THE PHYSICAL CLOSURE of schools due to COVID-19 is taking a toll on our most precious resource; our children. The impact has been even more significant among black, Latinx, and low-income students. A recent analysis by McKinsey and Company determined that the nation’s students, on average, could fall behind in their learning by almost seven […]
Elementary and Secondary Education
Posted inOpinion
Police need to be removed from our schools
THE MURDER of George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer reflects a broader, deep-seated racism that infiltrates all levels of our society, including our schools. The racist notions of superiority, dominance, and control which led the white police officer to feel justified in kneeling on the neck of a black man long […]
Posted inEducation
Districts coming up short on reporting school-based arrests
A NUMBER of Massachusetts school districts are failing to adhere to data collection measures required by the 2018 Criminal Justice Reform Act, with some reporting no school-based arrests when their own records show a significant number of arrests. The discrepancies raise questions about the accuracy of data being gathered under the 2018 law, which reduced […]
Posted inThe Download
Role of school nurses expands during pandemic
There are a multitude of reasons to go to the school nurse — a scraped knee, an asthma attack on the playground, a case of chickenpox, symptoms of the flu, a nap for a migraine. Students go to the school nurse for physical, mental, and emotional support. Now, with 70 percent of 400 districts planning […]
Posted inEducation
Role of school nurses expands during pandemic
THERE ARE A MULTITUDE of reasons to go to the school nurse — a scraped knee, an asthma attack on the playground, a case of chickenpox, symptoms of the flu, a nap for a migraine. Students go to the school nurse for physical, mental, and emotional support. Now, with 70 percent of 400 districts planning […]
Posted inThe Download
Parent frustration about schools is rising
With less than two weeks until school starts, parents from Somerville and Newton say they have yet to get any details on what classes will look like for their children and whether remote learning will be better than it was when schools suddenly shut down last spring amid COVID-19. “Families cannot live in a state […]
Posted inEducation
Parent frustration about schools is rising
WITH LESS THAN TWO WEEKS until school starts, parents from Somerville and Newton say they have yet to get any details on what classes will look like for their children and whether remote learning will be better than it was when schools suddenly shut down last spring amid COVID-19. “Families cannot live in a state […]
Posted inEducation
17 Boston school officials paid $762,000 in settlements
IN AN APPARENT EFFORT to stave off potential lawsuits for wrongful termination or to just cushion departures, Boston Public School officials shelled out $762,000 over a nearly two-year period for settlement agreements with 17 school employees. The 17 cash settlements were paid to 11 administrators, five teachers, and one librarian. Another 50 settlements did not involve any […]
Posted inOpinion
Rethinking high school during COVID
FOR 20 YEARS, I’ve taught in an adult ed program in Dorchester. Every year we tweak things, adjust the schedule, hire new faculty, tinker with syllabi. Change happens gradually. This past spring, with the advent of COVID, we had to scramble. Many of our students do not have laptops or good internet service and our […]
Posted inOpinion
Pods could become tipping point in education
PODS ARE POPPING UP everywhere, in all kinds of neighborhood but mostly in affluent places. These pods are a form of parental activism, parental choice during an extended crisis period when the public schools are possibly unsafe and often unable to satisfactorily serve their children. The pods typically consist of a group of parents collaborating […]