A New Model of Urban Public Schools: The Boston Pilot Schools Network

The result of a unique partnership among the Mayor, School Committee, Superintendent, and Teachers Union, Pilot Schools were created in 1994 to promote increased choice options within the school district, largely in response to 1994 state legislation creating first-time charter schools and the subsequent loss of Boston students to area charter schools. The Pilot Schools were created to be models of educational innovation and to serve as research and development sites for effective urban public schools.

“The purpose of establishing pilot schools is to provide models of educational excellence that help to foster widespread educational reform in all Boston public schools.” (BPS, 1995)

“Pilot Schools will operate with an average school-based per pupil budget, plus a start-up supplement, and will have greatly increased decision-making authority, including exemptions from all Union and School Committee work rules...Employees in Pilot schools will be required to work the full work day/work year as prescribed by the terms of the individual Pilot school proposal. Further, they shall be required to perform and work in accordance with the terms of the individual Pilot school proposal.” (BTU Contract, 1994)

Currently (2003-04 school year), there are 19 Boston Pilot Schools spanning grades K-12 and serving approximately 5,700 students, or over 9% of the total BPS enrollment. This is a unique network of public schools in the nation in that they have autonomy over budget, staffing, governance, curriculum, and the school calendar to provide increased flexibility to organize schools and staffing to best meet students’ needs. Every school is small, personalized, and democratic. These characteristics have been found to be critical in successfully educating urban students, and in particular, low-income students and students of color.

Overall, the Pilot School enrollment matches that of the Boston Public Schools by race, gender, and income status. This is a critical factor in demonstrating that small, personalized schools can be more successful in raising student achievement and in engaging families than larger, more impersonalized urban schools. As one Pilot School director stated in a 2000 evaluation report, “What every principal or headmaster should have is the kind of conditions Pilots have. That’s everything from size and scale to hiring their own staff to instructional flexibility to governance, the works.”

All Pilot elementary and middle schools use the district’s controlled choice student assignment process. While using the student assignment process, some Pilot high schools also interview students to ensure there is a good match between student and the school.