THE LATEST MCAS scores are definitely alarming.Scores are significantly below pre-pandemic levels. At current trends, it would take at least eight years for Massachusetts students to catch up. Here at home, Boston Public Schools (BPS) students performed below the Massachusetts average across all grade levels and all subjects measured by the exam—and Black, Latino, and […]
Elementary and Secondary Education
Posted inOpinion
Boston charter students not treated equitably
AS STUDENTS IN BOSTON and across the country continue to reel from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a lot of conversation about the importance of students receiving the education funding they need. By March 2021, the federal government had committed an unprecedented extra $190 billion to public schools, of which Boston […]
Posted inOpinion
Police, metal detectors wrong answer in Boston Public Schools
RECENT headlines have focused on a survey conducted by the MassINC Polling Group about school safety in Boston Public Schools. Out of the more than 800 families surveyed, 76 percent of parents said they support metal detectors in school and 75 percent said they favor returning police officers to schools. Some have interpreted the survey […]
Posted inEducation
MTA gearing up to push for new ballot questions
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE MASSACHUSETTS VOTERS in 2024 could be asked to settle two major education debates, but retailers may pass on bringing tax cuts to next year’s ballot. The state’s largest teacher’s union is considering ballot questions that would eliminate the graduation requirement associated with statewide standardized testing and create a “debt free college […]
Posted inEducation
Sex ed gets an update in state’s new curriculum framework
ABSTINENCE IS A WORD that appears frequently in the state’s current curriculum framework for health education, which was released nearly 25 years ago in 1999. The 1999 framework, a guide for what should be taught in schools across the state, urges educators to “explain the benefits of abstinence, postponing sexual behavior, and setting limits on […]
Posted inEducation
Ludlow school committee taking up book ban proposal
THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE in Ludlow is expected to wade into the nation’s culture wars this week, taking up a proposal that would shift decision-making power around library book acquisitions from school administrators and librarians to school committee members, parents, and residents. The proposal reflects ongoing tensions between Ludlow educators and a group of parents who […]
Posted inPolitics, State Government
Fight erupts over committee rules on Beacon Hill
This story has been updated with a comment from Rep. Jeffrey Roy. A FIGHT is brewing on Beacon Hill over the rules governing how joint committees made up of House and Senate members steer bills through the Legislature. Sources say House chairs have been pressing their Senate counterparts to change the way the committees operate. […]
Posted inEducation
Licensing changes eyed to address teacher shortage
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE STATE EDUCATION board is exploring new ways to address the statewide teacher shortage through more “flexible” regulations for specialized educators. Board members voted Tuesday to start the process of amending education licensure regulations to create an easier pathway for already-licensed teachers to be able to teach special education and English […]
Posted inOpinion
Schools should look within to recruit teachers
THE AUDITORIUM at Haverhill High School was full of positive energy, as over 50 paraprofessionals and instructional aides heard about an opportunity to earn a master’s degree and a Massachusetts teaching license. The gathering was good news for many paraprofessionals, who while they might hold a bachelor’s degree, may not yet be eligible for a […]
Posted inOpinion
Striking shouldn’t be against the law for teachers
EARLIER THIS YEAR, Woburn educators, addressing the grossly unfair pay offered to highly valued paraprofessionals, won a 40 percent starting-pay increase for the district’s paras. The Woburn Teachers Association further took on the ever-growing problem of educator shortages by establishing a new minimum salary for classroom teachers that meets the goals of US Sen. Bernie […]