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Wu’s lofty goals come as Boston faces tremendous challenges locally to educate its students, and from the Trump administration, which has sought to tighten control of local school districts by funding cuts and threats to withhold grant money for districts that offer programs Trump disagrees with, including supports for immigrants and transgender students. Wu has become a national figure for her defiance of Trump, and made headlines with her strong advocacy for the city during congressional testimony earlier this year. “While the Trump administration tries to dismantle public education by neglect and by force, we’re doubling down on setting the highest standards for student achievement by getting the operational details right,” Wu said. Wu noted those challenges and said Boston has been a target in the “federal political storm.” “We’ve had grants pulled. Funding cut. Even as we do everything we can to protect our communities, we’ll have some hard decisions to make,” Wu said, without identifying specifics. . “These next few years won’t be easy, but as we know: Boston doesn’t back down.” But some observers argued Tuesday that Wudidn’t outline enough concrete steps to take a district that was facing state receivership just a few years ago and transform it into the best school system in the country. “There were no metrics or plan offered for what Boston needs to do to become the country’s ‘Best Public School District,’ “ said Greg Maynard, the executive director of the Boston Policy Institute. Ari Branz, director of organizing with St. Stephen’s Youth Programs, said they supported Wu’s goal, but needed more detail. “We’re happy to see the mayor highlighting public education,” Branz said. “We want to see more of the urgency she spoke about -- especially when it comes to bilingual education, the best way to raise achievement for multilingual learners and power Boston’s global workforce.” Boston is among the most diverse public school districts in Massachusetts, where more than a third of the 48,000 students are English learners, and about 70 percent are low income, according to state data. Boston has seen modest improvement on MCAS scores in grades 3 to 8, it lost ground in Grade 10, and like schools across the country, continues to lag below prepandemic levels. While the district as a whole is no longer in the category of schools eligible for receivership, more than one-third of BPS students attend a school that is ranked in the bottom 10 percent of Massachusetts schools. There are wide achievement gaps between Black and Latino students, compared with their white and Asian classmates. Concerns about the quality of Boston’s schools have fueled debate over changing the admission policy for the city’s three competitive exam schools. The district is also working to close nearly one-fifth of its buildings by the end of the decade, a process that has sparked anger among families, who argue the district isn’t being transparent about which buildings will be closed. In her speech, Wu, a BPS parent who took office in late 2021, emphasized progress BPS has made in recent years. Under the leadership of Superintendent Mary Skipper, BPS is outperforming ten of its comparable peer districts, Wu said. More than 90 percent of BPS buildings have air conditioning, up from less than a third four years ago. There are more investments in BPS athletics. Most student meals are being freshly made by BPS staff. Bus arrival times have improved dramatically; on Monday, 96 percent of buses arrived on time, she said. “After years of instability, we’re seeing real, meaningful progress,” Wu said. “But we’re not yet where we need to be.” Wu, who is facing little opposition to a second term on Election Day next week, also used the speech to announce new initiatives like starting advanced math clubs in schools and creating new afterschool programs across the city. An expanded online platform allows families to register for BPS in one of 10 languages, she said. Wu said she also is directing the Partnerships team in the mayor’s office and at BPS, to pursue a new round of collaborations with the goal of signing up every major institution in the city. Critics have said that Wu’s speech didn’t adequately address a vital issue -- educating its English learner students. They said BPS hasn’t put enough resources into educating English learners -- who comprise more than a third of the district. In her speech, Wu said the district has launched 16 new bilingual programs. But advocates outside the Chinatown school Tuesday urged people to sign a petition calling for bilingual programs in every BPS school. John Reyes, a parent of a BPS second grader, said the district needs more teachers in classrooms who are able to support bilingual programs. “The teachers right now, they’re doing their best,” Reyes said while collecting signatures outside the building. “The message is to provide qualified teachers, so our students can really learn... without a teacher, the students cannot succeed.” John Mudd, a former member of the School Committee’s English language learners task force, said BPS must focus on helping English learners succeed. “How can we become the best in the nation if we won’t honestly address the needs of our multilingual learners and look at the evidence of what they need, and what is failing them?” Mudd said. Bilingual education should be available “for all students who need and want it.” Christopher Huffaker of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
