Targeted Intervention at the Jeremiah E. Burke High School [VIDEO]

The majority of students at the Jeremiah E. Burke High School—located in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood—enter 9^th grade significantly below grade level in reading or math. To catch students up, the Burke invests in a targeted intervention approach with a focus on the whole child to help get students on track for college and career. By crafting a flexible schedule with a dedicated daily intervention/enrichment block, the Burke ensures all students can pursue rigorous core classes while simultaneously receiving the extra time, flexibility, and personal attention they need to close gaps in their learning.

To ensure intervention classes are targeted to individual student need, students are assigned to intervention groups based on assessment data and those groupings are reassessed and adjusted quarterly. Staff and outside partners are strategically deployed to ensure intervention classes are small, which helps enable the strong relationships that are at the heart of the school’s culture. This approach has paid off academically, as student proficiency rates in ELA and math have more than doubled since 2010.