The Commissioner of Education for Massachusetts discusses progress in desegregation, educational opportunity, and educational quality in that state, and calls for greater community outreach in an effort to rebuild a social commitment to public education. (GC)

Discusses the difficulties of funding parental or school choice systems in public schools through traditional school finance mechanisms. It examines the parental-choice program as enacted in Massachusetts, and reveals that parental choice undermines local control over education. It also explores school choice and educational equity, arguing…

Critiques a November 1999 "Kappan" article praising one charter school's special-education program, arguing that most Massachusetts for-profit charter schools receive funding for disabled students whom they refuse to serve. These schools have excluded, counseled out, mistreated, and withheld needed services from numerous students with…

Regardless of the lack of racial justice in housing and employment, American democracy cannot tolerate discrimination in its public schools if it is to honor its traditions as a country. State bodies must make clear their position on school desegregation and establish that desegregation is wrong legally and educationally. Sanction must be imposed…

On October 19 and 20, 1983, citizens' hearings were held by the Massachusetts Advocacy Center to receive testimony from students, parents, educators, economists, researchers, and advocates concerning a crisis in public education in the Commonwealth. Section I of this report presents an overview of the current debate concerning the reform of the…

Argues that although parents have primary responsibility for education society must ensure that it is distributed fairly and provides the skills and knowledge that every American should learn. Outlines arguments for and against "open enrollment" or unrestricted choice school plans. Describes a system of conditional choices implemented in…

Beginning with the class of 2003, all Massachusetts students must pass the state's high stakes test, MCAS, in order to graduate, which may significantly affect Massachusetts' already high dropout rate. According to this MCAS Alert, instead of remedying the problem of students who graduate without skills, this policy threatens to push the most…

Twenty-four questions regarding school choice concerns are answered in this document, which advocates school choice in public schools for Massachusetts. The following issues are included: the rationale for school choice; drawbacks to currently available choice options; components of an effective choice plan; the definition and maintenance of…

The educational funding system in Massachusetts has become less equitable than before, since the passage of Proposition Two and a Half. A decision-making process driven by zero-sum economics, rather than educational needs, is particularly harmful to urban youth; failure to educate every young American threatens the nation's social and economic…

Two position papers for the Alden Seminar on Higher Education and an overview of the January 1982 Alden Seminar meeting are presented. The Alden Seminars, which are attended by officers of business and industry and colleges and universities in Massachusetts, provide a forum for the discussion of the current situation in higher education, with…

This paper looks at the successful initiatives and unforeseen problems that have arisen in Massachusetts public education since the passage of the Public School Improvement Act of 1985, with a focus on the needs of Hispanic Americans. There is overwhelming evidence that the specific needs of Hispanic Americans are neither being identified nor met…

This paper focuses on educational policy issues in Massachusetts of concern to Latinos in areas of retention and achievement, with a goal of recommending policy research. Nationally, Hispanic American students are not served by current educational initiatives. Rather, this group bears the brunt of the dropout rates and low school achievement…