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Urban Science Academy, Boston, MAorder of the candidate critical components in Table 1 is not intended to indicate relativeimportance. Each case study reports on the prominence of particular components based on thefindings.Table 1Definitions of Candidate Critical Components11. STEM-Focused Curriculum. Strong courses in all 4 STEM areas, or, engineering and technology explicitly,intentionally integrated into STEM subjects and non-STEM subjects.2. Reform Instructional Strategies and Project-Based Learning. STEM classes emphasizing active, immersive,and authentic instructional practices/strategies informed by research; opportunities for project-based learning andstudent production; performance-based assessment practices that have an authentic fit with STEM disciplines.3. Integrated, Innovative Technology Use. Technology used to connect students with information systems,models, databases, STEM research resources, teachers, mentors, social networking resources for STEM ideas;includes during and outside the school day.4. Blended Formal/Informal Learning beyond the Typical School Day, Week, or Year. Learning opportunitiesnot bounded but ubiquitous; learning spills into areas regarded as informal STEM education, includingapprenticeships, mentoring, social networking, and doing STEM in locations off of the school site, e.g., in thecommunity, museums and STEM centers, and business and industry.5. Real-World STEM Partnerships. Students connecting to business/ industry/world of work via mentorships,internships, or projects that occur within or outside the normal school day/year.6. Early College-Level Coursework. Opportunities for students to take college level course work and earncollege credits, e.g., AP classes, online college courses, college classes at institutions of higher education;facilitated by flexible school schedule.7. Well-Prepared STEM Teaching Staff. Teachers certified to teach in their STEM subject areas and havingadvanced STEM content knowledge and/or practical experience in STEM careers; opportunities for professionaldevelopment.8. Inclusive STEM Mission. Stated mission/goals to prepare students for STEM, with emphasis on recruitingstudents from underrepresented groups.9. Administrative Structure. Various structures (e.g., school-within-a-school, charter school, magnet school),affected by the school’s age and provenance, i.e., whether the school was converted from another model or wascreated “from scratch” as a STEM school; various funding structures.10. Supports for Underrepresented Students. Bridge programs, tutoring programs, extended school day,extended school year, or looping to strengthen student transitions to STEM-focused curriculum; altered, improvedopportunity structures, i.e., students positioned for STEM college majors, careers, and jobs.This case study includes a brief summary of school selection and data collection methods. Thereader is referred to the Research Framework document located on the OSPrI project website1Herein after referred to simply as critical components, with the understanding that they are theorized to be criticalto the success of an ISHS.6

Urban Science Academy, Boston, MA(ospri.research.gwu.edu) for details on the rationale for examining the ten critical components,and methods for school selection and recruitment, data collection, and data analysis.2.2.SELECTION OF URBAN SCIENCE ACADEMYThe goal of the OSPrI study is to characterize a set of exemplar inclusive STEM-focused highschools and conduct a cross-case analysis to develop a theory of action for scaling up suchschools. By exemplar, we mean that the school has demonstrated successful student outcomes(e.g., graduation rates, college acceptance rates, science and mathematics achievement scores),including some unusual successes with its unique student population in comparison to schooldistrict or state averages, given the demographically appropriate comparison groups. We defineinclusive in terms of the school’s admission criteria and process. An inclusive school is designedfor a range of students, not just gifted and talented. A school that is inclusive may use a lotterysystem if more students apply to the school than there are spaces. While it may have goals for astudent body that is demographically diverse, it does not have overly restrictive academicadmissions criteria that would exclude students from a challenging college preparatory academicprogram because of prior academic achievement. Such inclusive schools typically have at least50% or more of their students from groups underrepresented in STEM fields (e.g., AfricanAmericans, Hispanics, low income students, and those who would be the first in their family toattend college). By STEM-focused, we mean that the school requires more rigorous mathematicsand science courses to graduate than district and state requirements; or that its science,technology, engineering and mathematics classes are more integrated than traditional schools.We were primarily interested in STEM-focused high schools that required all their students tocomplete college preparatory courses including at least four years of mathematics; and four yearsof science. The school may or may not also require engineering or technology courses.Urban Science Academy was selected as the fifth ISHS for our research study seeking to definethe phenomena of inclusive STEM-focused high schools. Each school was chosen as a criticalcase (Yin, 2009), with a unique governing structure and academic organization likely to havebroad effects on implementation and outcomes. Urban Science Academy was included afterbeing recommended by a member of the Council of State Science Supervisors (CSSS). Afterreviewing publically available data on the school, we found that the school matched our selectioncriteria for outcomes, inclusiveness, and STEM-focus, as will be described in this case study. Weapproached the school administration with the intended purpose of our study and our researchrequest was approved.2.3.DATA COLLECTIONData collection began before the site visit to the school, by using publicly available data anddocuments found on the school and district websites, to begin to understand the school’s designand context, and to collect demographic and outcome data. Also, two online questionnaires werecompleted prior to the visit: a school description questionnaire completed by a schooladministrator, and a survey completed by the school’s teachers. Phone interviews wereconducted with the administrator to follow up on questionnaire responses. To understandimplementation, the OSPrI study team visited the school and collected design and7

