Educational Model Redevelopment

Upcoming Community Listening Sessions via Zoom

Apr 30 2026
Dedham Public Schools are in the process of redeveloping the Educational Model, a framework that outlines and shapes how students will learn, grow and succeed as part of our school District. Community voice is especially important in this process, as the Educational Model helps define how students are prepared for life and careers after graduation, how our school facilities and support structures impact learning and how to navigate long-term financial sustainability. 

How You Can Participate:

1. Complete the Community Survey - open through mid-May.  
   Visit: Rennie Center - or complete a printed version available at Town Hall.
2. Attend Upcoming Virtual Community Listening Sessions via Zoom: 
   - May 2 at 1:00pm - PreRegister 
   - May 6 at 8:00pm - PreRegister 
3. Ed Model Visioning Drop-In at the District Art Show on May 21 - 5:00pm - 7:00pm at Dedham Middle School. The Rennie Center and Ed Model team will have tables set up during the DPS District Art Show to explore what was learned throughout the redesign process, hear about potential paths forward, and share feedback about Dedham’s future path. This will be one of the final opportunities to gather community input before the work comes together into a final report. Come browse, ask questions, and add your thoughts to the Vision for our schools that we are building together.

Ed Model Project - Community Survey Now LIVE

Apr 10 2026
In partnership with the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy, the The Educational Model Review project is inviting the Dedham community to share its voices and perspectives on what Dedham Public Schools should prioritize moving forward.   

Please Share Your Thoughts! 

Now Open until Early May 2026 - an online Community Survey open to all Dedham residents -  whether or not you have a child in Dedham Public Schools (DPS). 

LINK TO SURVEY HERE

The survey is currently available in English and Spanish.

DPS is at a pivotal moment, and your input is critical to developing a plan to ensure that Dedham school facilities better serve students, reflect modern learning approaches, and balance community priorities with long-term fiscal sustainability.
 

Project Update - April 3, 2026: April Community Input Events Planned

Apr 3 2026
The Educational Model Review project will host several Community events in April as the project shifts its focus fully on gathering community input and perspectives.  In partnership with the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy, the project to date has focused on existing data and documentation, getting to know the ins and outs of Dedham’s current educational model. The next phase of the project, Community Engagement will be a key priority throughout the next 6 weeks, inviting the Dedham community to share its voices and perspectives on what Dedham Public Schools should prioritize moving forward.   

Community Engagement - Save the Dates & Participate!

Members of the Dedham community are invited to these upcoming events:  

• April 8, 2026 - Dedham Middle School - 6:30pm-8:00pm - Dedham Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) Resource Fair:  The Rennie Center will have representatives at a dedicated Ed Model table during this event, which is open to the community.   They will be on hand to gather general input and insights, as well as answer any questions from event attendees.   

Community Listening Events

• April 14, 2026 - MotherBrook Arts and Community Center - 5:30pm - 6:30pm
• April 27, 2026 - Dedham Middle School - 5:30pm - 6:30pm

At these two formal listening sessions, Rennie Center staff will be hosting roundtables across four topics - Facility Needs: ensuring buildings support learning;  School and Program Design: aligning programs with student needs; Staffing and Resources: ensuring the right support in the right places; Enrollment Policies: how the district determines which schools or programs students attend.   Participants will have the opportunity to participate in two roundtables of their choosing during the event schedule. 

Community Survey

• A Community Survey, accessible to all community members, designed to gather feedback on key topic areas in the Educational Model and priorities for Dedham Public Schools will be launched in Mid-April. 

The work on developing an updated Educational Model for the District is being conducted under the guidance of an appointed Dedham School Committee subcommittee chaired by Chris Polito, along with Josh Langmead, and Anthony Rodriguez, and in close collaboration with the DPS Leadership team.

The Rennie Center is a local education-focused non-profit based in Boston, MA whose mission is to improve public education through well-informed decision-making that’s based on deep knowledge and evidence of effective policymaking and practice. They are a nonpartisan organization that works to advance and connect research, practice, and policy, to promote systems that champion student success. 

Project Update - March 18, 2026: Community Introduction Meeting

Mar 19 2026
Efforts underway to review and redevelop the Educational Model for the Dedham Public School were the featured focus on Wednesday evening at the March 18, 2026 School Committee meeting. Representatives from the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy shared an overview of the project, outlining the purpose, goals and next steps in reimagining Dedham’s educational model with a focus on guiding the district’s future growth and long-term sustainability.

The meeting included an overview of the project timeline, which exists in three big phases: 

• Phase 1 is Data and Document Review, encompassing National and Local Research; Comprehensive Review of DPS Data; Classroom Visits for All 7 DPS Schools; and preliminary Student, Staff, and Family Focus Groups.  
• Phase 2 is focused on Community Engagement, where the Dedham community is invited to share its voices and perspectives on what Dedham Public Schools should prioritize moving forward. That phase will culminate in a Community Visioning Event, held in conjunction with the town of Dedham’s Art Show in May. 
• Phase 3 is about the report and next steps. The Rennie Center will publish everything found and heard during the first two phases in a public report and presentation: The report will include findings, recommendations, and options for DPS moving forward. This actionable educational model redesign plan will provide a roadmap for aligning the structures, staffing, and facilities with Dedham Public Schools’ mission and strategic goals. 

