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It's come to this: Mayor feels compelled to issue statement that he doesn't want to destroy Boston Latin School
By adamg on Sat, 06/25/2016 - 12:23pm
Updated with statement from Superintendent Tommy Chang that nope, he didn't leak the info to the Globe.
Mayor Walsh follows up on the Friday news-dump leak about a 2015 incident at Boston Latin School with a statement that no, he doesn't want to tear down the historic exam school:
As Mayor, I will continue to strongly support Boston Latin School's high standards of excellence and rigor, and the record of achievement that benefits the entire city. More importantly, I will never take steps that diminish that level of excellence, or put it at risk. I am committed to the goals of the BLS student, educator and alumni community, not only in maintaining the tradition of excellence, but also in ensuring the culture at BLS is one where every student feels safe from discrimination.
Walsh did not mention the odd timing of the Globe story, just two days after BLS teachers humiliated him and Superintendent Tommy Chang, and a day after BLS parents held a rally to support soon-to-be-former Headmaster Lynne Mooney Teta.
Don't look at me, Chang says in a statement:
Boston Public Schools does not publicly release confidential information pertaining to students or student discipline that would warrant an invasion of privacy. I am troubled by any information shared publicly that constitutes a breach of that confidentiality.
In a letter that was sent yesterday to the Boston Latin School community, I shared that I am committed to ensuring that BLS continues to uphold its longstanding tradition of providing outstanding education and preparing students for responsible, engaged citizenship. We must also continue the important work initiated this year of creating meaningful dialogues around race and culture to develop a school environment where all feel welcomed and supported.
Next week, I plan to name an interim headmaster for Boston Latin due to this week's resignation of Headmaster Lynne Mooney Teta, who was a dedicated leader of the school. Thereafter, BPS and BLS will begin to map out the process to find a permanent school leader.
I ask the Boston Latin School community to come together in respectful and engaged collaboration and dialogue as we begin this important process and continue to provide the best possible education and experiences for our students."
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Comments
So is this school department
So is this school department investigation different than the Office of Equity investigation which found all but one incident handled correctly? If so, why are there two school department investigations happening? Does the school department not think the Office of Equity capable of handling the investigation?
I think so
The Globe story could've been written better (yes, I know, I'm one to talk), but this was an incident not part of the original group of incidents that was under investigation by central administration.
Hasty smear
Walsh: "Do we have any more crap on Latin? Get it out there, NOW!"
Why doesn't the School
Why doesn't the School Department hold other schools accountable for the reporting of incidents? All schools hide incidents and their are no consequences for them. Why are they different from BLS? Because the expectations are not set as high? The school department does not want incidents reported and when schools do report them they are punished for having their incident numbers so high. Until this changes and students who break the school rules are held accountable for their actions these other schools will be underperforming. BPS is on its way to becoming like Chicago public schools where teachers being assaulted by students is a daily occurrence and good students are in fear for their safety.
Yeah, right.
It looks like the mayor and the superintendent do want to remake BLS to be more "inclusive", which means lowering standards for entering and staying. Watching their actions is more informative than reading their assurances.
The school can be made more inclusive without lowering standards
Expanding the free ISEE test-prep classes is a start. Having schools outside of West Roxbury actually alerting parents to their existence would help as well.
No problem
Nobody would have a problem with those things. The problem is that nobody believes that will be enough to satisfy the complainants.
Lawyers are trying to make a name for themselves. Winning for them looks like bending the law until it ends up in court, the higher the better.
About the ISEE test-prep classes
Why do there have to be ANY ISEE test-prep classes? When I took the test to get into BLS in the early 1970s (and passed, though I didn't end up graduating from BLS) there were no such classes. I know I sound like a "get off my lawn" guy but this whole ISEE test-prep class argument is a straw man. I mean, you either know this stuff or you don't. I'm not sure a test prep course really matters.
Nope
We're talking well off parents who give their kids an edge with this classes vs. poor kids who can't afford tutors. Not a fair competition.
You're talking about the
Racial makeup of the school not it socioeconomic compilation. So say what you mean, you want less White kids.
BLS
Misconception. Isee prep tests are readily available for all. There are pay to practice isee tests for sure. But kids are unique style and they learn differently or better with different teachers. AWC classes are more common around Boston. The better ones offer prep after school and after weekends all for free. The awc class my child attended was part of a school that was diverse racially and socioeconomic. They same mix got in to BLS. I think they are getting better but like anywhere some teachers and awc programs are better than others...
A bit of a myth
Test prep doesn't account for much on average, maybe 30 points on the SAT.
That's less difference than a good night's sleep makes, and far less than the effect of SES.
Also, kids on the cusp like that don't get any more benefit from going to a top exam school like BLS than they do from other schools.
But if better advertised, free test prep placates folks, great. It's less destructive than quotas.
