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Story posted August 31, 2011

Results:

• Despite serving a high needs population—an 86% free/reduced lunch rate, 15% English language learners, and 25% special needs—in 2010, 75% of students scored proficient or advanced in math, which is higher than state and district averages.
• In 2010 93% of graduates went on to college, compared with the district-wide average of 61%.
• The school recently announced that their value-added gains in math were in the 99th percentile.

It’s not every day that the President of the United States and the co-chair of the largest charitable foundation in the world take the time to tour a school. But on March 8 of this year, President Barack Obama and Melinda Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, along with Education Secretary Arne Duncan, joined together to tour TechBoston Academy in Boston, MA and to highlight the work being done there.

Why TechBoston? First, because it’s working, taking a predominantly high-needs population and posting achievement that is nothing short of remarkable. And second (and related to the first), because the school is built from the ground up on the concept of community partnerships as a key to engaging students and helping them to reach their potential.

History

Prior to founding TechBoston Academy in 2002, Mary Skipper spent several years with the Boston Public Schools, including time leading an innovative program called TechBoston Consulting, through which technically talented students delivered professional and affordable IT consulting services to the local business and nonprofit community. For students, this program provided real-world opportunities and experiences; for Ms. Skipper, working with business and community leaders to create work opportunities gave her invaluable direct experience in building community-driven education programs.

That experience drove her to propose creating a new school based on real-world connections with a central focus on leveraging technology and, in 2002, she opened the doors of TechBoston Academy with funding from the Gates Foundation.

About TechBoston Academy

While TechBoston Academy is a public school in Boston, it is classified as a “pilot” school. According to the district website, “Pilot schools are part of the school district but have autonomy over budget, staffing, governance, curriculum/assessment, and the school calendar to provide increased flexibility to organize schools and staffing to meet the needs of students and families.” This flexibility was critical to Skipper in designing a partnership-driven learning model.

TechBoston Academy was initially created as a high school, but added a middle school in 2009 and now serves students in grades 6-12. The school serves a primarily disadvantaged population, with an 86% free/reduced lunch rate, 15% English language learners, and 25% special needs served in a full inclusion model.

The TechBoston Academy Learning Model

At TechBoston Academy, technology is central to the learning experience. Students are exposed to a wide array of technology: Laptops, smartboards, whiteboards, student response systems, Google Apps, and podcasting. These technologies are integrated throughout each subject, offering students multiple ways to learn.

In addition to a strong core curriculum, students also take courses earning industry certifications in IT Essentials, Microsoft Office and Adobe applications. In later grades, students enroll in advanced technology courses, choosing from Digital Art, Graphic Design, Computer Programming and Ecommerce.  By the time students have graduated, they have been exposed to a breadth of software applications such as Adobe Premier, Adobe Photoshop and MS Publisher.

Academics at TechBoston Academy are rigorous and college-focused. Students have the opportunity to take honors courses in grades 10 and 11. In grades 11 and 12, students may elect to participate in dual enrollment programs at local colleges or take AP classes on campus The school also has a seven hour extended day schedule to increase the time available for learning.

But what really sets the school apart from others is business and foundation support. As a technology-focused program that connects students to their communities, TechBoston Academy has attracted a number of partners who support the school in different ways. The Gates Foundation was one of Skipper’s founding partners, and still supports the school. Many technology companies have donated hardware and software, and also commit to training teachers on their use. Many other companies participate by volunteering, mentoring, and serving in other ways. Additionally, students have the opportunity to obtain jobs and internships to apply what they are learning in the classroom to real life situations. 

As a pilot school, TechBoston Academy has had the flexibility to make unconventional hires to advance its mission, including a full-time partnership director and full-time educators focused on staff development. By focusing additional manpower in strategic areas, the school is able to concentrate its resources and generate outsized returns for its investment.

According to Megan Fidler-Carey, Director of External Partnerships, they work with their business partners as peers sharing a common goal, and not as a charity. “When you’re a true partner, you can ask for what you really need,” notes Fidler-Carey, “but when you’re a charity, you get what you get. Having our businesses, universities, and others on board to scope out our needs together and fill them has made a huge difference for us.”

Outcomes

As Barack Obama said during his March 8 visit, “What’s happening here is working. We know what works. What’s required, then, to get results from any school is no longer a mystery. TechBoston Academy is a model for the rest of our nation.”

What kind of results would draw such praise? Given the demographics laid out previously, TechBoston Academy’s results are truly remarkable: Last year 75 percent of students scored proficient or advanced in math, a tremendous achievement and higher than state and district averages. Almost all of last year’s seniors (93%) went on to college, compared with the district-wide average of 61%. And the school recently announced that their value-added gains in math were in the 99th percentile, meaning that they are doing more than almost every other school in advancing students in this area.

While the school does not have data isolating the impact of their partners’ engagement, they are infused throughout the program and are an indispensable, core element of the TechBoston Academy experience. This unique school would not be what it is without them.

Copyright (2011) K-12 Partnership Report. The K-12 Partnership Report is a free source for information on building K-12 partnerships and school foundations. For more information, visit http://www.kprnewsletter.com/.

Reposted with permission. To see the original posting of this story, go here.