Work on the Educational Model Review began in late January, and to date the Rennie Center has been focused on getting to know the ins and outs of Dedham’s current educational model—including how students and teachers are organized, how resources are allocated, what learning looks like, and what the outcomes are for students. As part of an extensive data and document review, the project team has compiled publicly available data on the district as a whole and individual schools to help understand trends in Dedham over the past 5, 10, or 20 years, specifically in a few areas: student enrollment, including the size and composition of the student population and rates of chronic absenteeism; staffing, such as the number of teaching staff, non-teaching staff, and specialist staff; student-to-teacher ratios and the proportion of experienced educators on staff; student achievement, such as MCAS data, AP participation and test scores, and SAT scores; and, finances, including per-pupil expenditures, capital expenditures, and spending in different categories. 

The project team has also toured all school facilities; observing classrooms, common spaces, and transition spaces in use; sitting in on specialized programming for students with disabilities, multilingual learners, and students needing additional support. During these visits, they were also able to interview school leaders and hold focus groups with students and staff to learn more about what their day-to-day looks like and how they experience teaching and learning in Dedham.

Next Steps:  Community Engagement

• March 18 Data Walk: Attendees at the meeting on Wednesday were invited to view preliminary data and share insights during a small group Data Walk exercise conducted during the meeting. A copy of the Data Walk charts and an open survey document that captures the Data Walk questions asked is available on the Educational Model Project webpage.  
• Listening Sessions & Focus Groups – A series of community Listening Sessions and Focus Group discussions are planned throughout April. Listening Sessions are intended to be open-to-all, community-driven forums designed to hear attendees’ perspectives on a future educational model in Dedham. Additional dates and online forums will continue to be announced.
  • April 1, 2026 : Focus Group Meeting with all PTO Leaders
  • April 8, 2026 : Open Listening Session at SEPAC Resource Fair - 6:30p-8:00p (DMS)
  • April 14, 2026: Open Listening Session at Mother Brook - 5:30p -6:30p
  • April 27, 2026: Open Listening Session at Dedham Middle School (DMS) - 5:30p - 6:30p
•  Community Survey - The Rennie Center will create a survey, accessible to all community members, to gather feedback on priorities for DPS. The survey, open to all community members, will be conducted in mid-April. 

The work on developing an updated Educational Model for the District is being conducted under the guidance of an appointed Dedham School Committee subcommittee chaired by Chris Polito, along with Josh Langmead, and Anthony Rodriguez, and in close collaboration with the DPS Leadership team.

The Rennie Center is a local education-focused non-profit based in Boston, MA whose mission is to improve public education through well-informed decision-making that’s based on deep knowledge and evidence of effective policymaking and practice. They are a nonpartisan organization that works to advance and connect research, practice, and policy, to promote systems that champion student success. 

View Slides Presented at March 18, 2026 Community Introduction Meeting 

View Data Walk Slides with Feedback Link

View Dedham TV recording of the Meeting

Project Update - March 4, 2026

Mar 4 2026
Dedham Public Schools has officially launched its partnership with the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy to lead a data-driven process to examine and update Dedham’s Educational Model. The Educational Model Review will examine how instructional models, grade configurations, program delivery, and physical learning environments work together, with the goal of ensuring that current and future plans for Dedham schools remain aligned with the instructional, social-emotional, and collaborative learning needs of our students.

An official Community Introduction event will be hosted during a public School Committee meeting on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 at 6:30pm.

The meeting will be held at the Dedham Public Safety building.

During the meeting, project leaders from the Rennie Center will present an overview of the project, as well as preliminary findings from the data collection conducted to date. Attendees will also be invited to participate in facilitated listening activities and small-group inclusive discussions to gather stakeholder input and reactions to the findings presented, as well as to share priorities for Dedham’s educational future.

Following the March 18 Community Introduction Meeting, the Rennie Center and Educational Model subcommittee will gather additional input via surveys, along with a series of online and in-person community conversations (dates to be announced shortly), culminating in a Community Visioning Event that will be held in conjunction with the District Art Show on May 21, 2026.

The Rennie Center is a Massachusetts-based education nonprofit, and its team members have begun conducting research and data analysis to understand DPS context. As a part of the Rennie Center’s work, they have also begun visiting all seven Dedham schools to observe the teaching and learning experience in our buildings first-hand.

The work on developing an updated Educational Model for the District is being conducted under the guidance of an appointed Dedham School Committee subcommittee chaired by Chris Polito, along with Josh Langmead, and Anthony Rodriguez, and in close collaboration with the DPS Leadership team.