EDUCATION
CommonWealth Beacon explores the dynamics of the state’s early childhood, K-12, and higher education systems, from their foundational pillars to current debates over how to ensure quality educational opportunity for all.
The two years between Early Intervention and kindergarten
For students who exit Early Intervention at 3 and do not meet the bar for an IEP, there exists a two-year period — roughly ages three to five — between Early Intervention services and public kindergarten during which many parents and caregivers are left to figure out how to pay for developmental support options.
The unintended consequences of the Student Opportunity Act
The well-intended legislation was aimed at addressing persistent racial and socioeconomic achievement gaps, but what Beacon Hill perhaps didn’t foresee was the greater financial pressure it would place on municipal budgets as sluggish state aid growth that has not kept pace with inflation, strict limits on local tax increases, and rising costs continue to trap many local governments between a rock and a hard place.
Frustrated family child care providers working with expired contract
Members of the Family Child Care Chapter of SEIU Local 509 called on lawmakers to raise reimbursement rates for child care providers who care for kids who are eligible for financial assistance.
Higher education commissioner stepping down in September
Ortega’s departure will further shift the state’s education leadership, following turnover within the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler stepping down earlier this year.
Nearly 15 years after student discipline reform, school suspensions in Mass. are falling. Are emergency removals taking their place?
In 2012, after child advocates spent years trying to reduce punitive suspensions in schools, Massachusetts passed sweeping education reforms, kickstarting a longstanding policy shift away from exclusionary discipline methods. Nearly 15 years later, out-of-school suspensions are falling, but emergency removals — a mechanism allowing administrators to immediately remove a student from school due to severe behavior for up to two days — have increased.
Proposed graduation requirements revive debate over standardized testing
The K-12 Statewide Graduation Council recommends in a new proposal that students complete state-designed and administered end-of-course assessments, sparking debate over whether Massachusetts is reintroducing the standardized testing voters rejected by ballot question in 2024.
Healey seeks $100 million in additional school funding as districts confront mounting financial strain
Deploying a somewhat novel approach to budgeting “Fair Share” dollars, Gov. Maura Healey wants to give K-12 districts another funding injection amid rising economic pressures.
Massachusetts emerges as a national leader in child care access, but accessibility issues remain
Funding for the Mass. Department of Early Education and Care increased by 125 percent between 2020 and 2025, helping support providers and expand capacity.
Trump DOJ sues Mass. over immigrant tuition law
The Trump administration opened up another front in its campaign to crack down on immigrant communities by asking a federal judge to scrap a Massachusetts law that lets high school graduates without legal status attend public colleges and universities without paying higher, out-of-state tuition.
State gives clearance for three-year degree programs at two colleges
The Board of Higher Education approved Merrimack’s plan to offer 96-credit bachelor’s degrees in business administration, communications, criminal justice and psychology, the Department of Higher Education announced. Suffolk was approved for a 94-credit bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration and innovation.
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