Boston University School of Education - Programs, Centers, Conferences, and Community Outreach

Programs, Centers, Conferences, and Community Outreach

• The Boston University/Boston Public Schools Collaborative is the administrative organization at the University that oversees more than a dozen programs created in support of the Boston Public Schools. In 1975, court-ordered school desegregation in Boston stimulated an unprecedented commitment by Boston-area colleges, universities, and businesses to help the city's schools and children. Boston University has been and continues to be an active participant. University resources contribute to the support of a full-time director who initiates and seeks funding for new programs which involve faculty and students in serving the needs of Boston school children.
• In 1977, the Boston University School of Education and a selection of Boston-area school districts, social service agencies, and overseas universities came together to form a consortium for the mutual exchange of expertise and training. Since that time, consortium school systems and social service agencies have offered SED students with a variety of settings in which to student-teach, gain school-based counseling experience, and work as administrative interns.
• The Boston University/Chelsea Partnership was the only example of a private university accepting responsibility for the day-to-day management of a public school system. Boston University provided managerial and educational expertise to oversee and rebuild an entire urban school system and to construct a model for the reform of urban education. This partnership was ended in June 2008.
• Boston University is one of five universities involved in Step UP, an unprecedented collaboration with the Boston Public Schools (BPS) and the City of Boston to help ten local schools. Step UP was formed in the fall of 2006 and provides comprehensive, coordinated services aimed at improving student performance. Boston University’s two partner schools are the William Monroe Trotter Elementary School in Dorchester and the English High School in Jamaica Plain. Based on the needs identified by each partner school, BU aims to help the Trotter and the English make improvements in areas such as instruction and tutoring, after-school support, student wellness and safety, and family and community engagement.
• Upward Bound is a college preparatory program for potential first-generation college and low-income Boston Public High School students. It is a federally funded TRIO program that serves 75 low-income and first generation college students who join in either ninth and tenth grade and participate until high school graduation. Students must be enrolled in the Boston Public Schools and either attend one of the target high schools (Brighton High, English High, The Engineering School, Community Academy of Science and Health, Social Justice Academy, or Snowden High) or live in one of the target neighborhoods (Allston, Brighton, Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, or Mattapan). Program Services include afternoon classes and tutoring during the school year and a residential six-week summer academic program.
• Jumpstart is an AmeriCorps program that recruits college students to mentor 3-5 year old children. Students read stories, sing songs, and play games that support young children’s school readiness and earn a Work-Study wage, a $1,500 living allowance, an AmeriCorps education award of up to $1,000, and take course credit in ED 206. Jumpstart Corps members work 8–12 hours a week in local early childhood centers, paired one-to-one with a partner child.
• The Boston University Conference on Language Development, regarded as the leading international conference in the field, takes place on campus every fall, with the active involvement of faculty and students from the School of Education. Two centers are also affiliated with the School: the Center for the Advancement of Ethics and Character and the Center for Communication and Deafness.
• The Institute for Athletic Coach Education (IACE) in the School of Education at Boston University is designed to focus attention on the need for education and training for youth sport coaches. At the Institute, youth sports are considered a vehicle for helping young people develop into productive members of society, with the guidance of a significant adult mentor who is most often a coach. We aim to provide present and future youth sport coaches with learning opportunities and resources to help them better understand their role and fulfill their responsibilities as leaders and educators in the community.
• COACH (College Opportunity and Career Help) empowers Boston Public School students to make informed decisions about their futures by matching current college students with 11th and 12th graders to provide information, to motivate, and to support these students as they make post-secondary plans. Working directly in the high school classrooms, coaches gain a unique perspective on issues of college access, public education, and educational opportunity. By linking practice with ongoing research and dialogue, COACH continually looks for ways to challenge, explore, and bridge the growing opportunity gap for traditionally underrepresented students.
• The Center for the Study of Communication and the Deaf is devoted to both applied and theoretical research to benefit the Deaf and their families. Faculty and students have focused on three major research themes: the acquisition of sign languages, the impact of language on the education of the Deaf child, and the developmental assessment of bilingual approaches to the education of Deaf children. A variety of community services focus on projects assisting the hearing parents of Deaf children and on workshops and presentations to area agencies. The center has recently begun to create assessment instruments to determine ASL development in Deaf children.
• The Center for Character and Social Responsibility at Boston University addresses a range of issues related to young people acquiring sound ethical values and framing good character. Assists educators in becoming more competent and confident in the teaching and study of ethics and character. The center also fosters more research initiatives in and publications on moral and character education.
• The sedGreen committee is an expanding group of faculty, students, and staff who work to advocate for green practices and policies. Initiated in November 2006, sedGreen meets monthly to discuss environmental goals in the School of Education, as well as all of Boston University.
• Projects in Civic Engagement share a common aim—to promote civic engagement in democratic life, both within the United States and in emerging democracies abroad. Genuine civic engagement requires deep knowledge of democratic principles as well as practical experience in influencing public policy, and these projects take as their goals the development of knowledge and skills necessary for effective and meaningful civic engagement.
• The Donald Durrell Reading & Writing Clinic at Boston University serves elementary and middle school students who experience difficulty with reading and writing. Students who enroll in the program have a range of learning profiles: some struggle just a bit, while others experience severe reading and writing difficulty.
• The Summer Literacy Institute. Each summer, the School of Education offers a one-week institute that addresses current issues in literacy learning. The institute is intended for classroom teachers, literacy specialists, and administrators who would like to deepen or update their knowledge of effective assessment and instruction in literacy.
• The Intergenerational Literacy Program began offering literacy instruction to parents in 1989. The program was developed in collaboration with 17 community organizations and is guided by an Advisory Board representing participating parents, the Chelsea Public Schools, Boston University and community organizations.
• Gardner Pilot Academy Physical Education Collaboration. For the past three decades, children from the Gardner and Hamilton Schools have been bussed to Boston University’s Case Center for Physical Education classes taught by BU graduate students. The program, known as the Tuesday-Thursday Physical Education Program, became internationally recognized for its unique teaching-learning environment.