Caradonio and the Lowell Citywide Family Council

Gateways Episode 24

The last installment in our local education accountability series begins with reflections from Ben and Juana on the journey. Then Jim Caradonio, former Superintendent of the Worcester Public Schools, visits MassINC to share lessons from his long career in public education.

In Holyoke, arts education takes front seat

Non-profit helps integrate creativity into the regular curriculum

SIX-YEAR-OLD JUAN patted an inflatable ball as he peered out of his blue-rimmed glasses. Which way to send the ball? What could he knock down? Juan was playing “human bowling” in Kat Lorenzi’s kindergarten class in Holyoke. The objective was to get the ball to bounce off a few of his classmates, and figure out

Remembering a true champion

The Gateway Cities Journal

Mayor Carpenter did it all Gateway Cities movement lost a beloved hero last week with the passing of Bill Carpenter. Leading the great Gateway City of Brockton since 2014, Mayor Carpenter earned well-deserved acclaim for his work advancing substance abuse treatment, combating family homelessness, and fighting for public education funding. This short list doesn’t do justice to Mayor Carpenter’s many achievements. Running a city is indisputably the hardest job

MassINC’s Series of Regional TTOD Forums Arrives in Lynn

Event Recap

Together with a variety of partners, MassINC hosted the North Shore Transformative Transit-Oriented Development Forum on Wednesday, June 19th. The event drew dozens of citizens and leaders interested in exploring the linkages between transit and development in the region.  Our day began with a walking tour of the area surrounding Lynn’s commuter rail station.

Growing support for regional ballot initiatives to fund our transportation future

The Gateway Cities Journal

The Governor’s Commission on the Future of Transportation envisions a high-performance regional rail system connecting urban centers across the Commonwealth to Boston’s talent, R&D, and global relationships. This strategy leverages existing commuter rail infrastructure to generate more balanced economic development throughout the state. However, it still requires a considerable investment. We will need to modernize the commuter

DeLeo ups T ante, pledges long-term fix

Speaker says the MBTA system is in crisis

SAYING THE MBTA is “in crisis,” House Speaker Robert DeLeo said the House is willing to work with Gov. Charlie Baker on a short-term fix but remains focused on a long-term plan and the revenue to make it a reality. The Winthrop Democrat, who often sees eye to eye with Baker on financial issues, issued

Distilling local accountability lessons from near and far

Gateways Episode 22

As the education funding debate heats up on Beacon Hill, Ben continues our series on local accountability with a look at Chicago, IL and Springfield, MA. In a short chat with MassInc intern Alexis Polokoff, Ben unpacks Chicago's famed local school council model. Next, Ben interviews Paul Foster, Chief

Riley casts vision for education change

Says 'deeper learning,' new assessments should be part of next chapter

WHEN JEFF RILEY took the reins as state education commissioner early last year he suggested it was time to turn the page on 25 years of education reform efforts, pointing to stalled achievement scores, a stubbornly persistent achievement gap, and an unhealthy focus on testing. But exactly what he had in mind for the next

TOD Big and Small in Fall River

Gateways Episode 21

In this episode of Gateways, Tracy takes a walking tour in the heart of Fall River with private developer Alan Macomber and the city's executive director of community development, Mike Dion. Our guests explain Fall River's plans to connect downtown to its vibrant waterfront while creating more market rate

Our sponsors