sponsored by The Boston Foundation
CommonWealth Voices aims to be a beacon of robust discourse, offering a platform for analysis and advocacy on the challenges and aspirations of political life in Massachusetts.
Explore Massachusetts’ vibrant political and civic landscape with incisive commentary from legislators, local activists, seasoned political analysts, and interested residents across the Bay State.
The Boston Foundation is deeply committed to civic leadership, and essential to our work is the exchange of informed opinions. We are proud to partner on a platform that engages such a broad range of demographic and ideological viewpoints.
SUBSCRIBE
Get the best of CommonWealth Beacon Opinion every Sunday.
We welcome informed commentary about local, state and national public policy. Please include the author’s contact information when submitting.
UMass comings and goings reflect impact of immigrants
UMass leaders are living proof of the incredible impact immigrants make on some of our most important institutions.
Do local officials view us as ATM machines with feet?
Voters need to begin to make the connection between the people they elect and the policies that those officials implement.
Redefining who gets a seat at the table
Instead of tinkering around the edges of admissions policies, elite colleges need to completely rethink what it means to be prepared for success.
Time to prioritize out-of-school learning
Every young person deserves to have access to after-school and summer programs because school alone is no longer sufficient for closing opportunity and achievement gaps.
Unitarians turn empty office space into shelter
With all the public and private resources invested in office space and commercial development in the past generation, yet high vacancy rates forecasted for the foreseeable future, surely there can be more creative uses for spaces like ours to meet this moment.
Taking a break from health care
Despite its many challenges, Massachusetts health care remains the best in the world. It has the best institutions, the best thinkers, and the best government leaders.
City Year is now on the Common App
What do City Year AmeriCorps members learn? Among the most important and lasting lessons is leadership. It’s the confidence that they possess what it takes to lead others and the perseverance to solve problems. It’s often an invaluable self-realization of their potential.
Historic structures ‘sitting ducks’ for climate change
Many historic structures and sites, particularly on the East Coast, are located in low-lying areas near the ocean or along rivers and likely built on fill – that’s just the way our early settlements were established.
We’re closing the digital divide, but more needs doing
Massachusetts has more than 160,000 units of income-restricted housing. According to a study published last fall by MassINC and the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership, these properties disproportionately house residents who lack high-speed internet.
Moving on from COVID, last mitigation measure is gone
Every policy has both upsides and downsides, and isolation policy is no exception. At this stage, the scales are tilted far more to the harms of the policy than the benefits.
Cruel practice of declawing cats should be illegal
Onychectomy, the declawing procedure, is the surgical amputation of all or part of a cat’s third phalanges (toe bones) and the attached claws. Owners typically declaw their cats to prevent the scratching of both furniture and people.
Mass. is facing a literacy crisis — but there is real potential for improvement
The majority of Massachusetts elementary and middle school students are not reading at grade level, but we can change that by embracing evidence-based instruction that we know will make a difference.
Loading…
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.