Asked what role US Rep. John Olver plays in the 10-member Massachusetts congressional delegation, Rep. Michael Capuano of Somerville puts it very simply: “Money.”Ask Olver about his role and the […]
Money Man
Posted inEconomy
Statistically Significant
Illustrations by Travis Foster FORECLOSURE CRISIS FLOODS DOUBLE-DECKERSThe current foreclosure wave in Massachusetts has knocked down a disproportionate number of multifamily homes, at least compared with the housing market crash […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
The price of prisons
What part of state government is growing faster than education or Medicaid? Nationwide, spending on correctional facilities jumped by 9.2 percent in fiscal 2006, second only to transportation, according to […]
Posted inPolitics
Point of entry
we live in a time of demographic upheaval. We are becoming foreign-born, non-English-speaking, black, brown, yellow, and white. That’s as true in Massachusetts as it is nationally. In 2005, a […]
Posted inArts and Culture, Politics
Play money
During tough fiscal times, arts and sports programs are often the first to get cut from municipal budgets. So it’s not a big surprise that the “culture and recreation” category, […]
Posted inEconomy
Hidden tax credit
Tax credits are exploding in popularity in Massachusetts. Over the last several years, state lawmakers have approved tax credits to lure movies and movie stars to the state, to redevelop […]
Posted inEconomy, Education, Opinion
Too many incompletes
Education reform in the Commonwealth focused our attention on those students who were passing through school without acquiring basic academic skills. We aimed for a particular target, and we hit […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
Next steps
The commonwealth of Massachusetts is frequently, and with solid justification, considered to be the poster child of successful, systemic, standards-based school reform, but the ultimate goal of the 1993 Education […]
Posted inEducation
High-stakes test
Passage of the state’s landmark 1993 Education Reform Act was a rare moment in politics when consensus was forged around a truly big idea that shook up the status quo. […]
Posted inEducation
Ed reform must move beyond MCAS
As mayor of New Bedford, I rely upon the entire community to work together to move our city forward. So it alarms me to watch New Bedford’s best resources, our […]
Posted inOpinion
A diploma means nothing without evidence of skills and learning
Read Counterpoints by: Tom Birmingham Nick Donohue Education reform in Massachusetts was a grand bargain: a massive infusion of state dollars into our public schools in return for high academic […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Laptops rule among students in middle school
INTRO TEXT Deep into their “Unsung Heroes” reports, students worked on monologues about historical figures they’d chosen that would be recorded as iMovies and posted to the school intranet. Tyrone […]
Posted inEconomy, Education
Fewer high school grads in jobs pipeline
INTRO TEXT Massachusetts is facing a serious brain drain. Over the next 15 years, forecasters expect the state’s school-age population to shrink and the number of high school graduates to […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Craven gets a grip on the rising costs of school construction
INTRO TEXT School building authorityhead Katherine Craven. Katherine Craven is all about the numbers. On a yellow legal pad page, the head of the Massachusetts School Building Authority jots down […]
Posted inEducation
What about college?
Salvador Pimentel, asenior at Brighton HighSchool, says his jobs haveshown him there’s notmuch to look forward towithout a college degree.The colorful murals that ring the walls of Brighton High School’s […]
Posted inEducation
Sparking the brain
Danielle Pellegrine race downfield in a game of “ultimate ball.” Chasing her, on right, is fellow Millis Middle School student Alex Golash. MUSIC FROM A homemade CD blares from […]
Posted inEducation
Reports from the front line
<!– Illustration by Jon Cannell –>Jesse Gerson-Neider, Somerville Jalene Tamerat, Boston Anna Gelinas, LongmeadowCharter schools show what we can accomplishBy Jessie Gerson-Nieder I am a seventh-grade English and social studies […]
Posted inEducation
One last thing, Mr. President
NOTE: Sen. Edward Kennedy was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor after this edition of CommonWealth went to press.Like any good Democrat, Sen. Ted Kennedy is hoping that his party […]
Posted inEducation, Politics
Shock to the system
During the 27 years after Proposition 2 1/2 became law in Massachusetts, the town of Randolph never passed an override of the state property tax cap. Between 2003 and 2007, […]
Posted inEducation
Raising the bar
By most measures, K-12 public education in Massachusetts is in better shape than in other states. We can boast higher scores on standardized tests, more spending per student, and fewer […]
Posted inEducation
The bottom line
set amid the row houses and apartment buildings of the poor, mostly Hispanic community of Bushwick, the New York Harbor School seems a long way from the open water. The […]
Posted inEducation
Prep schools
The Bay State’s public colleges and universities attract a sizeable number of students from Boston, but they seem to be more valued as a higher-ed option in other parts of […]