Op-Ed by Drew Echelson and Greg DeMeo An Educational Vision for WHS Members of the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) Board remind districts: “Don’t come to the MSBA with a facilities plan. Respectfully, we won’t fund projects that focus solely on facilities. Come to the MSBA with an educational plan upon which decisions about facilities are made.” Supported by nationally renowned educational planner David Stephen, Waltham stakeholders spent months crafting an education plan. We are proud that NEASC, New England’s high school accreditation unit, provided rave reviews of the document. In their recent study they said, “the school's comprehensive Education Plan clearly articulates the future direction of the school system and outlines many avenues for achievement…. Many staff cite the Educational Plan as the guiding document….” You can read the entire WHS Education Plan here (recommend specific emphasis on pps. 12-65): https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1RKdQk5zXW0TENubzFUSF9yZlE/view. Waltham’s education plan has a number of signature elements: 1. Interdisciplinary approach: Our education plan organizes into four academic clusters: Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), Humanities, Fine and Performing Arts and PE, Health, Wellness and Athletics. Students will experience courses that integrate within and across disciplines. The current structure of our building isolates Career Vocational Technical Education (CVTE) programming and thus limits integration into academic content. The educational plan joins all CVTE programs into the appropriate academic clusters and provides an opportunity to integrate students’ career interests with their academic coursework, which is the true goal of a comprehensive high school. 2. Project Based Learning (PBL): Students will investigate and develop solutions for complex and interdisciplinary issues. For example, in a freshman seminar, diverse teams of students might participate in a local community revitalization effort by developing a walking tour throughout Waltham. Teams of students would identify community landmarks that should be included on the walking tour, research history surrounding those landmarks using primary and secondary sources, and communicate their findings by writing and recording a narrative that will guide the tour. These types of assessments are consistent with the work that students are required to complete in college and career. 3. New Programs: Our education plan allows for new innovative STEM programming including: robotics, biotechnology, environmental science and technology, computer science and cyber-security, among other opportunities. In addition, programs such as cosmetology, HVAC, a student run café/restaurant through Culinary Arts and web design are all part of the plan.

We have carefully selected new programs that will prepare students for industries in which we expect significant growth. We have studied labor market data and partnered with local industry leaders and the DESE to identify programs that will best position our students for the future. In addition, the new labor market requires workers who can “engage in complex communication; work productively on diverse teams; synthesis research and develop action plans; demonstrate a disposition to contribute to a group and an interest to learn from others” (Murnane, 2017). By increasing opportunities for our students to complete rigorous and engaging projects that focus on the skills needed for the new labor market, we are investing in our children and ensuring that ALL are best prepared for the labor market. We are taking great efforts to support this education plan so students can benefit from our plans now. For example, we are the fortunate recipients of a $175,000 grant from the Nellie Mae Education Foundation (NMEF) and many of the funds from this grant are being used to support the development of PBL at WHS. For example, we currently have about 20 projects that students and teachers are working through. We are proud to host a community event on May 9th at 6:30 p.m. in the Waltham High School library to celebrate and showcase their projects in a public exhibition. We encourage all to attend!