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A recent independent review has found that Boston Public Schools (BPS) has incomplete and missing data that could negatively impact the quality of services provided to students. The report,

conducted by Ernst & Young consultants, evaluated seven data domains managed by BPS, including student enrollment and exits, student discipline, and support for English learners and special education students. The report identified student withdrawals and reported student restraints as high-risk domains due to lack of supporting documentation or accurate reporting.

The review is part of an ongoing state-mandated school improvement plan for BPS, which serves approximately 46,000 kids, two-thirds of whom are low-income, a third of whom are English learners, and nearly a quarter of whom have special learning needs. The plan, brokered last summer between city officials and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, includes key benchmarks and target dates for improvement in areas such as student safety, transportation, facilities, special education, and English language learner services, as well as data collection practices. The plan expires in June 2025.

Consultants focused on the 2021-22 school year and identified weak oversight, insufficient communication and training, and reliance on manual entry as barriers to accurate data-keeping in some cases. The report found that BPS accepts data “as is” from school-level reports without validating completeness or accuracy, and reports up to DESE with limited or no prior review. At some schools, data roles comprise just a “small element” of a staffer’s job and might be deprioritized.

The report also noted that some BPS processes rely on “manual entry into Google sheets,” leaving room for error. Among a sample size of 100 student withdrawals, 80% of entries lacked "required supporting documentation," according to the report. BPS collects and reports student enrollment and withdrawal information to DESE, which relies on this data to calculate the statewide graduation rate. The review found 89 instances of student restraints that were logged by BPS but not reported as required to DESE in the 2021-22 school year.

The report highlights the critical context for potential opportunities for improvement, including challenges with accountability, communication and training, focus, and manual processes that impact data quality. The review serves as a reminder that accurate data-keeping is essential for the provision of quality services to students. BPS will need to address the identified barriers and improve its data collection practices to ensure the integrity of its services and meet the targets outlined in the school improvement plan. Photo by User:Antony-22, Wikimedia commons.