AS 2023 OPENED, the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education met on January 3 for a special meeting and had just one item listed on the agenda: “Goal setting process for accountability system and Student Opportunity Act.” In recognition of the fact that the pandemic has impacted students and communities differently, at that meeting […]
Todd Gazda
Posted inEducation, Opinion
Raising MCAS bar was a move in the wrong direction
THE BOARD of Elementary and Secondary Education’s recent decision to raise the score high school student must reach to pass the MCAS and graduate from high school is yet another slap in the face for public educators across the Commonwealth. Coming out of the COVID pandemic MCAS scores reported in September 2021 dropped from pre-pandemic […]
Posted inEducation
What’s so dangerous about critical thinking?
Freedom is the continuous action we all must take, and each generation must do its part to create an even more fair, more just society. – John Lewis ONE CANNOT HELP but be troubled by the events that have transpired across our country over the past few years. The high-profile instances of racism and racial […]
Posted inEducation
Finding middle ground in the debate over recess
Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood. – Fred Rogers AS EDUCATORS, the most precious resource we have is time. There never seems to be enough of it to cover the ever increasing litany of […]
Posted inEducation
Time to rethink education assessments and standards
The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new. – Socrates THIS PAST SUMMER saw the failure on the part of the Legislature to arrive at a compromise piece of legislation designed to begin the process of remedying the flaws to educational funding formula […]
Posted inEducation
Schools need to focus more on relevance than rigor
IN THIS CRAZY, chaotic and often perplexing age we live in teachers are required, more than ever before, to fill a larger role in our children’s lives. Teachers have always been an important influence, but now the support they provide transcends the classroom as they help students find their way in this confusing challenging time. […]
Posted inOpinion
First lesson this school year must be civility
THIS IS A busy time in public education as schools open their doors to once again be filled with energy and life after the annual summer hiatus. This is the time to leverage that energy while school staff are still fresh and invigorated. As a result, administrators are sometimes reluctant to address big, difficult or […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
Policy overload on fixing schools
When public policy goes one way and the premises of a culture go the other, you’ve got the formula for an unsustainable system of education. – Angus Campbell THERE IS CURRENTLY a disconnect between development and implementation of educational policy in the United States. When you speak with educators in the field it is evident […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
School funding fix needed
PUBLIC SCHOOLS TODAY find themselves under a microscope and pulled by competing forces like never before. Education is a system in flux as it strives to institute necessary change in order to effectively meet the demands of today’s students and society. Change never comes without cost, be that time, money, resources, or personnel. These elements […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
Education must adapt to 21st century
Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today. – Malcolm X THE PAST 25 YEARS have seen dramatic changes in our culture and society. Twenty-five years ago the internet was in its infancy and we still considered our country invulnerable as the twin towers still stood in […]