Walsh Releases Boston Education Plan

Mayoral candidate Marty Walsh will call for stronger vocational education and Advanced Placement courses when he releases his high school improvement plan at English High School in Jamaica Plain Monday morning.

Walsh wants vocational and career courses in every high school. And he's looking to bend existing courses into more defined career pathways — for engineering, say, or clean energy.

The plan also calls for more AP courses in 11th grade, designed to boost students' college prospects.

Walsh is also pushing for academies — schools within a school — in ninth and 10th grade. And he's calling for more competency-based education — measuring what students have learned, rather than how much time they've spent in the classroom.

The idea, there, is to better connect academics to real-world skills.

Walsh's opponent in the mayoral race, City Councilor John Connolly, has made education the focus of his campaign.