By Fritz Edelstein
September 25, 2006

At New York City’s Museum of Modern Art Sptember 19, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, along with School Committee Chair Elizabeth Reilinger and Interim Superintendent Michael Contompasis, received on behalf of the Boston Public Schools the 2006 Broad Prize for Urban Education. It is awarded to the most improved urban school district in the nation.

Upon receiving the prize, Menino said, “This award today could not have been accomplished without the hard work of the staff in schools and of the students and their families who make the Boston Public Schools an exciting place to be and a great place to learn. We are tremendously grateful for the almost 11 years of leadership provided by retired Superintendent Thomas Payzant, who helped design and implement the reform plan that guides the schools today.”

This fifth time was the charm for Menino and the Boston Public Schools. Menino has responsibility for the city’s school system, and made the investment to improve the school system one of the city’s highest priorities. The Boston Public Schools were awarded a winning prize of $500,000. Combined with the financial awards for being a finalist the previous four years, a total of $1 million in scholarship funds is available for graduating high school seniors who will attend college.

The awards began in 2002. It honors the country’s urban school districts that have made the greatest improvements in student achievement while reducing achievement gaps among ethnic groups and between high- and low-income students. This year’s other finalists were Bridgeport Public Schools, Miami-Dade Public Schools, New York City Department of Education, and Jersey City Public Schools.

During the award ceremony, former U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige said, “Boston Public Schools is leading the way to keep America the most innovative country in the world by preparing today’s urban children with the skills to succeed in tomorrow’s jobs.” The Broad Prize is the largest education award in the country. Also participating in the award ceremony was former U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley and the award luncheon speech was given by former President of the United States William Jefferson Clinton.

The reasons why Boston won this year include:

• The school system consistently outperformed other Massachusetts districts with similar low-income populations in all areas.

• It demonstrated greater improvement by African-American students compared to similar districts in the state.

• On the National Assessment for Education Progress Trial Urban District Assessment, Boston’s fourth and eighth grade reading and math scores improved at a faster rate than other large American cities and faster than the national average.

• The district saw a dramatic increase in the number of Hispanic and African-American students taking Advance Placement exams in mathematics and English. It was up 237 percent and 78 percent respectively since 2002.

This is a great honor for Menino and Boston. This indicates that mayoral leadership and involvement in education is important in improving the quality of education in a city. This has been proven with the 2004 and 2005 Broad Prize winners, Long Beach and Norfolk.