IN A RECENT CommonWealth piece, University of Massachusetts Lowell professor Jack Schneider took issue with a civics education bill recently signed by Gov. Charlie Baker. The measure is primarily designed to teach and engage students through project-based civics education, an instructional approach also known as “action civics.” Schneider took issue with the new civic education […]
Education
Posted inOpinion
Early education is not child’s play
AS PARENTS, TAXPAYERS, and legislators consider how best to invest in early childhood, we need more clarity about what a high-quality preschool program looks like and we need to train – and compensate – teachers so they can deliver the early education that young children deserve. While there are lots of lovely and nurturing programs, […]
Posted inOpinion
EF grows on backs of cheap labor
A CAMBRIDGE COMPANY, Education First, is a big winner in the race for state business tax credits. The privately owned Swedish company now occupies two buildings (and, thanks to its tax credit, will soon occupy three) in the city’s redeveloped NorthPoint area abutting Charlestown and East Somerville. Of the $15 million in economic development incentive […]
Posted inEducation
The Codcast: Freeland rips UMass Amherst-Mt. Ida deal
Richard Freeland is a man of careful thought and measured words. That made it noteworthy when the former state higher education commissioner and president emeritus of Northeastern University appeared at a recent hearing of the state Board of Higher Education and blasted the announcement that the University of Massachusetts Amherst planned to buy the Newton […]
Posted inThe Download
The Codcast: Freeland rips UMass Amherst-Mt. Ida deal
Richard Freeland is a man of careful thought and measured words. That made it noteworthy when the former state higher education commissioner and president emeritus of Northeastern University appeared at a recent hearing of the state Board of Higher Education and blasted the announcement that the University of Massachusetts Amherst planned to buy the Newton […]
Posted inEducation
We need a holistic approach to improving student outcomes
IF MASSACHUSETTS IS committed to equal educational opportunity for all, the next phase of education reform must acknowledge that schools cannot close achievement gaps without a systemic approach to addressing the out-of-school disadvantages that impact students’ academic learning. Factors outside of school more powerfully predict outcomes than any factor in schools. The current education reform […]
Posted inEducation
UMass vs. UMass
The list of those supporting the takeover of Mount Ida College in Newton by the University of Massachusetts as a satellite campus for Amherst students starts with UMass President Martin Meehan, UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy, and the system’s board of trustees, all of whom got together and quietly moved on the $50 million acquisition, plus […]
Posted inThe Download
UMass vs. UMass
The list of those supporting the takeover of Mount Ida College in Newton by the University of Massachusetts as a satellite campus for Amherst students starts with UMass President Martin Meehan, UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy, and the system’s board of trustees, all of whom got together and quietly moved on the $50 million acquisition, plus […]
Posted inEducation
The faithful departed
It wasn’t that long ago that the Roman Catholic church was a spiritual, political, and social force in Massachusetts. With the influx of European immigrants beginning in the 19th century, Catholic churches peppered the landscape, with even smaller towns having multiple parishes. But since the turn of the century – and the bomb that was the […]
Posted inThe Download
The faithful departed
It wasn’t that long ago that the Roman Catholic church was a spiritual, political, and social force in Massachusetts. With the influx of European immigrants beginning in the 19th century, Catholic churches peppered the landscape, with even smaller towns having multiple parishes. But since the turn of the century – and the bomb that was the […]