State/National News

The Pandemic Hurt These Students the Most

Posted on Thursday, July 29th, 2021 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Sarah Mervosh, New York Times
Date: 7/28/2021
Link: Complete Article

How much did the pandemic affect students? The latest research is out, and the answer is clear: dramatically. In math and reading, students are behind where they would be after a normal year, with the most vulnerable students showing the steepest drops, according to two new reports from the consulting firm McKinsey & Company and… [Read More]

Feds Approve Release Of $611 Mil For Massachusetts Schools

Posted on Thursday, July 8th, 2021 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Michael P Norton, WGBH
Date: 7/7/2021
Link: Complete Article

Federal education officials have approved the state’s Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) plan and distributed $611.3 million in funds to Massachusetts to help safely reopen schools and address the needs of students disproportionately affected by the pandemic. The U.S. Department of Education on Wednesday morning announced that Massachusetts was among six states to… [Read More]

Massachusetts to recommend modifying MCAS graduation requirements for Class of 2022

Posted on Friday, April 2nd, 2021 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Tanner Stening, Masslive
Date: 4/1/2021
Link: Complete Article

In light of the COVID pandemic’s impact on the school year, Massachusetts Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Jeffrey C. Riley announced he will be recommending changes to the state’s graduation requirements for the Class of 2022. The changes include freeing this year’s juniors from having to take the MCAS and extending the timeline for administering the… [Read More]

Miguel Cardona chosen as Secretary of Education

Posted on Wednesday, January 20th, 2021 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Blad/Ujifusa, Education Week
Date: 1/14/2021
Link: Complete Article

Miguel Cardona remembers how overwhelmed he felt when he walked into school for the first time as a student. The son of parents who moved to Meriden, Conn., from Puerto Rico as children, he lived in public housing and didn’t speak English as a young child. “I remember my first day of kindergarten at John… [Read More]

Commissioner Announces 2021 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year Malden middle school math teacher Jennifer Hedrington receives state’s top educator award

Posted on Thursday, October 22nd, 2020 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Press Release – A message from the Massachusetts Department ofElementary and Secondary Education – Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley today announced that Jennifer Hedrington, a seventh-grade math teacher at Ferryway School in Malden, is the 2021 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year. The Massachusetts Teacher of the Year Program is… [Read More]

Massachusetts Migrant Education Program Transitions to Collaborative for Educational Services

Posted on Wednesday, October 21st, 2020 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Effective on September 1st, 2020, the Massachusetts Migrant Education Program (MMEP) will be managed by the Collaborative for Educational Services (CES). CES is a non-profit educational services agency, committed to reaching and educating learners of all ages. CES works in the Pioneer Valley and across Massachusetts to create and improve educational opportunities both in and… [Read More]

‘I feel terrible about how all this has played out for you’: Gov. Charlie Baker tells Massachusetts high school graduates in state-wide virtual commencement

Posted on Tuesday, June 16th, 2020 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Heather Adams, Masslive
Date: 6/10/2020
Link: Complete Article

Gov. Charlie Baker gave the commencement address in a state-wide virtual ceremony for all 668 public and private high schools in Massachusetts on Tuesday night. The virtual ceremony was designed to celebrate and encourage high school graduates as most traditional commencement ceremonies at individual schools have been postponed, canceled or turned into virtual events due… [Read More]

When coronavirus closed schools, some Detroit students went missing from class. These educators had to find them.

Posted on Tuesday, June 16th, 2020 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Erin Einhorn, NBC News
Date: 6/14/2020
Link: Complete Article

DETROIT — Principal Jacqueline Dungey was searching for one of her kindergartners. She’d called every number she had for his family. She’d sent urgent notes to his parents. She’d reached out to a social worker who’d worked with his family in the past. But more than a month after the coronavirus threat forced the New… [Read More]

Some Massachusetts high schools are turning graduation into a drive-thru parade

Posted on Wednesday, May 27th, 2020 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Madelaine Millar, Boston.com
Date: 5/26/2020
Link: Complete Article

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, some high school seniors across Massachusetts will be able to line up to receive their diplomas, ceremoniously turn their tassels, and toss their caps — at a drive-thru parade. Over the past few weeks, several Massachusetts high schools have announced they will be holding graduation parades as a socially-distanced alternative to traditional… [Read More]

Due to coronavirus pandemic, Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education looks to waive MCAS testing requirements for certain students

Posted on Wednesday, May 27th, 2020 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Jackson Cote, Masslive
Date: 5/26/2020
Link: Complete Article

State education officials are looking to waive certain high school testing requirements for many students in Massachusetts due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley posted a memo ahead of the board’s Tuesday afternoon meeting in which he recommended modifying the “competency determination” for high school graduation for… [Read More]