EDUCATION SNAPSHOT: MASSACHUSETTS
Newly-appointed Massachusetts Secretary of Education James Peyser, a close associate of Governor-Elect Charlie Baker, will oversee implementation of a host of reforms, including the transition to Common Core, the replacement of the MCAS test (which he helped put in place during a stint in state government in the 1990s) with PARCC, and a promise to open at least fifty more charter schools over the next four years, which would bring the state total to 130.
THEY THROW IN THE ARTILLERY CLASSES FREE
NPR investigates what’s being called the “largest employer-sponsored childcare program in the country”: military preschool. The program, which serves over 200,000 children at 800 centers and staffs 40,000 employees, has become a national model for early childhood care. The military subsidizes nearly two-thirds of the costs of childcare, and centers offer high teacher pay, mandatory training, and professional development and accredited facilities.
CALLING ALL COUNSELORS
The ratio of students to counselors in national high schools is 478:1, nearly double the recommendation put forth by the American School Counselor Association. This strain is particularly felt during college application periods, when guidance offices shuffle through hundreds of students and are often asked to write letters of recommendation. First-generation college students, who are more likely to misunderstand the financial aid process and undermatch for colleges, are particularly disadvantaged by this high ratio. For more on the importance of counselors and other non-teacher school employees, check out our blockbuster Hidden Half report from last year.
DROPOUT ECONOMICS 101
New findings from the Brookings Institution reveal that only half of university students correctly understand the financials of their tuition and half of students nationwide underestimate how much debt they are taking on for their degree. The researchers warn that lack of financial certainty can lead to runaway tuition costs and uninformed decisions about course offerings and college admissions.
