A HIGHLY ANTICIPATED new state review of the Boston Public Schools paints a picture of a system in deep disarray, where some of the problems identified in a state report […]
Michael Jonas
Michael Jonas works with Laura in overseeing CommonWealth Beacon coverage and editing the work of reporters. His own reporting has a particular focus on politics, education, and criminal justice reform.
Posted inCriminal Justice
An awkward handoff at Suffolk DA’s office
IT HASN’T EXACTLY been a seamless transition at the Suffolk County district attorney’s office, which Rachael Rollins left in January to become US attorney. Gov. Charlie Baker named Kevin Hayden, […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Riley forcing a reckoning on Boston schools
THE BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS are a mess, but it’s not clear what will or should be done about it. That’s the situation as the district approaches a moment of reckoning […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
In Suffolk DA’s race, the gloves come off
IT SEEMED INEVITABLE that it would emerge one of the main fault lines in the race for Suffolk County district attorney: Kevin Hayden, appointed to the post in January by […]
Posted inPolitics
Aren’t we special? Dissecting Massachusetts exceptionalism
The Politics of Massachusetts Exceptionalism: Reputation Meets Reality takes on everything from the state’s political culture to the workings of its three branches of government and its place on the national stage, providing one-stop shopping for an understanding of Massachusetts politics.
Posted inPolitics
For GOP candidates, no news apparently good news
IT SEEMS LIKE an odd strategy for a party that claims only 9 percent of the state’s registered voters and is a decided underdog in polling match-ups looking ahead to […]
Posted inEducation
New Bedford charter school at center of 2019 battle poised to hit enrollment target
THREE YEARS AFTER a proposed compromise plan for expansion of a New Bedford charter school collapsed in the face of opposition from teachers unions and their legislative allies, the school […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
For Wilkerson, a looming question of culpability
TENACITY ALONE SOMETIMES brings its own rewards, and Dianne Wilkerson certainly looks determined to complete her return from the political wilderness more than a decade after being sent off to […]
Posted inEducation
Fall River high school students sing Early College program’s praises
CARLOS MARCANO STARTED taking classes at Bristol Community College last year while still a junior in high school. Now a senior at Durfee High School in Fall River, Marcano is […]
Posted inEconomy
Rideshare ballot showdown poses ‘unusual’ question
MASSACHUSETTS HAS A long history of putting complicated policy questions that lawmakers have been unable to resolve to a direct vote in statewide elections. This fall looks like it will […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Study shows positive impact of ‘procedural justice’ police training
DESPITE WIDESPREAD EMBRACE by police departments of various approaches to officer training, there is remarkably little firm evidence on the impact of schooling law enforcement personnel on everything from dealing […]
Posted inEducation
State takeover of school districts no ‘silver bullet’
A YEAR AGO this month, the state board of education took up a proposal to temporarily suspend annual performance reviews of Massachusetts school districts because the MCAS test they would […]
Posted inUncategorized
A bump in State House press presence
THERE’S AT LEAST some good news about the news business for a change. According to a new report from the Pew Research Center, the total number of statehouse reporters nationwide […]
Posted inPolitics
Wu addresses need for ‘bold’ change – and why she tangles directly with critics
IF MICHELLE WU has moved quickly on lots of fronts as Boston’s new mayor, it’s because she has spent years thinking about the issues she now has the power to […]
Posted inPolitics
Amore looks for a Republican opening
THE GOOD NEWS for Anthony Amore is that Gov. Charlie Baker is endorsing his run for state auditor. The bad news for Amore is that this is news at all. […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Making sense of correctional spending
MASSACHUSETTS SPENDS MORE than $1 billion a year to incarcerate roughly 13,000 people in its state prisons and county houses of correction, but a lot of the details of that […]
Posted inEconomy
Dealing with deserted downtowns now high on Baker menu
THERE WAS MORE than just the scent of bacon and eggs in the air at yesterday’s Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce breakfast. There was a whiff of irony present, too. […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Markey endorses Arroyo in Suffolk DA contest
WHEN IT COMES to winning the support of the state’s US senators, Ricardo Arroyo can now claim a twofer. A week after Sen. Elizabeth Warren endorsed his run for Suffolk […]
Posted inPolitics
Markey, Warren throw some political weight around
IT WAS A BONE-CHILLING Saturday morning in late November, and Ed Markey was gripping the microphone as the wind whipped across the Chelsea Creek in East Boston behind him. Though […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
A steep fall for Cannon-Grant
FOR MONICA CANNON-GRANT, the limelight has proved to be a decidedly double-edged sword. The long-time Black Boston activist rocketed to prominence amid the country’s racial reckoning of recent years. It […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Tsarnaev again faces death penalty, but support for capital punishment dropping
IT’S PROBABLY THE highest profile capital punishment case in the country. And while it was an administration in Washington led by a Democratic president opposed to the death penalty that […]
Posted inEducation
Think tank calls for state takeover of Boston schools
A NEW REPORT from the Pioneer Institute says problems with the Boston Public Schools run so deep that a state takeover of the system represents the best option for improving […]
Posted inPolitics
GOP gov hopeful Doughty taps former rep as unofficial running mate
CAN A LARGELY unknown gubernatorial candidate, who is the underdog in a primary race in a cratering political party, get a little oomph by announcing that a largely unknown former […]
Posted inPolitics
Pioneer Institute launching center to push issues in court
PIONEER INSTITUTE, which has spent more than three decades trying to inform and shape policy in the public arena, is going to take its case for limited government and free-market […]