385 Years of Embracing Change at Mather Elementary

Mather Elementary has seen a lot of change since its founding in 1639—it’s the oldest public elementary school in North America. The Dorchester school now serves 454 students, most of whom are Black, Asian (primarily Vietnamese), and Latinx. Over half of students speak a first language other than English. 

With such a diverse student body, the Mather has replaced an “intervention” mindset with one of targeted universalism. Instead of educating multilingual learners and students with disabilities through small-group interventions, the school is moving towards a model that uses insights into those students’ needs to improve instruction for all students. 

Teachers are the essential drivers of this instructional improvement, from phonics-focused common planning time to a book club focused on building students’ identities as mathematicians. Shared ownership and teacher collaboration, two of the key conditions of school improvement EdVestors has identified, are hallmarks of the school’s approach to professional development. Teachers have many choices for relevant PD and leadership opportunities. 74% of teachers feel that the school has been supportive of their development, 36% higher than last year. 

With the addition of a 6th grade, an inclusion plan for students with disabilities, and the rollout of Boston’s first Vietnamese dual language program, the Mather’s leadership is focused on change management and generating community buy-in. Luckily, the school is experienced at weathering change—they’ve made it through 385 years of it so far.