Anecdote
My daughter was in AWC (advanced work within BPS schools) which included some test prep in the curriculum. She also attended the free ISEE test prep put on by the city at BLS where she reported learning a lot of math she hadn't seen before.
Standardized tests are gamed by test prep
They give a refresher on the subset of material that will actually be on the test, teach you the question formats, and teach test-taking strategies and tactics.
Even on easy tests, like the GRE General, hyper-ambitious type-A students from hell who don't waste a minute of time that can't be put towards their career advancement, will usually invest the time to at least work through test prep book and do a timed practice test. And they've already done other standardized tests. They don't prep because they are stupid or waste time.
Wealthy students are going to have an advantage on standardized admission tests from prep. So make test prep available to all students. Maybe it's just a really good self-directed prep book. Or don't put much stock in standardized tests.
I took SAT prep and LSAT prep courses.
My scores rose dramatically after completing each. There are test-taking techniques which can be learned to raise scores on any standardized exams, it's not simply how "smart" someone is.
Poorer students who cannot afford these courses are at a significant disadvantage.
Bls
I believe your assumption is wrong, isee prep courses and after school tutoring are available to students of all means all over the city of Boston. They are offered by awc teachers and free. They just have to attend and many dont.
All research shows there is
All research shows there is nearly complete correlation between scores on standardized tests and socio-economic status. It is absurd to persist in the notion that more test prep is the answer to the question of admission to the exam schools.
If ever a case could be made for standardized tests masquerading as merit, this one is it. The highest test scores allow you to attend BLS, BLA or the O’Bryant; the next tier allow you to choose BLA or the O’Bryant; the lowest tier can go to the O’Bryant (which is currently also without a HM, not that anyone is paying attention). There is a perfect correlation among socioeconomic status and race across the three schools’ student bodies, with BLS the whitest and wealthiest, BLA in the middle and O’B the poorest and 89% minority, 60% of whom speak a language other than English at home.
Do we really want to posit that this is a reflection of a meritocracy? I believe talent and ability is distributed equally across races and native languages and that sorting mechanisms like the ISEE reinforce stereotypical patterns which continue to cripple our city and poison the dialogue about our schools. After all, if kids can be coached to a higher score, then what's being measured is how well you can take a test, not your innate intelligence. In a Globe article in late May about BLS, former HM and former Superintendent Michael Contompasis defended the status quo saying "You can’t argue with meritocracy." Ironically, Contompasis is currently a board member at ANet, which sells test prep to schools in BPS.
Really?It made me viscerally angry to read that. I always felt the students at my non-BLS school were exemplars of merit, overcoming racism, poverty, immigration (sometimes undocumented), learning in a second language, and straddling the line between two cultures as some reached to be the first in their families to complete high school and most the first in their families to attend college.
Access to BLS is coveted because the disparities in physical plant, course offerings and extra-curriculas cannot be understated - BLS has a $50 million endowment, managed by the Boston Latin School Association, an independent non-profit. The funds are used to supplement funding of programs in technology, language arts, music, drama, and athletics, and for college scholarships. It's notable, too, that funds for the Exam School Initiative came from the alumni association. And of course, there are the social capital and connections among alumni which promote and protect the school - the McKinsey report completely ignored the valuable real estate at Avenue Louis Pasteur while they proposed selling Snowden on Newbury St. and Boston Arts Academy in the Fenway. However, exactly none of these issues are under the purview of the staff and administration of BLS. They are busy running a school of 2500 kids, spanning ages 11-18.
We, in the home of Horace Mann, of the oldest public school (BLS), of the oldest elementary school (the Mather) and of the oldest high school (English High), at this time of unparalled affluence ought to be about seeing to it that every single child in our city has access to the rich resources found at the Boston Latin School. Can anyone make a serious argument for why they shouldn't?
With BLS, as with most issues of disparate resources, the question that needs to be asked, to use a Latin phrase, is: Cui bono?
Blue collar kids from all races and ethnic groups
Who have possessed some natural academic talent and been willing to strive in grammar school have benefited from Latin School for decades, if not centuries. If you get rid of it, there will be one less path upward for bright and motivated city kids (black, Hispanic, white, and Asian) who lack the monetary resources to go to Exeter or Roxbury Latin, or to move to Weston or Dover. So "Cui bono" from that? Maybe the suburban wealthy, I guess...less competition for them at college admissions time.
No
I went there while the quotas were in place. The standards were brutal then and Contampasis pulled no punches. Diversity does not lower standards at all, that's scaremongering. I was a white kid that got in along with a lot of other white kids and we all benefitted from a student body that was much more diverse than the ones now.
