The initial focus will be on high school students, and the challenge will be significant. As part of the overhaul, the mayor would wrest significant power from the teachers’ union. Menino administration officials describe the plan as transcending curriculum changes at a single high school. Instead, they said, they hope to attack persistent unemployment, one of the most vexing problems facing the nation.
“If we can elevate Madison Park to its potential, we’re going to help many young people to succeed in the job market,’’ said William Symonds, director of the Pathways to Prosperity Project at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, who led a team of two dozen state and national specialists that examined Madison Park. “Let’s not forget that many of these students are living in poverty right now. We’re offering them a ladder out of poverty.’’
Now, more than 40 percent of freshmen who enter Madison Park do not graduate in four years, and more than two-thirds fail to perform at grade level on state standardized tests. In fact, many students are so disengaged they miss a month of school each year.
The Menino administration wants to lengthen the school day, revamp the curriculum, and radically change the schedule so students have more time for out-of-school internships. The goal is to emulate thriving vocational high schools in New Bedford and Worcester that alternate class schedules weekly. Students spend five days in a workshop or internship, and the following week return to the classroom, with technical training integrated with math, reading, and other traditional subjects.
Another key component will be developing partnerships with local businesses to lend expertise to Madison Park and secure private donations to pay for new programs. As an example, South End restaurateur Gordon Hamersley recently agreed to work with the culinary arts program and offer internships at his famed Hamersley’s Bistro, according to Menino’s spokeswoman, Dot Joyce.
