Education

For too long, our education and workforce systems have failed to see Black, Latinx, and English Language Learner students as holders and creators of knowledge. If we want to build the diverse workforce of tomorrow, it is crucial that we invest today in equity-minded systems and practices that value the cultural wealth young people possess and the knowledge, skills, and abilities they bring to the workforce.

The House version of the state budget does not include funding promised in the Student Opportunity Act for the second year in a row, leaving educators to wonder when the $1.5 billion signed by the governor in 2019 will come to fruition.

With white and Asian students over-represented in the city’s three selective-admissions schools, the one-year change was widely seen as a way to broaden the racial and socio-economic diversity in the schools.

Across the country, education activists are sounding the alarm on what many see as a singular focus on learning loss that comes at the expense of helping students with other needs.

Throughout the transition to in-person learning, many families, especially families of color, have chosen to stay remote. Some of those families have made use of learning pods operated by community centers partnering with Boston After School and Beyond.

A group charging discrimination within the state’s regional vocational school admissions process, which uses a ranking system to admit student bodies that are mostly white, English-language speakers, is calling on Gov. Charlie Baker, Education Commissioner Jeff Riley and the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to implement a lottery system instead.

The administration of Gov. Charlie Baker has decided to follow the fed’s advice and prioritize K-12 educators for the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in Massachusetts. But the plan lacks specificity, according to the Massachusetts Teachers Association.

The Biden administration last week released new guidelines on schools reopening, for the first time offering federal guidance on issues including physical distancing and air quality in classrooms, testing and acceptable community spread rates.

Our elected officials must commit themselves to ending systemic racism which creates the current segregated system in which some students receive a quality education and others do not. We need leadership to narrow opportunity gaps and focus on the residents who are experiencing the worst of the pandemic, not just in the Boston Public Schools but in all our neighborhoods.

The Policy for Progress group in Massachusetts is taking a closer look at the problem of segregated schools. Its recent “Commonwealth Fault Lines” study compares pairs of neighboring Massachusetts cities, including Boston and Needham. In a webinar on Jan. 26, hosted by MassINC, researchers and legislators concerned about the issue discussed how segregation has increased over the years and methods to reduce it.

A group of educators is pushing to prepare the next generation of voters with an update to civics education in grade school. Though the practice isn’t widespread, there is evidence that required civic education curriculums have had positive effects in states like Florida and Illinois.

At RCC, Your Future is Our Focus, now and always. While  we have adjusted our course offerings in light of  the COVID-19 pandemic, we have never strayed from our commitment to ensuring your success.