Also this past year, we undertook a major restructuring effort for our district high schools, where low student achievement has been the toughest and most serious problem in our system for decades. In June the Boston School Committee adopted a new student promotion policy, the first since 1983. This policy sets high standards of attendance and achievement for every student and eliminates the social promotion phenomenon that has damaged our credibility for decades by allowing unprepared students to advance and to graduate. Our higher expectations for student attendance are especially important. We can't teach students who don't show up.
Attendance is the foundation for educational success.
The building blocks start with student attendance and progress to student effort, parent support, quality teaching, rigorous standards, student achievement, then access to opportunity and, lastly, success. This is why teachers, administrators, and parents must also be held accountable. To this end we have this year launched intensive, yearlong training for principals and headmasters on evaluating and supporting teachers. We have provided new leadership in our central offices. We have established a new chief operating officer to manage human resources, administration, and finance.