Eliminating tuition and fees for degree programs at community colleges for all in-state residents, regardless of financial need, has broad appeal, but some say it may not be the best way to reach the goal of expanded access to higher education.
Education
Did Harvard aim to cancel Auchincloss?
An innocent bureaucratic mix-up or sharp-elbowed payback? Those are among the competing explanations being offered for a chain of events that forced a Harvard student group to scramble at the eleventh hour last week to find an off-campus location for an event with US Rep. Jake Auchincloss. Word that the event could not take place […]
Boston schools grudgingly release some sexual misconduct data
The numbers, which were released grudgingly after a six-month public records battle, begin to paint a picture of how prevalent sexual misconduct, bullying, and biased-based incidents are in the Boston schools.
What if Harvard, MIT, and Penn presidents said too much, not too little?
Critics say the real problem lies with the very idea that the university officials should be commenting on contentious issues at all.
MCAS graduation requirement is not punitive, it’s a lifeline for highest-need students
Since its inception as part of the 1993 Education Reform Act, the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) has been a cornerstone of our commitment to educational equity and a driving force elevating Massachusetts from the middle of the pack to becoming a national leader in education outcomes.
UMass Dartmouth remains committed to South Coast economic development
WHEN THE STATE legislature withdrew its longstanding support for the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth lease of the Star Store building in New Bedford in August, necessitating the university’s departure from the facility, it was a shock to many. This historic building has hosted several fine arts programs of the university’s College of Visual & Performing Arts, […]
Massachusetts’s bold MCAS leap backwards
IN A BOLD move of, let’s call it, “inspiration,” the Massachusetts Teachers Association and some of our elected officials have decided that the MCAS — the very foundation of our educational accountability — is no longer necessary to pass as a high school graduation requirement. Here in the Cradle of Liberty, where revolutions were sparked […]
Mass. should add another high school graduation requirement
Make completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) a requirement for high school graduation in the Commonwealth.
Minority-focused higher ed institutions should get more funding, report says
A new report says the state’s model for higher education should be reworked to better support public and private institutions serving large minority populations.
Mass. parents split on post-high school plans
When parents of grade-school children consider what those children will want to do after high school, a new poll finds the strongest indicator is the parents’ own resume and bank account.