Neighborhood/City of Boston

Boston Youth Transitions Task Force, Too Big To Be Seen  (5/06): reports on dropouts from the Boston Public Schools, and recommends programs for intervening with struggling students and assisting dropouts, and better coordination among schools and city agencies.

Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health and Boston Urban Asthma Coalition,   Who's Sick at School: Linking Poor School Conditions and Health disparities for Boston's Children  (pdf) (3/06): more than 80% of Boston Public School buildings have leaks or water stains and more than 33% have visible mold -- conditions which are known to aggravate asthma and other health problems.

Center for Collaborative Education,  Progress and Promise: A report on the Boston Pilot Schools (1/06): compares outcomes of Pilot with non-Pilot Boston public schools and finds that Pilot School students perform better than the district averages across every indicator of student engagement and performance, at every grade level.

Boston EQUIP,  Early Childhood in Boston (6/05): an assessment of the demand for and supply and quality of early care and education in Boston.  It estimates current capacity at about 50% of the need for care for infants and toddlers and about 80% of that for preschoolers.  The study recommends raising teacher quality by supporting higher education teacher training.

Boston EQUIP,  Access and Adequacy of Comprehensive Services for At-Risk Children in Boston’s Early Care and Education Programs (6/05): a review of the 2003-2004 Community Profiles data finds that less than one third of family child care providers had the resources to support children with special needs, and that parental refusal was a primary reason children referred for special education did not receive it.

Boston Private Industry Council,  College Enrollment and Labor Market Outcomes For Class of 2003 Boston Public High School Graduates : Key Findings of the Winter/Spring 2004 Follow-up Surveys (12/04): analyzes the college enrollment and labor market rates for Boston Public School students from the Class of 2003.

Boston Public Schools, 2004 District Report Card (8/04): MCAS performance by content area, grade level, and student subgroup, with statewide data comparisons.  

After-School for All and The Boston Foundation, Coming of Age in Boston: Out-of-School Time Opportunities for Teens - Current Realities and Future Prospects (4/04): a demographic snapshot of Boston’s 45,000 teens, analysis of what teens and parents want in after-school programs, the current landscape, and recommendations.

Boston Plan for Excellence, Teaching Corps in Boston: Baseline Study of New Teachers in Boston’s Public Schools (4/04): teacher’s experiences with the hiring process, support and induction, retention of new teachers, and recommendations - More than half of the 2002-2003 new Boston Public School hires are expected to stay at their job between one and five years, with 65% expected to stay more than five years.

Boston Private Industry Council,  College Enrollment and Labor Market Outcomes For Class of 2002 Boston Public High School Graduates: Key Findings of the Winter/Spring 2003 Follow-up Surveys (1/04): finds that 68% of class of 2002 BPS graduates attended college or a training program in the year following graduation.

After-School for All Partnership, Strategies for Success: Strengthening Learning in Out-of-School Time (6/03): an overview of research on how programs support academic achievement, experiential learning, cultural educational opportunities, literacy, higher education involvement and technology.

From the 2002 Boston Indicators Report Archive:

After-school reaches more students while cutting costs, a report by Boston's After-School for All Partnership

Boston Public Schools and Boston Public Health Commission release environmental assessment report

Metro Boston/Massachusetts/New England

Massachusetts Department of Education, Spring 2006 MCAS Tests: Summary of State Results (09/06): The annual report of MCAS test results reveals continued improvement among 10th graders, but no gains among 3rd and 8th graders. District results are also available. </</p> National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, Measuring Up 2006: The State Report Card on Higher Education--Massachusetts (9/06): Reports on Massachusetts' ability to prepare students for post-secondary education as well as the quality and accessibility of post-secondary education. Lack of affordability is stressed as the greatest challenge facing Massachusetts' post-secondary education system.

Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy, The Road Not Taken (4/06): identifies reasons for the scarcity of Horace Mann charter schools in Massachusetts.  With only eight Horace Mann schools, no new applications have been filed in the past two years.  Obstacles include political challenges, financial disincentives, and a general lack of information.

