CAMBRIDGE CIVIC ASSOCIATION
2003 EDUCATION PLATFORM
In order to erase the minority/majority achievement gap and provide a high-quality education for all students, the CCA supports:
EQUITY AND EXCELLENCE FOR ALL STUDENTS
We must make sure that every school provides a rigorous and challenging education to all students, regardless of race, language, socioeconomic status, disability, sexual orientation, gender, religion or family structure, by:
- providing high expectations and challenging curriculum for all students
- identifying and supporting at-risk students, for example by mentoring
- using multiple forms of assessment--not only MCAS, but also portfolios, student records, and teacher recommendations to evaluate student performance
- hiring and retaining excellent teachers and administrators who can serve as role models for students of all backgrounds, recruiting early to attract the best and most diverse group of teachers
- supporting the implementation of Cambridge’s special education plan to help students with special needs get the services they require
- following through on the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (CRLS) restructuring by implementing the changes required by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) for continued accreditation
- continuing to strengthen the Rindge School of Technical Arts to provide career skills for students seeking jobs after high school as well as preparation for students going on to postsecondary study
ACCOUNTABILITY FOR ALL SCHOOLS AND FOR CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION
We must hold schools to high standards by:
- making principals accountable for the success of their schools through evaluations and evaluation-based pay increases
- requiring that all schools and departments implement the teacher evaluation cycle rigorously and on time, and by linking professional development to teacher evaluations
- mentoring new teachers and rewarding effective ones
- granting successful schools more freedom to hire personnel and set priorities
- assisting underperforming schools through district intervention where necessary
We must hold central administration accountable by:
- making the budget document and budget process more open and accessible
- reducing administrative costs so that more funds can be directed to classrooms
- strengthening the long range planning process to provide for community input into the direction of the system
INVOLVEMENT FOR ALL FAMILIES
We must improve communication between the school system and families by:
- increasing the quality and quantity of family outreach conducted by CRLS and the elementary schools to ensure a family-friendly school environment.
- improving the gathering and analysis of information by the Family Resource Center, including tracking school choices and interviewing families leaving a school or the school system
- increasing the use of websites, newsletters, etc. to provide information about the system and the individual schools to current and prospective families
- increasing the use of translators and interpreters for families with limited English proficiency and providing cultural competency-based training for teachers so that they may better understand the expectations of families from other cultures
We must ensure meaningful family participation in:
- fairly elected and empowered School Councils
- selection and evaluation of administrators and teachers
- evaluation and reconfiguration of schools
- open and collaborative teacher contract negotiations