Urban Interventions

Once upon a time, the relationship of Boston universities to the city's school system was simply to accept worthy candidates into the freshman class and produce a few dozen new teachers each year to fill staff vacancies. Steve Leonard, turnaround headmaster at the Jeremiah Burke High School, dismissed his "too many partners" and invited several universities to help with very focused assignments essential to school improvement University partnerships must include a clear statement of objectives, mutual respect among university and city partners, a major commitment to stay many years (as BU did in Chelsea), and a willingness to evaluate and revise ineffective strategies.