The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University and the Center for the Study of Higher Education at The Pennsylvania State University,  MCAS Scores and the Adams Scholarships: A Policy Failure (3/06): finds that the new John and Abigail Adams Scholarship program in Massachusetts, awarded based solely on students’ performance in the 10th grade English and Math MCAS tests, is likely to have little impact on college access in the state, as few racial minority or poor students are qualifying for the scholarships. 

Mass Insight Education,  Annual Public Opinion Survey (pdf) (11/05): a survey polling Massachusetts residents on issues relating to public schools.  Respondents want "education" to be the priority of state government, ahead of topics such as "jobs," "health care," and "the economy."

Wellesley Centers for Women,  Preparing the Early Education and Care Workforce (pdf) (11/05): asserts that although educational programs for this sector are underutilized now, more capacity is needed to train enough workers.  The authors call for professional development programs that improve working conditions and increases wages.  An Executive Summary (pdf) is also available.

Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, Public School Funding in Massachusetts: How It Works, Trends Since 1993 (pdf) (11/05): the third edition of Public School Funding in Massachusetts provides a brief explanation of the funding formula contained in the Education Reform Act and the principles on which it was based, highlights the education financing challenges that Massachusetts currently faces, and outlines some of the options for meeting them. The paper also examines data for FY 1993 through FY 2003 which show that, while the Commonwealth had significantly increased funding for primary and secondary education since the start of that period, the investments it makes in educating its children still lag behind those of many other states by some measures.

United Way of Massachusetts Bay and the Schott Foundation for Public Education,  Making it Work (pdf) (10/05): lays out a professional development system for the early education and care and out-of-school time workforce.  Recommends strengthening statewide standards for content and quality, and creating links between compensation and a provider's knowledge and skills.  An overview of the report can be found on UWMB's site.

Massachusetts Advocates for Children,  Helping Traumatized Children Learn (10/05): a report discussing ways to help schools become more sensitive to the difficult experiences of students, with the goal of improved learning in and out of the classroom.

Nellie Mae Education Foundation, Higher Ed Matters (10/05): reports on demographic change in New England and finds that the six states rely on college and university students to sustain their population and replenish their work force. 

Massachusetts Department of Education, Spring 2005 MCAS Tests: Summary of State Results (pdf) (9/05): background on the MCAS test and results.  Sophomores and sixth graders showed some improvement, but younger students scored at or slightly below 2004 levels. Press release.

Massachusetts Department of Education,  Preliminary Statewide Results: 2005 MCAS Grade 3 Reading (6/05): preliminary participation and performance results by gender, race/ethnicity, and student status, including students with disabilities, limited English proficient students, and students participating in the MCAS Alternate Assessment program.

The Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy at MassINC, Reaching Capacity: A Blueprint for the State Role in Improving Low Performing Schools and Districts(Spring 05): presents findings and recommendations. Report abstract.

The Massachusetts Department of Education, Technology in Massachusetts Schools 2003-2004  (4/05): the use of technology in teaching, learning, and professional development, with key statistics by district - 79% of districts now have all of their classrooms wired. 

The Massachusetts Department of Education, Grade Retention in Massachusetts Public Schools (4/05): presents state and district rates of public school grade repetition, highlighting differences by grade, race/ethnicity, gender and educational status. 

Report of the Senate Task Force on Public Higher Education: Investing in Our Future (3/05): stresses the importance of maintaining Massachusetts' leading edge in innovation, and recommends a new system of increased funding to ensure quality, capacity, access and accountability.

Donahue Institute, A Study of MCAS Achievement and Promising Practices in Urban Special Education (10/04): income characteristics, disability type, placement, and performance for students in grades 4, 7, and 8 - Boston places a far greater proportion of special needs students in separate classrooms than 33 other urban districts in the state.

Massachusetts Board of Higher Education,  Accountability Report: State and Community Colleges (2004): a trend assessment of performance indicators between FY1998 to FY2003, at both the state level and for each of the individual colleges. State and community college enrollment grew by 12,075 between fiscal years 1998 and 2003, with more than 98% of total enrollment and all of undergraduate enrollment attributed to the rapidly growing community college segment.

