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Samuel Mason Elementary School
Roxbury, MA
School Type: Public
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School Setting: Urban
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Level: Elementary
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School Design: Traditional
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Content Presented By:
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National Awards Program for Model Professional Development
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Background Context
Demographics
Samuel Mason is a controlled choice school in the Boston Public Schools. The school sits in an old warehouse district and draws students from several nearby housing projects. A large proportion of students are of Cape Verdean decent, and there is a high percentage of parents who are unemployed. Mason is a K-5 school with 296 students.
Student Racial/Ethnic Composition:
71% African American
14% White (not Hispanic)
11% Hispanic
2% Asian or Pacific Islander
2% Native American or Native Alaskan
Limited English Proficient Students (5 languages spoken): 23%
Qualify for free/reduced lunch: 74%
Receive special education services: 26%
Background
- The appointment of a new principal in 1990 saved the school from closure. This principal had a vision that incorporated a belief in site-based management and concern for all the students in the building. Mason was a controlled choice school. Under this new leadership, in five years (1991-96), Mason went from the least chosen (79th) to the 12th most selected school in Boston, while more than doubling its enrollment from 133 to 296 students. The groundwork for the professional development model was begun in 1990 with the creation of the School-Based Management/Shared Decision-Making Team. The initial focus for this group was school improvement in instruction, curriculum, and assessment.
- The threat of closure served as a catalyst to rethink "business as usual" at Mason. The conversation focused on how better to serve the students in the building. Issues concerning reading, writing, and problem solving, as well as parental involvement in schooling, emerged as primary concerns.
- The commitment of the teachers at Mason to raising the achievement of all students proved to be an important factor in the subsequent development of a professional development model that is grounded in analyzing student achievement data and using research on best practices to reform instruction.
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