Office of Strategy and Performance
**Preliminary**
The Office of Strategy and Performance was created during FY 2016 to coordinate the district’s strategic planning, the district-wide management of student information systems, the use of student data, and family and community outreach. Prior to the FY 2016, the Data Team had existed for over a decade and consisted of three staff members – a Director, a Database Manager, and an Applications Support Specialist – performing tasks related to the collection and management of data required for state and federal reporting including enrollment, attendance, and assessment. It also supported the analysis and use of MCAS results in schools and classrooms. Over the years, the Data Team had moved between the Office of Teaching and Learning and the Office of Administration and Finance and lacked consistent support, oversight, or leadership. In August 2015, the Special Assistant for Strategy and Performance was hired to provide leadership and management to this group. A Data Analysis Specialist was hired in May 2016 (FY 2016) to respond to the growing interest by teachers, teacher teams, principals, and curriculum coordinators to use a wide range of data to inform decision-making.
In FY 2019, the Office of Registration and Enrollment (ORE) moved from the Office of Student Services to the Office of Strategy and Performance to reflect ORE’s primary functions of outreach to new PSB families, school registration, and residency verification. These functions align with the Office of Strategy and Performance’s core work on managing the district’s student information systems and community engagement.
The five primary functions of the Office of Strategy and Performance are:
Strategic Planning and Capital Projects
The Office of Strategy and Performance coordinates work across the district to develop and monitor the long term strategic planning needed for the PSB to achieve its four core goals. The office provides support to district and school leaders on the development and rollout of district and school initiatives to ensure effective coordination, communication, alignment with the district goals, and to improve overall implementation. The Office of Strategy and Performance is organizing the district’s review of emergency preparedness procedures, materials and training. The office coordinates and leads the weekly Leadership Team meetings of school principals and senior leadership.
The Office of Strategy and Performance organizes and manages PSB’s work on major capital projects, including the Brookline High School, Driscoll, and Pierce School Building Projects. The Special Assistant for Strategy and Performance leads the Feasibility and Schematic Design Phases of the Driscoll and Pierce projects, organizing both School Building Committees and working directly with the architects, school staff, principals, and the Building Department. OSP also coordinates all communications, public meetings and community engagement related to these building projects. For the Pierce project, OSP drafted the successful Statement of Interest submission that the Massachusetts School Building Authority recently approved, inviting Brookline into its Eligibility Period. On the BHS expansion, OSP has supported the Building Committee during the construction process, and has continued to work with high school leadership on communications and outreach in helping to keep families and community members informed of the many changes that will happen in the neighborhood
Data Analysis and Information Management
A primary function of the Office of Strategy and Performance is to manage student and staff information across eight primary systems that are used for scheduling, enrollment and registration, health, college applications, communications, food services, and library circulation. The work done by staff in the Office of Strategy and Performance to maintain these systems enables essential functions across all schools such as: school enrollment, ensuring students with food allergies are safe, providing report cards and progress reports to families, ensuring the necessary and appropriate supports are provided to students with disabilities, regular and emergency communications with school communities, and the management of library materials. The proper maintenance and upkeep of the information in these systems enables the PSB to fulfill the reporting requirements of the state and federal government. Without these systems and this work, the PSB would not receive Chapter 70 funding, Medicaid reimbursement, Circuit Breaker reimbursement, or federal funding and grants. Below are a portion of the required data collection requirements from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. In addition, every other year, the Federal Government requires every District to complete the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC). The CRDC requires districts to submit a variety of information on staff and students including student enrollment and educational programs and services by subgroup disaggregated by subgroups.
Members of this team also work with the Office of Teaching and Learning to support teachers, teams of teachers, principals, and coordinators in easily accessing student learning data. In providing this information, the question, “How are our students doing?” can be asked and investigated from many angles. In the 2018-19 school year, this department supported schools, teachers, and administrators by: providing improved reports for our benchmark literacy assessment reports; providing information to principals and curriculum coordinators to help them better understand achievement and opportunity gaps that exist in our schools; disaggregating MCAS data by grade level, race/ethnicity, special education status, English language status, and socio-economic level and helping schools understand which students were in need of support; reporting course enrollment, course recommendations, and student discipline organized by race and subgroup; and by investigating structures within our district which have disparate impacts on students by race/ethnicity, special education status and socio-economic level. The department also supported data analysis request from the Mathematics Program Review. While the Office of Strategy and Performance provides this information and more, it is the schools, principals, teachers, coordinators, deans and other staff who decide how to respond to the information.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Reporting Schedule:
Family and Community Outreach
This office facilitates the work across the district to include, inform and engage families, staff, and community members in the work of our schools and the district. PSB reaches out to community members through abutters mailings, public meetings, email, the PSB website, the Town of Brookline website, social media, our school PTOs, our community partner organizations, and our local newspapers. OSP staff maintains the district website and social media accounts to keep families informed of news and updates happenings across all of our schools, as well as publicize community events in Brookline with partnering organizations. OSP staff also maintains the Staff Portal, which allows easier staff access to vital curriculum, instructional, and administrative documents and other tools and resources. Through family and staff newsletters, OSP highlights the successes and accomplishments of PSB students and staff throughout the school year. This office also coordinates and supports outreach related to public meetings, such as the public engagement process for the school building projects and the renaming of the Coolidge Corner School, and leads our efforts on crisis communications. In FY 2019, two previously existing full-time positions - the planning specialist and the enrollment specialist - that focus on community engagement were consolidated into one full time position.
