A Deeper Look into Massachusetts’ Struggling Community College System

By: Konrad Mugglestone   To me, one finding from our recent deep dive into Massachusetts public higher education has been particularly shocking. Bay State students of color are much more likely to attend a community college than the national average and much less likely to complete their degrees. Massachusetts Black high school graduates are 50 percent more likely,

No Commencement in the Commonwealth

ERN Report Reveals Bay State’s White-Latinx College Graduation Gap Ranks as 37th Worst in the Country Research—Supported by Latinx Organizations in Massachusetts—Analyzes What’s Going Wrong for Latinx Students and Others & Makes Recommendations for How the Commonwealth Can Increase College Affordability and Close Graduation Gaps at the Same Time WASHINGTON, D.C. – Education Reform Now – a progressive think tank and advocacy organization

Are College Graduation Gaps in Massachusetts Improving or Getting Worse?

By: Konrad Mugglestone Recently, Michael Dannenberg and I released a report entitled No Commencement for the Commonwealth. In it, we highlighted startling discrepancies in the way that Massachusetts’ public higher education system serves their Black and Latino students – resulting in a White-Black bachelor’s degree completion gap that ranks as the 3rdsmallest out of the

No Commencement in the Commonwealth: Summary Presentation

By: Michael Dannenberg and Konrad Mugglestone In the midst of college graduation season, Education Reform Now recently released a new report, “No Commencement in the Commonwealth: How Massachusetts’ Higher Education System Undermines Economic Mobility for Latinos and Others And What We Can Do About It” (available here) that analyzes public higher education in the Bay State and reveals that

Interview: “Time to Degree” is Key

Michael Dannenberg sat down with Commonwealth Magazine’s Executive Editor Michael Jonas for an in-depth discussion on what makes for a quality, state or national college promise program. Jonas’ write up appears below. His full podcast interview and be accessed here. Michael Jonas, Commonwealth Magazine No one doubts the value of a college education. It is increasingly a

A Tax On Poor Schools

By Liam Kerr Three years ago, the Lawrence Massachusetts’ public school district welcomed President Barack Obama’s Secretary of Education to celebrate the impressive gains made in this largely state-funded school system. Now, Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, and their brethren are working to put a new tax on funding schools in property-poor districts like Lawrence. Over

DFER-MA Responds to State Party Action on Charter Cap Ballot Question

For Immediate Release Democrats Respond to State Party Action on Charter Cap Ballot Question BOSTON — In response to members of the Democratic State Committee voting tonight to oppose Question 2 – a ballot question which would allow more high-quality charter schools to operate in Massachusetts – Democrats For Education Reform released the following statement:

DFER-MA Statement on Charter School Confusion

For Immediate Release DEMOCRATS FOR EDUCATION REFORM STATEMENT ON CHARTER SCHOOL CONFUSION Lowell, MA — Following the Massachusetts Democratic Party Convention today, DFER-MA State Director Liam Kerr released the following statement: “The official platform of the Democratic Party says that Democrats will “work to expand public school options for low-income youth, including … charter schools.”

Massachusetts Higher Ed: Excellence Without Equity

By Liam Kerr, DFER-Massachusetts State Director Democrats for Education Reform sent a “secret shopper” to 11 elite Massachusetts colleges and universities to get a glimpse at how good a job these schools are doing in supporting the relatively small number of working class and low-income students enrolled.  The results either call into question the veracity of the

Opinion: New BPS superintendent Tommy Chang should be bold

The following piece, originally published in the Boston Globe, was written by Marty Walz, DFER-Massachusetts Advisory Council chairman and former Massachusetts state legislator from Boston.  — New BPS superintendent Tommy Chang should be bold By Marty Walz | July 02, 2015 Boston Mayor Martin Walsh’s inauguration was 18 months ago, but the Walsh era in Boston Public Schools