Two different kinds of problems point to the urgent need to rethink our entire system of teacher education in Massachusetts, and in the country as a whole. On one hand, […]
Opinion
Posted inEducation, Opinion
A push to expand MCAS may dumb down science education
It was hardly a surprise when the state Board of Education voted in June to require high school students to pass one of several new MCAS tests in science in […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Opinion
Improving the re-entry of ex-inmates is essential to reducing crime
In “Approaching Reentry” (CW, Summer ’05), crime expert Jeremy Travis spoke at length about the problem of inmates returning to society. As former district attorney of Middlesex County, state attorney […]
Posted inEconomy, Education, Opinion
For the good of our economy the next phase of education reform must aim higher
The recent news that Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble was buying the Gillette Co. set off the predictable round of hand wringing about Boston’s future. Yet the vibrancy of the Massachusetts […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Massachusetts is a global leader in innovation but not in civic matters
MASSACHUSETTS HAS BEEN long recognized as possessing unique capacities at producing innovations that have changed the nation and the world. Whether its residents are especially gifted or they take advantage […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
A court decision on school financing is a chance to revisitand improveeducation reform
The coverage in the press gave a misleading picture of the school finance decision handed down by Judge Margot Botsford in April. The judge did not say that the state […]
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion
Medical services must be rationed but in a sensible way
The federal government recently reported that health care spending has surpassed $1.5 trillion. Roughly 15 percent of our gross domestic product goes to health care, a far higher percentage than […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion, Politics
Civil service hiring rules promote mediocrity among public safety workers
There is a public safety crisis in Massachusetts, a crisis of our own making. The quality of our workforce is not what it should be, and it’s our own fault. […]
Posted inEconomy, Health Care, Opinion, Politics
Rising medical costs could upend state government
Read responses to this article When we speak of balance in government, the typical reference is either to the intricate separation of powers inherent in our constitutional democracy, or to […]
Posted inOpinion, Uncategorized
What Boston needs to do to capitalize on the Democratic National Convention
Political and civic leaders of smart, effective cities use big public events to achieve long-lasting development and social benefits. That’s what I’ve learned from six years of visits to world-class […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
Where education reform has failed changing schools
State education aid is up $2 billion from what it was in 1993, the year the state’s education reform law was enacted. While there’s little doubt that school programs are […]
Posted inOpinion, Uncategorized
Keeping the faithful
If there ever was a separation of church and state in the newsroom–a certain kid-gloves treatment of churchly foibles–the raging controversy over clergy sexual abuse in the Boston Archdiocese has […]
Posted inOpinion
Counterpoint
Rep. Thomas O’Brien claims his charter school bill is being put forward primarily for fiscal reasons, in the belief that a moratorium on the granting of new charters will somehow […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
The unfinished business of school improvement
Nine years ago, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts launched an historic initiative to improve the state’s system of public education. The set of strategies embodied in the Education Reform Act of […]
Posted inOpinion, Uncategorized
Weathering the perfect fiscal storm
One year ago, the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation warned of an impending “perfect storm” in the state’s finances that would spell the end of the generous spending growth of recent years. […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
Schools need more funds
Providing adequate resources for public education is not just a public policy goal, it is also the law. The Education Reform Act of 1993 made an unambiguous promise to public […]
Posted inOpinion, Uncategorized
Reforming School Funding
What is the best way to divide a pie equitably? It’s simple enough when there are only two people involved–one slices, the other chooses. But this is child’s play compared […]
Posted inOpinion, Uncategorized
Time to unclog water permits
Massachusetts municipalities that seek approvals for new water supplies are entering into an intensifying public policy debate and treacherous regulatory terrain (“Tapped Out,” CW, Fall ’00). The permitting process is […]
Posted inOpinion, Uncategorized
State rules shortchange urban waterfronts
Last December, after much wrangling between state officials, city officials, developers–especially my client, Hyatt Development–and environmentalists, state Environmental Affairs Secretary Robert Durand approved a plan for the development of Boston’s […]
Posted inOpinion, Uncategorized
Its easier to manage care than expectations
The principal challenge to scientific medicine is no longer discovering new cures but affording new discoveries. Modern medicine represents an awesome, ever-expanding repertoire of life-saving and life-enhancing diagnostic, surgical, and […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
A Fair Share for Continuing Education
In the evening, after a long day at work, an estimated 35,000 adults attend classes at Massachusetts community colleges, trying to further their education and their careers. These students take […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
Schools and unions
In Brockton, they helped establish a Horace Mann Charter School that serves high school dropouts; in this, the school’s second year, enrollment has doubled to 110 students. In Worcester, they […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
The Know Somethings?
The Tea Party phenomenon aims to upend Massachusetts political structures with a combination of anti-establishment populism, a challenge to prevailing economic wisdom, and anti-immigrant vehemence. John Mulkern has written a […]
