MASSACHUSETTS LAST PASSED a major overhaul on public education in 1993. That year, Bill Clinton became president. The World Wide Web began to take off. Whitney Houston’s single “I Will Always Love You’’ held the top spot on the billboard charts. And I was three years old. My public education was greatly influenced by the […]
Education
Posted inEducation
MTA raises legal concerns about New Bedford charter deal
A BID BY NEW BEDFORD OFFICIALS to peaceably resolve a dispute with a local charter school hit a potential roadblock on Tuesday, as the Massachusetts Teachers Association said a key element of the deal is illegal. The deal calls for the Alma del Mar Charter School to add 450 seats in New Bedford rather than […]
Posted inEducation
Ed funding debate takes Pioneer detour
THE DEBATE OVER increased state funding for education took a detour last week as the Pioneer Institute and its critics tangled over a reform proposal designed to give the state more leverage at the local school level. It started on March 10, when Charles Chieppo and Jamie Gass of the Pioneer Institute proposed in a […]
Posted inOpinion
A third way on the school funding/accountability debate
BEACON HILL LEADERS are searching for ways to provide public schools with a significant infusion of new dollars. Taking a page from Massachusetts’s landmark 1993 Education Reform Act, some have proposed attaching higher levels of accountability to any new funding. Others are not so hot on this idea. After all, they reason, the state skirted […]
Posted inArts and Culture
Arts should be core to education, not an optional add-on
I’M EXCITED TO welcome more than 5,000 fellow arts educators from the National Art Education Association to Boston this weekend. At the same time, I’m worried about the state of the arts in our city. While Boston Public School officials tout the district’s “largest ever” budget, cuts to a number of city schools are in […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
School discipline comes to light after arrest
A HORRIFIC CRIME in New Hampshire has cast a harsh light on the North Andover school district where a victim of sexual assault was warned to avoid her attacker and even to stay off of Main Street in front of the high school. On February 17, 18-year-old Eliezer Tuttle picked up someone he had met […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Education
Is the college admissions scandal really shocking?
THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS AND BRIBERY SCANDAL is riveting, side-glance worthy, but definitely not shocking. The back door and side doors described by the instigator of the college admissions scandal have been bolted shut to middle and working class students, regardless of their academic acumen, since the dawn of higher education in this country. “There is […]
Posted inArts and Culture, Education
Arts internships coming for Boston students
WHILE BOSTON HIGH SCHOOL students hear plenty of talk about opportunities in STEM fields, with good internships available that match them with employers in the region’s booming biomedical and tech industries, one important local sector – the arts — has long struggled to keep up when it comes to showcasing career pathways for young people. […]
Posted inEducation
Feds bust up ‘side door’ route into college
WITH A SLEW OF CHARGES that struck at the integrity of one of the key ladders to success, US Attorney Andrew Lelling on Tuesday attempted to break up a college admissions scam fueled by millions of dollars in bribes paid by wealthy, well-connected individuals from the worlds of business and entertainment. Dozens of people across […]
Posted inEducation
Tie state ed funding to school committee seats
FEW DOUBT THAT the time has come to update the mechanism by which the Commonwealth funds local school districts. After 25 years, the current formula isn’t keeping pace with rising employee health insurance and special education costs. The specifics may have changed over a quarter century, but as they address this issue, state leaders should […]