School climate data collected by the state at the conclusion of the 2019 MCAS test show that engagement drops for all students between middle school and high school, but the decline is sharpest for African-American and Hispanic students.
Advancing low-income fares beyond Boston
The Gateway Cities Journal
Since 2017, the FMCB has been pushing hard on the agency to provide discounts to low-income riders. In one of their final votes, they choose to instruct agency staff to prepare scenarios for a pilot program. On the one hand, this last-ditch effort makes sense. However, from the Gateway City perspective, the board’s actions are disappointing and a bit perplexing.
Budget Update: What Gateway Cities Need to Know
The Gateway Cities Journal
Support CommonWealth’s civic reporting
There's strength in numbers!
Help us continue to report on the news that matters most to you - local, civic issues that affect Massachusetts residents from the Berkshires to Province Town and everything in between.
House funds Early College, but is it enough for growth?
Failing to meet the full need would send the wrong signal at a sensitive moment for Early College expansion.
Regional Transit Authorities Win Funding Victory in House Budget
The Gateway Cities Journal
Public transportation service for over half the state’s population — the half not served by the MBTA — won a precedent-setting victory last week during the House budget debate. As Jim Kolesar from Berkshire Interfaith Organizing says, “Full funding for the RTAs, including our Berkshire Regional Transit Authority, seems the minimum that we should be
Addressing College Completion Gaps Starts with Stable Funding
The Gateway Cities Journal
Establishing a strong precedent of fully covering the costs of Early College as programs grow is critical to ensuring that communities and state government are aligned when it comes to executing on this strategic initiative.
Early College as A Disruptive Force for Equity in the Post-Pandemic Era
On Wednesday, April 14 MassINC released new research on Early College, an up-and-coming initiative that is making significant gains in the higher education equity gap. No single strategy offers a silver bullet, but Early College has a proven track-record of increasing post-secondary completion, and it has clear potential to interrupt structural inequality in education. Educators,
A call to support the expansion of the Early College Initiative
Nearly 160 education, business, and community leaders write to expand and deepen the Massachusetts Early College Initiative
Nearly 160 education, business, and other community leaders write to expand and deepen the Massachusetts Early College Initiative
New MassINC report lays out strategy for empowering entrepreneurs of color post-pandemic
Report release serves as kick-off event for new Coalition for an Equitable Economy
A new report from MassINC and the newly-formed Coalition for an Equitable Economy lays out the needed elements of a plan to strengthen opportunities for entrepreneurs of color post-COVID.