Latest news with #ChristopherHuffaker
Boston Globe
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
State board to pick next education commissioner Tuesday
In Massachusetts, the education commissioner oversees day-to-day operations of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, which regulates public and charter K-12 schools; creates long-term plans for the department; provides guidance and training to school districts, and implements the school accountability system. Related : The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Advertisement The state's K-12 education department has been without a permanent commissioner Massachusetts K-12 schools face immense challenges. Many districts are facing budget shortfalls as they serve growing numbers of newly arrived students from other countries, including many English learners, and as well as increasing populations of special education students. The commissioner must also turn around pandemic learning losses statewide. And in Washington, the Trump administration threatens to withhold federal aid money from districts if they maintain policies Trump disagrees with, including diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, recognizing transgender students, and curriculum that addresses racism and discrimination. Advertisement The board is scheduled to begin the day's deliberations during a meeting at the department's headquarters in Everett starting at 2 p.m. Christopher Huffaker of the Globe staff contributed to this report. This is a developing story. Check back for updates. John Hilliard can be reached at
Boston Globe
17-02-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
R.I. students have recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic faster than the rest of New England
You should make sure you read my colleague Christopher Huffaker's look at Get Rhode Map A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State. Enter Email Sign Up ✏️ About 88 percent of Rhode Island students attend school in a district where the average reading levels are behind where they were in 2019, and 79 percent are in districts where the math results are worse than before the pandemic. Advertisement ✏️ East Greenwich stands out as a success story, with mean achievement in both reading and math surpassing 2019 levels. East Providence has nearly matched mean achievement levels in reading and math. ✏️ As we know, chronic absenteeism skyrocketed since the pandemic, rising from 19 percent in 2019 to 34 percent in 2022 before dipping to 25 percent last year. Governor Dan McKee has made student attendance his No. 1 priority for education over the last year. ✏️ The report found that Rhode Island received $646 million in pandemic relief funding for K-12 schools, an average of $4,700 per student. That's much higher than the national average of $3,700 per student. This story first appeared in Rhode Map, our free newsletter about Rhode Island that also contains information about local events, links to interesting stories, and more. If you'd like to receive it via e-mail Monday through Friday, Dan McGowan can be reached at
