Data from Boston Exam Schools Admissions Change (Harvard: upper-class, middle school)

[bostongymjunkie]

Let's see Menino, Walsh, Wu. I count three elected Mayors since we had a Mayor from BPS. Not ancient history by any means. You don't have to convince me that BPS sucks. But I think to really get a handle on how significant the issue is it would be helpful to look at elected Mayors in other major cities over the last 40 years and see how many graduated from the public schools. Politics is becoming increasingly a game for those from the upper economic classes, who will often send their kids to parochial and private schools even when public schools are fairly decent.

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by bostongymjunkie

Let's see Menino, Walsh, Wu. I count three elected Mayors since we had a Mayor from BPS. Not ancient history by any means. You don't have to convince me that BPS sucks. But I think to really get a handle on how significant the issue is it would be helpful to look at elected Mayors in other major cities over the last 40 years and see how many graduated from the public schools. Politics is becoming increasingly a game for those from the upper economic classes, who will often send their kids to parochial and private schools even when public schools are fairly decent.

3/4... it's still a very long time ago. 39 years is ancient history in a city, especially in Boston. but I digress

And just to answer your question a little bit at least.

• Eric Adams graduated from NYC Public Schools
• Brandon Scott graduated from Baltimore Public Schools
• Jorge Elorza Providence Public Schools
• Prior to Mayor Bowser, Mayor Vincent Gray graduated from DC Public Schools
• London Breed graduated from San Francisco Public Schools
• Prior to Eric Garcetti Antonia Villagairasa graduated from Los Angeles Public Schools
• Ed Gainey Graduated from Pittsburgh Public Schools
• Bruce Harrell graduated from Seattle Public Schools
• Michael Hancock Graduated from Denver Public Schools
• Andre Dickens of Atlanta graduated from Atlanta Public School
• Ted Wheeler graduated form Portland Public Schools
• Cavalier Johnson graduated from Milwaukee Public Schools

[bostongymjunkie]

Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade

3/4... it's still a very long time ago. 39 years is ancient history in a city, especially in Boston. but I digress

And just to answer your question a little bit at least.

• Eric Adams graduated from NYC Public Schools
• Brandon Scott graduated from Baltimore Public Schools
• Jorge Elorza Providence Public Schools
• Prior to Mayor Bowser, Mayor Vincent Gray graduated from DC Public Schools
• London Breed graduated from San Francisco Public Schools
• Prior to Eric Garcetti Antonia Villagairasa graduated from Los Angeles Public Schools
• Ed Gainey Graduated from Pittsburgh Public Schools
• Bruce Harrell graduated from Seattle Public Schools
• Michael Hancock Graduated from Denver Public Schools
• Andre Dickens of Atlanta graduated from Atlanta Public School
• Ted Wheeler graduated form Portland Public Schools
• Cavalier Johnson graduated from Milwaukee Public Schools

Interesting. At least as far as those cities go. I pulled a quick few. I still think you'd have to dig deeper to see if Boston is really that much of an anomaly. For example, most NYC Mayors of recent years did NOT attend NYC public schools. Adams is the anomaly. Current Newark Mayor went to public schools but Corey Booker went to suburban regional schools.

Jim Kenney graduated from Catholic schools (Philly)
Ras Baraka from Newark Public
Luke Bronin Philips Andover (Hartford)
Kathy Sheehan Chicago Schools (Albany)
Brandon Scott Baltimore Public Voke (Balt)
Mike Duggan, Detroit High (Detroit)
Lori Lightfoot went to Ohio schools (Chicago)

[Boston Shudra]

Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade

3/4... it's still a very long time ago. 39 years is ancient history in a city, especially in Boston. but I digress

And of course it’s even so much longer since Flynn actually graduated high school.

[bostongymjunkie]

Besides Adams, you gotta go back to 1977 to get a NYC Mayor who attended NYC schools. The BPS suck, no doubt, but there are confounding factors that also affect these trends.

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by bostongymjunkie

Interesting. At least as far as those cities go. I pulled a quick few. I still think you'd have to dig deeper to see if Boston is really that much of an anomaly. For example, most NYC Mayors of recent years did NOT attend NYC public schools. Adams is the anomaly. Current Newark Mayor went to public schools but Corey Booker went to suburban regional schools.

Jim Kenney graduated from Catholic schools (Philly)
Ras Baraka from Newark Public
Luke Bronin Philips Andover (Hartford)
Kathy Sheehan Chicago Schools (Albany)
Brandon Scott Baltimore Public Voke (Balt)
Mike Duggan, Detroit High (Detroit)
Lori Lightfoot went to Ohio schools (Chicago)

Idk how many cities are 40 years back before you find a public school graduate though.

[bostongymjunkie]

But a lot of those other school systems suck just as bad or worse. So it's not like the schools are making Mayors. It is a disgrace that the capitol of the state that touts itself as a leader in education has such bad public schools. Same goes for the Capitol of the US.

[BruinsGirl]

Why change schools that work well rather than fix schools that do not?
Open new exam schools, improve existing, open special programs in existing schools.

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by BruinsGirl

Why change schools that work well rather than fix schools that do not?
Open new exam schools, improve existing, open special programs in existing schools.

School didn't change, the student demography did.

City could use a 4th exam school though.

[BruinsGirl]

Originally Posted by bostongymjunkie

But a lot of those other school systems suck just as bad or worse. So it's not like the schools are making Mayors. It is a disgrace that the capitol of the state that touts itself as a leader in education has such bad public schools. Same goes for the Capitol of the US.

State is a leader in education yes, because you have numerous suburbs with professional majority or professionals who send kids in private schools or Boston Latin in Boston.

Quality of schools really depends on who goes to schools. I grew up in Soviet Union where we pretty much had the same level of income with some rare exceptions. Yet schools were different in quality. Schools in places around manufacturing where weaker, schools were historically intelligentsia lived more often were MUCH better and everything in between. Kids were taught using the same books (we had standard program in 99% schools) and teachers educated in the same "free" colleges, school program was very consistent and logical (at least in STEM), yet difference was apparent. Even in 1980-s 70 years after equity was achieved.