Those who have followed or partnered with the Compact know that we have been working with Boston’s district, charter and Catholic school leaders the last four years to find innovative and meaningful ways to encourage collaboration across sectors to help all of Boston’s 75,000 school children and families.
 
Many in our community at-large have only heard about the Compact for our work with Mayor Walsh to propose a streamlined and unified enrollment system for both the Boston Public Schools and the city’s charter schools. That work is important and ongoing, but enrollment is just one facet of the work we do and it’s important that you see – and hopefully share – some of the other significant cross-sector collaboration going on in the city.
 
Among some recent highlights:
 

• For the second year, the Compact last month hosted school leaders from throughout the city for a Diversity Career Fair for teachers who represent the racial, cultural and linguistic diversity of our students. Some 200 prospective teachers came to Roxbury to connect with more than 40 BPS, charter and Catholic schools committed to growing a more diverse teacher population. Participating schools told us in our survey after that they were most glad to be able to increase their school’s visibility, connect with other school leaders and meet candidates for future openings. Again this year, some school leaders told us this was the best recruitment fair for their schools.
   
• School partnerships – “mini-compacts” where individual district, charter and Catholic school educators work together on problems of practice – are a powerful strategy that can catalyze the spread of effective practices from each of the three sectors to the others while also connecting teachers and administrators with one another. (Stay tuned for an update from the schools collaborating to support students with disabilities.) Today, on behalf of the Compact’s Partnerships Subcommittee, we are releasing a Request for Partnership Proposals to schools who want to work with colleagues from other Boston schools on effective, culturally responsive practices that lead to Black and Latino boys thriving academically and socially. Selected schools will receive stipends for their work together and be expected to share their findings with the broader community of educators in the city.
   
• In the fall, we sponsored the Coalition of Schools Educating Boys of Color regional convening in Boston. This was our second time working with Dr. Ron Walker and we continue to find him as well as the COSEBOC organization and network a tremendously valuable resource.  Please note that COSEBOC will hold its 10^th annual conference in NYC this spring.  Among the topics at this national gathering will be Boston Public Schools’ teacher pipeline development program for a more culturally, linguistically and racially diverse teaching workforce. The local leaders will show their colleagues what they’ve done to support male high school students on a pathway to teaching. Learn more about the conference here.

 
As always, thank you for your dedication to the children of Boston.
 

In collaboration,
Rachel