The Office of School Partnerships

Boston Public Schools Leadership Development Network

Archived Information (Note:The LDN concluded its programs in 2003. Information below is on previous work.)

• Mission and History
• Advisory Board
• Participating Schools
• Professional Development Activities
  • Summer Institute
  • Full Group Sessions
  • Seminars
  • Bank of America (formerly Fleet) Forum Lecture Series
  • Cross-Site Visits
• Technical Assistance and Consultations
  • Consultations Provided by Harvard Doctoral Students
  • Curriculum Consultants

Participating Schools

Professional Development Activities

Summer Institute
A multi-day Summer Institute sponsored by the Boston Public Schools Leadership Development Network and Harvard University is held annually. The institute is designed to develop the leadership capacity of participants while creating opportunities for LDN teams to collaborate. The activities and workshops at the institute revolve around issues facing the school teams. Past themes have included the challenges of distributed leadership, large-scale instructional improvement, and standards-based reform. The institute aims to expose participants to the practical dimensions of whole school improvement, to connect them with resources available for addressing these dimensions, and to provide a forum to facilitate the thinking and planning necessary to advance the goals of each participating school. Teamwork is the mainstay of the institute, and presenters interact with participants to facilitate learning. Past presenters have included Harvard Graduate School of Education Professors Richard Elmore, Stacy Bloke Beard, Susan Moore Johnson, James Honan, and Robert Kegan. Additionally, practitioners, both nationally and locally known have presented at past institutes. These have included Tom Payzant, Anthony Alvarado and Lorraine Monroe.

Full Group Sessions
The LDN offers a number of full group professional development workshops during the academic year. The sessions are open to all LDN team members and are facilitated by Harvard University faculty and outside education experts. Workshops focus on organizational change, adult development, and curriculum and instruction.

Seminars
The LDN offers small group seminars to its team members that are limited to approximately 8 - 15 participants. Within a given framework, participants choose topics based upon their interests and explore those topics in depth over four or five sessions. Seminars have been conducted in areas such as Reading and Writing Across the Curriculum, Facilitating Effective Discussions about Instruction and Teaching and Studying Genres of Literature.

Bank of America Forum Lecture Series
The Bank of America Forum Lecture Series (formerly Fleet Forum) is an invaluable tool for administrators, faculty, staff, parents and community collaborators from across the school system. This series builds on the work of the LDN and connects the broader Boston community to Harvard's resources. Held annually, the forum continues to be a key component in providing a platform for the BPS to address some of the major issues involved in comprehensive school reform. Past topics have covered such issues as Closing the Achievement Gap, Accountability and Instructional Improvement, and How to Create Conditions in Schools that Foster Student Achievement. Past presenters have included the Harvard Graduate School of Education Professors Susan Moore Johnson, Richard Elmore and Pedro Noguera, and other nationally known experts such as Ellen Keene and Uri Treisman

Cross-Site Visits
Several times per year, LDN conducts site-visits for participating teachers and administrators. These site visits to schools both within and outside the BPS system are tailored to meet the request of LDN participants to see "best practices" in schools that reflect their student population and grade level. Participants continuously report back that they were inspired, energized and grateful for the opportunity to observe successful change efforts and establish ties with other professionals. These visits create deeper dialogue and give participants broader exposure to the schools' particular strengths. Past sites include the Boston Arts Academy in Boston as well as the KIPP Academy, the Manhattan New School, and the Frederick Douglass Academy in New York City.