BU Fellows Make First Visit to Boston Public Schools
On Friday, December 2nd, the 2016 cohort met with several officials at the headquarters of Boston Public Schools, the oldest public school system in the country.
Boston Public Schools (BPS) serves over 50,000 students—nearly half of whom are non-native English speakers—with an annual budget that exceeds $1 billion. The ways in which BPS handles English and global education, the allocation and management of such a large budget, and diversity issues such as gender equality make it an organization of universal interest to our Fellows specializing in banking & finance, education, and public policy.
Director of Global Education Brittany Wheaton Calloway, our host, presented an overview of BPS—its several different types of schools, the diversity of the BPS student body, and other introductory information. She also described the major initiatives in global education that her office oversees. Labada Mini of Mauritania, an English-language instructor who intends to shift into school administration and educational policy following the end of his Fellowship year, is currently pursuing a professional affiliation at BPS under Ms. Wheaton Calloway’s guidance.
Senior Equity Manager Steven Chen then described the ways in which his office works to maintain BPS as an educational and working environment unimpeded by bias or discrimination, where individuals of all backgrounds and experiences are welcomed, included, encouraged, and supported to succeed and flourish.
Finally, Senior Financial Analyst Yvonne McCrae presented on how her office ensures that BPS’s billion-dollar budget is equitably managed to yield the best results for all BPS students. BPS offers schools more autonomy around budgeting and hiring than any another large school district in the country; parents, students, school leaders, and teachers all contribute to the long-term goals for each school.
Following these presentations, Fellows and the presenters engaged in penetrating discussions about equity and finance at BPS. It was truly an exciting visit. Plans are already underway for individual followup visits and possibly a group school tour next semester.