Slides from a June 3, 2014 forum at the Boston Foundation on a new report, The Path Forward: School Autonomy and Its Implications for the Future of Boston's Public Schools. The report was presented by Dr. Linda Nathan, Special Assistant to the Superintendent, Boston Public Schools; David Rosenberg, manager and Practice Leader, Education Resource Strategies, and Dr. Michelle LaPointe, Consultant at the Center for Collaborative Education. The report examined the differences between "traditional" schools in the Boston Public Schools and those given some level of autonomy through a number of different vehicles. It found that while more autonomous schools were achieving better results and were more popular among parents, they and traditional schools were handcuffed by systems that made it difficult for school leaders to be as flexible as they might with resources and decision making to improve student performance. The report lays out seven recommendations for next steps to transform the Boston Public Schools into a new "system of schools" model, where building-level leaders would have the autonomy to make a wider array of decisions while the district moves into a strong support role. The full report can be found on the Boston Foundation website at http://www.tbf.org/~/media/TBFOrg/Files/Reports/BPS_Report_2014_6-2-14.pdf - and the video of the forum can be found at: http://youtu.be/AW6uCQodRPE

2. © Education Resource Strategies, Inc., 2013
School Autonomy and Its
Implications for the Future of
Boston’s Public Schools
The Boston Foundation ● June 3, 2014

3. © Education Resource Strategies, Inc., 2013
School Autonomy and Its
Implications for the Future of
Boston’s Public Schools
1. Our charge and approach
2. Themes from Boston
3. Themes from peer districts
4. Implications and discussion

4. Our charge
“The Autonomy Team is charged with
creating a recommended vision for
autonomous schools in Boston:
 Should all schools within BPS operate within autonomous
structures?
 Is autonomy a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for
success?
 How and under what conditions should autonomy be
granted?
 Should autonomy be withdrawn based on certain
conditions?
 In what areas should autonomy be granted (governance,
curriculum/assessment, scheduling/calendar, staffing,
budget, professional development)?”
Superintendent John McDonough
October 1, 2013
3

5. Context: As charters expand, BPS’ student
population growth lags
74.2
4
55.9 56.9
4.4
6.7
7.2
5.7
3.6
4.13.1
3.1
2007 2012
76.6
Thousands of Boston students,
2007-2012
Avg annual growth, 2007-2012
Overall +0.6%
METCO +0.2%
Private +2.6%
Parochial -4.7%
Commonwealth Charter +9.0%
BPS +0.3%
Source: DESE, ERS analysis

6. BPS is at a turning point
5
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Receivership
In-District Transformation
Innovation
Turnaround
Horace Mann Charter
Pilot
6 7
9 10 11
18 19 19 20 20 21
23
33
36
40 41
11 11
13
32% of BPS
students will
attend an
autonomous
school next year
Note: This analysis assumes current enrollment of Mildred K-8 & Henderson Elem will be attending autonomous schools next year
Source: http://www.bostonpublicschools.org/Page/941
45
Types of autonomous schools
Numberofautonomousschools

7. Our approach
Collaboration among Boston Public Schools,
Education Resource Strategies and the Center
for Collaborative Education
Test the relationship between increased
autonomy and higher student achievement
Draw on experience within and beyond Boston
A study of autonomy – not autonomous schools
6

8. Our approach
7
Student, teacher
and budget data
analysis
100+ BPS interviews
Peer district
analysis
Cross-functional
work group
Expert advisory
group
Documentation of
school
autonomies
Case studies of
high-performing
BPS schools
Findings and
Recommendations

9. View film

10. High-performing schools* feature similar practices…
9
* ‘High-performing schools” are those where 2012 MCAS mean scale score and 2010-12 mean scale growth were both among the highest at the school’s grade level
Source: Team interviews
Staff organize a professional
development institute with
curriculum developed and co-
taught by the school’s
teachers and tailored to meet
their development needs.
A school leader re-assigns
instructional staff in order
to lower class size in
1st and 2nd grade classrooms.

11. …but implementation is more difficult (and therefore
rarer) at Traditional schools
10
* ‘High-performing schools” are those where 2012 MCAS mean scale score and 2010-12 mean scale growth were both among the highest at the school’s grade level
Source: Team interviews
District policies and Election-
to-Work Agreement empower
the school team to develop
and implement tailored PD
Absent policy support or EWA,
flexibility requires extraordinary
principal capacity, creativity
and a willingness to challenge
the status quo

12. …plus more
than half
of its
remaining
budget,
which
pays for core
teachers
and principals
…its team would have increased flexibility over
an additional 15% of the school’s budget…
Quantifying the challenge for Traditional schools
$7,664
$5,915
$602
$653
$241 $210
$43
Total budget Currently flexible
(AP's, subs, etc.)
Trade in
Art/Music/PE
teachers
Opt out of
Discretionary
Services
Trade in Paras/
Counselors
Budget on Actual
Salary
Remaining Budget
$perpupil
11
Source: BPS FY2014 Budget Data, ERS Analysis. This analysis uses the Edison K-8 total school-reported budget (General Fund only).
Example: Edison K-8 If Edison were a Pilot school…