Urban Science Academy, Boston, MAimplementation data using observation instruments and focus group and interview protocols. Thedata collection activities during the site visit are shown in Table 2.Table 2.Data Collection Activities during USA Site VisitClassroom ObservationsSTEM ClassesAlgebra 1AP CalculusAP ChemistryAP yTechnology ClassFocus GroupsTeachers/AdministrationTeachers of ScienceTeachers of MathematicsInstructional Teacher LeadersTeachers on Use of TechnologySchool Leadership TeamParentsInterviewsSchool PersonnelGuidance CounselorAssistant HeadmasterFamily/Community Engagement SpecialistResource TeacherNon-STEM Classes10th Grade Humanities12th Grade HumanitiesStudents11th/12th AP STEM students9th Grade StudentsStudent Leadership TeamNon-School PersonnelBrigham & Women’s HospitalJFY NetWorks Program DirectorPEER Health ExchangeBoston CollegeBound ProgramCloud FoundationTechnology Goes HomeOther ActivitiesSchool TourResearcher ActivitiesTeam Debrief – Day 1Team Debrief – Day 2This case study is organized to inform the reader about the context underlying the case, thenpresents findings in two sections, one exploring the design and implementation dimensions, andthe other, the outcomes dimension.8

Urban Science Academy, Boston, MA3.0CONTEXTThis case describes Urban Science Academy, an ISHS and urban public school in Boston,Massachusetts. This context section positions USA within the public school system and Bostoncommunity, and describes its founding and evolution up to the time of this case study.3.1.BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLSUSA is part of Boston Public Schools (BPS), an urban school system that is the oldest schoolsystem in the United States, founded in 1647. The demographics of students in this schoolsystem are described later in the Context section where it is compared to USA’s studentdemographics.3.1.1. Types of SchoolsBPS operates several types of high schools: exam, pilot, innovation, in-district charter, andtraditional comprehensive public high schools (Table 3). A student entering high school throughthe BPS system may apply to any of the several types of high schools, with the exception that,for a student to attend an exam and some pilot schools, the student will need to meet certainselection requirements, as described in the section that follows.Table 3.Boston Public School High School OrganizationAnother Course to College Boston Adult Tech. AcademyBoston Arts Academy Boston Community LeadershipAcad. Boston Day & Evening Academy Boston Green Academy Boston International HSBoston Latin Academy ⱵBoston Latin School ⱵBrighton HighBurke HighCharlestown HighComm. Acad. Sci. HealthCommunity AcademyDearborn (6-12)Dorchester AcademyEast Boston HighEnglish HighExcel HighFenway High Greater Egleston High Harbor High SchoolKennedy Acad. for Health Careers Lyon 9-12 Margarita Muñiz Academy *McKinley Prep High SchoolMcKinley South End AcademyNew Mission High Newcomers AcademyO’Bryant Math & Science ⱵQuincy Upper (6-12) (IB) Snowden International (IB)TechBoston Academy (6-12) Urban Science AcademyWest Roxbury AcademyKeyⱵ Exam School (3 schools) Pilot School (9 Schools) In-district Charter School (2schools)* Innovation School (1 school)Boston Public School Organization 2013-2014. Retrieved from www.bostonpublicschoolsThe exam schools in Boston are the most selective. Admission is based entirely on twodocuments, a student’s transcript and scores on the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE).When reviewing a student’s transcript, only the mathematics and English grades from a student’sseventh grade year and the first two marking periods of their eighth grade year are reviewedwhen a student is considered for admission (BPS Website). In order to be offered admission,students must have a competitive GPA on their middle school transcripts and a high score on the9

Urban Science Academy, Boston, MAISEE. Of the 35 total public high schools in Boston, 3 are exam schools, and 21 are pilot schools,described next.The pilot schools are part of the Boston Public School district but have autonomy over budget,staffing, governance, curriculum/assessment, and the school calendar, to provide increasedflexibility. Boston Public Schools cites that these schools were explicitly created to be models ofeducational innovation and to serve as research and development sites for effective urban publicschools (www.bostonpublicschools.org). While originally created to be laboratories ofinnovation for urban schools, pilot schools in Boston have been criticized as serving a less thanrepresentative sampling of students due to additional admission application requirements. Most ifnot all of the pilot schools require students to submit transcripts, teacher recommendations,personal essays, or even audition to be considered for admission (Center for CollaborativeEducation, 2007). While pilot schools do not have minimum GPA or test requirements, theseadditional application requirements have led to some criticism that pilot schools may actually beenrolling higher performing students than those that go to traditional schools in Boston.Depending on the pilot school, it may be using the same lottery system as the comprehensivehigh schools or it may have a separate selection process involving evaluation of applicant essays,teacher recommendations, transcripts, or auditions (Center for Collaborative Education, 2007).Like the BPS pilot schools, Margarita Muñiz Academy, the one innovation school shown inTable 3 was given greater autonomy and flexibility in its budget, schedule, calendar, staffingpolicies and professional development. Unlike the pilot schools, it did not have the uniform setof exemptions to the teachers' contract. Rather, as an innovation school, its governing board hasto negotiate waivers to facilitate the specific school plans.In-district charter high schools, like Boston Day and Evening Academy, Boston Green Academy,and Kennedy Academy for Health Careers are schools whose applications must first be approvedby a host school district and, with a few exceptions, the local teachers union. Teachers in indistrict charter schools must belong to the local union, but they may be subject to a thin contractthat waives most of the provisions not associated with compensation. In-district charter schoolsare authorized by the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and receive theirfunding through the state, but the amount they can keep and use at their discretion is usually asubject for negotiation with their sponsoring district.Lastly, there are the traditional public high schools in Boston; USA is in this category. Theseschools are open to all students and a lottery system is used to place students if more studentsapply to a school than there are spots available. These schools are subject to the governance ofBoston Public Schools, and rely on the district for curriculum and assessment support as well asstaffing. Like the innovation school, these traditional high schools are subject to union rules andlaws but would be required to negotiate a waiver to facilitate any changes in work conditionsstipulated in the contract. Some of these schools have a theme that may attract particularstudents, such as the science theme at Urban Science Academy.3.1.2. Boston Public School Teacher Union10

