For Ashley Eng, an Asian American student who graduated from Brookline High School in 2019, interacting with teachers who didn’t share her background was not always easy. In math class, she said, “I would see my teacher stopping at students’ desks to ask if they need help, but not really Asian students because of the… Continue reading In Brookline, 23% of students identify as Asian. Just 6% of their teachers do. The gap poses challenges for both.
Category: Equity
Brookline celebrates Juneteenth with annual block party
Brookliners, a few wearing glittery cowboy hats and neckerchiefs, waited their turns to ride a bucking mechanical bull outside the Ridley School at this year’s Texas-themed Juneteenth block party. Juneteenth, a federal holiday since 2021, commemorates the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, received the news they were free, two years after… Continue reading Brookline celebrates Juneteenth with annual block party
The Brookline schools equity office is in limbo. Here’s what its work looks like.
The removal of Brookline’s Office of Educational Equity is one of many cuts made to narrow the schools’ $8 million budget gap. Now, with fundraising underway to reinstate the office and a School Committee torn about how to respond, the office is in limbo. A divided School Committee voted 5-4 on March 13 to eliminate… Continue reading The Brookline schools equity office is in limbo. Here’s what its work looks like.
Brookline group aims to fund equity positions cut by School Committee
A coalition of Brookline groups is raising money to fund equity-focused positions across the district that were eliminated by a divided School Committee on March 13. Jodi Fortuna, the district’s deputy superintendent of teaching and learning, announced at a School Committee meeting Thursday that the coalition, coordinated by the Brookline Community Foundation, has raised about… Continue reading Brookline group aims to fund equity positions cut by School Committee
Neighbors rally to keep the Brookline Community Fridge going
At the end of 2024, Vena Priestly, a fourth-generation Brookline resident and real estate agent at Rise Realty, needed to find a home for an extra refrigerator one of her landlords had. Unsure about what to do with the appliance, she posted a notice in the “Buy Nothing Brookline” Facebook group, where people give and… Continue reading Neighbors rally to keep the Brookline Community Fridge going
News in brief: New welcome booklet, Arts Commission seeks grant applicants
Booklet welcomes immigrants, new residents The town’s Immigrant Advancement Committee recently created a 30-page welcome booklet for new arrivals to the town, including refugees and immigrants, with information about local government, medical and mental health resources, schools, transportation and more. “We know that whatever your country of origin or your economic status, settling in to… Continue reading News in brief: New welcome booklet, Arts Commission seeks grant applicants
Steps to Success, offering opportunities for low-income students in Brookline, looks to widen its reach
Some days, Steps to Success’ programming means a boat excursion in Boston Harbor. Other days it means homework help, or a career skills workshop. In any form it takes, its goal is to close the “opportunity gap” between low-income students and their peers in Brookline. The nonprofit, which has been around for 20 years, has… Continue reading Steps to Success, offering opportunities for low-income students in Brookline, looks to widen its reach
Town launches effort to bridge local government language gap, spurred by 2021 Town Meeting vote
Ahmad Hamssa, Brookline’s first language access coordinator, moved with his family to the United States from Sudan in 2003, and he learned English at the age of 7. Now, as he works to codify the town’s patchwork of translation and interpretation services, he hopes to ensure that other immigrant families don’t face the same struggles… Continue reading Town launches effort to bridge local government language gap, spurred by 2021 Town Meeting vote
‘Were they trying to kill my child?’: Father speaks out on alleged racial bullying at Lawrence School
Nearly every weekday morning for the past nine years, Ricardo Henry watched his child board the school bus from Boston to the Lawrence School, a public K-8 school in Brookline. Doing so this spring felt different. He was filled with fear for the eighth grader, who had been subject to racial bullying by different students… Continue reading ‘Were they trying to kill my child?’: Father speaks out on alleged racial bullying at Lawrence School
For Felina Silver, a personal quest for identity leads to civic leadership on Indigenous issues
In 2019, Felina Silver learned her mother had cancer. As relatives who were unfamiliar to her began reaching out to offer their sympathy, Silver realized she knew too little about her own family background. A DNA test, she decided, would be the solution. She had no idea back then just how much those test results… Continue reading For Felina Silver, a personal quest for identity leads to civic leadership on Indigenous issues
Schools’ equity office aims to expand its work with new staff training and AI tool
Brookline schools are trying to boost the district’s Office of Educational Equity (OEE) by creating teams of staff at each school to focus on equity, and rolling out an artificial intelligence tool to help educators create lesson plans. OEE will establish “equity teams” as part of a pilot program at the Florida Ruffin Ridley, Lawrence,… Continue reading Schools’ equity office aims to expand its work with new staff training and AI tool
Town housing leaders grapple with how to increase diversity in Brookline
A declining Black population, growing economic disparities and a reputation for exclusion: How can Brookline contend with those challenges and welcome more Black and Hispanic households? The town’s Housing Advisory Board discussed that question at a recent meeting, led by Bernard Greene, chair of the town’s Select Board. To Greene, racial imbalances in Brookline are… Continue reading Town housing leaders grapple with how to increase diversity in Brookline
BCF’s new database illuminates the numbers behind Brookline
The Brookline Community Foundation unveiled its new Community Indicators Database at an event at the Florida Ruffin Ridley School on November 2. It tracks various data about life in Brookline over the years, and compares it to several nearby cities and towns. Check out this video for an overview of the database and this guide… Continue reading BCF’s new database illuminates the numbers behind Brookline
Brookline libraries eliminate late fees
Brookline’s public library system has eliminated late fees, following a national trend as libraries look for ways to make their materials more accessible to the public. Brookline’s three libraries stopped charging patrons for overdue materials on July 1 and also wiped clear any unpaid past fines for late returns. With fines tending to bring in… Continue reading Brookline libraries eliminate late fees
Brookline schools’ equity office faces a reckoning as two leaders step down
The two staff members of the Office of Educational Equity at the Public Schools of Brookline have announced they are leaving their jobs this summer, one of them citing long-standing cultural problems in the schools. Jenee Uttaro, senior director of educational equity, said in a letter to colleagues that she is leaving her position after… Continue reading Brookline schools’ equity office faces a reckoning as two leaders step down
Report shines light on Brookline’s financially vulnerable
Roughly one in four Brookline residents is financially vulnerable, living in households with incomes well below the living wage for Norfolk County, according to a new report coming out next week from the Brookline Community Foundation. More than one-third of Brookline residents spend over 30% of their income on housing. These are among the most… Continue reading Report shines light on Brookline’s financially vulnerable