Massachusetts Education Reform Act co-author and former Senate President Tom Birmingham praised the historic success that has been achieved since the law was enacted in 1993, but expressed concern that the Commonwealth is veering away from basic principles of the law that produced that success.
Five Problems with Massachusetts’ Draft History and Social Science Curriculum Framework
The January 2018 Public Comment Draft of the Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Framework (2018 Revision) follows in the footsteps of other recent revisions of the Science, English Language Arts and mathematics standards. The proposed framework eviscerates the 2003 framework.
Video: Duke Pesta & Sandra Stotsky Dissect Why Common Core Has Failed
Dr. Duke Pesta and Dr. Sandra Stotsky drill down on a new report from the Pioneer Institute that shows how the move to Common Core and their subsequent “new standards” hurt Massachusetts student achievement.
Massachusetts’ New Standards Are Still Inferior to Pre-2010 Standards
The Pioneer Institute released a report co-written by Mark Bauerlein, R. James Milgram, and Jane Robbins that reviews Massachusetts new academic standards.
With New MCAS-PARCC Hybrid Half of Massachusetts Students Fall Short
Several years after Common Core implementation only half of Massachusetts students are proficient after taking the new MCAS-PARCC hybrid assessment.
Massachusetts Includes SEL Survey To Be Administered With MCAS
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education gives schools a social-emotional survey on school climate to be given with MCAS.
Massachusetts Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester Dead at 65
Massachusetts Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester passed away on Monday night after a fight with cancer. He was 65.
Bill Bennett Doesn’t Know What He Is Talking About
Jane Robbins: Some of the points that former education secretary Bill Bennett made in his op/ed defending the Every Student Succeeds Act are confused.
William Bennett, What Watered Down Massachusetts Standards?
Former Secretary of Education William Bennett is concerned that Massachusetts watered down their academic standards, but won’t say how they did it.
A Massachusetts Success Story: Voc-Tech Schools
Voc-tech schools have seen success in Massachusetts since their 1993 Education Reform and they break out of the “one-size-fits-all” mold in public education.