Urban Science Academy, Boston, MAThe Boston Teachers Union has major influence in the operation of BPS. The union represents5,500 teachers and other school professionals including nurses, psychologists, and guidancecounselors, and is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, as described on the BPSwebsite. Since the primary responsibilities of the union are to represent their members innegotiating and enforcing the contract, this positions the organization as a major influence insetting the culture and day-to-day school operations. The union enforces strict guidelines andacts as a constant reinforcement of the duties of both teacher and administration. Theenforcement has created distinct hierarchical roles within the school, and the faculty andadministration at USA have worked to progress the educational offerings despite the challenge ofthis inflexible system. The findings on administrative structure describe how USA has managedthis challenge.3.2.LOCATIONAs shown in Figure 1, UrbanScience Academy is located inWestRoxbury,aneighborhood within Boston.This neighborhood can becharacterized as a suburbwithin the city, as the streetsare lined with large singlefamily homes.Figure 1Location of Urban ScienceAcademy, a Boston public highschool in West Roxbury, MA.Urban Science Academy islocated in a far southwestquadrant of Boston. Studentsand Staff both commented onthe difficultly of reaching thisschoolviapublictransportation, so the schooltransports students from themajor subway stops to andfrom the school.Urban Science AcademyThe school, shown in Figure 2, is located near the 19th Century site of Brook Farm in thewatershed of the upper Charles River, situated between Millennium Park and a large wetland.11

Urban Science Academy, Boston, MAWithin the wetland, there is an island accessible by a boardwalk from the shore behind theschool where the Boston Schoolyard Initiative built an outdoor classroom and science educationsite in collaboration with the Urban Science Academy.Figure 2View of Urban Science Academy, West Roxbury, MA, from wetland.Urban Science Academy islocated near a wetland in theWest Roxbury neighborhood ofBoston, MA. This buildingoriginally housed four separateschools; at the time of our visit ithoused only Urban ScienceAcademy (right side) and WestRoxbury Academy (left side).3.3.HISTORYUSA opened in 2005 when Boston Public Schools received a multi-million dollar grant from theBill and Melinda Gates Foundation to address low student performance across the district. Thestrategy was to create smaller high schools where students could receive more individualizedattention to help them achieve. With this money, BPS closed four large comprehensive highschools in the district and reopened facilities to house new smaller theme-based schools. As aresult, the former high school site known as West Roxbury High School reopened as foursmaller, themed schools: Media Communications Technology High School, Brook FarmBusiness & Service Career Academy, Parkway Academy of Technology and Health, and UrbanScience Academy. USA chose an ecology/science theme to capitalize on the nearby naturalresources and relative proximity to Boston College and the Urban Ecology Institute.USA was initially a small school, serving a student body of approximately 300 students. Fromthe time the school first opened in 2005 until 2011, USA established itself as a “School on theMove Finalist”, a highly selective competition held by EdVestors where only 5-10% of BPS areeligible to apply. The prize recognized rapidly improving schools that made exemplary progressin advancing the academic achievement of all students. Unfortunately not all the new smallerhigh schools in the district were able to boast the same level of improvement, and with theending of the Gates funding, well-performing schools such as USA were asked to absorb lower12

Urban Science Academy, Boston, MAperforming schools. So in the fall of 2011, three of the four schools inside the West RoxburyEducation Complex were closed. Brook Farm Academy and Media CommunicationsTechnology High School were merged into one school now called West Roxbury Academy.Urban Science Academy, while keeping the same name and leadership, absorbed the teachersand students of Parkway Academy of Technology and Health. USA’s student body almostdoubled to 576 students growing to a medium-sized high school, rather than a small high school.Since the merger, USA faced challenges due to the increased number of students, including thosewho had been in the technology and health-themed school, and the blending of teachers

apprenticeships, mentoring, social networking, and doing STEM in locations off of the school site, e.g., in the community, museums and STEM centers, and business and industry. 5. Real-World STEM Partnerships. Students connecting to business/ industry/world of work via mentorships,