Statement from Boston Coalition for Education Equity on the Exam School Admissions Task Force

Education Equity Coalition says exam school reform must go forward

The push to diversify Boston exam school enrollment is a vital part of the citywide movement against structural racism. It must move forward so that future classes of exam school students more closely reflect Boston's student population as a whole. 

We call on the Exam School Admissions Task Force to complete its work and make its recommendations to the School Committee next week, so that the Committee can then take action by June 30 and the new admissions process can get underway. 

The admissions process used this year resulted in significant improvement in the geographic, socioeconomic, racial, and language diversity of students in the three schools. The A– average grade point average for this year's accepted students proves that Boston can have an admissions process that is more equitable while maintaining high academic standards. 

But it was a one-year measure. The Task Force was charged with devising a long-term way to increase diversity at the schools while maintaining rigor. Task Force members have spent many long hours reviewing data, studying the experience of other cities, listening to students and parents, and coming up with a number of viable approaches. Now some defenders of the old exam school admissions system want to stop the Task Force from putting forward its recommendations. 

Not holding a vote or delaying the vote would be a reassertion of the racist systems that have long denied access to these schools for Black and Latinx students, English learners, and students with disabilities. Proposals for change are threatening to many white families with privilege and resources who have benefited from past admissions policies. Those policies unfairly discriminated against and harmed Black and Brown students. 

If city leaders are to make good on their repeated pledges to make Boston an anti-racist city, this year’s progress must be preserved, improved upon, and made permanent. 

The Boston Coalition for Education Equity strongly reaffirms our commitment to an elected school committee that is representative of Boston’s diversity and accountable to all citizens. The city has lost two strong Latina voices for equity and the School Committee is now in complete disarray – meanwhile the voters of Boston have no democratic mechanism to repair this broken branch of city government. Like every other municipality in the Commonwealth, Boston voters deserve the right to elect their representatives on their School Committee. 

The Boston Coalition for Education Equity is a collaboration among civil rights, education, and community organizations from across Boston that are committed to dismantling education inequity. The organizations signing onto this statement are:

  • Black Teachers Matter

  • Boston Teachers Union

  • Center for Law and Education

  • Citizens for Public Schools

  • Downtown Progressives

  • Healthy Food for Boston Schools Organizing Network

  • Jamaica Plain Progressives

  • Massachusetts Asian American Educators Association

  • Massachusetts Communities Action Network

  • Progressive West Roxbury Roslindale

  • QUEST (Quality Education for Every Student)

  • Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ)