Commissioner of Education Jeff Riley first launched Acceleration Academies when he was still a middle school principal in the Boston Public Schools. When he was recruited to become the Receiver of the Lawrence Public Schools in 2012, he brought the concept with him and expanded the pilot program from 9 to 31 schools across the district.
Acceleration Academies match students with highly effective teachers in small class sizes. They take place during the February and April school vacation weeks and provide students with intensive instruction in small group settings; the student-teacher ratio in the Academies is typically 10:1. Academies are more than school “boot camps”; they are transformational experiences that drastically improve school outcomes for individual students and schools overall.
A key component of the Academies’ success is the recruiting and retention of exceptional teachers. In order to attract top talent, Riley founded the Sontag Prize in Education (named for a professor who was a major influence) to celebrate exceptional teachers by providing honorariums, professional development, and public recognition. These remarkable educators are the cornerstone of Acceleration Academies’ astounding results – many of them flying in from other districts during February and April vacations to teach in Boston and Lawrence.
Partnering with the Lynch Foundation
The Foundation was proud to get in on the ground floor and support Acceleration Academies as early as 2011. In 2012, when Riley joined Lawrence Public Schools, the support was expanded to both Boston and Lawrence, with several subsequent grants over the years to expand and maintain the work in Lawrence.
The initiative has met with astounding success in Lawrence, including:
- A 24% rise in overall graduation rates over the first six years
- A 30% rise in the graduation rate of students with disabilities over the first six years
- A 17% rise in median MCAS math scores over the first three years
These impressive district-wide results were confirmed to be, in large part, the direct results of the Acceleration Academies by a quantitative study done by Harvard University.
To learn more, visit http://goldenticketlawrence.newprofit.org/.