More diversity at BLS would
More diversity at BLS would be great but it's not fair to pass over admitting someone to the school based solely on the color of their skin. If one person scores higher on the admission test and has higher grades, why should that person be denied admission because they don't have a certain skin color? It would be great if more black and Latino students were admitted as long as they are admitted because of their scholastic achievement. This is not a failing of BLS but a failing of the elementary schools that are not preparing black and Latino students adequately. Unfortunately, the BPS budget is not keeping up with the costs needed to adequately prepare elementary school students and positions at the elementary schools are even going to be cut in the coming year which will further affect the quality of education.
The quotas are
The quotas are unconstitutional and not coming back so your point is moot on that front. Beyond that, it's not an equal playing field and that extends well beyond the quality of BPS elementary schools and is a reflection of the unequalness of society as a whole. Why are the Lyndon and Kilmer consistently ranked among the highest performing while schools in Roxbury falter? While I agree on the problem of the BPS cuts, it's not just the budgets of those schools that's the issue.
Quotas at public college just upheld by Supreme Court
Or at least "using race as one factor of many" in admissions decisions. I believe they could fix the racial imbalance at BLS, but nobody seems to really want to, for some strange reason.
The Supreme Court decision
The Supreme Court decision was specific to U Texas and was far from a blank check requiring a checkin often which means the rule will continue to be challenged and at so.e point to the court reserved the right to end it. Institutional racism is wrong from any side. This can be solved by addressing the funnel from all schools it's not working in certain parts of boston.
Also why is bls bla and ob so different in racial make up. .. it's not only a score in, the kids and families chose the school as well. So many choose the less rigorous exam schools of black or ob - for many it a choice they make.
Inclusion means lowering standards?
You might want to think that statement through - as in what you are implying here.
You might also consider founding a private academy with private money if you refuse to understand that a school that is paid for by all needs to be very careful about keeping a level playing field in terms of ability and potential, and not screwing over the already screwed over.
Leveling the field
There's a problem with the definition of "level playing field."
Since you're not a Bostonian, I'll explain the criteria for entrance to Boston's exam schools: Math and English scores on the ISEE, and grades from the last half of 5th grade / beginning of 6th grade in Math and English.
It's four numbers, and every applicant gets evaluated equally on those four numbers. By most definitions, that's a level playing field.
Some folks have suggested that historical, financial, and/or social factors mean the contest for these four numbers is unfair. Adam gives the example of wealthier parents paying for intensive ISEE prep courses.
The responses to this perceived unfairness take two types:
A) Try to bring the competitors to the same level; and
B) Try to adjust the level of the field.
People who argue for methods of type A tend to say that the playing field is level, but the competition is still unfair. Methods of type A might include offering free ISEE prep classes to the financially needy, making sure the information about the importance of Math and English grades at the end of fifth grade reaches all city students, working to increase the number of applicants of certain races or ethnic identifications or affiliations, jiggering the objective entrance criteria to target certain groups over others (honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if Chang announced that English will henceforth be weighted more than Math in order to blunt a certain group's advantage), or improving elementary education in Boston.
People who argue for methods of type B tend to argue that playing on a field whose level is defined by objective measures of achievement is unfair, so the field must be tilted in favor of certain students. They argue that the playing field is, in effect, not level at all, and must be tilted to be effectively level. Methods of type B might include adding extra points to the test for students of certain races or ethnic identifications or affiliations (or subtracting from others); setting aside a certain number of seats to be filled only by students of certain races or ethnic identifications or affiliations, or setting aside a certain number of seats to be filled only by students from certain neighborhoods or schools.
Methods of type B are all, inherently, lowering admissions standards, because they all result in admission of students who would not have been admitted on the basis of the objective academic measures. Such measures may be followed by lowering of academic standards or not; maintenance of academic standards while lowering admissions standards is likely to lead to greater rates of failure, although that failure might be mitigated by directing more resources towards student support (ergo, less elsewhere). Lowering academic standards in addition to admissions standards hurts all students, especially those who would have benefited from higher academic standards.
The other problem with methods of type B is caused by the lack of objectivity: how much to re-level the field is a subjective matter, and a political decision. How much is enough? Who gets to define that? How hard must the thumb be pushed on the scale? Must it be reapplied until certain percentages are achieved? Who defines those?
I know it's second nature to jump at someone questioning "inclusion," but note the function of the scare quotes. Patricia's skepticism is not necessarily a denial that inclusion should be a goal. Perhaps it is instead questioning whether jargon will be employed to cover up a less than proper political scheme.
This is a region with a famous history of corruption; it's not a long stretch from signing up your toddler in the longshoreman's union, or getting your cousin a city job, to personal favoritism in BLS admissions once objectivity has been compromised. Ever encounter the term Black Irish? You may hear it again with a different meaning.
The matter is mis-portrayed if we describe it as a question of including or not including minorities; BLS is already a majority-minority school, thanks to the outstanding performance of Asian students on the objective measures used for admission.
