STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS system will expand its online education footprint in an attempt to reach more adult learners after formally affiliating with a California-based university known for work on the digital front, officials announced Thursday. School officials finalized a decision to transfer control of Brandman University, which currently serves 22,000 […]
Education
Posted inEducation
What’s so dangerous about critical thinking?
Freedom is the continuous action we all must take, and each generation must do its part to create an even more fair, more just society. – John Lewis ONE CANNOT HELP but be troubled by the events that have transpired across our country over the past few years. The high-profile instances of racism and racial […]
Posted inEconomy
We should prioritize financial literacy at a younger age
SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS and pop stars are constantly bombarding our youth with images of sleek cars, pricey fashion, extravagant vacations, and largely unattainable lifestyles. They sell the idea that success is defined by material possessions and how much one can acquire. What celebrities don’t often share is the focus and diligence proper financial planning requires. […]
Posted inEducation
Report alleges bullying at Mission Hill school
THE MISSION HILL K-8 Pilot School in Jamaica Plain, where alleged sexual misbehavior by a male kindergartener led to a $650,000 legal settlement last week, is now facing criticism for failing to deter student bullying of a gender-nonconforming student. Both matters occurred during the leadership of Ayla Gavins, who was principal of the school from […]
Posted inEducation
Early ed commissioner seeks childcare mask mandates
A WEEK AFTER state education officials approved a temporary mask mandate in public schools, a separate state board will be asked to approve a mask mandate for staff and children over age five in early education settings. Early Education and Care Commissioner Samantha Aigner-Treworgy announced that she will ask the Board of Early Education and Care at a […]
Posted inEducation
I have anxiety – mixed with optimism – as students return to my classroom
NEXT WEEK I will be back in my classroom welcoming a new batch of sixth graders to the new school year. In some ways, this end of summer period reminds me of the uncertainty and anxiety of last summer, but this time things are different. I have a swirling knot of sometimes contradictory emotions about […]
Posted inEducation
Boston pays $650,000 to settle student sex assault allegations
THE CITY OF BOSTON is paying $650,000 to settle a federal lawsuit filed by five sets of parents who alleged that the school principal at the Mission Hill K-8 Pilot School in Jamaica Plain “failed to take sufficient steps to protect [their daughters] from sexual and physical assaults committed by another student.” The acts, which […]
Posted inEducation
State education board OKs school mask mandate
THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION granted Education Commissioner Jeff Riley’s request for authority to impose a mask mandate for all students and staff in K-12 schools this fall, something Riley said he intends to order through at least the beginning of October. “I want to be clear that we are hopeful this will be a […]
Posted inEducation
No place for hate
IN JANUARY, a few Northampton middle school students, perhaps emboldened, maybe bored, after nearly a year of remote learning, projected images of the Confederate flag as their computer screen backdrop during virtual classes. Perhaps it was a political statement, or maybe a poorly considered joke. Whatever the intent, it did not go unnoticed. The school’s […]
Posted inEducation
Some Varsity Blues parents seek day in court
OPERATION VARSITY BLUES keeps rolling along, as the US attorney’s office continues to rack up convictions using wiretap recordings of wealthy parents trying to buy “side door” access to elite colleges for their sons and daughters. Elizabeth Kimmel, a California-based CEO, pleaded guilty on Monday to working with side door mastermind Rick Singer to pay […]