THE BOSTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE answered the question of who will lead the district by tapping former Minnesota education commissioner Brenda Cassellius to be the city’s next school superintendent. But the answer to that question has raised a new one about the commitment of the state’s largest district to one of the central pillars of the
How one community transformed a struggling school
Gateways Episode 14
In this episode of Gateways, Ben Forman visits Worcester to talk with the team that led the transformation of Union Hill elementary. Ben speaks with Mullen Sawyer, executive director of Oak Hill Community Development Corporation, and Marie Morse and Kareem Tatum, who spearheaded Union Hill's turnaround as a formidable Principal/Assistant Principal duo.
Welcome Juana!
Gateways Episode 12
In this episode of Gateways, Ben talks with Juana Matias about her journey to MassINC and her hopes and aspirations for the organization. They also dive into the education funding debate. Together they puzzle over how lawmakers give Gateway City schools sufficient resources to close opportunity gaps.
House budget advances Gateway City neighborhood stabilization effort
The Gateway Cities Journal
The FY 2020 House budget released yesterday directs $1 million to MassDevelopment’s Transformative Development Initiative (TDI)-with $750,000 of that earmarked for neighborhood stabilization activities. This represents an important step forward (and a strong show of support) for a concerted effort to create a comprehensive neighborhood stabilization program for Massachusetts. With these funds, MassDevelopment could build
Accountability in the school funding debate
Gateways Episode 10
In Part II of our deep dive on local education accountability, Ben talks with Rep. Aaron Vega, author of the Promise Act, and Ed Lambert, former mayor of Fall River and current Executive Director of the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education.
Ending the Cycle of Segregation
The Gateways City Journal
Gateway City leaders converged on Beacon Hill last week to plead for more education funding. The facts are undisputed: In recent years, state aid has not kept pace with rising healthcare and special education costs. Changes to the way the state counts low-income students penalized Gateway City schools that serve large numbers of immigrants. And
Ben Forman’s testimony on Gateway Cities and the Promise Act
Ben Forman submitted written testimony on the Promise Act. His remarks focus on how MassINC’s recent research on local accountability can inform the debate over whether additional funding should also come with provisions requiring additional accountability for increasing student achievement. Click here to read his written testimony.
Local education accountability with Tracy Novick
Gateways Episode 9
In this new episode of Gateways, Ben Forman visits Worcester to speak with Tracy Novick, Field Director for the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. With experience serving on both school committees and school councils in Worcester, Tracy is highly regarded as an outspoken thought leader on education policy. Ben chats with Tracy about MassINC's recent research on the importance of local accountability.
A third way on the school funding/accountability debate
The answer isn’t more state rules but greater local oversight
BEACON HILL LEADERS are searching for ways to provide public schools with a significant infusion of new dollars. Taking a page from Massachusetts’s landmark 1993 Education Reform Act, some have proposed attaching higher levels of accountability to any new funding. Others are not so hot on this idea. After all, they reason, the state skirted
Local Accountability
An Untapped Strategy for Advancing Student Achievement in Massachusetts Public Schools
This volume combines the three papers in the local accountability series in one document with an executive summary. The five-page executive summary encapsulates the findings and recommendations and provides further context to demonstrate why strengthening local accountability is a powerful imperative for Gateway Cities.