I would call this blog post "in which the Globe gets it wrong again," but once you've used that as a title once, you've used it.

Anyway, the Boston Globe (specifically Mandy McLaren, who tends to decide what the answers are before writing articles, as evidenced by, for example, her coverage of literacy) wrote today about Governor Healey's graduation council, as announced in her State of the State address earlier this year. In the article, McLaren repeats a big misunderstanding of where November has left us: 

a need for literacy in discussing literacy

The Boston Globe has an enormous, fearmongering article today on early literacy; I've posted it here as a PDF if you don't have an account. 

The reporters--there are two, Mandy McLaren and Naomi Martin--have as their thesis that Massachusetts is falling behind other states in students' abilities to read, particularly for students who are low income, and that the solution to that is to have our Legislature pass laws requiring particular kinds of curriculum.

Two follow-ups on February's Board of Ed meeting

I tweeted these out this morning, but I thought they needed a more permanent place.

You'll remember that the Board voted in favor of the contract Chair Sagan had negotiated with Jeff Riley for Commissioner of Education. Part of the discussion was start date: while everyone was looking for sooner rather than later, there was recognition that Lawrence, too, needs a smooth transition as it moves from single receiver to a board receiver appointing a (still being searched for) superintendent. "By July 1" was the date set. Today's Eagle Tribune, however, has an article in today's paper which says he'll leave within weeks. The receiver board has just started meeting, and they've just posted the position of superintendent; they are not going to have a superintendent in place any time soon. The article speaks of Riley leaving his assistant superintendent in charge, but can he even do that under a receivership?


There was much fervor over the Boston Globe actually publishing--can it be?--a less-than-rosy charter school piece today. In the rundown of the recent setbacks, Jamie Vanzis most notably puts together last year's Mystic Valley's violation of their students' rights over hairstyles and the unquestioning and non-public renewal of their charter this year. I had mentioned this in passing at the time of the meeting, but I'll note this again here: under the Mass General Laws, charters are granted and renewed by the Board of Education, not by the Commissioner. That is not what has been happening, however, as the Board has voted their authority to the Commissioner. Note this memo from the February agenda: Any Board member may call for the renewal to be discussed at a public meeting, but there is no allowance for the public to have input, to hear deliberation, or to otherwise be part of the process. And in this case, DESE has even refused the Globe documents about their decision. That isn't what was laid out by the Legislature as a process. Charter schools are much more complicated than a nice, neat little process with an office in Malden, and the public is owed more than that.

John Oliver on charter schools

Hey, did you watch John Oliver on charter schools yet?
(if you don't watch Oliver generally, do know his language may not be your choice)



After you watch that, you should also read this from Chris Faraone on if you should believe John Oliver or the Boston Globe.

Oh, and vote no on Question 2 in Massachusetts.