Chapter 4: “Every Child can Learn”: Accountability and Student Achievement in the Context of the Boston University/ Chelsea Partnership

One year after the close of the Boston University/Chelsea Partnership in 2009, relevant stakeholders and others interested in the collaboration have begun to measure the impact of the alliance on the local community and its schools. Some are concerned with measuring the extent to which the district can effectively manage its relatively limited resources without the day-to-day presence of Boston University (BU). Others are looking to the links that the Chelsea Public Schools continue to create and maintain with families and community partners in an effort to understand how well the district incorporated lessons learned throughout the Partnership. For many in the local community and in state and federal education agencies, however, what happens now is not nearly as important as changes that took place during the university’s tenure. One among many important changes with which stakeholders are currently concerned relates to improvements in student achievement in Chelsea.