Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino announced on Sept. 28 the creation of an initiative to help underperforming public schools in Boston.
The program, called Step UP (University Partnership), will unite five Boston colleges, including Tufts, in donating $10 million in direct services and monetary funds to ten public schools in Boston.
"This unprecedented collaboration has the ability to transform a child's day from the typical six-hour school day to an extended day, complete with morning and after-school programs, social services and health services: all the tools a child needs to succeed," Menino said in a press release.
Tufts, Harvard University, Northeastern University, Boston University and Boston College have pledged their time, money and services to Step UP for the next five years.
These schools, Menino said, have "stepped up to the plate in a big way." -
"It's not just about getting these schools out of the basement, but with the help of these universities, [we want] to create model schools," Deputy Superintendent of Teaching and Learning for the Boston Public Schools Chris Coxon said.
Step UP will assist the selected schools in six key areas: professional development for teachers, school readiness for students, curriculum and instructional support before and after school, student wellness, and parental engagement in school.
The universities, the city of Boston and outside experts will work together to track and evaluate the program's success from the start as part of a review system.
Part of the funding provided by the universities will go to paying for a "full-time program director to coordinate these services," Menino said.
A definite timeframe is not yet set for the program, according to Coxon. The schools that need help still need to be identified and then paired with the services different universities can offer.
"Our goal is to have sometime after Thanksgiving and before Christmas the schools that have been identified share their data with [the universities]," he said.
The schools' data will show what their needs are. The universities will then be able to let the schools know what "they have the capacity to do," Coxon said.
Coxon expects most of Tufts' aid to come in from health and social services, citing Tufts' expertise in those areas, although he also expects contributions from the College of Arts and Sciences in the areas of math and science.
Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts are prepared to institute dental screenings as well as education in nutrition and physical activity, said Barbara Rubel, Director of Community Relations.
"Nutrition, physical activity and oral health are all linked to school performance," Rubel wrote in an e-mail to the Daily.
The services that Tufts will offer, however, "will depend, to a large extent, on the needs of the individual schools," Rubel added.
"Our goal is to further strengthen the partnership that has existed for many years between Tufts University and the communities in which we operate," Rubel said. "For all of the universities involved, it is an opportunity to invest in the health and competitiveness of the Boston area."
Sophomore Sarah Ober thinks Tufts couldn't use its resources any better.
"I think it's a wonderful thing to help underachieving students, and hopefully the program will be a success with repercussions lasting well beyond the five years allotted it," Ober said.
