School & District Management

Boston District Wins Broad Prize for Urban Education

By Catherine Gewertz — September 19, 2006 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The Boston school district on Tuesday won the Broad Prize for Urban Education in recognition of its success improving student performance overall and narrowing achievement gaps between white and minority students.

Further information on the Broad Foundation‘s flagship Broad Prize for Urban Education initiative is available.

In awarding Boston the top prize—after the district was a finalist for four years—officials of the Los Angeles-based philanthropy noted that in the last few years, the district has outperformed other demographically similar Massachusetts districts at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Its African-American students have improved more than those in similar districts, and it has narrowed the gap between Hispanic and white students in most areas, Broad officials said.

The 58,000-student district has been a finalist for the Broad Prize every year since it was first given in 2002. Thomas W. Payzant, the superintendent who led key improvements, retired this past June. The district is being led by an interim superintendent while the school board searches for a permanent replacement.

As the winner, the Boston public schools receive $500,000 to be distributed to students as college scholarships. The other school districts that are finalists this year—Miami-Dade County, Fla., New York City, Bridgeport, Conn., and Jersey City, N.J.—each receive $125,000 in scholarship money.

Events

Mathematics Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: Breaking the Cycle: How Districts are Turning around Dismal Math Scores
Math myth: Students just aren't good at it? Join us & learn how districts are boosting math scores.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Student Achievement Webinar
How To Tackle The Biggest Hurdles To Effective Tutoring
Learn how districts overcome the three biggest challenges to implementing high-impact tutoring with fidelity: time, talent, and funding.
Content provided by Saga Education
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Student Well-Being Webinar
Reframing Behavior: Neuroscience-Based Practices for Positive Support
Reframing Behavior helps teachers see the “why” of behavior through a neuroscience lens and provides practices that fit into a school day.
Content provided by Crisis Prevention Institute

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management Opinion Why Schools Struggle With Implementation. And How They Can Do Better
Improvement efforts often sputter when the rubber hits the road. But do they have to?
8 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
School & District Management How Principals Use the Lunch Hour to Target Student Apathy
School leaders want to trigger the connection between good food, fun, and rewards.
5 min read
Lunch hour at the St. Michael-Albertville Middle School West in Albertville, Minn.
Students share a laugh together during lunch hour at the St. Michael-Albertville Middle School West in Albertville, Minn.
Courtesy of Lynn Jennissen
School & District Management Opinion Teachers and Students Need Support. 5 Ways Administrators Can Help
In the simplest terms, administrators advise, be present by both listening carefully and being accessible electronically and by phone.
10 min read
Images shows colorful speech bubbles that say "Q," "&," and "A."
iStock/Getty
School & District Management Opinion When Women Hold Each Other Back: A Call to Action for Female Principals
With so many barriers already facing women seeking administrative roles, we should not be dimming each other’s lights.
Crystal Thorpe
4 min read
A mean female leader with crossed arms stands in front of a group of people.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva