Mass. Audit Cites Accountability Problems In Cambridge Schools

By Alan Richard

A state audit says the public school system in Harvard University's backyard is far behind other Massachusetts districts in adopting state accountability requirements.

Cambridge Superintendent Bobbie D'Alessandro, who requested the state audit of the district's operations, doesn't dispute the findings, which mainly criticized her predecessor. She says changes are under way to address the state's main complaint: that the 7,900-student district, across the Charles River from Boston, couldn't prove it was providing good schools, even by spending higher-than-average amounts on each student.

"We had some outstanding things going on in the district, but our curriculum wasn't aligned to state standards, so how could how our test scores be high?" she said. "In Cambridge, they're very active parents, and they're interested and they question. I value that. I need to give them answers, and I need to have processes in place that...