NICOLE ESTAPHAN HAS MORE.
NICOLE: IT IS 6:00 A.M. AND THE SUN IS SHINING A DIM LIGHT ON BOSTON AS IT BECAME -- AS IT PREPARES TO AWAKEN A BUSTLING CITY.
ALREADY IN THE GROUP, ONE OF ITS NEWEST RESIDENTS WITH A BIG JOB AHEAD, TODAY AND IN THE YEARS TO COME.
BRENDA CASSELLIUS AND HER HUSBAND JASON MOVED HERE FROM MINNESOTA.
THEY BEGIN EVERY MORNING TOGETHER, CHERISHING MOMENTS.
BRENDA SPENDS MOST OF HER TIME FOCUSED ON REFORMING THE BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM.
>> MY FIRST GOAL IS TO REALLY WIN BACK THE TRUST OF THE COMMUNITY.
NICOLE: CASELLIUS TAKES ON THE CITY SUPERINTENDENT ROLE AT A TIME WHEN BOSTON REMAINS AMONG THE BEST-PERFORMING LARGE URBAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE COUNTRY.
BUT COMMUNITY TRUST IS SHRINKING, IN PART DUE TO TURNOVER AT THE HEAD.
CASELLIUS WILL BE THE DISTRICT’S FIFTH SUPERINTENDENT IN JUST THE PAST 10 YEARS.
IN A COMMUNITY WHERE TWO THIRDS OF THE CITY’S 60 5000 STUDENTS LIVE IN POVERTY.
>> CLOSING OPPORTUNITY GAPS FOR CHILDREN AND REALLY LOOKING AT THOSE CORE PRINCIPLES OF POVERTY AS A CITY, AND REALLY GETTING AT WHY OUR CHILDREN COME TO US WITH LESS.
SO THAT WE CAN DO MORE.
NICOLE: HOW DOES SHE PLAN TO DO THAT?
BY LIVING AND BREATHING IN THE COMMUNITY.
WE JOIN HER ON HER COMMUTE, A WALK-THROUGH DUDLEY SQUARE.
>> I WANT TO BE ABLE TO GET INTO OUR NEIGHBORHOODS THROUGHOUT BOSTON, BECAUSE BOSTON IS REALLY KIND OF A NEIGHBORLY CITY, AND REALLY FEEL WHAT IT IS LIKE AND WHAT RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE FOR
PEOPLE IN THOSE COMMUNITIES.
NICOLE: CASELLIUS REMEMBERS WELL WHAT IT IS LIKE TO BE A KID ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF OPPORTUNITY.
>> I GREW UP IN THE SOUTHEAST PROJECTS OF MINNEAPOLIS FOR MUCH OF MY CHILDHOOD.
NICOLE: SELLING FLOWERS AS A CHILD TO HELP SUPPORT THE FAMILY, AND IN EARLY ADULTHOOD, STRUGGLING TO MAKE ENDS MEET.
>> I WAS A SINGLE MOM FOR 10 YEARS.
NOT ONLY WAS I GROWING UP ON WELFARE AND HAD A BABY, I KNOW THE VALUE OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS COMING TOGETHER AND WRAPPING YOUR ARMS AROUND CHILDREN.
NICOLE: BUT IS COMMUNITY IMMERSION ENOUGH?
CASELLIUS CAME TO BOSTON WITH A LOFTY GOAL, TO GET INSIDE ALL OF ITS 125 SCHOOLS IN 100 DAYS.
>> IF I HAD NOT WALKED THE SCHOOLS AND TALK TO THE TEACHERS IN EACH SCHOOL AND MAKING THESE REALLY BIG DECISIONS FOR THEM, IT DID NOT SEEM FAIR.
NICOLE: WHERE THE HEART OF THE COMMUNITY IS NOT IN STATISTICS BUT IN THE CLASSROOMS.
FOR PRINCIPLES AND TEACHERS ON THE FRONTLINE OF OBSTACLES.
