State News

DESE report on Expanded Learning Time Grant available for districts and schools thinking about redesigning school schedules

Posted on Friday, April 3rd, 2015 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Commissioner's Weekly Update, Department of Education and Secondary Education
Date: 4/3/15
Link: Complete Article

From the Commissioner’s Weekly Update: A recent report about design and resource allocation in schools and districts participating in the state’s Expanded Learning Time grant initiative might be of interest to districts and schools that are thinking about redesigning school schedules. It is available on our legislative reports page or our expanded learning time page…. [Read More]

Attorney General Maura Healey issues new Open Meeting Law guide

Posted on Saturday, March 21st, 2015 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Dan Crowley, Hampshire Gazette
Date: 3/21/15
Link: Complete Article

NORTHAMPTON, MA — Attorney General Maura Healey has issued an updated version of the state’s Open Meeting Law guide that reflects newly enacted laws and information about recent decisions regarding the law’s requirements. The release of the new guide was timed to coincide with “Sunshine Week,” a national, nonpartisan initiative that highlights the importance of… [Read More]

Success in School Linked to Summer Reading

Posted on Monday, March 16th, 2015 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Jeremy C. Fox, Boston Globe
Date: 2/23/15
Link: Complete Article

Boston, MA – Boston school officials and nonprofit leaders will huddle Monday to mull strategies for closing the achievement gap that afflicts children from low-income families. Initial data from an ongoing study conducted in Boston and four other urban communities suggest that summer programs can help elementary school children reduce learning losses that typically occur… [Read More]

New program lets schools compete for increased funding

Posted on Wednesday, February 11th, 2015 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Tiffany Chan, 22 News / WWLP
Date: 02/05/2015
Link: Complete Article

BOSTON, MA (WWLP) – A new initiative called “Building on What Works” hopes to be a competitive way to increase funding for public schools. The new proposal would allow under-performing public schools to compete for additional state funding. The proposal is backed by mayors and leaders in business and education.

School suspensions don’t work. It’s time for something better.

Posted on Wednesday, February 11th, 2015 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: David Bulley, The Boston Globe
Date: 12/21/2014
Link: Complete Article

Cindy sits across from me in what is now called The Justice Center at Turners Falls High School in Montague, about 20 miles north of Amherst. The room is brightly decorated with student art, there is a coffee machine and some candy on a table, and behind me on the wall is a quote from… [Read More]

Mass. High School Graduation Rate Improves

Posted on Tuesday, February 10th, 2015 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: NECN
Date: 01/27/2015
Link: Complete Article

Massachusetts education officials say the state’s high school graduation rate is up to 86.1 percent, with some of the strongest gains among minority and low-income students. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on Tuesday announced that the four-year graduation rate for students who entered as ninth-graders in 2010-11, or who transferred in, improved for… [Read More]

Western MA coalition releases recommendations for minimizing the impact of trauma on young children involved in DCF

Posted on Thursday, December 18th, 2014 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Collaborative for Educational Services

NORTHAMPTON, MA – System Change for Successful Children (SCSC), a federally funded initiative coordinated by the Collaborative for Educational Services (CES), recently released recommendations to Massachusetts policy makers for minimizing the impact of trauma on very young children (ages 0 – 5 years) who are involved with the state’s child welfare system. The two-year SCSC… [Read More]