When Superintendent Thomas W. Payzant took the job of managing Boston’s schools in October 1995, he outlined the first five years of his long-term plan in “Focus on Children.” He asked principals and teachers to concentrate attention first on literacy instruction (and later, math), and with a total of $20 million in support from the Annenberg Foundation, the district began to offer, deliberately and incrementally, the staff development, support, and resources they needed to make instruction more effective.

The specifics of reform were defined in a document, the Boston Public Schools Plan for Whole-School Change 1997-2002 (later renamed Whole-School Improvement), and incorporated six Essentials that were outlined in a one-page, widely distributed chart. Whole-School Change was rolled out over four years, with one quarter of the city’s schools starting the work each September, and each year the district has reviewed progress, refined expectations, and committed increased resources to the effort.Thus, Whole-School Improvement became the core work of the district.

The theory underlying the effort is that improved instruction in reorganized schools will lead to improved student learning. The Essentials have given a school’s staff a means to recognize their own learning needs as well as those of their students and to develop and explore a new organization of instruction.The key implementation point has been on-site professional development that helps principals and teachers work together differently. These school-based efforts are bolstered with the increasing alignment of central office priorities. Whole-School Improvement was funded with a combination of external and district funds, with the district committing a larger share of the funding each year.At the end of the first five years,

Superintendent Payzant updated his action plan in “Focus on Children II” and committed to staying on the job through June 2006. Boston’s Plan for Whole-School Improvement was updated as well, and its expectations detailed in a new one-page chart: Boston Public Schools Whole-School Improvement: The Six Essentials (2002-2007)For a more detailed account of the first ten years, 1995-2005, download the Boston Plan’s reports.

• BPE Report 1996-1998
• BPE Report 1999-2001
• BPE Report 2001-2005