The total amount of the
grants is $200,000. Each ranges from $10,000 to $36,000 per district.
Because of the funds, educators will be equipped with the necessary
resources to begin to design new schools, according to a press release.

Of
particular interest to Somerville residents, the City has gotten a
piece of the grant pie. The $19,144 that has been allocated will
support the development of as many as two conversions, within grades K
to 8, including one, which was modeled after the Harlem Children's
Zone.

Boston scored $36,376 to support the development of two
Advantage High School conversions and a new Advantage School, within
the 6 to 12 grade range.

Additionally, grants were awarded to
school districts in other parts of the state, such as Fall River. That
city will use its $10,800 to support the development of as many as two
schools, in either the Advantage or Alliance categories.

"The
strong response to the Readiness Schools initiative shows that school
districts are enthusiastic about the opportunity to use greater
autonomy to improve their schools," said Governor Deval Patrick.
"Readiness Schools provide powerful opportunities to promote
innovation, close achievement gaps, and give students and families more
choices in public education."

How did the state decide how much
funding to allocate to each school system? "Decisions about funding
were made by the committee [which] reviewed the applications, based on
the information contained in said applications," said Jonathan Palumbo,
Communications Director of the Executive Office of Education in the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Every district in the state were
eligible to apply for the funds, according to him.

More
specifically, "the preliminary information contained in [the City of
Somerville's] application for planning grant funding indicated a desire
to explore a model similar to that of the Harlem Children's Zone in
NYC," said Palumbo.

In that instance, "the school provides
wrap-around services including supports for parents, access to health
care and other outside of school assistance in addition to longer
school days, with a greater focus on core subjects and extra help and
tutoring for students," he said.

Readiness Schools will enjoy
greater flexibility and autonomy in curriculum, budget, staffing,
school schedule and calendar, as well as school district policies. They
may be developed as new schools, or as conversions of those, which are
already in existence. Each will operate under a performance contract,
which will set specific goals for student achievement, as well as
school improvement.

"We expect indicators of success to
include: student performance, grade advancement, graduation rates,
improving attendance rates, [or] lowering dropout rates.

The
implementation of the Readiness Schools initiative is a key part of the
Commonwealth's forthcoming application for federal "Race to the Top"
education funding, which will provide states with more than $4 billion
to promote education reform.

However, "The US Department of
Education has not released the specifics of the application for funds,
but [it] has indicated that states who work more aggressively to
address issues of under-performance (Acceleration Schools) and to
promote policies of innovation (Advantage and Alliance Schools) will be
looked upon favorably in the application process," said Palumbo.

There are three types of Readiness Schools: Advantage Schools, Alliance Schools, and Acceleration Schools.

The
first type, Advantage Schools, refers to those, in which faculty will
primarily be responsible for the development of the "innovation plan"
and performance contract, under which the school operates.

According
to Palumbo, the plan will [most likely] include "creative with
curriculum, school schedule, incorporation of outside resources, which
the external partner brings to the table."

The second type,
Alliance Schools, refers to those, in which external partners, such as
colleges, museums, and other organizations will play a central role in
development of the innovation plan and will be held accountable for
adhering to the terms of the performance contract.

Finally,
Acceleration Schools refer to those, in which conversions of
under-performing and chronically under-performing schools will occur.
They will be implemented through innovation plans and performance
contracts, which were developed by the Commissioner, with input from
local stakeholders.

The grants, which are funded through the
state's Targeted Assistance program, will allow districts to plan and
implement strategic reforms to improve student achievement during the
2009-10 school year, and leverage those reforms to establish Advantage
Schools and Alliance Schools, beginning in fall 2010. The Patrick
Administration plans to introduce legislation soon to authorize
Acceleration Schools, as well as some components of the first two
categories.

Presently, the number of Acceleration Schools is
not definitive. However, legislation is being drafted. "If the
legislation is passed, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education
would promulgate the regulations in close collaboration with educators
and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education with
additional input from our office," he said.

Other individuals are optimistic about the grants.

"These
16 districts are positioning themselves to be among the Commonwealth's
leaders in education reform and innovation," said Mitchell Chester,
Education Commissioner.

They "have a head start on one of the
most exciting education reforms in the past decade. By passing
Readiness School legislation quickly, we can give these districts even
more tools to work with, and provide Massachusetts with an advantage,
when applying for "Race to the Top" funding," said Paul Reville,
Massachusetts Secretary of Education.