Massachusetts

As part of the ongoing Roadmap to Expanding Opportunity project, the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center has released a new policy brief designed to help advocates and educators make the case for expanding access to one particular resource in school: smaller class sizes.

City Councilor Tito Jackson and the Boston Student Advisory Committee held a hearing this past Monday proposing that a second student representative should be added to the Boston School Committee, and that both student representatives should have full voting rights.

The Boston Public Schools District has over 83% students of color, yet only 37% of its teachers are teachers of color. Building on the committment of district officials to cultivate teacher diversity, BPS must do more to achieve the goal of having a teaching force that reflects the students and citizens of Boston. 

As part of its annual Condition of Education in the Commonwealth report, the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy has outlined three ways Massachusetts can build on its already strong education system to better prepare students for school, support them while they're there, and help them make the transition to college or a career.

"If we know that more Latino teachers means more Latino kids will finish school, go on to college and live to their fullest potential, then we are duty bound to hire more of them." This post is the third in a series featuring testimony from a recent hearing hosted by Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson on how Boston Public Schools can recruit, train and retain more teachers of color.

According to a new report from the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice, 9 out of the 10 school systems in Massachusetts with the highest suspension rates are charter schools, with some of them suspending between 40 and 60 percent of their students often for minor misbehaviors like dress code violations or being tardy.

Thanks to the hard work of youth organizers in Boston over the past year, starting next summer, Boston will launch a pilot program to offer discounted subway and bus passes to students and help make transportation to and from school more affordable.

Want more after-school or summer programs in your district? Well here's what it would probably cost to make that happen. The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center has released a policy brief outlining the costs of expanded learning opportunities and how we can make them available to each and every student.

In this interconnected world all children, and particularly those who stand at the margins, need a diverse teaching force if they are going to be able to be competitive globally. I’m glad to report that a seemingly contentious hearing yielded a true partnership between Boston Public Schools, local community members, researchers, and myself and colleague City Councilor Ayanna Pressley to create and implement an accountability structure that ensures we recruit, support, and, most importantly, retain highly qualified teachers of color.

In a testament to the many parents, students and teachers who have been educating the public and policymakers about the potential consequences of charter school expansion, the Massachusetts State Senate voted to not lift a cap on the number of charter schools in the state.