2004.
“A group of eighth-graders is creating a guide on the city's high schools that could make school officials squirm because of its candid portrayals. The students wrote their handbook in the spirit of Zagat dining guides, which publish breezy snapshots and nuts-and-bolts details on restaurants.” Student editors praise the high attendance rate at New Mission HS, as well as the low drop-out rates of TechBoston Academy and Boston Arts Academy.

Committee approves ninth grade academy for Roxbury site, Boston/Bay State Banner, January 22, 2004.
The Boston School Committee approves adding a daytime program to the Boston Evening Academy, a Horace Mann Charter School. Targeting overage ninth graders, the daytime program will be called the Boston Academy, part of BEA.

At new school, it takes a community, by Andreae Downs, in the Boston Sunday Globe, December 7, 2003.
The New Boston Pilot Middle School works closely with the community. According to Principal Debra Socia, it is moving toward becoming a “community school,” providing key family resources and serving as a focal point for educational, medical, legal, and other services.

Study finds makeup of successful high schools changing, by Anand Vaishnav and Suzanne Sataline, in the Boston Sunday Globe, November 30, 2003.
A new report by a MassINC education policy center suggests that the traditional model of a large, four-year comprehensive high school is quickly becoming a dinosaur in Massachusetts urban school districts, where small, highly focused schools are succeeding with many low-income and minority teenagers. Researchers found just nine high schools in the state’s urban communities to be “high performing” or “improving,” including two Pilot schools, the Boston Arts Academy and Fenway High School.

City school stands alone in survey, by Clive McFarlane, in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, November 20, 2003.
Worcester’s “University Park Campus School, which this year placed all 31 of its graduates in college, was judged to be the only high-performing urban high school in the state by MassInc.” A number of key factors are identified, particularly its close ties to Clark University and its small size. “Worcester is restructuring its comprehensive high schools into smaller learning communities, helped by more than $8 million in grants.”

Study finds good work in Boston pilot schools, by Jennifer Chase, in the South End News, October 30, 2003.
“On Oct. 24, a study of Boston Pilot schools over the past five years concluded that these innovative public schools within the Boston school system are doing a “commendable” job of educating their students, while working with a student population that roughly mirrors the district’s student population.”

New Orchard Gardens school charts new course, by Jeremy Schwab, front page in the Boston Banner, September 11, 2003.
This new Pilot middle school “centers around interactions between community and students...The curriculum emphasizes community service, with students volunteering at venues ranging from nearby radio stations to retirement homes. Field trips to Dudley Square and other nearby historic areas will impart a sense of community history to the youngsters.”

Public schools replaced with pilot programs, by Megan Tench, in the Boston Globe , June 26, 2003.
Buried near the end of this article is a significant announcement: “The School Committee also approved conversion of four public schools -- the Lee and Mason elementary schools, Another Course to College, and Early Learning Center North -- to pilot schools.” School Committee statistics provided to the reporter understate the total number of Pilots by 4, as they do not include the already approved new Pilots at Columbia Road and Orchard Park, nor the two Pilot/Horace Mann Charter schools.

Showing their stuff, by Christine Moyer, in the Allston-Brighton Tab , June 13, 2003.
“On Wednesday, June 4, students of the Boston Evening Academy displayed their academic and musical ability during their third annual symposium as they presented projects, danced and rapped before a warm crowd of family and friends.”

Going for Depth Instead of Prep, by Michael Winerip, in the New York Times, June 11, 2003.
The Mission Hill elementary Pilot school in Boston and the educational inspiration of principal Deborah Meier, a MacArthur “genius” award recipient, are the focus of this article that cites the depth of the learning at Mission Hill in contrast to the narrow focus of MCAS-prep curricula in many Massachusetts schools.

Reports note success of Pilot schools, by Anand Vaishnav, Globe Staff, in the Boston Globe, 10/24/2001.
“Freed from bureaucratic restrictions, Boston’s Pilot schools are generally outperforming the rest of the city’s public schools, two new reports being released today show.”