Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Superintendent Carol R. Johnson testified before the Joint Committee on Education on the Mayor's proposal to boost student achievement. The proposal would extend “turn-around” powers to Level 3 schools, eliminate the cap on In-District charters, and extend the school day. The bill is H529 – An Act Promoting Public School Success – sponsored by former Representative Marty Walz.

“We should not have to wait for a school to fail before we give it the tools to succeed,” Mayor Menino said. “I encourage this Committee to move quickly on this important legislation. I would tell you I have 8 months left to make this happen – but that’s too long. Our kids need action today.”

In his testimony, Mayor Menino acknowledged the handful of education reform bills before the Committee, and said he would support any bill that extends “turn-around” powers to more schools and allows for the creation of more In-District charter schools.

BOSTON – A Harvard study published by the Society for Research in Child Development finds the academic gains achieved by students in Boston Public Schools’ early childhood education programs are the “largest found to date in evaluations of large-scale public prekindergarten programs.” According to the study, academic gains were particularly strong for Latino children, with African American students also showing significant, sustained gains in reading skills that last throughout elementary school.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino has led the expansion of the city’s pre-kindergarten programs, which began with the opening of three early education centers in 1998, to a total of 700 students served in 2005 and more than 2,300 students served every year today. Superintendent Carol R. Johnson and the Boston School committee expect to continue the expansion this fall.