Page 6 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, OCTObER 16, 2026 EDUCATION PLAN | FROM PAGE 1 ucation; College and Career Technical Education (CTE); Media Center/Library; Technology; Safety and Security and Cafeteria. School configuration, scheduling and class size plans call for the new High School to be organized by grades by floor and departments vertically stacked to share resources, what is often called a “layer cake” school. Special Education (SPED) and English as a Learned Language (ELL) classes and students would be integrated throughout the building. Some, such as a Newcomer Academy and Life Skills, would be clustered. The two-day, four-block schedule would be retained with class sizes averaging 23. Regarding Administration and Academic Organization, the Main Office would have space for a Family Welcome Center and security office, with other administrative support people, such as Assistant Principals, Counselors, Social Workers and Department Directors, dispersed in various wings and on various floors throughout the building. The Nurse’s Office would be adjacent to the Main Office. Core Academics would involve flexible learning environments for differentiated instruction, varied teaching modalities and co-teaching; have spaces that mirror careers and opportunities in those fields; have spaces for core collaboration, seminars and small group opportunities and have science labs that can accommodate outdoor learning. The Athletics and Physical Education facilities would include a partitionable gym with three distinct areas for simultaneous classes/practices, and, ideally, a track, fitness center and Olympic-style weight room, direct outdoor field access from the building, a film room and storage areas for equipment. College and CTE would include Advanced Manufacturing, Carpentry, Culinary Arts, Health and Medical, and Marketing with additional programs in Automotive Technology, Biotechnology, Cosmetology, Dental Assisting, Design and Visual Communications, Early Education and Care, Electrical, Engineering and Technology, Environmental Science, HVAC, Multimedia and Broadcasting, Plumbing and Public Safety. The Media Center and Library would include a digital research area, recording/ podcast studio, small study areas, career rooms and seminar spaces for professional development, mock trial and alternate lunch. The idea is to centralize technology with availability to all students and staff. A double-entry vestibule screening system, student electronic passes, lockable bathrooms with monitoring devices to detect vaping, and clear sightlines with no columns blocking views in the library or cafeteria are planned to ensure Safety and Security. Having lockable bathrooms is the result, in part, of a discussion at a School Committee meeting on September 15, 2024, during which Superintendent William Hart and High School Principal John Braga reported bathrooms were being used by students to meet between and during classes and were being damaged. A Cafeteria would be large enough to accommodate four lunches of approximately 700 students each and six to eight serving lines. There would also be outdoor eating and quiet lunch areas. At the School Committee meeting on Monday, October 5, Adams told the members Everett’s schools have been classified as “not requiring intervention,” based on a series of metrics tracked by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). The metrics include rates of completion of High School, dropout rates, proficiency in English for ELL students and state Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) test scores. The rating is a result of implementing initiatives from the 202526 school year, including expanding opportunities for out-of-school tutoring, redesigning professional learning communities, focusing on students writing, and creating a system of walk-throughs that have teachers monitoring and learning from other teachers. Adams added that the walkthroughs and observations are “to give feedback about what we see in the classroom in a supportive way, not a gotcha” and “student writing and test scores improve the more they write.” Initiatives for the current school year include “using High Quality Instructional Material (HQIM) ensuring all students, especially students with disabilities and multi-language learners, experience targeted, rigorous instruction that leads to grade-level proficiency and student ownership,” increasing opportunities for reading at home, having models for K-8 co-teaching and tutoring for first and second grades. “We want students to take ownership of their education and have them do more of the heavy lifting,” Adams elaborated. That includes having high academic and behavioral expectations.
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