OPPORTUNITIES & CHALLENGES
If given the opportunity to return to the School Committee, my immediate and longer-term priorities, include the following:
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Work with other School Committee members to name a permanent superintendent and set that person up for success
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After national search to identify the best person for the role
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Develop a new district plan and dashboard of key metrics
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Agree on schedule to receive timely reports on meeting or not the district plan’s goals
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Address opportunity gaps in the district by selecting a strong program at the Spring Street school building
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Look at educational programs that are working for all students and replicate them
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Review controlled choice, so that we are constantly addressing under chosen schools
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Controlled choice works only if all schools provide high quality education
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Starting this autumn, but knowing it will take more than a year, I will:
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Review multi-year construction & maintenance plan through the building & grounds subcommittee and in coordination with the City Council
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Improve relationships with unions, caregivers and the community
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Work on budgets that focus on better use of existing resources to narrow opportunity gaps, particularly in the face of a changing funding landscape
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Advocate for more coordination with and expansion of out-of-school-time programs
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These priorities are in addition to my commitment to ensure the School Committee has data-driven discussions and that we have equally high expectations for all of our children.
BRIEF LIST OF ISSUES FACING THE DISTRICT AND JOSE LUIS' IDEAS TO ADDRESS THEM
Closing the Opportunity Gap
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Early education is key. Universal pre-school matters.
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I will continue to support the implementation of the Cambridge Preschool Program, while minimizing kindergarten enrollment issues.
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Access to advanced mathematics
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I support multiple paths for students, from access to Algebra 1 in 8th grade to compressing early mathematics in high school.
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I will continue to advocate for students to have a strong foundation of middle-school mathematics
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Bilingual education has shown to address the opportunity gap and provide other learning benefits.
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I will support the expansion and/or addition of more bilingual immersion schools.
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I will advocate for AP Portuguese to be available at CRLS.
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Cambridge's Montessori school has provided the highest achievement growth for all subgroups.
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I will support exploring the possibility of starting another Montessori school and expanding the existing program into sixth grade.
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Assessing Systems Intended to Support Learning of all Students
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Student achievement should be assessed using a combination of measures, of which test results are only one. As has been pointed out by other School Committee members, additional measures could include graduation rates, student attendance and participation in extracurricular activities.
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I will support engaging learning environments and culturally responsive teaching practices, rather than focusing only on testing students.
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I will support the compilation of multi-layered data to show student achievement, such as those proposed by the Massachusetts Consortium for Innovative Education Assessment (MCIEA).
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I will advocate for strong competency requirements for high school graduation.
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I will ask that we investigate how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to better meet students’ needs.
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Right-sizing School Capacity
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While new schools have been built, classroom capacity has remained virtually flat while Cambridge's student population has decreased slightly because of demographics. This has highlighted the community’s historical preference for small community schools.
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I will asses district’s overcapacity and resulting unnecessary overhead costs
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I will ensure district develops a renovation plan and maintenance program for the existing schools, to ensure that pupils are learning in a safe and engaging environment.
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Including More Diverse Array of Voices in Decision Making
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Some parents feel their voices are not listened to, based on their socio-economic background, their race, their immigration status, etc.
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I will endeavor to attend a School Council meeting in each school (17 schools) over my 2-year term, to meet parents in person and hear their opinions.
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More student voices need to be included in the decision making at the high school
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I will meet with high school student leaders and help bring their voices to the School Committee.
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Making the School Committee More Effective
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School Committee members should respectfully agree to disagree when needed, while at the same time working to support high expectations for each student and joyful learning for all.
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I lead our first school committee self-assessment in recent memory in 2023 and will work to make it a regular exercise.
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The School Committee has accomplished a lot. But it must continue to address the opportunity gaps faced by our students.
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I will ensure the School Committee holds the administration accountable when achievement targets are missed.
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I will request explanations for those short-comings and an analysis of lessons learned, in order to ensure strategies are adjusted to better address the opportunity gap.
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