We're parents, neighbors, and Bostonians who believe this city can do better for our children.
Next Chapter Boston is a community campaign to tell the truth about student achievement in Boston Public Schools — and to hold district and city leaders accountable for improving it.
Our story
Next Chapter Boston began with a simple question: "Is my child's school actually teaching its students how to read?" When we went looking for the answer, we found data that was hard to find, difficult to decipher, and rarely discussed during Boston School Committee meetings.
The data stopped us cold. On the state's annual tests, 7 out of 10 Boston students in grades 3–8 are not reading or doing math at grade level. This is not the story of a few struggling schools. It is the story of a broken system — one with a $1.7 billion annual budget and a promise to children it isn't keeping.
We are parents, grandparents, teachers, and neighbors. We love this city, we believe in public schools, and we refuse to accept that this is the best Boston can do. City and school district leaders must be held accountable for educating its children, from prekindergarten through grade 12.
What we believe
Transparency
Families deserve honest information in plain language about how students are doing — school by school, year by year.
Accountability
A $1.7 billion budget (with per student spending that is more than double the national average) should come with measurable gains for reading and math — and leaders who are accountable for the results.
Partnership
We are pro-student, pro-teacher, and pro-Boston. A drive for lasting, sustainable change must come from a collective of concerned citizens willing to demand better for students.
What we do
- Translate the data. We translate student outcomes and budget documents into plain language any family can use.
- Ask in public. We show up at public meetings and put questions on the record.
- Organize neighbors. We help families contact the officials who run our schools — and provide the steps necessary for change.
Our team
Mary Tamer, Ed.M.
Mary Tamer, Ed.M. grew up in Boston and graduated from Boston Public Schools. She is the founder and executive director of MassPotential and a longtime Boston Public Schools parent. That experience continues to shape her commitment to ensuring every family in the city has access to a high-quality public education.
Mary's advocacy grew out of her time navigating the school system alongside so many other Boston families. She served four years on the Boston School Committee under Mayor Thomas Menino, where she pushed for a new weighted student funding formula so resources followed students based on their individual needs, and led the district's first Inclusion Task Force to expand high-quality inclusive options for more than 12,000 Boston Public Schools students with disabilities.
Mary holds a master's degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Vernée Wilkinson
Vernée Wilkinson is a parent and longtime Boston community advocate who has spent years helping families navigate the city's public school system. Her own experience, including the uncertainty of the school assignment lottery and the challenge of finding the right fit for her children, shaped her belief that every Boston family deserves clear information and real options when it comes to their child's education.
That belief led her to SchoolFacts Boston, where she works to equip families with the information they need to advocate for their children and to push for better schools across the city. Vernée is known for building bridges and relationships across Boston's neighborhoods, connecting with parents, small business owners, and community advocates alike, always with an eye toward practical solutions for families navigating a challenging system.