IN THE MIDST of the COVID-19 crisis, the United States stands at an inflection point; our policymakers hold in their hands the future of the American narrative. In this time of uncertainty, what will we prioritize when it comes to rebuilding our country’s infrastructure? The Great Depression and World War II birthed the New Deal, […]
Laura Perille
Posted inEducation
Little-tapped Boston contract provision tied to big school improvement
JUST FIVE YEARS AGO, Mildred Avenue K-8 School in Mattapan was one of the worst performing schools in the Boston Public School system and ranked in the lowest percentile of public schools statewide. When the school was in peril of being placed under state control, district and school leaders and the teachers union — often […]
Posted inEducation
State must signal arts education matters
ARTS EDUCATION PROVIDES vital learning benefits, helping students develop 21st Century skills such as problem solving, critical and creative thinking, collaboration, and teamwork. Research has also shown us for years that an education program that prominently features arts can lead to improved attendance, persistence, focused attention, and intellectual risk taking—all of which correlates strongly with […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
Bringing the real world into the classroom
IN HIS REMARKS on General Electric’s relocation to Boston, Mayor Marty Walsh heralded a new era for public-private partnerships in education, saying that with GE’s help “we’re going to reinvent vocational education for the 21st century.” We agree that expanding and invigorating career, vocational, and technical education pathway models in Boston high schools can be […]
Posted inArts and Culture, Education, Opinion
You’ve got to have art
In many school districts, the last few years have not been kind to arts education. Arts are among the first subjects to be cut when budgets are tightened. But the story here in Boston is very different. With the distribution of nearly $800,000 in grants this summer, the Boston Public Schools Arts Expansion Initiative marks a […]