Registration and Enrollment
The Office of Registration and Enrollment (ORE) (formerly the Office of Student Affairs) acts as a welcome center, first point of contact and the registration and enrollment center for all families considering the Public Schools of Brookline.
In September, 2019, The Brookline School Committee approved the Office of Student Affairs’ name to be changed to The Office of Registration and Enrollment (ORE). This name change provides greater clarity and awareness for both families and the District regarding the scope of the work conducted by the department. In addition, this greater clarity will also help diffuse confusion between the Office of Student Services and the Office of Student Affairs.
The specific choice in name, the Office of Registration and Enrollment, encompasses the wide scope of work, including working with already registered families. ORE registers and enrolls every single student in all grades, provides information to prospective parents about the schools, manages residency verification, supports student attendance, processes all student withdrawals, maintains student records relating to custody, supports student attendance, processes withdrawals, is responsible for enrollment reporting and works with all schools, the Superintendent, the Office of Student Services, and the Office of English Learners to maintain accurate student records.
ORE coordinates kindergarten registration including school assignment and the communication of essential transition information to new families. ORE helps to coordinate the efforts of BEEP, PreK-8 schools, and private pre-schools to ensure that families with students entering kindergarten have a positive transition into the public schools from the moment they first decide to enroll through their first day of school.
ORE staff serves the Public Schools of Brookline community by answering inquiries and assisting more than 1,500 families each year who request information about the schools, the community and the registration process. As enrollment increases and becomes more diverse, ORE provides individual attention to each family and student by arranging appointments to complete English Language proficiency screenings, coordinating with school staff to set up school counselor meetings, determining and communicating school assignments and answering adjustment questions from each family for every student. ORE also works with each family with students enrolled in PSB to verify their students’ continued residency eligibility for enrollment.
As an essential component to the Public Schools of Brookline, the ORE team strives to provide excellent support and service to meet the needs of students and their families by providing guidance and a welcoming experience to our district. Through all of this work, ORE staff is constantly supporting families who come from across the Charles River, across the state, and across the globe working closely with them to ensure a seamless transition into the Public Schools of Brookline.
Budget Statement
FY 2021 is the fourth year that Strategy and Performance has its own budget and the second year that the department’s budget will include the Office of Registration and Enrollment. As described above, this office was created primarily from the previously existing Data Team. The majority of OSP’s budget comes from the previously existing budgets of the Data Team and the Office of Registration and Enrollment including the existing 8.5 FTE, our student and staff information systems, and our primary district-wide communications tools, and Student Enrollment management tool. The bulk of the budget FY 2021 increase for this department comes from personnel adjustments. The District currently has two Senior Application Support Specialists. One of these FTE’s is captured in the budget of the Office and Strategy and Performance; the other in the Brookline High School budget. Starting in FY 2021, both Senior Application Support Specialists will be represented under the OSP budget and work under the supervision of the Director of Data Analysis and Information Management. In addition, the staff increase reflects returning the 0.5 FTE Registration Enrollment and Community Engagement Specialist split position to 1.0 FTE for Community Engagement and 1.0 FTE for Enrollment to support growing enrollment intake and a robust residency verification program. The limited new expenditures for FY 2021 include: the anticipated development, dissemination, and distribution of publications related to school registration, outreach to families, and ongoing capital projects in FY 2021.
Personnel
• There are no changes other than annual salary adjustments.
Services, Supplies, Other and Capital
• Supply increases reflect Office of Student Affairs staff being housed within Office of Strategy and Performance (budget neutral change).
FY21 Objectives
Capital Projects and Strategic Planning
• Provide ongoing project management and communications support to the School Committee and Town Departments on all school building projects.
• Ensure that any ongoing or new district-wide pilots, initiatives or projects are well-planned, well-communicated, and include necessary training and support so
that those involved are informed, included and engaged in the planning and implementation process.
• Continue improvement of internal communications and family and community outreach through more consistent and effective use of email newsletters, social
media, the PSB intranet, public meetings and presentations, and by regularly seeking input from staff, teachers, administrators, families, and community
members.
Data Analysis and Information Management
• In collaboration with the Office of Teaching and Learning and the Office of Student Services, continue making student-learning data accessible and usable at
all levels of the district to inform ongoing improvement in learning, achievement, instruction, and operations.
• Continue to improve the district’s data infrastructure including data security of student and staff information, clearly defining staff roles on application systems,
ensuring accuracy of data upon entry and clean up of data as needed.
