Planning for College

A Consumer Approach to the Higher Education Marketplace

C. Anthony Broh
The place of college in the lives of current and future generations of American families has fun­damentally changed. Once the privilege of a few, college is now a virtual prerequisite for joining and remaining in the ranks of the middle class. This economic reality means more students con­tinue their education beyond high school each year. read more
Topic(s): Education, Jobs and Economic Security, Strong Communities

Incomplete Grade

Massachusetts Education Reform at 15

tomdownes and jeffzabel
In a world defined by rapid change and increasing global competition, education must be a top priority for Massachusetts and the nation. Fifteen years ago, Massachusetts made a bold commitment to raise the educational standards of all children in Massachusetts with the passage of the 1993 Massachusetts Education Reform Act (MERA). Since then, the state read more
Topic(s): Education, Strong Communities, Elections

The Changing Face of Massachusetts

Andy Sum, Johan Uvin, Ishwar Khatiwada, Sheila Palma, Paulo Tobar, Frimpomaa Ampaw and Greg Leiserson
The Changing Face of Massachusetts is a joint project of MassINC and the Center for Labor Market Studies and was made possible by the generous support of a number of sponsors, including the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, Verizon, Citizens Bank, Polaroid, and Bank of America’s Frank W. and Carl S. Adams Memorial Fund. The demographics read more
Topic(s): Education, Jobs and Economic Security, Strong Communities, Economic Development

Reaching Capacity

A Blueprint for the State Role in Improving Low Performing Schools and Districts

Andrew Churchill, Jennifer Candon, Celine Coggins, Bridget Terry Long and Kathryn McDermott
The Massachusetts Education Reform Act (MERA) of 1993 sparked an unprecedented era of reform activity in schools and districts that continues to this day. Over the past decade, the state has more than doubled its local aid to schools and districts, and held local entities accountable by creating standards and assessments on which the progress read more
Topic(s): Education, Strong Communities

Massachusetts Charter Schools and Their Feeder Districts

A Demographic Analysis

Adam Friedman
The Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy at MassINC today issued a report detailing the results of its recent study exploring the demographic profiles of charter schools in Massachusetts as compared to the districts from which they draw students. This analysis of student population data informs the ongoing debate on the funding, effectiveness, and read more
Topic(s): Education, Strong Communities, Research

Examining State Intervention Capacity

How Can the State Better Support Low Performing Schools & Districts?

Ben Forman
State accountability systems and the No Child Left Behind Act force policymakers and the public, alike, to recognize the large numbers of schools that are failing to educate all students to high standards. More schools and districts than ever are being identified as low performing, and the problem requires substantial, systemic action from the state. read more
Topic(s): Education, Strong Communities

Pathways to Graduation

Supporting All Students to Mastery A Retrospective Look at the Class of 2003

Jennifer Candon, Celine Coggins and S. Paul Reville
The aspirations of the 1993 Massachusetts Education Reform Act are ambitious, but clear — to provide every student with an opportunity to learn and achieve mastery at a high standard of academic proficiency. Since the legislation’s passage, considerable time, effort, and resources have been dedicated to achieving this lofty goal, and substantial progress has been read more
Topic(s): Education, Strong Communities, New Skills for a New Economy

Improving Early Childhood Education

Framing the Options and Imperatives for State Action Policy Brief

Celine Coggins and S. Paul Reville
Across the nation, early childhood education and care has suffered from poorly organized service delivery systems, inadequate funding, and insufficient attention by the policymakers. The result is a complicated system plagued by competing interests that is in need of reform and alignment. The field’s capacity to meet the needs of children and families has been read more
Topic(s): Education, Strong Communities, Research

Gaining Ground

Value-Added Analysis for Massachusetts

Jennifer Candon, S. Paul Reville and Pendred Noyce
The premise of standards-based reform in Massachusetts is that a statewide commitment to standards, teaching, assessment, and accountability will lead to greater learning opportunities, higher achievement, a narrowing of the achievement gap, and a more promising future for all of the Commonwealth’s students. And indeed, ten years after the passage of the 1993 Massachusetts Education read more
Topic(s): Education, Strong Communities
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