The Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy

Mapping School Choice

UNDERSTANDING BOSTON in Massachusetts: Strategies, Promises and Possibilities

Hosted by: The Boston Foundation and The Center for Education Research & Policy at MassINC

Wednesday, May 21, 2003, 8:00-10:00 am
The Boston Foundation,
Boston, Massachusetts

Join us for the release of a report that maps school choice statewide, examines school choice in Metropolitan Boston, and reviews national data, followed by a lively discussion with:

Paul S. Grogan, President & CEO, The Boston Foundation
Kathryn A. McDermott, Associate Director, Center for Education Policy, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and Assistant Professor, School of Education and Center for Public Policy and Administration, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
S. Paul Reville, Executive Director, Center for Education Research & Policy at MassINC and Lecturer, Harvard University Graduate School of Education
Howard L. Fuller, Former Superintendent, Milwaukee Public Schools and Distinguished Professor of Education and Director, Institute for the Transformation of Learning at Marquette University
James A. Peyser, Chairman, Massachusetts Board of Education and Chairman, Educational Management Audit Council
Theodore A. Sizer, Chairman Emeritus, Coalition for Essential Schools and Visiting Professor of Education, Harvard University Graduate School of Education and University Professor Emeritus, Brown University
James A. Caradonio, Superintendent, Worcester Public Schools

Significant debate surrounds the issue of school choice in Massachusetts, though little evidence exists documenting the actual demand for choice and the extent to which families and students exercise the choice options in the Commonwealth. Seeking to generate an evidence-based discussion, the Center has commissioned a study (sponsored by The Boston Foundation) to detail school choice attendance, choice trends, and persistent demand in Massachusetts.
This report will provide the basis for a half-day convening, co-sponsored by the Center for Education Research & Policy and The Boston Foundation that will explore critical questions, including:

· Realistic options for expanding choice in current economic times; and
· Strategies for pursuing these options.

Researchers from the University of Massachusetts: Amherst will presenting their findings, and Howard Fuller, a national spokesman on choice, will provide a keynote address, discussing the status of choice nationwide and the Massachusetts experience. Panelists will debate policy implications and provide insight on; the local perspective, the need/demand for choice, and challenges with implementation.

About The Boston Foundation
The Boston Foundation, one of the nation's oldest and largest community foundations, has an endowment of more than $550 million and made grants of more than $50 million to nonprofit organizations last year in Greater Boston and beyond. The Boston Foundation is made up of 750 separate charitable funds, which have been established by donors either for the general benefit of the community or for special purposes. The Boston Foundation also serves as a civic leader, convener, and sponsor of special initiatives designed to build community. For more information about the Boston Foundation and its grant-making, visit www.tbf.org.

About the Center for Education Research & Policy at MassINC
The Center’s mission is to develop a public agenda that informs and promotes significant improvement of public education in Massachusetts. Our work is motivated by a vision of an education system that creates the opportunity to educate every child to be successful in life, citizenship, employment and life-long learning. Applying nonpartisan, independent research, journalism and civic engagement, the Center is creating a civil space to foster thoughtful public discourse to inform and shape effective policy.

UNDERSTANDING BOSTON is a series of forums, educational events and research sponsored by the Boston Foundation to provide information and insight into issues affecting Boston, its neighborhoods, and the region. By working in collaboration with a wide range of partners, the Boston Foundation provides opportunities for people to come together to explore challenges facing our constantly changing community and to develop an informed civic agenda.