Reading, Writing & Arithmetics in Boston

The Globe Reports that there are 14 chronically under performing schools that house approx 6,000 students.

Today, Superintendent Carol Johnson announced that 14 schools are subject to;
shake-ups, closures or re-invention.
I'm sure there are more than 14 that need it but let's say that is a good start.

You need to understand that under performing is code for pretty bad if not terrible. They are not quite Joe Clark's East Side High from "Lean on Me". Students at these schools have poor test scores. This is code for; they can barely read and write at the level they should and their addition, subtraction, and timetables will not cut it. The fact that these schools are elementary and middle schools means that the foundation for learning is cracked and crumbling.

Now, I don't know what shake-up means to the Superintendent but I hope it means firing teachers and administrators who have allowed the culture of poor achievement to persist and failed our children, families, and communities. (I know, I know - parents and families are responsible too but many of these parents graduated from the same schools, so let's focus)

Re-invention, hmm. . .I'm going to need some clarification on that.

The Globe reports: Roughly two-thirds of the schools are located in a swath of Roxbury, Dorchester and a few adjacent neighborhoods, which suffer from high rates of poverty, crime, drug abuse, and teenage pregnancy.

Surprised ? I'm not. This is what keeps us locked in a vicious cycle, poor education, the easiest way to subjugate a population !

And closures: there are roughly 8,000 vacant seats in BPS so they can shuffle some students around and close some buildings. I hope these empty buildings can house some non-profits and some extended day learning and not just remain vacant shells. My question is why haven't we done this along time ago ?
Who has been piloting this vessel ? Stevie Wonder ?

Come on people let's start having some real conversations in the streets of our community and downtown too.