Committee member comments on innovation schools

learned tonight: "Confratute" is a conference/institute
I also was glad to see our district pushing forward with dual language (when the state, for example, is yanking that program in a Level 5 school), praised Goddard's neighborhood preschool reading program, asked what Goddard's plans were around expanding their governance team, expressed concern around Goddard Scholars' dependence on MCAS scores alone in admission, and I asked if we could be invited to the Gateway projects at UPCS
Foley: driving school based ownership and leadership
real appreciation that they can set the strategic direction for that school, especially around staffing
showing positive change and real positive results without significant money
replicable model throughout the district and throughout the state
O'Connell: send the PowerPoint around to other schools
"a great deal of work...for me, it involved very little work" so well thought out before it was available
"quality, caliber...of staff"
"exemplary staff devoting significant time well above and beyond the call of duty"
"give substantial deference to these programs"
"laboratories for us"
Monfredo: all eight schools are functioning well, doing a great job
"hard work and perseverance for this to take place"
Biancheria: "excellent, excellent, excellent report...all good news, great news!"
"not easy, looking for things to get through"
AP courses: do we have funding and supplies for the students that are coming up through?
Boone: expansion of advanced placement is intentional throughout the district
part of restructing of Claremont, expansion at UPCS
Calculus B/C and AP Environmental Studies added at Doherty due to a grant from student performance on PSAT (I think?)
revamp our science labs at the high school level
"absolutely, we will be able to accommodate"
"judicious in expansion" of sites as well as which course
Rodrigues: 21% increase in the number students taking AP tests this year
280 more students taking exams, as against last year
Biancheria: off-site internships, recommends reviewing service learning piece
Ramirez: "something quick, I promise!"
reduction of tardy rate at Goddard: "we can all learn from good work"
Boone: "even our innovation schools are part of our principal corps"
"constant sharing of what's working and what's not"