Educational Model Redevelopment Project

This update & corresponding presentation by the Rennie Center covers the Teaching and Learning component of the Ed Model, focusing on staff and student experiences, the use of resources such as time, people, and money, and recommended ways for DPS to move forward.

At the September 15, 2026 Dedham School Committee meeting, the second and final report from the Rennie Center was presented as part of the work being done to redesign Dedham’s Educational Model, aligning the district’s educational vision, instructional practices, and facilities planning to prepare students for lifelong success in a rapidly changing global society. The Educational Model Redevelopment process was designed to ensure that future organizational and facility decisions directly advance Dedham’s long-term educational priorities.

The report presented on the 15th focused on the Teaching and Learning components of the Educational Model, establishing what experiences and opportunities Dedham hopes to provide students; the companion piece to the earlier Grade Configuration and School Facility Options report which will inform the Facilities Master Plan currently being developed for the Town of Dedham.

Key Findings: Dedham’s Strengths and Opportunities for Improvement

The Rennie Center's review of teaching and learning in Dedham found a district with meaningful strengths on which to build, as well as clear opportunities to improve coherence, access, and student outcomes. Encouragingly, the evidence does not point to a need for wholesale transformation: instead, Dedham's strongest path forward is to expand practices that are working, address areas where implementation varies across schools or student groups, and concentrate the district’s limited time and resources on a small number of long-term priorities.

The findings included present some of the primary takeaways from three sources of evidence: district and state quantitative data; qualitative data from school visits, classroom observations, focus groups, interviews, and document review; and feedback gathered through listening sessions, a visioning event, and a community survey with more than 760 responses.

Drawing on the key findings, the Rennie Center developed four Guiding Principles to identify options that offer a focused, feasible path toward sustained improvement: Build on what is already happening; Draw from familiar language and practices; Reorganize existing resources first; Prioritize coherence over quantity.

The Rennie Center used these principles to generate nine teaching and learning options, which can be grouped into three core strategies:

1) Strengthening student supports,

2) Redesigning staffing models,

3) Expanding meaningful learning experiences.

An 8-page executive summary provides a brief overview of each option, describing key features of the model and its application to Dedham. Additional details on all nine options can be found in the full report.

Each of the nine options is supported by evidence, builds on work already underway, and advances the district's 2025-2030 Strategic Plan and Portrait of a Learner. The options are not mutually exclusive, but each would require sustained attention, resources, and implementation capacity. The Rennie Center’s primary recommendation for DPS is for the district to concentrate its efforts on two connected priorities: strengthening its academic multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) and expanding career-connected exploration at Dedham High School. These recommendations reflect clear themes from our quantitative data collection, classroom observations, interviews, focus groups, and community engagement. They also build on work already underway in DPS, allowing the district to deepen and connect existing practices rather than introducing an extensive new set of initiatives. Other options can be phased in where they strengthen these priorities and where sufficient implementation capacity exists.

• 9.15.2026 - Rennie Center Ed Model Teaching & Learning - Executive Summary
• 9.15. 2026 - Rennie Center Ed Model Teaching & Learning - Full Report
• A copy of the Rennie Center presentation slides from the School Committee meeting can be viewed here.
• Additionally, to watch the presentation, the Dedham TV feed from the meeting is available online here: http://50.77.30.235/internetchannel/show/6469?channel=3

The Educational Model Redevelopment is intended to ensure that future decisions about Dedham’s schools are grounded in what matters most: providing students with strong educational opportunities and learning environments that support their success.

Next Steps & How Community Members Can Learn More

The School Committee will continue to review the findings, consider community perspectives, and work with district leadership and its partners as Dedham develops a long-term vision for its schools.

Upcoming Meeting: September 29, 2026 - School Committee will vote on 3 Grade/School Configuration options to move forward for further review and analysis within the Town Facilities Master Plan project.

What is an Educational Model and How is it Different from the District’s Strategic Plan?

An Educational Model describes how we organize the work of teaching and learning so that our students can achieve the outcomes we want for them.

Our ONE DEDHAM Strategic Plan for the District, which we introduced in 2025, establishes the direction and priorities for Dedham Public Schools. It tells us what we are working toward and identifies key goals over the next five years within four areas of focus: Teaching & Learning; Safe & Supportive Schools; Family & Community Engagement; and Budget & Capital Improvements.

The Educational Model asks a different question: Given the vision and goals of the district for the future, what should Dedham Public Schools actually look like and how should it operate in order to achieve them? It asks fundamental questions about the experience we want students to have: How should students learn? How should they be grouped? What should teaching and support look like? What structures, staffing, schedules, programs, and physical environments are needed to support that learning? The Educational Model is therefore much more specific about the design and structure of the school system than our Strategic Plan, though I think it is important for our community to understand that this Educational Model work is not simply a facilities study.