From the 2002 Boston Indicators Report Archive:
Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents releases its Charter School Task Force Report. March 2005. 

Governor's task force reports on state intervention in under-performing schools.

Massachusetts Early Education and Care Council releases plan and recommendations.

The Wallace Foundation and Public Agenda study kids’ and parent’s desires for out-of-school time.

Massachusetts Department of Education reports on MCAS Adequate Yearly Progress.


National

National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, The ESL Logjam: Waiting Times for Adult ESL Classes and the Impact on English Learners (10/06) (pdf): ESL programs cannot keep up with demand, resulting in waiting lists and insufficient advanced offerings. Boston's wait times are on average 6 to 9 months.

National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, Measuring Up 2006: The National Report Card on Higher Education (9/06): Provides indicators of the health of US post-secondary education and highlights improvement of other countries' educational systems compared to the U.S.

National Academies,  Rising Above The Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future (1/06): The National Academies were charged by Congress with identifying the top 10 actions that federal policymakers can take to enhance science and technology to make the U.S. more competitive.  They find that improving K-12 science and mathematics education should be the country's top priority. 
The report is published as a book and is available online for free.

National Center for Higher Education Management Systems,  A New Look at the Institutional Component of Higher Education Finance: A Guide for Evaluating Performance Relative to Financial Resources (12/05): a study evaluating the performance of public research institutions relative to funding levels finds North Dakota and Utah achieve the best results and Alaska does the worst.  Massachusetts is at the U.S. average for funding and ranked slightly above average in achievement, but this ranking is lower than it should be, as UMass Medical School in Worcester and UMass Dartmouth were not considered.

National Assessment of Adult Literacy (US Dept. of Ed.), A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century (12/05): a sample of 19,000 U.S. adults finds that about 5%, or 11 million adults nationwide, lack basic skills in English.

National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, As America Becomes More Diverse: The Impact of State Higher Education Inequality (11/05): a report that explores the consequences of racial and ethnic differences in the numbers and proportion of people entering and succeeding in college.  It suggests that if differences in educational attainment between whites and minority groups persist, equitable racial and ethnic representation in an increasingly knowledge-based economy will be difficult to achieve.

EdSource, Inc., Similar Students, Different Results: Why Do Some Schools Do Better? (10/05): a survey of principals and teachers in 257 California elementary schools serving low-income students finds that socioeconomic factors are not the sole predictor of academic performance.  It indicates that prioritizing student achievement, high expectations, a coherent standards-based curriculum, assessment data, availability of instructional resources, and leadership, support, and accountability by the principal and the school district characterize high-performing schools.

Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2005 KIDS COUNT Data Book (7/05): key measures used to track the well-being of children; state-level statistical data; and tools for generating custom reports, rankings, graphs, and maps. Massachusetts data.

National Center for Education Statistics, Youth Indicators, 2005: Trends in the Well-Being of American Youth (7/05): statistics on family, schooling, work, community, and health for American youth and young adults, ages 14 to 24.

National Center for Education Statistics, The Condition of Education 2005 (6/05): education indicators highlighting enrollment trends and student characteristics; achievement; rates of progress by population group; the contexts of elementary, secondary and postsecondary education; and parental and community support for learning.

CS Mott Foundation, Moving Towards Success: Framework for After-School Programs (5/05): outlines a theory of change approach, desired outcomes, and ideal conditions for effective after-school programs.

Council of the Great City Schools, English Language Learners in the Great City Schools: Survey Results on Students, Languages and Programs (3/03): Boston data compared to the large urban school districts that enroll over 14% of US children and over 30% of English Language Learners.

From the 2002 Boston Indicators Report Archive:

Abundant Assets Alliance reports on efforts of African American and Latino/Latina parents in the United States.

Council of Graduate Schools finds decline in foreign graduate students.

Civil Rights Project and Nellie Mae look at merit scholarships and inequality.

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