BPE

BPE’s work has always been rooted in a clear purpose: developing great teachers, great schools, and great futures.

Through BPE Services, we’re expanding access to that expertise with partnership and professional learning opportunities for schools, districts, state agencies, and education organizations within and beyond Boston.
Explore support in:

→ Teacher Development
→ Early College & Career Pathways
→ Instructional Excellence

From custom partnerships to open-enrollment programs, BPE Services is designed to help school communities strengthen systems, support educators, and drive meaningful outcomes for students.

Visit our new BPE Services website to explore our offerings and learn how to partner with us: services.bpe.org.

For the past decade, BPE has led the management of Dearborn STEM Academy (DSA) dearbornstemacademy on behalf of Boston Public Schools, helping guide a complex school transformation grounded in equity, innovation, and long-term student success.

Today, DSA’s exit from turnaround status reflects years of hard work from staff, partners, and Boston Teacher Residency participants. Together, they have helped create a stronger school experience for students.

As this chapter evolves, BPE remains focused on what comes next: supporting a successful transition, sustaining progress, and shaping how it can continue to serve as a long-term partner.

Recently, members of the Boston Teacher Residency (BTR) community gathered for Educator Prom, a celebration organized by The Teachers’ Lounge that brought together educators from across Massachusetts. ✨

This photo captures BTR graduates across different cohorts and is a reflection of the lasting community, connection, and shared commitment that continue well beyond the residency year.

Thank you to our BTR educators for showing up for each other, for your students, and for the future of teaching in Boston. 💙

One of the most powerful moments from BPE’s 40th Birthday Bash came from one of our students, an aspiring educator enrolled in the Educator Pathways program at Dearborn STEM Academy. 💙

“Because of BPE’s partnership with my school, students have more opportunities, more support, and more pathways to discover who they want to become. BPE’s impact goes far beyond academics. They’ve helped shape the kind of person I want to be and the kind of impact I hope to have on other people in the future.

Thank you to The Boston Plan for Excellence for believing in us, investing in us, and helping students like me find our place.”

— Anaiah “Rose” Edwards, 11th grade student, Dearborn STEM Academy

Thank you, Rose, for sharing your voice and reminding us why this work matters. For 40 years, BPE has been committed to expanding opportunities for Boston students, and students like Rose continue to inspire what’s possible for the future.

What a night! 🎉

Thank you to everyone who joined us for BPE’s 40th Birthday Bash as we celebrated four decades of partnership, progress, and impact in Boston education.

We are especially grateful to our incredible sponsors for helping make this milestone celebration possible:

 🎉 Cornerstone Sponsor: Bank of America ()

 🎉 Catalyst Sponsors: Liberty Mutual (), The Burnes Family, The Gifford Family

 🎉 Cultivator Sponsor: Suffolk Construction ()

 🎉 Builder Sponsors: Eastern Bank (), The Boston Foundation (), Red Sox Foundation (), Related Beal (), and Smith, Costello & Crawford

Your partnership and generosity help support BPE’s continued mission to advance educational equity, prepare and support educators, and create meaningful opportunities for Boston students.

Thank you for celebrating with us and for being part of BPE’s story — past, present, and future.

🎉 BPE turns 40, and our celebration continues as we honor the champions who have helped shape education in Boston and beyond.

Today, we are proud to recognize Natasha Gordon as part of our 40th Birthday Bash. Natasha is a Boston Public Schools educator with more than a decade of experience supporting students, teachers, and equitable literacy practices across the district.

Originally from Maryland, Natasha moved to Boston after graduating from Lafayette College to join Boston Teacher Residency. A proud BTR Cohort 11 (2013-13) graduate, she began her BPS career teaching first grade at the Grew Elementary School, where she served students and families for eight years.

Since then, Natasha has continued to expand her impact as a school librarian, ESL teacher, and central office literacy coach supporting equitable literacy practices across Boston Public Schools. She now teaches second grade at the Mason Elementary School, where she continues to foster a love of learning and literacy.

Recently, Natasha ran the 2026 Boston Marathon to raise funds for Boston Plan for Excellence, supporting expanded opportunities for students and educators across Boston Public Schools.

Join us as we celebrate Natasha and all the educators, leaders, and partners who have made the last 40 years possible.

🎟️ Get your tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bpe-birthday-bash-tickets-1982092365622
🤝 Become a sponsor: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/sponsor-the-bpe-birthday-bash

🎉 BPE turns 40, and our celebration continues as we honor the champions who have helped shape education in Boston and beyond.

Today, we are proud to recognize Saundra Coaxum as part of our 40th Birthday Bash. Saundra is a longtime educator and teacher leader whose career has been defined by commitment to students, mentorship, and continuous growth.

Before coming to Boston Public Schools in 2000, Saundra taught high school in California and Atlanta. As a BPS educator, she has served as a Collaborating Teacher for the Boston Teacher Residency program for more than 15 years, helping prepare and support the next generation of educators.

In addition to her work with Boston Teacher Residency, Saundra has mentored students from Boston College, Boston University, and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She has also served as a BPS New Teacher Developer and a BTR Induction Coach, reflecting her deep investment in teacher growth and instructional excellence.

Saundra is currently a teacher leader at Dudley Street Neighborhood Charter School. Although she has been teaching for 30 years, her curriculum and pedagogy continue to evolve, demonstrating her enduring passion for learning and for meeting the needs of students.

