Voters Support the Changes to Accountability Envisioned by Gateway City Leaders

Survey of registered voters in Massachusetts

Ben Forman and Steve Koczela
Across Massachusetts, Gateway City leaders are working to create exceptional learning environments. It’s a community-wide effort. By strategically marshalling available resources, Gateway Cities can provide the comprehensive supports and educational opportunities that will enable students to gain the full set of advanced skills today’s economy requires. Achieving this vision calls for new approaches to state read more
Topic(s): Education, Gateway Cities, Public Opinion

Advancing the Gateway Cities Vision

The Potential of Next-Generation Approaches to Education Accountability

Ben Forman
We’ve got a prime opportunity to advance the Gateway Cities Vision. In 2013, Gateway City leaders came together to develop an “education vision.” Their farsighted plan leverages unique urban assets to create exceptional learning environments. Achieving this vision is fundamental to making Gateway Cities more attractive communities for families to live and more productive places for read more
Topic(s): Education, Gateway Cities

Next Generation Education Accountability

Design Ideas from New England’s Small-to-Midsize Urban School Districts

Ben Forman and Andrew Bundy
Can policymakers take hold of the recently passed Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and create new approaches to education accountability that accelerate opportunity and learning for all students? With generous support from the Barr Foundation, the Next Generation Accountability Learning Community (NGALC) examined this question over the past five months with an emphasis on small-to-midsize read more
Topic(s): Education

Workforce Development Transformation Case Studies

Three Examples of Systems Change through Collaborative Gateway City Leadership

Ben Forman and Jodi Wilinsky Hill
It is with great pleasure that we offer three case studies to complement the report Calling All Leaders: An Action Guide to Workforce Development Transformation. The action guide outlined the grand dimensions of the challenge by the numbers, and contrasted the need for workforce development services with the limited resources available. These case studies show read more
Topic(s): Education, Jobs and Economic Security, Strong Communities, Economic Development, Gateway Cities

Establishing Principles for Accountability

Perspectives from small-to-midsize urban districts and their allies

Ben Forman, Alexia Lipman, Andrew Bundy, Ryan Reyna, Lainy Fersh and Karla Baehr
The Next Generation Accountability Learning Community (NGALC) is a group of roughly two dozen New England education leaders who have come together to look at the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) from the perspective of small-to-midsize urban districts. Members of the NGALC gathered twice this summer to hear from experts and exchange ideas on this read more
Topic(s): Education

Exploring Foundational Questions For Next Generation Accountability

Alexia Lipman, Andrew Bundy and Ben Forman
These reflections have been prepared by the staff of the Next Generation Accountability Learning Community (NGALC). The NGALC is a group of roughly two dozen New England educators interested in the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) from the perspective of small-to-midsize urban districts. In the pages that follow, we summarize foundational questions read more
Topic(s): Education

Leading Together

The Holyoke Safe and Successful Youth Initiative Case Study

Ben Forman and Amy Dain
The Holyoke SSYI Program is a powerful example of how successful Gateway City initiatives fuse leaders and leadership styles together to overcome stubborn challenges. SSYI is a carefully coordinated effort to reach the community’s most difficult to reach young men—those who are “proven-risk” for violence. Making the most of a new state grant program, Holyoke read more
Topic(s): Education, Gateway Cities, Research

Leading Together

The Lawrence Community Partnerships Case Study

Ben Forman and Amy Dain
In 2012, the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education moved to address the chronically low performance of the Lawrence Public Schools by placing the district in receivership. Jeff Riley, the leader appointed to transform the system, immediately set about extending the school day to offer students a wider array of learning opportunities. A central read more
Topic(s): Education, Gateway Cities

Building Community-Wide Social and Emotional Support Systems in Massachusetts Gateway Cities

Assessing Progress from the Perspective of Local Educators

Ben Forman, Sonia Bouvier and Christina Citino
Social and emotional support systems are a key pillar of the vision for education that Gateway City leaders developed collectively in 2013. These systems protect at-risk children who, without effective intervention, face difficulties that can result in enor­mous costs for entire cities. The universal learning experiences at the core of these systems are equally important. read more
Topic(s): Education, Gateway Cities

At the Apex

The 2030 Educational Attainment Forecast and Implications for Bay State Policy Makers

Mark Melnik, Lindsay Koshgarian, Daniel Hodge, Hinlan Wong and Ryan Wallace
This analysis draws attention to the problem the Massachusetts economy will confront as the large and highly skilled Baby Boom generation ages out of the state’s workforce. To help inform policymakers at this critical juncture, the report examines the drivers of recent gains in educational attainment and projects skill levels in Massachusetts out to 2030. read more
Topic(s): Education
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