MASSACHUSETTS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS will soon have to clear a higher bar on the 10th grade MCAS in order to graduate. The state board of education approved changes on Monday that will increase the passing score needed on the test starting with the class of 2026. The 8-3 vote of the Board of Elementary and […]
Jeff Riley
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Boston submits school improvement proposal to state
IN RESPONSE TO a scathing state review documenting “entrenched dysfunction” in the Boston Public Schools, the city submitted a proposal Wednesday night to state education officials that vows to make changes across six broad areas that state Education Commissioner Jeff Riley said must be addressed in an improvement plan for the district. The proposed seven-page agreement […]
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For Boston schools, a reckoning with no simple answers
THINK OF DANIELLE MILLER and Mary Tamer as the rock and hard place between which state and city leaders sit as they try to figure out a plan for the Boston Public Schools. Miller, the parent of a special needs student at the Clap Elementary School in Dorchester, told members of the state Board of […]
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Riley looking for pact with Boston, not receivership
STATE EDUCATION COMMISSIONER Jeff Riley said the Boston Public Schools face a “myriad of problems,” from special education and English language learner services in disarray to data systems reporting inaccurate student outcomes, but he made it clear on Tuesday that he is hoping to reach agreement with Mayor Michelle Wu on a plan to address […]
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State review slams Boston schools
A HIGHLY ANTICIPATED new state review of the Boston Public Schools paints a picture of a system in deep disarray, where some of the problems identified in a state report two years ago have only worsened. While the new review identifies some areas of improvement since the last state report was issued, it portrays overall […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Riley forcing a reckoning on Boston schools
THE BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS are a mess, but it’s not clear what will or should be done about it. That’s the situation as the district approaches a moment of reckoning with state education officials, who have completed the second comprehensive review of the district in two years and are now contemplating what steps to take, […]
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Think tank calls for state takeover of Boston schools
A NEW REPORT from the Pioneer Institute says problems with the Boston Public Schools run so deep that a state takeover of the system represents the best option for improving the district, which has suffered from leadership turnover and years of low performance at many schools. The report comes as Boston prepares to mount a […]
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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 […]
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State ed board approves vocational school admission changes
OVER THE OBJECTIONS of advocates who said the changes did not go far enough, the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education approved new regulations Tuesday morning aimed at creating more equity in admissions to vocational high schools. The changes come after years of complaints that vocational schools were shutting out Black and Latino students, […]
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Coalition says proposed voc school admission changes don’t go far enough
PROPOSED CHANGES TO vocational school admission policies, which the state has developed following years of pressure from municipal leaders and advocates, don’t go nearly far enough toward ensuring access to the schools for all students, says a coalition of civil rights, education, and community groups. The Vocational Education Justice Coalition is calling on the state […]