session overview
Over the last ten years, the Youth Transitions Task Force (YTTF)—a coalition of Boston Public Schools, city and state agencies, and community-based organizations convened by Mayor Thomas M. Menino—has worked to address the dropout crisis in Massachusetts. Organized by the Boston Private Industry Council, the YTTF used a data-driven approach that combined strategic planning and mobilization, raised the visibility of the issue, made policy recommendations and piloted new practices. After a decade of work, the dropout rate is down by half.
On April 27, 2015 practitioners and policymakers joined the Rennie Center for an event to release our newest case study focusing on YTTF’s accomplishments and continuing challenges in trying to graduate all students from high school. Through this event, we facilitated a conversation with education policymakers, practitioners, and engaged partners to reflect YTTF’s accomplishments and continuing challenges in trying to graduate all students from high school.
event agenda
The event featured welcoming remarks from Commissioner Mitchell Chester of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and John McDonough, Interim Superintendent of Boston Public Schools. The event also included a panel discussion moderated by Rahn Dorsey, Chief of Education for the City of Boston, that featured prominent leaders and experts in the dropout prevention and recovery field:
- Freddie Fuentes, Office of Educational Options, Boston Public Schools
- Lindsa McIntyre, Burke High School
- Andrew Moore, Institute for Youth, Education and Families, National League of Cities
- Roger Oser, Action for Boston Community Development, William J. Ostiguy High School