Key Takeaways

When it comes to building a strong continuum of early learning, Boston is leading the way in Massachusetts. Five other communities (Boston, Holyoke, Springfield, Lawrence and Lowell) also received the federal Preschool Development Grant and have been able to expand the number of children in their communities enrolled in high-quality pre-K. Along with the federal funding, the state budget has included money to support local planning efforts to expand pre-K, and there are 18 communities, including Boston, with plans for pre-K expansion. Some of the key components of the local plans include birth–third grade alignment and public/private partnerships and workforce improvements, including increasing the numbers of degreed early educators, ensuring pay parity, recruiting and retaining early educators, and providing professional development for teachers who work with specific populations.¹

The BPS Department of Early Childhood has made slow, deliberate progress toward providing not just high-quality pre-K, but also following it up with kindergarten, first, and second grade. Recognizing that pre-K is no inoculation against future struggles and what follows pre-K matters, the department is pushing up early childhood education practices that are so needed — but not often seen — into kindergarten and the early elementary grades. Equipped with a promising approach and data to back it up, DEC is committed to staying the course and expecting better outcomes for the district’s most vulnerable children. The work, however, is not without challenges with which leadership must grapple.

According to Jason Sachs, about 40 percent of his 26-member staff is funded by private philanthropy.² While the ability to raise money from outside groups has been key to the department’s success in expanding its size and scope, such a large dependence on private funding raises questions of program sustainability. It is unlikely that the philanthropic funds will continue in perpetuity. In fact, the Barr Foundation has already indicated it is shifting priorities and will end support at the end of 2019.

Jason Sachs has played a significant role in growing the department and driving the vision. Jeri Robinson, Vice President of Early Childhood Initiatives at Boston Children’s Museum and member of the BPS School Committee, says, "a lot has to be said for Jason's work and vision around really wanting to create clear and consistent programming for first K2, now K1, and now moving up to second grade… He’s built a phenomenal team of people who really know early childhood.”³ While Sachs has increased the stature and responsibility of DEC, his prominence raises the question of what would happen to all the work that has been accomplished if he were to leave the department. One question is how embedded the team’s work is in the culture of Boston Public Schools.

There is some evidence of culture change. For instance, early education is now recognized in Boston as spanning up through second grade and it is widely understood that curriculum and instruction look different in the early grades compared to the upper grades. Sachs’s smart use of data to show the progress made and make the case for the work left to do has bolstered this district shift.

As other public school district leaders and community leaders across the country consider how to sustain and build on children’s experiences in pre-K programs, Boston’s story offers several key takeaways:

• Begin with a vision and strategic plan for equitable learning opportunities, culturally sustaining practices, and high expectations for what young children can learn and are able to do.
• Use data from the start to develop a model and vision, as well as to make the case for a focus on improving teacher practice in kindergarten and the early grades and for guiding professional development and coaching.
• Adopt principles of continuous improvement by gathering stakeholder feedback, piloting changes, and revising as needed.
• Consider an external accountability metric—such as accreditation—aligned to the transformation needed, which can provide a picture of quality, establish clear standards or indicators to work toward, and guide the professional development needed.
• Select a research-based, robust curriculum (or curricula) that challenges children across multiple domains of learning, provides ample opportunities for conversation and critical thinking, and engages children in developmentally appropriate activities.
• Focus professional development on strong teacher-child interactions and the practices that support them; include all adults who work directly with children by bringing paraprofessionals and teachers together to learn.
• Align curricula, assessments, instructional strategies, and professional development across grade levels.
• Build relationships with elementary school principals because they establish conditions for classroom reforms to be successful.
• Partner with center-based pre-K providers because public schools alone are unlikely to have the capacity to serve all four-year-olds.
• Think about how to fund transformation: Local, state, and national foundations can help catalyze change, expand an initiative, and build a case for district or state funding that can sustain the work over time.