• Engage in work related to recommendations from the Enrollment Working Group including, collaborating with the Office of Registration and Enrollment and the
Town of Brookline to capture residency of students ages birth to five to better predict Kindergarten enrollment, engage in research project with external
consultant for a Demographic Analysis and study of PSB enrollment and determine a new methodology for enrollment projections.
• Complete annual reporting to the community around Massachusetts state assessment and accountability results, graduation rates, attendance rates, course
enrollment, school and community feedback, etc.
• Work in collaboration with Teaching and Learning on training process for Principals, Vice Principals, teachers, and other staff on our student information
system.
Family and Community Outreach
• Distribute monthly newsletters to staff and families that include a focus on teaching and learning efforts, district wide priorities, important budget and fiscal
news, building projects, school community events, and Brookline wide opportunities for families.
• Share School Committee updates with all staff and families after each meeting.
• Send informal email updates from the Superintendent on news and happenings in the district that will help inform school based personnel on a more
consistent basis.
Office of Registration and Enrollment
• ORE will continue to be a customer service driven resource for families in the district, providing clear, and high quality information and meeting the needs of
families with a family-centered approach to outreach and meeting the high volume of demand from newly enrolling families.
• ORE will establish systems and documentation to guide enrollment and registration procedures including procedures for regulatory compliance, data
accuracy, and best practices
• ORE will establish a comprehensive residency verification process to ensure all students enrolled in PSB continue to meet eligibility for enrollment, supporting
the maintenance of appropriate class sizes and ensuring equitable access to high quality instruction for all eligible students.
• ORE will continue to develop a comprehensive and collaborative internal process for Kindergarten transition, supporting school leaders, guidance counselors,
nurses, school secretaries, special education service providers, and district leaders in planning their priorities around welcoming new students and provide
documentation for replication from year to year and increased efficiency.
FY20 Accomplishments
Capital Projects and Strategic Planning
• Successfully managed both the Driscoll and Baldwin building projects through the Design Feasibility Phase, leading to Town Meeting approval to move into
the Schematic Design Phase.
• Managed the Schematic Design Phase for the Driscoll and Baldwin building projects organizing the work of both school building committees, and working with
the architects, and the Building Department.
• Successfully managed and launched construction on the Brookline High School Building Project and organized the work of the school building committee,
architect, and the Building Department.
• Supported the Offices of Teaching & Learning, Student Services, and Administration & Finance in planning, design, and implementation of key priorities in their
departments including the Essential Curriculum, the Code of Conduct Policy, and PK-8 scheduling.
• Launched and organized PSB’s emergency preparedness review
• Led development and design of Coolidge Corner School Renaming Process, culminating in the recommendation of the finalist name, Florida Ruffin Ridley.
• Improved communication to families and staff by developing monthly newsletters and regular use of social media and website updates.
Data Analysis and Information Management
• In collaboration with school teams, successfully created K-8 school schedules using a new scheduling tool and district concept.
• Gathered and submitted district data for the bi-annual Civil Rights Data Collection required by the federal government.
• Created intervention logs for the Office of Teaching and Learning to better record longitudinal interventions students are receiving in literacy.
• Continued BAS reporting process to provide teachers and principals with student results within 10 days so teachers have the ability to use the results for
instructional purposes.
• Responded to over 250 data requests from district and school staff.
• Managed and facilitated meetings for the Enrollment Working Group and produced recommendations for the district and town around student enrollment
projections and record keeping.
Family and Community Outreach
• Released staff and family newsletters each month to reinforce and support the district’s mission, goals and major priorities.
• Revised staff portal to allow for more regular updates from each district department.
• Used social media more regularly to inform the community about district priorities, student success in classrooms, building projects and upcoming events
across the district.
• Obtained feedback from Staff and Family Feedback Survey that indicated communications from the district has improved from previous school years.
Office of Registration and Enrollment
• ORE has worked with families to register thousands of students during the past two school years. Numbers that are far greater than normally expected for a
district of Brookline’s size because of the significant churn of students into and out of the district. In FY 2019, ORE registered a total 1,638 students.
• Improved outreach to new families by fully revising the Enrollment section of the district website, particularly for kindergarten registration, and providing new
materials and additional public information sessions.
• Supported schools with a systematized school assignment notification process that was more equitable experience for all families and provided more
thorough information to help orient families to the school district.
• Continued work with guidance counselors, BEEP, and elementary school leaders to make the transition to kindergarten easier and more student and family
friendly.
• Worked with K-8 school secretaries and Senior Leadership to establish a district-wide withdrawal process to provide an easier, uniform experience for families
and provide the district and individual schools accurate and timely information regarding student enrollment.
• In SY2018-19, ORE processed 275 formal address change requests, and conducted more than 55 address verification investigations.
• Improved outreach to new families by fully revising the Enrollment section of the district website, particularly for kindergarten registration, and providing new
materials and additional public information sessions.