I see the relationship this way: the Strategic Plan is our destination; the Educational Model helps define the educational system needed to get there. It does not replace the vision and strategy, it helps us operationalize it.

What Will the Full New Educational Model Do for Dedham Public Schools?

The full Educational Model will give Dedham Public Schools a long-term educational framework for making decisions about teaching and learning, staffing, student groupings, programs, and facilities. Instead of making decisions about each of these important areas of education individually as they arise, we can now map decisions back to a bigger, comprehensive approach.

The Educational Model allows us to step back and ask: What systems do we need to create so that every Dedham student has access to a high-quality educational experience, both today and in the future?

The Rennie Center's work has given us a much stronger evidence base for answering that question. Their team generated more than 250 graphs of enrollment, demographic, staffing, and student performance data; examined 13 peer districts; visited all seven Dedham schools; observed learning in more than 30 classrooms; interviewed district and school leaders; and conducted 17 focus groups with students, families, and staff.

That work is helping us look at the system as a whole rather than solving one building or one program challenge at a time. The goal is not to change for the sake of change. In fact, one of the most important outcomes of this work has been identifying the things Dedham is doing well and highlighting ways to build on that success.

The Educational Model outlines ways in which students can be grouped and the size and mix of facilities that are “recommended” - Is this deciding how Dedham will build out or fix our schools?

No. The Educational Model is not a capital plan, and it does not decide where Dedham will build, renovate, replace, or close a school. This distinction is extremely important.

The Educational Model helps us determine what educational environments and configurations best support our students and our vision for teaching and learning. The Rennie Center's first report therefore examined different grade configurations and school facility scenarios to be considered within the context of the entire model.

The report presents 10 possible scenarios, each evaluated based on educational and operational factors, including academic impact, social-emotional and equity considerations, cost, and time to implement, which Dedham can consider as viable options to meet the identified educational environment needs for the district. Rennie ultimately recommended three scenarios from the 10 presented that they believe warrant further consideration. But a recommendation is not a decision. The School Committee still has to consider the research, listen to the community, and determine which options should move forward.

The current process calls for three options to be advanced to the Town's Facilities Master Plan process. That process—not the Educational Model—will determine how potential changes could actually be translated into a capital plan, including such questions as where buildings might be located, how construction would be sequenced, what temporary space might be required, and what should happen to existing properties.

The Educational Model also includes teaching and support recommendations - some that look a lot like what we do already - what are we changing?

I actually see this as a positive finding. If the Rennie Center identifies practices that look familiar to us, that does not mean the work has failed. It means we may already have important pieces of the model in place.

We should not throw away effective work simply because we are developing a new Educational Model. Instead, the question should be: What is working, what needs to become more consistent, and what do we need to strengthen or do differently?

The Educational Model is not intended to create an entirely new educational philosophy for Dedham. It is intended to help us examine the alignment of the system.

For example, Dedham has already invested in practices such as MTSS, collaborative planning, data-informed instruction, the Portrait of a Learner, professional learning, and stronger systems of student support. The Educational Model gives us an opportunity to examine how those practices fit together and whether they are consistently implemented across all seven schools.

The Rennie Center's broader research reinforces this idea. Its work on rethinking education focuses on three interconnected elements—people, place, and time—including educator roles, staffing models, student groupings, learning environments, schedules, and how learning time is structured.

So I do not expect the final Educational Model to say, "Everything Dedham is doing today needs to change." Instead, I expect it to help us identify three categories:

Keep: Practices that are working and reflect who we want to be as a district.

Strengthen: Practices that are promising but need greater consistency, capacity, or resources.

Change: Structures or practices that are no longer serving students as well as they could and need to be redesigned.

That is ultimately what makes this work valuable. We are not starting from scratch. We are building on the strengths of Dedham while being honest about where we have opportunities to improve.

The Educational Model report document includes lots of data, comparables and recommendations from Rennie, including best practices from neighboring schools and schools nationwide, but how does it reflect what the Dedham community wants?

When we talk about Community voice, it has to be more than an opportunity for people to react to a finished plan, it needs to help shape the plan itself. This is why the Rennie Center's process included community engagement as a formal phase of the work.

The process included five full-community listening sessions, a community survey that generated more than 760 responses, a community visioning event which generated approximately 100 reactions collected per station, 80 open-ended responses noted, and additional conversations with community organizations. Rennie also conducted 17 focus groups with students, staff, families and community groups.

Those conversations were not simply about asking residents which building option they preferred. Community members were asked what is working well in Dedham today, where they see gaps, and what changes could better serve our students. That distinction matters.

