Entering the fray on education accountability

The Gateway Cities Journal

Recently MassINC convened education leaders from across New England for a dialogue on redesigning state accountability frameworks to comply with the new federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). We’ll be bringing this group together for several dialogues focused on how states should approach accountability with particular attention to Gateway Cities. The arguments are compelling: small-to-midsize

Investing in economic development

The Gateway Cities Journal

After several months reviewing the Baker administration’s ambitious $918 million economic development proposal, the House and Senate Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies has come to agreement on a pared-down version of the bill. The proposed legislation cuts back on the overall spending in Governor Baker’s plan by roughly $320 million and shortens

Harnessing the ‘Third Way’ to improve communities

The Gateway Cities Journal

When I was in graduate school studying urban planning in the early-2000s, there was a lot of talk about how cities need “good” schools, but surprisingly little discussion or study about how you build community to nurture a good school, and vice versa. Luckily, I had the opportunity to work for a professor engaged in

Joanna de Pena

This Week's Gateway Cities Leader

Cities are shaped by their citizens. From New Bedford to Pittsfield, passionate young leaders are spearheading innovative efforts to reinvent their communities for a new generation. The Gateway Cities Leaders series profiles their work and introduces their ideas, visions, and aspirations to the wider Gateway City world. Is there a young leader in your city

Our moment is now

The Gateway Cities Journal

With the 2015-2016 legislative session heating up, now is the time for Gateway City leaders to come together and talk through shared priorities. Next week we hope to stimulate this conversation with the release of a new report tracing the arc of state policy, starting in 2009, the beginning of our collaborative efforts, through the

Urban Business Initiatives Support Gateway City Entrepreneurs

The Gateway Cities Journal

ICIC’s Urban Business Initiatives Support Gateway City Entrepreneurs  In Lawrence, creative public-private partnerships have driven the CEO of a children’s discovery museum, Imajine That, to contemplate growth not only in terms of revenue but also opportunity for local workers and families. Imajine That was named to the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC)’s 2015 Inner City

Providing a passport out of poverty

The Gateway Cities Journal

The front cover of last Sunday’s Boston Globe drew attention to how rising income inequality is leading to increasing segregation of residents by income. While this phenomenon raises many concerns, nowhere is the effect more problematic than in the classroom. As income disparities grow, increasing numbers of disadvantaged students are being asked to learn in

The Gateway Cities Journal

Providing opportunities for all

Governor Baker introduced a major economic development package last week. Reading the tea leaves, one conclusion can be drawn for sure: the administration is serious about empowering its leaders to put forward bold ideas. Line by line, the legislation reflects the energy and insight for which Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Jay Ash is

Andy Vargas

This week’s Gateway Cities Leader

Cities are shaped by their citizens. From New Bedford to Pittsfield, passionate young leaders are spearheading innovative efforts to reinvent their communities for a new generation. The Gateway Cities Leaders series profiles their work and introduces their ideas, visions, and aspirations to the wider Gateway City world. Is there a young leader in your city that

The Gateway Cities Journal

Riding SEL's momentum for substance abuse prevention

The opioid legislation taken up by the House this week excludes a controversial provision from the Senate bill requiring public schools to screen all students in grades 7 through 10 for substance abuse problems. As the bill moves to conference committee, an opening remains to build on the spirit of the Senate’s screening provision  with

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