Dr. Yolanda G. Burnett, who served as the Boston Renaissance Charter School’s chief of staff since 2010, was recently appointed the school’s new executive director. A veteran of the Boston Public Schools and the Renaissance school, Burnett has 24 years of urban school teaching and administrative experience. During this time, she served as a reading and special education teacher and elementary school principal in BPS; she also was director of Elementary School and the chief accountability officer/chief of staff at Boston Renaissance. She holds a doctorate in Leadership in Urban Schools from the University of Massachusetts-Boston.
After 41 years of service in Boston schools, including the last 18 years at the helm of Boston Renaissance, Dr. Roger F. Harris has retired his post as the school’s leader, but will remain involved with the school as an advisor.
Renaissance also named a new Head of School, Evelyn D. Lee. Recognized for her leadership of the school’s music, arts, and mentoring programs, Lee has 31 years of experience as a K-12 educator, having served 16 years as a school administrator.
The new leadership team will be focused on maintaining the academic success experienced in recent years, as the school has ascended to become a Level 1 school, the highest rating in the state’s academic accountability system. As she welcomed new teachers to the building ahead of the arrival of the students this week, Burnett expressed confidence in the team and the school’s ability to maintain the momentum. “We are ready and excited to meet the challenge of a new year. At Renaissance we put children first, we constantly evaluate and improve our teaching, and we work hard together as a team — we have people in new roles, but these values remain unchanged,” Burnett said.
