Innovation Agenda Planning Process

May 2011 Update (pdf)

Faculties and families of schools across Cambridge, eager to begin the work of building new upper school communities, began meeting immediately after the School Committee’s approval of the Innovation Agenda.

In addition to the numerous community building activities launched by individual schools, CPS has established two citywide planning groups for parent and teacher participation. Superintendent Young will also host a meeting for CPS community and out-of-school-time partners at the end of May. All groups, as well as the CPS Curriculum Coordinators, are launching their work together by articulating their vision of the future under the Innovation Agenda.

Citywide School Advisory Group: The Citywide School Advisory Group is a Cambridge parent leadership and advisory group. The CSAG includes two representatives from each school, selected by the School Council of each school. These members are charged with representing both their individual school communities and all families across the city. CSAG members are asked to advise the Superintendent and support the development of the Cambridge Public Schools by representing their individual school communities in three areas: communication, community building, and Innovation Agenda planning. The CSAG met March 31 to discuss its purpose and role, and will continue to meet throughout the 2011-12 school year. The CSAG has formed a governance subcommittee that will work with the Superintendent to plan CSAG meetings and agendas.

Innovation Agenda Teacher Planning Team: The IA Teacher Planning Team is composed of 15 teachers in grades 5-9, including general and Special Education teachers and specialists, from schools across the city. All CPS teachers at these grade levels were invited to apply for participation, and we received 36 applications from a range of extremely qualified and committed CPS educators. Teachers were selected in order to create a diverse team that represented school communities and content areas. The IA Teacher Planning Team will meet five times before the end of the 2010-11 school year. This team will identify areas of interest and concern from the teachers’ perspective as well as process recommendations that will provide the Superintendent with guidance in terms of topics for exploration and areas for design in 2011-12.