Young Proposes Middle School Policy

After months of planning, Cambridge Public Schools Superintendent Jeffrey M. Young presented a short-term action plan for the system’s middle schools at yesterday’s Cambridge Public Schools Committee meeting.

The action plan aims to close the achievement gaps in Cambridge middle school students by evaluating teachers’ performances and encouraging collaboration between educators.

“The enemy is low expectations,” Young said, tying the problems middle schools have been facing to issues with the overall achievement of students.

Young plans to close the achievement gap by focusing on Hispanic, low income, African American/Black, and SPED students, while continuing to encourage White and Asian students, who are currently performing better than the district average.

“Any child should have the opportunity to be challenged and supported,” Young said.

The plans aims to improve the performances of local educators by developing a culture of collaboration and evaluation.

Young recommended expanding the Cambridge Leadership Network to include curriculum coordinators, assistant principals, and deans of students.

“The hallmark of this plan is teacher and coach collaboration,” said Barbara J. Allen, executive director of human resources for the Cambridge Public Schools.

This increased collaboration will include setting common expectations and benchmarks, exploring effective teaching practices, and planning lessons cooperatively.

The plan also emphasizes the need to align the curriculum in all the middle schools and better organize the transition between middle and high schools to level the disparities between the quality of education at the different middle schools.

These changes are a small step in Young’s larger plan to significantly improve Cambridge’s public school system.

The School Committee will formally discuss Young’s proposal at its May 4 meeting.

—Staff writer Rediet T. Abebe can be reached at rtesfaye@college.harvard.edu.