When it comes to efforts to turn around failing schools, the nation’s smallest state is making some of the biggest waves. In January, Rhode Island’s new education commissioner, Deborah Gist, […]
Putting teachers on notice
Posted inEducation
Charters are closing the gap
Read the opposite view in “A Setback for Diversity” here. for decades, education policymakers have attempted to bridge the yawning achievement gap between affluent white students and poor black and […]
Posted inEducation
A setback for diversity
Read the response to “A Setback for Diversity” here. prodded by financial incentives offered by the Obama administration, Massachusetts and most other states are loosening restrictions on establishing charter schools. […]
Posted inPolitics
Political preview 2010
the surprise election of Republican Scott Brown as US Senator in January (get complete town-level results here) was only the beginning of what promises to be a tumultuous year of […]
Posted inEconomy
Raised stakes
any debate over the possible arrival of casinos in Massachusetts (see “Ka-ching”) has to take into account how much we already rely on the state lottery, and whether scratch ticket […]
Posted inUncategorized
Redefining parents
by traditional definitions, the percentage of children living in “single-parent” households has risen steadily over the past few decades, both nationally and in Massachusetts. One measure is the share of […]
Posted inEconomy
Job prospects
the no. 1 issue on the minds of voters this year is jobs, and politicians on Beacon Hill are responding with a flurry of proposals. Most of them fall in […]
Posted inEconomy
Private developers ape BRA controversial resale fees
the controversial resale fees assessed by the Boston Redevelopment Authority may be coming to a private development near you. In the Winter 2010 issue of CommonWealth, we reported how the […]
Posted inArts and Culture, Uncategorized
Poker deregulation is no bluff
A guy holding a 4 and 7 draws three cards in a poker game, successfully betting he’ll pull an inside straight flush. Skill or luck? Dumb luck for an unskilled […]
Posted inEducation
Northeastern program aims to keep students past their first year
on the path to keeping kids in college, Northeastern University has so far met with considerable success — and encountered a few big surprises. Foundation Year, an NU pilot program […]
Posted inState House News Service, Transportation
New England’s major airports moving to taxi out of the recession
as the economy slowly starts to recover, three of New England’s busiest airports are well-positioned for strong, complementary growth. Boston’s Logan International Airport is already posting passenger gains. T.F. Green […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
Galvin gets less secretive about tax credit recipients
secretary of state William Galvin is starting to lift the veil of secrecy surrounding his management of the state’s historic rehabilitation tax credit program, which provides financial incentives for developers […]
Posted inHealth Care
Misdiagnosis
it’s one thing to use five-star ratings to rank restaurants and movies, but is it possible to rate nursing homes the same way? The federal government thinks it is. Just […]
Posted inPolitics
Hidden treasure
A sense of awe envelops Nancy Powell as she waxes eloquently about The Birds of America, a multi-volume set of John James Audubon’s hand-painted prints of life-size images of 435 […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Education
Boarding school behind bars
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Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics, The Download
Patrick probation proposal not included in House budget plan
By Bruce Mohl The House budget plan is not expected to include Gov. Deval Patrick’s proposal to move the state’s probation service out of the judiciary and into the executive […]
Posted inHealth Care, Politics
Judge denies injunction
Gov. Deval Patrick scored a major election-year victory today when a judge denied a plea by Massachusetts health insurers for a temporary injunction against a cap Patrick ordered on premium […]
Posted inEducation
Contract a sign of things to come?
If teacher effectiveness has become the watchword of efforts to turn around failing schools, Washington, D.C., has been ground zero for this battle. The city’s reform-minded superintendent, Michelle Rhee, hasn’t minced […]
Posted inTransportation
T to spend millions replacing ties
The debt-ridden MBTA will spend tens of millions of dollars and disrupt South Shore commuter rail service over the next two years to replace nearly 150,000 defective concrete ties that […]
Posted inEconomy, State House News Service, The Download
Transparency provision defeated
By Bruce Mohl The Massachusetts Senate unanimously passed an overhaul of the state’s economic development agencies, but rejected by a 21-13 vote a measure that would have required greater public […]
Posted inEducation
The new paradigm on bullying
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Posted inPolitics
The squeaky wheel
Christy Mihos needs to attract the support of 15 percent of the delegates to next week’s Republican State Convention, but he doesn’t seem to be interested in currying favor with […]