Policy

The Boston Plan for Excellence (BPE) works with the district to improve connections between the day-to-day work of schools and what happens in central office. BPE helps the district to revise policies and redirect resources to better support the school-level improvements that matter for students.

How it works

Recently, BPE has narrowed its policy focus to a few core areas — new teacher hiring and support, alignment of professional development and career advancement structures, and development of data systems that are responsive to school needs. BPE staff work directly with the superintendent and senior district leaders responsible for this work.

For several years, policy staff worked closely with a team of central office department directors, the Resource Action Team (REACT), to problem-solve obstacles to school improvement that emerged from schools. BPE supported the research needs of the REACT team by interviewing school and district staff, surveying principals, and producing case studies that highlighted ineffective district practices.

Why it matters

For every student to achieve at high levels, the systems that support schools must change and adapt. BPE provides outside eyes and valuable research capacity by investigating the central office policies and practices that contribute to student performance gaps. When these systemic obstacles are removed, teachers and school leaders are better able to implement the instructional practices and whole-school improvements that make a difference for their students.