Funny how it is all about BLS
When I see these people so very passionately demanding that all schools get the resources and support that they need so that all kids have a shot at BLS based on merit, I'll believe that it is about fairness and not about building a trench around privilege.
Privilege
Privilege- you mean work. Hard hard work. But if you want to approach it that way it's fine. It just sounds very sheltered.
Speaking of trenches around privilege
There are none wider and deeper than those separating Boston from the wealthy suburbs, I'm afraid.
'Level playing field' 'evaluated equally'- I disagree
Not sure I would say it is a 'level playing field' or that prospective Exam school students are 'evaluated equally'.
At BLS, it is a well known fact that there are private schools which hand out high marks to every 5th & 6th grader. There's one that does not use a 'traditional' grading system but then is able to produce straight 'A's for all of its exam school candidates.
Every student is an 'A' student in Math and ELA?
Does not seem to be fair to me- or a level playing field.
As with almost every aspect
As with almost every aspect of this case - why are these things being dealt with at school when they occur outside of school? I work in a BPS middle school, we do everything we can to keep students off of social media and cell phones while they are in our care, but we can't follow them home and monitor what they post on Instagram. Yes things that happen online spillover into the real world, yes their common connection is through the school - but who owns the phones, who pays for the account, who should be keeping tabs on them after 3 PM? I am more than prepared to own and address what happens inside my building, but not what they do outside - that's what parents are for!
Because some of the incidents
Because some of the incidents, while happening outside of school, involved students. That means the school has a part to play, and always has for any school I'm aware of.
Really?
In that case, does it mean that the staff of pretty much every high school in Boston should be booted out because their students are joining gangs, dealing drugs and shooting each other while not at school? I mean, that's a bit worse than dropping the N bomb (most likely after being provoked,) is it not? Or does that only apply to schools that allegedly favor them privileged whities?
What if our food is messing up black people
And it's not oppression. Wouldn't that explain a lot?
All the schools could have reputation for excellence of BLatin!
All the schools could have a reputation for the excellence of Boston Latin !
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Latin_School
Somebody at the School Department isn't doing what needs to be done.
Are you kidding me Marty? Do
Are you kidding me Marty? Do you honestly think this statement is going to save your ass? A school that been around for 381 years with a standard of excellence that is unmatched and it takes you 3 years in office to destroy it. But like I tell my friends, don't blame me, I voted for the other guy!
Data-backed op-ed
"Boston Latin doesn't have a diversity problem."
http://newbostonpost.com/2016/06/25/theres-no-diversity-problem-at-bosto...
Kind of a stupid argument
Even if you accept his argument that, hey, everything's wonderful at BLS because whites make up the same percentage of the student body as whites do in the city population, he's wrong, because blacks are still underrepresented in the BLS student body as compared to their percentage in the overall population.
But, jeez, if everybody else can let their inner racism out, why not Ed? It seems to be the thing to do these days. He's holding up Asians as the model minority (and never mind "Asian" is about as accurate as "European" when describing a large polyglot group of people, i.e., it isn't at all) to tell blacks to shut the fuck up and deal with the fact that they're stupid. I admit I find that argument particularly annoying as a Jew, whose parents were basically held up the same way as the model minority to tell blacks to shut the fuck up and deal with the fact they're stupid.
"If one of the Asian-American chess whizzes I know beats her out for a seat, he earned it." Because a black kid who has equal opportunity couldn't do that? Ed seems unable to even picture that possibility.
And let's not conflate what happens at universities (even despite what the Supreme Court says) with BLS, which has no quotas.
No, but the fact that the numbers are so skewed does make you wonder. Again, as I keep bringing up, blacks (and Hispanics) may not even have the same shot at getting into an exam school for a variety of reasons.
The data cited says the
The data cited says the opposite of what the author claims it says. That's his opinion, but it's not fact-based.
Chang says: "Boston Public
Chang says: "Boston Public Schools does not publicly release confidential information" which would include that pertaining to personnel.
Who released the information to the Herald that Mooney-Teta had been suspended for two days?
Chang is hot on the case
He'll get back to us right after OJ finds the real killer.
My guess would be it came
My guess would be it came right from City Hall. Just like today's Globe story.
The Globe's Friday article is now gone...
...from the paper's website. If you go here, which is the link to today's BLS article,
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/06/25/superintendent-name-interim-...
the second paragraph has a hot link "release of information" which takes you to yesterday's article about the parents' protest on the last day of school not the one about the 13 year-old who knew Teta. There is no sign of the article on the homepage either. Verrrrry interesting......
Call the Globe!
That article is too obvious. It makes me look like a corrupt, vengeful jerk who would stoop to anything! Tell the Globe to wipe it from their website right now! That'll fix it.
-One term mayor.