STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE STATE EDUCATION board is exploring new ways to address the statewide teacher shortage through more “flexible” regulations for specialized educators. Board members voted Tuesday to […]
Licensing changes eyed to address teacher shortage
Posted inEducation
Teachers union wants ed reform money — but not accountability
THE MASSACHUSETTS TEACHERS ASSOCIATION is calling on its members to be “conscientious objectors” by refusing to administer MCAS and not let their own children take the dreaded tests. Such farcical […]
Posted inEconomy
Antiracist think tank emerges in Northampton
THINK TANKS come in all shapes and sizes, with political philosophies that range left, right, and center. The new Western Massachusetts Policy Center in Northampton is setting out to be different. […]
Posted inThe Download
Antiracist think tank emerges in Northampton
Think tanks come in all shapes and sizes, with political philosophies that range left, right, and center. The new Western Massachusetts Policy Center in Northampton is setting out to be […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Poll finds big safety concerns among Boston public school parents
AMID GROWING CONCERNS over violence in Boston schools, a new poll finds that more than two-thirds of parents of Boston Public Schools students are worried about their children’s safety in school […]
Posted inOpinion
Cautionary tale for health care price shoppers
PRICE SHOPPING for health care services like laboratory tests and imaging has been touted as a promising mechanism to reduce spending and patient out-of-pocket expense. With increasing price transparency and […]
Posted inTransportation
Healey appoints new transportation safety czar
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE GOV. MAURA HEALEY on Monday appointed veteran transit official Patrick Lavin, who worked on a 2019 independent report highlighting widespread safety problems at the MBTA, to […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA schedules slow zone work on Red Line
THE MBTA on Monday announced new steps to address slow zones caused by subway track defects that were apparently identified by routine rail scans but for some reason never addressed […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Taking a long view of the MBTA
Nicholas Dagen Bloom, the author of The Great American Transit Disaster, takes a long view of the current problems at the MBTA. CommonWealth Magazine · Taking the long view with […]
Posted inThe Download
Taking a long view of the MBTA
Nicholas Dagen Bloom, the author of The Great American Transit Disaster, takes a long view of the current problems at the MBTA. In a new episode of the Codcast, Bloom, […]
Posted inState Government, Transportation
Taking a long view of the MBTA
NICHOLAS DAGEN BLOOM, the author of The Great American Transit Disaster, takes a long view of the current problems at the MBTA. In a new episode of the Codcast, Bloom, […]
Posted inEducation
$10m donation to Holyoke Community College sets record, challenges norms
TO PEG AND GARY WENDLANDT, it’s a simple matter of doing good after doing well. But in the world of higher education philanthropy, last week’s announcement that the couple are […]
Posted inOpinion
Free public transit is not the solution
PUBLIC TRANSIT SYSTEMS face daunting challenges across the US, from pandemic ridership losses to traffic congestion, fare evasion and pressure to keep rides affordable. In some cities, including Boston, Kansas […]
Posted inOpinion
Let’s make free fares in Worcester permanent
A correction has been added to the commentary. THE WORCESTER Regional Transit Authority (WRTA) has solidified its place as a leader in the fare-free public transportation movement, with the WRTA […]
Posted inThe Download
Healey shaking up MBTA oversight board
Just weeks after appointing a new general manager at the MBTA, Gov. Maura Healey is shaking up the transit authority’s oversight board. Thomas Glynn, MBTA general manager under former governor […]
Posted inOpinion
Home healthcare needs shoring up
ONE OF THE MANY challenges facing the Massachusetts health care system today is how to handle the increasing need to provide care for the state’s most vulnerable populations, including individuals […]
Posted inTransportation
Healey shaking up MBTA oversight board
JUST WEEKS after appointing a new general manager at the MBTA, Gov. Maura Healey is shaking up the transit authority’s oversight board. Thomas Glynn, MBTA general manager under former governor […]
Posted inTransportation
Boston, Harvard, BU negotiating I-90 Allston funding
STATE TRANSPORTATION officials say they are working with the city of Boston, Harvard University, and Boston University on a finance plan for the Allston I-90 project that should be ready […]
Posted inEnergy
Maine jury delivers hydro relief for Mass.
BAY STATE and many New England policymakers breathed a sigh of relief on Thursday after a jury in Maine voted 9-0 to green light the completion of a Massachusetts-financed transmission […]
Posted inThe Download
Boston pitches libraries, affordable housing as perfect match
In three Boston neighborhoods, home could soon be where the stacks are. The city is set to join a handful of other places that combine public libraries with affordable housing, […]
Posted inArts and Culture
Boston pitches libraries, affordable housing as perfect match
IN THREE BOSTON neighborhoods, home could soon be where the stacks are. The city is set to join a handful of other places that combine public libraries with affordable housing, a […]
Posted inOpinion
Short of workers? Bring more women into workforce
THIS IS A HISTORIC moment for women leaders in the Commonwealth. As Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll reach the milestone of 100 days in office, collectively we […]
Posted inHousing, Opinion
Heading off the next foreclosure crisis
OVER THE LAST few years, Americans have faced countless challenges we couldn’t have easily predicted: a global pandemic, war in Ukraine, supply chain snarls, a roiling economy — including recent […]
Posted inTransportation
More near-miss incidents reported at the T
NEAR-MISS incidents at the MBTA between maintenance staff and vehicles keep on coming. At a meeting of a safety subcommittee of the MBTA board last Thursday, T staff disclosed there had […]