Join us as we celebrate Saundra and all the educators, leaders, and partners who have made the last 40 years possible.

🎟️ Get your tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bpe-birthday-bash-tickets-1982092365622
🤝 Become a sponsor: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/sponsor-the-bpe-birthday-bash

🎉 BPE turns 40, and our celebration continues as we honor the champions who have helped shape education in Boston and beyond.

Today, we are proud to recognize Karen L. McCarthy as part of our 40th Birthday Bash. Karen is the principal of the Curtis Guild Elementary School, a K–6 Boston Public School in East Boston, where she has served since 2013.

A National Board Certified Teacher, Karen has built her career within Boston Public Schools and has deep roots in the Boston Teacher Residency community as a former site director and instructor at Brighton High School. Her leadership reflects a deep commitment to instructional excellence, educator development, and opportunity for all students.

Under Karen’s leadership, the Guild has developed a rigorous academic program and earned recognition for its award-winning staff, as well as its ongoing partnership with Boston Plan for Excellence and Boston Teacher Residency, whose graduates the school proudly hires. In spring 2025, the Guild was designated a DESE School of Recognition.

Karen is also known for her commitment to equity and inclusion. Under her leadership, the Guild became the 18th school in the nation to receive the Human Rights Campaign’s Welcoming Schools Seal of Excellence, recognizing the school’s broad efforts to embrace family diversity, create LGBTQ- and gender-inclusive environments, and prevent bias-based bullying.

Guided by a mission to prepare and empower every child to excel academically, develop their talents, and become enthusiastic and joyful learners, the Guild serves a vibrant multilingual community of students from more than twelve countries in the Orient Heights neighborhood of East Boston. Karen also mentors and develops new principals across Boston Public Schools.

Join us as we celebrate Karen and all the educators, leaders, and partners who have made the last 40 years possible.

🎟️ Get your tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bpe-birthday-bash-tickets-1982092365622
🤝 Become a sponsor: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/sponsor-the-bpe-birthday-bash

🎉 BPE turns 40, and our celebration continues as we honor the champions who have helped shape education in Boston and beyond.

Today, we are proud to recognize Darlene Marcano () as part of our 40th Birthday Bash. Darlene is the Head of School at Dearborn STEM Academy and a deeply respected leader in Boston Public Schools.

Born in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, Darlene first entered Boston Public Schools during the turbulent era of busing. Inspired by her English teacher, Inez Middleton, she came to see education as her path and purpose. After graduating from Boston Latin School, she studied African American Studies at Brandeis University and later earned her Master in Education from Suffolk University.

Darlene began her career as a teacher in Boston Public Schools and spent 13 years in the classroom before pursuing school leadership through the Education Leadership program at Simmons University, where she earned a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies.

From there, she served as Freshman Director at Madison Park High School, then as Assistant Headmaster and later Headmaster at Urban Science Academy in West Roxbury. Under her leadership, the school saw major successes in MCAS performance, graduation rates, and accountability.
For the past five years, Darlene has led the charge to move Dearborn STEM Academy out of turnaround, guiding the school with vision, determination, and deep care for students and staff. She is widely loved and respected by the Dearborn community and continues to help shape what is possible for Boston students.

Join us as we celebrate Darlene and all the educators, leaders, and partners who have made the last 40 years possible.

🎟️ Get your tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bpe-birthday-bash-tickets-1982092365622
🤝 Become a sponsor: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/sponsor-the-bpe-birthday-bash

🎉 BPE turns 40, and our celebration continues as we honor the champions who have helped shape education in Boston and beyond.

Today, we are proud to recognize Alma Wright as part of our 40th Birthday Bash. Alma dedicated 56 years to teaching in Boston Public Schools, building an extraordinary legacy of innovation, service, and commitment to Boston’s students.

Alma began her teaching career in 1964 as a first grade teacher at the Dudley Elementary School in Roxbury. In 1969, she joined the William Monroe Trotter School, where she taught first and second grades and later became the school’s computer teacher. Over more than four decades at the Trotter, she became known for her creativity, embrace of new ideas, and unwavering dedication to student growth.

During the 1980s, Alma was an early leader in bringing technology into the classroom. Working with Seymour Papert and Mitchel Resnick at the MIT Media Lab, she helped students use Lego building blocks and the Lego Logo programming environment to design and program moving toy cars. She also played a key role in the school’s NetDay project and other technology initiatives in Boston Public Schools.

Throughout her career, Alma’s work extended beyond the classroom. She taught in the Boston Public Schools Adult Education Program for more than 20 years, served as an instructor and supervisor of student teachers at Wheelock College, and contributed to math curriculum development as an author and reviewer for Laidlaw and Houghton Mifflin.

Alma’s remarkable contributions have been recognized with many honors, including the Golden Apple Teacher Award, the Henry L. Shattuck Public Service Award, and the Milken Award. She also worked with fellow board member Mary Smoyer and her students to help develop Stepping Back, the Roxbury Women’s Heritage Trail.

Join us as we celebrate Alma and all the educators, leaders, and partners who have made the last 40 years possible.

🎟️ Get your tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bpe-birthday-bash-tickets-1982092365622
🤝 Become a sponsor: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/sponsor-the-bpe-birthday-bash