13. Traditional schools have less purchasing power
12Source: BPS, ERS analysis
Flexibility to… Trad Pilot Inn HMC Turn
Extend instructional and
professional development
time at lower cost
Budget using actual teacher
salaries
Buy back certain
discretionary services from
the district

14. We owe it to our
students, parents and
teachers to create
successful schools for
all students.
– School Leader
Ultimately we all
want the same thing
– to jointly raise
children who are
successful in life.
– School Leader
In Boston, we rise and fall together.
– District leader

15. The gray areas create too many
opportunities for discord.
– District Leader
There seems to be a
dissonance in the district.
– School Leader
We could use more clarity.
– District Leader

16. Capacity varies at all levels
Of 111 BPS principals in 2013-14…
15
51 had less than 3 years of
experience at their schools...
including 29 who were in
their first year as school
leader
Source: BPS HR data, ERS analysis

17. Capacity varies at all levels
How would you describe the quality of support you receive from your district’s
central office in the following areas?
16
7% 6% 4%
27% 29% 27%
33%
2%
24%
20%
41% 45%
41%
24%
31%
37%
20% 18%
17%
33%
33%
8%
8% 8%
2%
35%
8% 8%
2% 2%
Overall Staff
evaluation
Budget Hiring Curriculum
and Instruction
Professional
Development
5
4
3
2
1
Excellent
Very Poor
Source: Survey of BPS principals, January-March 2014

18. Themes from Boston
1. The highest-performing schools, regardless of type,
implement similar resource strategies…
2. …but inequitable rules for use of resources makes this
more difficult for traditional schools.
3. The vision for success is shared; the vision for autonomy
is unclear.
4. At all levels, capacity to implement and support
autonomous schools at scale varies.

19. Similar populations, varying contexts
District Enrollment % White % ELL % FRL
Baltimore 85,000 8% 4% 85%
Boston 57,000 13% 30% 75%
Denver 87,000 21% 35% 72%
Lawrence 13,000 6% 28% 84%
Los Angeles 665,000 9% 33% 63%
New York City 1,030,000 14% 15% 72%
Approach to autonomy
is affected by:
• State policies
• Beliefs of district
leaders
• Variation within
each district
Source: Center for Collaborative Education, district websites

20. Articulating a distinct theory of action
Autonomy is a means to improve student
achievement by:
Enhancing choices available to students
Pushing resources and decisions closer to
students
Fostering innovation
Attracting and retaining strong school leaders
Source: Center for Collaborative Education

21. Peer districts invest in common approaches to
support autonomy
• Multiple measures (School Quality Review)
• Used to identify and support struggling
schools
• Focus on improving professional practice
• Culture of collaboration and support
• Central office shift from monitoring/directing
to providing cross-functional support
• School networks organized by affinity,
geography and/or grade level
School support
Investment in
Human Capital
Autonomy with
Accountability
Source: Center for Collaborative Education

22. Themes from Peer Districts
1. A Common Theory of Action
2. Autonomy coupled with accountability
3. Focus on human capital development
4. New role and structure for districts

23. Recommendations
1. Operate as a “system of schools”
2. Extend maximum flexibility to all district schools
3. Decentralize non-core central services
4. Incubate and oversee development of new school models at the
Cabinet level
5. Support school leaders and their teams in making strategic resource
decisions
6. Implement a clear and equitable accountability system for all schools
7. Prioritize Superintendent candidates with the capacity to unite people
around this vision

24. Extend maximum flexibility to all school teams
23
Don’t have and don’t want (5)
• Set base compensation and benefits
• Contract with food service vendors
• Contract with transportation partners
Don’t have but want (25)
• Define staff job descriptions
• Exit staff based on philosophy, commitment
or team contribution
• Set allocations for counselors et al
• Make the final decision on who to hire
• Choose interim assessments
• Hire/allocate instructional support staff
• Allocate non-instructional positions
Have and want to keep (10)
• Eliminate a position based
on school needs
• Screen general education
teachers for fit and
qualification
• Assign teachers to
leadership positions
Have but don’t want (0)
Bulleted items are a sub-set of flexibilities in the category. Have/want based on at least 50% of principals surveyed answering that they have and/or want the autonomy
Source: Principal survey, ERS analysis
Of 40 flexibilities tested in the context of improving student learning,
at least half of the system’s school leaders say they…

25. Autonomy
doesn’t
equate to
success. It
creates the
conditions
for success.
– School Leader
Flexibility
Accountability
Capacity

26. What does it take for the central office to actively
support school leaders and their teams?
 Over highest impact
resources, including
staff roles
 Provided equitably
across all schools
25
Flexibility Account-
ability
Capacity
 Clear, consistent
expectations for all
schools
 Clear conditions for
supports or
interventions
 Investing in recruitment
and development of
school leaders and
their teams
 Ability to support – not
only direct – school
leadership teams

27. Further Questions
1. How can Traditional schools compete and excel at scale in the
current context?
2. What would it take for BPS to extend and sustain certain
autonomies to all schools?
3. What should the district’s posture be vis-à-vis schools – service,
support, guidance, or something else?
4. How can the district systematically incubate and support new
strategic school designs in pursuit of student learning?
5. How should the system invest in identifying, developing and
retaining its most effective school leaders?

28. School Autonomy and Its
Implications for the Future of
Boston’s Public Schools
The Boston Foundation ● June 3, 2014