For example, one of the clearest themes emerging from the research and community input was the importance of ensuring that elementary students have access to higher-quality learning environments. All three of Rennie's recommended scenarios address that priority, while also falling in the middle tier for cost and no higher than the middle tier for implementation time.

But community voice and opportunities for input do not end with the Rennie report.

In fact, I believe the most important community conversation is still ahead of us. The School Committee will now need to take the information Rennie has provided—the data, research, comparisons, options, benefits, and tradeoffs—and put it in front of the community in a way that allows people to understand it and respond thoughtfully.

There will not be one option that everyone prefers. Every scenario has advantages and disadvantages. The responsibility of the School Committee is to weigh those tradeoffs carefully, listen to the community, and ultimately make a decision that puts the long-term interests of Dedham students at the center.

To learn more about the Educational Model Redevelopment process and review the first of two reports published by the Rennie Center from their work, visit: https://beheard.dedhamma.gov/educational-model

The Rennie Center will be presenting the second of their two reports - focused on Teaching & Learning - at the September 15, 2026 School Committee meeting.

The Dedham School Committee will be at the DPS District Curriculum Night on September 10th held at Dedham Middle School starting at 6:00pm to share information, connect with community members and Dedham families on their reaction to the findings and answer questions.

At its August 13 meeting, the Dedham School Committee reviewed the first of two reports from the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy as part of Dedham Public Schools’ Educational Model Redevelopment process. The report presented last night focuses on grade configuration and school facilities options and offers recommendations for how Dedham can create stronger learning environments for students while making thoughtful, long-term investments in its schools.

The Educational Model Redevelopment has been a collaborative effort designed to align Dedham’s educational vision, instructional practices, and facilities planning around a shared goal: preparing students for lifelong success in a rapidly changing world. The Rennie Center has worked closely with Arrowstreet, the architectural firm supporting the Town of Dedham’s Facilities Master Planning process, so that educational priorities and future facility decisions can move forward together. Three of the scenarios presented will be further evaluated and considered in more detail through the Facilities Master Plan.

A Process Grounded in Data and Community Input

Over the course of the Educational Model Redevelopment project, the Rennie Center generated over 250 graphs on student enrollment, demographics, staffing, and performance data; examined 13 peer comparison districts; visited all seven Dedham schools; interviewed district and school leaders; observed learning in over 30 classrooms; and held 17 focus groups with staff, students, and families.

The process also provided multiple opportunities for broader community input, including five listening sessions, a community survey that yielded over 760 responses, a visioning event with ~100 votes per station and 80 open responses with additional feedback shared, and additional focus groups with key community organizations. Community members were asked what is working well today, where gaps exist, and what changes could better serve Dedham students in the future.

A List of Ten Possible Options For Consideration

Having developed a full slate of facilities scenarios, the Rennie Center and Arrowstreet narrowed the options to eliminate options that were not feasible given district data and enrollment trends, local and national educational models, priorities expressed by Dedham residents, available lands and considerations of feasible spatial, facilities-oriented, and space-planning concepts based upon MSBA guidelines.

A final list of ten scenarios was presented as part of the report, based on four strategic approaches, and coded with a comparative rating scale that shows the the potential benefits and drawbacks each one offers to Dedham based on both educational and operational factors, including social emotional and equity impacts, academic impacts, time and cost. In developing these options, the report intended to answer questions such as how students should learn, how buildings should support teaching and learning, and what grade spans work best for Dedham students. As noted by Grace Wang who was presenting the report for the Rennie Center, “Every scenario has its pros and cons. Our goal is to maximize DPS students’ learning experiences while minimizing the time/cost for Dedham.”

At the conclusion of the report, the Rennie Center provided a recommendation of three scenarios from the ten presented, which based on their research would serve as the optimal choices for Dedham moving forward. Each of the three recommended options has its own benefits and drawbacks, but all would accomplish the purpose of moving elementary school students into higher-quality spaces more quickly, which emerged from the research as a clear priority expressed by the Dedham community. All three options also ranked in the middle tier for cost and none were higher than the middle tier for time, indicating that they could be accomplished for less money, and in a more efficient manner, than other potential plans.

Additionally, during the meeting, Dedham Public Schools Deputy Superintendent Dr. Ian Kelly, provided additional data for consideration on each option, sharing insight into how each scenario compared based on estimated future operational cost savings with regards to the annual school budget.

Next Steps & How Community Members Can Learn More

The School Committee will continue to review the findings, consider community perspectives, and work with district leadership and its partners as Dedham develops a long-term vision for its schools. The School Committee will vote on a final selection of three options from the ten presented in the report in mid to late September. Those three options will be shared with the Facilities Master Plan project for further analysis and consideration. The Facilities Master Plan process will be responsible for determining how to translate those decisions into a capital plan, including where new or renovated buildings would sit, how construction would be sequenced, what swing space might be required, and what should happen to other municipal or school properties. These items are not a part of this Grade Configuration and School Facilities report.

