IN 2010, a young Mark Zuckerberg partnered with a rising political star, then-Mayor Cory Booker, to donate $100 million dollars to Newark Public Schools. The idea was that a massive infusion of wealth could fundamentally alter learning within the community. New money led to modest change but did little to address major challenges in schools. […]
Chad d’Entremont
Posted inEducation
Diversity in educator pipeline is crucial
THE DEMANDS OF TEACHING during a pandemic have undoubtedly taken a toll on educators. From dealing with ever-changing public health protocols and staff shortages to addressing lost learning time and supporting students’ wellbeing, teachers are overworked and overwhelmed. A new study found that turnover among Massachusetts teachers was at least 15 percent higher over the […]
Posted inEducation
It’s time to reimagine MCAS
SHOULD WE, or should we not, eliminate the MCAS test? It’s a question as old as the test itself. The debate has been raging for decades, and is coming to a head as schools navigate pandemic learning loss. It’s time to shift the conversation — and the question. The question we should be debating is […]
Posted inEducation
Federal school funds should drive innovation and equity
MASSACHUSETTS HAS BEEN a leader in education since 1635 when Boston opened the nation’s first public school. But we haven’t drastically changed our approach in the last 375 years. We still often rely on teacher-led instruction to seated students (even on Zoom!), all moving in unison to a set schedule. This system was built for […]
Posted inEducation
3 priorities for schools in the COVID-19 era
REOPENING SCHOOLS PRESENTS a lot of unknowns. Budgets, class sizes, and health protocols are up in the air. But one matter is settled: Whether education happens in person or online, students’ academic learning depends in large measure on their physical and social-emotional wellbeing. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, during this past decade of relative economic prosperity, […]
Posted inOpinion
Breaking down silos that separate students by race and class
AT A RECENT press briefing, Massachusetts education commissioner Jeff Riley observed that the crisis of COVID-19 school closures is also “an amazing opportunity to think differently about how we educate our kids.” We couldn’t agree more. Let’s use this chance to make schools more equitable. Let’s build a “campus without walls” where all students – […]
Posted inEducation
Students’ voice missing from ed funding debate
THE DEBATE ON education funding currently swirling inside and outside the State House focuses on what the state is putting into education and how those dollars can support the best possible outcomes for all students. Much of the discussion has focused on helping schools or districts “give our kids the education they deserve,” as Gov. […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
Time to include social-emotional measures in assessments
BY MANY MEASURES, the Commonwealth is leading the pack when it comes to public education. Massachusetts students score higher on standardized tests than their peers across the nation and high school graduation rates have been steadily increasing over the past decade. But does that mean students are prepared for life after graduation? My organization looks […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
Resetting the bar
With headlines routinely proclaiming that Massachusetts “tops the nation” on national or international comparisons of student performance, it might come as a shock that over 40 percent of all students and nearly two-thirds of high-needs students are not proficient readers by the end of third grade. And these numbers have remained largely unchanged for the […]