Virtually every woman of child-bearing age has had that panicked moment: she gets her period unexpectedly in a public bathroom and doesn’t have menstrual products. For low-income women and girls who cannot consistently afford pads or tampons, the experience is more common. The Massachusetts Senate on Thursday unanimously passed a bill requiring all shelters, schools, […]
Elementary and Secondary Education
Posted inUncategorized
Senate passes ‘period poverty’ bill
VIRTUALLY EVERY WOMAN of child-bearing age has had that panicked moment: she gets her period unexpectedly in a public bathroom and doesn’t have menstrual products. For low-income women and girls who cannot consistently afford pads or tampons, the experience is more common. The Massachusetts Senate on Thursday unanimously passed a bill requiring all shelters, schools, […]
Posted inEducation
Baker hints school mask mandate may be nearing end
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE TWO EAST COAST states on Monday attached end dates to their school mask mandates, spelling out timelines that Gov. Charlie Baker described as “pretty consistent” with Massachusetts policy. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education rule requiring students and teachers in most K-12 schools to wear masks indoors is in place […]
Posted inOpinion
3 policy pathways for the Boston Public Schools
EVERY BOSTON CHILD deserves access to a high-quality education. Despite years of discussion about the need to close achievement and opportunity gaps, this has been an unfulfilled promise to Boston children and their families caught in a system of “haves and have-nots” when it comes to high-quality school options. As a result, our city’s education […]
Posted inOpinion
Basics like balancing a checkbook need to be taught in schools
THE NEW YEAR always brings fresh resolutions, perhaps this year more than most because of what we’ve all endured over the past two years. We all want some sort of fresh start, a sense that we’re doing the right thing, and a good plan moving forward. As a state, we should commit to advancing the […]
Posted inEducation
Due to lack of interest, 2 MCAS science exams scrapped
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE STATE BOARD of Elementary and Secondary Education agreed Tuesday to phase out two of the MCAS science exams currently offered to high schoolers, even as some members voiced concerns about the signal that decision might be sending. Students need to meet the state standard on one science test to earn […]
Posted inThe Download
Making sense of COVID policies in schools
Students are contracting COVID-19, occasionally in school – but medical experts say school is the safest place for kids. Parents are urged to vaccinate their children against COVID, though children are unlikely to get seriously ill. State policymakers are encouraging schools to increase one form of COVID testing, while ramping down another. Education policy during […]
Posted inEducation
Making sense of COVID policies in schools
STUDENTS ARE CONTRACTING COVID-19, occasionally in school – but medical experts say school is the safest place for kids. Parents are urged to vaccinate their children against COVID, though children are unlikely to get seriously ill. State policymakers are encouraging schools to increase one form of COVID testing, while ramping down another. Education policy during […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Polls indicate mental health of children remains a concern
PARENTS IN MASSACHUSETTS have a front row seat to the burgeoning mental health crisis among children across the state. A series of polls from The MassINC Polling Group finds parents are equally concerned about mental and emotional health as they are with academics, and want schools to continue to play a heightened role in addressing […]
Posted inThe Download
School struggles getting worse amid virus surge
Amid the surge of COVID-19 cases, Cambridge Public Schools closed Monday and Tuesday to test 3,500 students. Superintendent Victoria Greer wrote to families Tuesday that 157 of 362 pools tested positive – meaning somewhere between 157 and over 1,000 students had COVID. But the district had not received individual results, so no one knew which […]