Batson is just the latest in her generation of Black Boston activists to be honored by a BPS school. The district’s McKinley schools were rededicated to Mel King last year.
After years of dismally low reading scores, the state’s largest school system is making a dramatic shift toward “structured literacy," instruction that draws on a body of research.
The rally also encompassed several other issues, including a lack of support from BPS to help educators of color do their jobs and concern that BPS appears to be backing away from a commitment to close achievement and opportunity gaps among students of different backgrounds.