inside this week
UMass staff suffer consequences of school budget deficit pg 2
A&E
business news
GROVE HALL PROGRAM FOSTERS STREET ART PRODUCTION pg 14
Food Biz 101 grads share their creations and business pitches pg 12
plus Huntington presents contemporary production of ‘Tartuffe’ pg 15 Wellesley stages production of Studs Terkel’s ‘Working’ pg 16 Thursday, November 23, 2017 • FREE • GREATER BOSTON’S URBAN NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1965 • CELEBRATING 50 YEARS
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Bilingual education to return
State legislators repeal narrow language teaching model By KAREN MORALES
Bilingual instruction came one step closer to making a return in Massachusetts last week, with the House voting near-unanimously to support An Act Relative to Language Opportunity for Our Kids (LOOK), a bill that would allow instructors to teach English language learners in their native tongues. The House vote, opposed by just one member of that body, followed a unanimous vote in the Senate. Once it receives the governor’s signature — or the Legislature overrides his veto — the bill will remove the current mandate requiring schools to use Sheltered English Immersion as the only learning model and will grant schools greater flexibility in using alternative models based on the needs of students. School districts will be able to choose to continue the current SEI programming or implement alternative instructional programs that meet the legislation’s requirements: a program must be a research-based best practice, contain subject matter content, (such as history or science) and include
an English language component. The bill also requires the creation of Parental Advisory Councils in districts with high ELL populations (at least 5 percent of a student population). Parent Advisory Councils will comprise volunteer parents and guardians of ELL who will inform school districts and assist in the planning, development and review of schools’ programs. “It will empower parents and educators to make the most effective educational decisions, based on each student’s individual needs,” said Senator Sonia ChangDíaz, co-chair of the LOOK bill conference committee and Senate chair of the Joint Committee on Education. “And it includes safeguards to ensure English learners don’t fall between the cracks or languish in ineffective programs.” The legislation requires schools to track the academic performance of English learners and directs the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to develop guidelines and benchmarks to better track the learning progress of students. The LOOK bill also will establish
See LOOK BILL, page 18
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BPS officials have made changes at Greater Egleston High School while the school’s headmaster is suspended with pay.
BPS makes changes at alternative high school Board chair says district made unilateral decisions By YAWU MILLER
Nearly two months after Boston Public Schools officials canceled the enrollment of 104 students from Greater Egleston High School, many remain off the school’s rolls and the department has yet to give an explanation for the action. Enrollment has declined at the school this year, observers say, as the interim headmaster appointed by BPS in October has instituted changes to the school’s curriculum and instruction that have substantially altered the
school’s ability to meet its mission — to educate students who are unable to work within the time constraints of a traditional high school. Specifically, students are now required to be in school five days a week and the school’s internship program has been suspended. Previously, students were able to blend in-classroom instruction with online courses, allowing them flexibility in their work and childcare schedules. The changes were instituted after BPS officials removed Headmaster Julie Coles, who was placed on paid leave in September. BPS
officials have not given an explanation for why Coles was removed, but said they have launched an investigation into enrollment issues at the school. The changes that substantially altered the way the school educates students came without warning, says Greater Egleston High School Board Chairman Anshul Jain. “Students, parents and families have a right to know whether the model of school they applied to will still exist,” he said. “For a student to come to a school
See EGLESTON, page 9
Chinatown wants control of parcel Community requests lease from BPDA By KAREN MORALES
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Suzanne Lee, co-chair of CCLT, translates for a community meeting at Josiah Quincy School.
Members of the Boston Chinatown Resident Association and the Chinatown Community Land Trust are appealing to the Boston Planning and Development Agency to take back control of a public land parcel in their neighborhood. The city-owned land, named Parcel R-1, has been leased to Tufts Shared Services for
decades, with the current lease expiring at the end of this year. “Chinatown is in a severe housing crisis and land is so scarce,” said Lydia Lowe, director of CCLT. “Every parcel of public land is so precious and should be focused on the community’s needs.” Community leaders and residents want to take over the lease for parcel R-1, which sits between Hudson and Tyler streets and is now a parking lot for Tufts Medical
Center, and use the land as a potential site for affordable housing, recreation and educational space. Last Wednesday evening, the CRA and the CCLT held a public meeting at the Josiah Quincy School to showcase their plan for the parcel and receive feedback from neighborhood residents. BPDA officials were invited to the meeting, but did not attend. Lowe said the community organizations are hoping to meet with the BPDA in December.
See CHINATOWN, page 6