D.C. Schools: Consolidation and Closures

College completion rates are up with students from Boston Public Schools, suggesting that even large urban school districts with many challenges can find the right formula for success. In Boston, that success may be attributed to a number of factors, most notably a new program dubbed Success Boston. As this city revels in positive numbers in a recent report, other school districts nationwide may be viewing the Boston trend with interest as they try to increase their own college graduation numbers.

Numbers from “Getting Closer to the Finish Line”

The Boston Globe reports on the release of a new report, “Getting Closer to the Finish Line,” which showed the number of college degrees earned by Boston Public Schools students has increased sharply in recent years. The report, compiled by the Boston Foundation, found that nearly half (49.2 percent) of all students that entered college after graduating from Boston schools in 2006 completed college within six years. That figure was a significant increase from 40.2 percent of students in the class of 2000 that earned their college degrees in the same time frame. Degrees include bachelor and associate degrees, as well as certificate programs.

The new Boston numbers also exceeded the national average, which showed around 47 percent of students completed college within six years. When one considers that Boston Public Schools is a district riddled by high poverty rates and ESL families, the new figures are even more impressive.

“We are evidence

School security has been a high-priority topic in schools nationwide, since the Sandy Hook tragedy in Connecticut took the lives of 26, including 20 young children. In Fairfax County, one of the largest counties in Virginia and the U.S., the majority of teachers say that more guns in schools are not the answer. Instead, Fairfax educators are urging administrators in the district to take another look at current security procedures to see where improvements can be made.

Fairfax Teachers Survey Results

NBC Washington reports that the majority of Fairfax teachers do not support the idea of more guns in school, according to a recent survey. The survey found that 59 percent of Fairfax educators said they do not want guns in the school environment. Only five percent of teachers surveyed said they would support the idea of allowing teachers and staff to carry guns into public schools.

At the same time, most teachers in the county – 65 percent - would support armed police officers in the schools, if school budgets could accommodate that addition. Thirty-seven percent said they would support the addition of unarmed security guards to schools across the county. Currently, many high schools and a few middle schools within the county do have armed police officers at school during regular class hours.

The recent survey was conducted by the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers, which represents around 4,200 Fairfax teachers, according to WTOP. The union surveyed 483

Public education is a core element to an educated society and a successful democracy. The evolution of public schools in the United States began early in the 17^th century, with the first settlers on American soil. Today, the public school system in the U.S. is a complex one with a multi-tiered form of governance and a multitude of programs to address the varying needs of students and their families. Understanding the definition, purpose and operation of public schools in the U.S. helps one get a broad picture of what public education in this country looks like.

Definition of Public Education

Wikipedia defines public schools as primary or secondary schools that are available to everyone within a country’s population. The schools are regulated and funded through government authority, and attendance is mandated by that government authority. Funding typically comes from taxation of the country’s citizens, and the money is generally allocated through the government entity designated to oversee the public school system.

This video offers a brief explanation of the American public school system.

In the United States, there is a three-tiered form of governance that oversees public education, which includes federal, state and local levels. At the federal level, the Department of Education, currently overseen by Education Secretary Arne Duncan, is the entity that established policies and laws involving education in the U.S. State education agencies also play a

Public schools enjoy a long and illustrious history in the United States, with the first schools in the country dating almost as far back as the arrival of the Puritans on U.S. shores. Since that time, the purpose, philosophy, and goals of public education have been examined and debated, up to the development of the public school system still in existence today. How we got to the current point in public education warrants a look back centuries at the very first schools dedicated to educating American youth.

Puritans Recognize Need for Public Education

As early as the 17^th century, the need for public education was recognized by the Puritans living on American shores at the time. This population determined education was essential both for teaching basic academic skills and core religious values. Boston Latin School was established as the first public high school in 1635 in Boston, Massachusetts. The school is still in operation to this day.

This video looks at early American education.

The Massachusetts Bay Colony decreed in 1647 that towns of 50 people should have a public elementary school, and those with populations of over 100 should have a Latin school. The primary function of schools at this time was to teach reading so that children learned to read the Bible. Schools also taught Puritan values and basic information about the Calvinist religion, according to Applied Research Center.