The School Committee recognizes that changes to school configuration and facilities will have a significant impact on students, families, staff, and the broader community. School Committee members will be working to share the Rennie Center’s report and findings with the Dedham community over the coming weeks, reaching out to community groups and neighborhoods to ensure that residents have a chance to examine the research, review the options presented and share feedback for the committee’s consideration prior to the vote.

• Presentation and reports can be viewed at the Educational Model Redevelopment page under Project Materials & Resources

  • An executive summary of the Grade & School Configuration report (7 pages)

  • Full Grade & School Configuration report (100+ pages)

  • Rennie Center Presentation slides to School Committee on 8/13/26

  • A single-page Infographic that shows all 10 options along with the comparative rankings for each option (image below).

• Learn more and speak with School Committee members at the Dedham Public Schools’ District Curriculum Night on September 10, 2026 at Dedham Middle School
  
  

The Educational Model Redevelopment is intended to ensure that future decisions about Dedham’s schools are grounded in what matters most: providing students with strong educational opportunities and learning environments that support their success.

The Grade Configuration and School Facilities report is the first of two reports connected to the Educational Model Redevelopment. A second report focused on teaching and learning is expected to be presented in September 2026.

Thank you for your patience! Due to a compromised online meeting, we will be restarting the planned public School Committee Meeting for August 13,2026 using the following access information. The updated meeting will begin at 6:30pm.

Topic: Ed Model
Time: Aug 13, 2026 06:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://dedham-k12-ma-us.zoom.us/j/92145807635

Meeting chat link
https://dedham-k12-ma-us.zoom.us/launch/jc/92145807635

Meeting ID: 921 4580 7635

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The Dedham Educational Model Redevelopment project, which began in March 2026 is reaching its final phase. Under the guidance of an appointed Dedham School Committee subcommittee, the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy has spent the last five months completing a comprehensive data and document review, classroom visits, focus groups, community engagement forums, online and in-person events, a Community Visioning event in May and a community survey that yielded over 750 responses.

At the upcoming August 13, 2026 Dedham School Committee meeting (online meeting), the Rennie Center will present the first of two reports from the project that will include findings, recommendations and options for Dedham moving forward.

The first of these reports will focus on school and grade configuration options, detailing various strategies and scenarios that explore possible ways in which school size, grade distribution and school building environments can be optimized to meet student learning needs. The second report, which will focus on teaching & learning, including curriculum, instruction, assessment, and culture, will be presented at a future meeting in September. The culmination of both reports will result in a new Educational Model for Dedham Public Schools that integrates academic visioning, community engagement, and facilities strategy into a comprehensive framework that will help define how Dedham manages the learning experience of students across all schools in the district.

The grade and school configuration focused report is being released earlier and separately from the teaching & learning report so that three top options for school and grade configurations can be shared and incorporated into the ongoing work of the Facilities Master Plan project, which is currently examining the facility needs and planning priorities for all Town buildings.

The Dedham School Committee will be reviewing the published report and options presented, with a goal to identify the top 3 options that will be submitted to the Facilities Master Plan project consultant Arrowstreet, for further cost analysis and research. The vote by the school committee to select the top options to move forward for further research will be conducted in late September.

Rennie Center Previews Report on Findings for Grade and School Configuration Options

Dedham Public Schools, in partnership with the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy is working through the final phase of the review process, which will culminate in an official report and recommendations for a new Dedham Public Schools Educational Model.

The final report is being released in two parts, the first part providing data and recommendations on grade and school configuration options. The second part of the report to be released will provide recommendations and considerations around teaching, learning and support approaches. The grade and school configuration report and recommendations will be reviewed by the Dedham School Committee, with a scheduled vote for late September, where the Committee will select three options to move forward for further cost analysis as part of the ongoing Facilities Master Plan project.

At the July 16, 2026 Dedham School Committee meeting, the Rennie Center presented preliminary findings for both parts of the report. These previews were shared for initial consideration of the committee, in advance of the full report pieces expected to be fully released in mid-August and early September respectively.

• A copy of the July 16th presentations by the Rennie Center can be found on the Educational Model Project page: https://beheard.dedham-ma.gov/educational-model

• A recording of the July 16th School Committee meeting can be viewed on DedhamTV at: http://50.77.30.235/internetchannel/show/6382?channel=3

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.

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).

The survey is currently available in English and Spanish. <Link to Survey has been removed - Survey closed on May 25, 2026>

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.

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.

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