IT IS 9:00 A.M. AND HIGGINSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IS GETTING A NEW PLAYGROUND, A SEVEN YEAR EFFORT.
>> IT HAS BEEN MORE THAN A LABOR OF LOVE.
EVERYBODY HAS GIVEN EVERYTHING THEY HAVE AND MORE TO DEDICATING WHAT OUR STUDENTS NEED.
NICOLE: A SIMPLE SPACE, THE VALUE OF WHICH IS UNTOLD, FELT CLEARLY THROUGH THESE TEARS OF JOY.
NOT EVERY SCHOOL IS SO LUCKY.
THIS BLACKTOP, THE ENTRANCE TO THE HENNIGAN SCHOOL IN JAMAICA PLAIN, SERVES AS ITS ONLY PLACE FOR KIDS TO PLAY.
>> ARE YOU GOING TO GIVE ME MY TOUR?
NICOLE: IT IS 11:00 A.M. AND CASELLIUS IS ABOUT TO HEAR ABOUT THE CHALLENGES AT THIS KINDERGARTEN THROUGH EIGHTH GRADE.
FROM STUDENTS WHO HAVE A WISH LIST.
>> I WOULD LIKE FOR US TO HAVE MORE SEATING OPTIONS.
>> A WONDERFUL PLACE FOR ALL CHILDREN TO LEARN.
NICOLE: THE PRINCIPAL HAS BEEN WONDERING IN THE BPS SYSTEM FOR 27 YEARS.
SHE HAS SEEN POSITIVE CHANGE SINCE THE DAYS SHE WALKED THE HALLS AS A STUDENT.
>> CHANGE IN THE SCHOOL DYNAMICS, WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE, THE TEACHERS, HOW THEY REPRESENT THE STUDENTS MORE, HOW THE CURRICULUM REPRESENTS THE STUDENTS.
IT IS MORE OF A WELCOMING COMMUNITY.
NICOLE: WITH A ARMS COMES NEW CHALLENGES.
>> ABOUT 13 DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS REPRESENT OUR SCHOOL.
WE HAVE SEVEN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES.
NICOLE: OUT OF 600 STUDENTS HERE, HALF ARE ESL LEARNERS.
ENGLISH IS THEIR SECOND LANGUAGE.
>> PATTERNS OF WORDS.
OK, INTERESTING.
NICOLE: SIMPLE INSTRUCTION IS MORE COMPLICATED.
SOME CLASSES ARE MADE UP OF AS MANY AS SIX DIFFERENT PRIMARY LANGUAGES.
AND FOR THE OLDER STUDENTS, AGING EQUIPMENT HAS THEM FAR BEHIND THE ADVANCES BEING MADE IN OTHER SCHOOLS.
>> WE NEED NEW TECHNOLOGY.
IT WOULD BE GREAT TO HAVE SMART BOARDS IN THE ROOM.
GREAT TO HAVE DIFFERENT FURNITURE.
NICOLE: FOR CASELLIUS, THE HENNIGAN SCHOOL IS NUMBER 99 ON HER TOUR.
AFTER 31 YEARS IN EDUCATION, WE WONDERED IF ANYTHING SO FAR AS SURPRISED HER.
>> THE SHEER GRAND SCALE OF THE SIZE OF THE DISTRICT, 130 SOMETHING BUILDINGS, HOW OLD THEY ARE.
SCHOOLS WHO DO NOT HAVE ADEQUATE CAFETERIA SPACES.
NICOLE: WE ARE ONLY HALFWAY THROUGH A DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE BOSTON SUPERINTENDENT, AND SHE FACES BIG QUESTIONS AHEAD.
SHAYNA: AN UPDATE ON THE SUPERINTENDENT’S 100 DAY TOUR.
SHE JUST COMPLETED HER GOAL OF VISITING EVERY SCHOO NOW ANOTHER CHALLENGE, END HOMELESSNESS AMONG BPS STUDENTS.
A MAJOR CONCERN FOR