How can a state be considered tops in the country in public education when more than 50 percent of its fourth graders cannot read proficiently? The easy answer is because […]
Elementary and Secondary Education
Posted inEducation, Opinion
End the summer slide, close the achievement gap
As summer draws to a close, teachers are returning to work to get ready for the new school year. One significant issue they will have to face, particularly those working […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion, State House News Service
A choice debate
Boston emerged as ground zero in the recent charter school debate on Beacon Hill. Not only was state Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz of Jamaica Plain, co-chair of the Legislature’s education committee, […]
Posted inEducation, Politics
Globe Foundation gives full-page ad to Walsh
The Boston Globe Foundation donated a full-page ad in Wednesday’s newspaper to Boston Mayor Marty Walsh so he could thank the staff of the Boston Public Schools at the close […]
Posted inState House News Service
Charter schools cry foul over new ed rule
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE State education officials on Tuesday approved a major change to the way the state evaluates the performance of school districts, drawing the ire of charter school […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
No need to fear Common Core
Grit is a term we should be using a lot in education, especially when discussing the adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). I am completing my ninth year […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
California tenure case a win for students
On Tuesday, teachers unions and education reformers clashed yet again in newspaper headlines around the country. Randi Weingarten of the American Federation of Teachers called it a “sad day for […]
Posted inEducation
Classroom unrest
IN A MOVE that has sent shockwaves across the state’s education landscape, the largest teachers’ union in Massachusetts has elected a new president who staunchly opposes many of the cornerstones […]
Posted inEducation
Charter formula change draws fire
CHARTER SCHOOL LEADERS Leaders are sounding alarms over proposed changes in state education regulations that would shift a number of low-achieving school districts out of the group of communities where […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
Teacher leftovers story sends wrong message
While we appreciate coverage on our efforts to ensure great teachers in every classroom, we worry that Bruce Mohl’s recent article, “Teacher Leftovers,” sends the wrong message. The Boston Public […]
Posted inEducation, The Back Story
BPS forecasting 200 teacher leftovers
John McDonough, the interim Boston Public Schools superintendent, and Richard Stutman, president of the Boston Teachers Union, respond to this article here. The Boston Public Schools system is now forecasting […]
Posted inEducation
Doing well and good
CALL IT A textbook case of serendipity. A few years ago, Frank Ferguson, then in his early 80s, reluctantly began considering the fact that he would not be able to […]
Posted inEducation, Health Care
Heaviest lobbying by health care firms
health care firms, led by hospital systems and insurance companies, spent the most money on Beacon Hill lobbying activities in 2013. Partners HealthCare, which owns Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham […]
Posted inEducation, State House News Service
Can Bay State schools afford online standardized testing?
this spring, there’s a twist to the annual ritual of standardized testing. Many students will trade in pencil and paper and move into the 21st century, taking the state’s new […]
Posted inEducation, State House News Service
School chief offers online testing advice
When the Burlington schools were randomly selected to administer a paper and pencil version of the state’s new online standardized test, Superintendent Eric Conti had a better idea. He suggested […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
Another approach to college readiness gap
On a visit to Massachusetts last month, US Education Secretary Arne Duncan cautioned against resting on our laurels. Despite the Bay State’s nation-leading test scores, he chided, “Four in ten […]
Posted inEducation, State House News Service
Lawmakers want charters, regular schools in same boat
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE Two key Democratic lawmakers on Monday promoted a plan brokered over the weekend and designed to resolve the impasse over legislation that would trigger an expansion […]
Posted inEducation, The Back Story
BPS to replace a fifth of teachers
The Boston Public School system is about to launch a dramatic overhaul of its teaching staff, replacing a fifth of its 4,500 teachers. The unprecedented teacher turnover headed into the […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
Boston teacher praises new hiring policy
There are few things that have given me as much relief as getting my notice that I was now a permanent teacher. The years of stress and confusion over whether […]
Posted inEducation
Lawrence school receiver cuts central office staff by 30%
Two years ago, when Jeff Riley was put in charge of Lawrence’s failing school system under a new state law, he made a surprising declaration for someone who had just […]
Posted inEducation
The change agent
John McDonough is the interim superintendent of the Boston Public Schools. He’s the anonymous guy who is supposed to keep the school bureaucracy at 26 Court Street running smoothly until […]
Posted inEducation, State House News Service
Lawrence teachers push for bargaining rights
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICEUnion officials urged lawmakers to restore collective bargaining rights to Lawrence public school teachers, arguing the state education commissioner and state-appointed receiver overseeing the turnaround of city […]
Posted inEducation, State House News Service
Teacher evaluation data released by state
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICEOver 90 percent of the state’s public school educators received passing grades in the first year of a new evaluation system that rated teachers and administrators on […]
Posted inEducation
Boston releases ratings of teachers by school
The Boston school system rated 93 percent of its teachers as exemplary or proficient under a new evaluation system, although ratings varied fairly significantly from school to school. Overall, 13.5 […]
