Family child-care programs (FCCs) are a unique and vital part of the Massachusetts child-care and education system. FCC owners tend to serve some of the highest-need children and families in the Commonwealth, yet the owners and assistants who run these programs often take home some of the lowest wages among educators. While much research has been…

The distribution of state funding to school districts has a tremendous impact on student learning opportunities. State leaders juggle different priorities, tradeoffs and incentives when designing funding formulas with the goal of ensuring every student has the learning opportunities to succeed. This toolkit offers a strategic guide for reforming…

Historically, states' child care subsidy programs have used market rates, or tuition charged by providers, to set subsidy rates that support income-eligible families in accessing child care services. However, the market rate is often based on what families in a specific community can afford to pay, not necessarily what it actually costs to provide…

AI offer first-hand account of a key stage in the development of parental choice in American public schooling, when Massachusetts state officials, concerned not to repeat the trauma and disruption resulting from mandatory reassignment of students to achieve desegregation in Boston, persuaded and helped more than a dozen other cities to adopt plans…

The growth of homeschooling from a somewhat fringe movement during the 1970s and 1980s to a more widespread and socially accepted approach in recent decades has provided a strong foundation of flexible learning models. When Florida's school choice expansion, House Bill 1, was introduced in January 2023, one of its goals was to allow more…

This is the technical appendix for the report "From Insights to Impact: Fostering Innovation through Texas" which examines the current national landscape of higher education research and development to help gauge Texas' current position and identify opportunities to drive further innovations into the future. This appendix includes the…

Assisted by the COVID-19 Response Fund, nonprofit organizations and their staffs have fed thousands of families culturally relevant food, preserved housing for residents at risk of homelessness, distributed vaccines, strengthened mental health services for survivors of domestic violence, delivered enriching youth programming when schools could not…

As schools were preparing to welcome students back to school for 2020-2021 school year, Region 1 stakeholders consistently identified concerns related to student mental health. Specific concerns included increased anxiety, depression, and disengagement. In addition, most school staff lacked the necessary infrastructure--policies, resources, and…

Higher education in the United States has seen incredible change over the past year and a half due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Postsecondary institutions have had to become increasingly flexible as they continue to deal with myriad changes including but not limited to: social distancing, mask mandates, virtual and hybrid…

Interest in universities as anchor institutions within their communities and cities is growing as civic leaders search for ways to build local wealth. Systematic analysis of the effects of anchor institution initiatives remains difficult due to the disparate nature of anchor initiatives and a relative lack of a shared language describing the work.…

This research addressed the problem of achievement gaps among elementary schools in Massachusetts. The purpose of this quantitative causal comparative study was to determine what effect, if any, funding had on elementary school accountability classification, student academic achievement, and per pupil expenditure rates. Equity theory indicated…

Background/Context: Several studies have investigated state political and economic factors that explain differences in levels of state appropriations for colleges and universities. Few studies have considered how stakeholder beliefs or taken-forgranted assumptions about various institutions may impact budgeting decisions for specific campuses. A…

In 2022, the Region 1 Comprehensive Center (R1CC) Advisory Board members requested a scan of state literacy policies, initiatives, and funding across the four Region 1 states--Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. This report summarizes the methods used to conduct the scan, key findings, and opportunities for states to explore. A…

Merrimack College is a midsized Catholic Augustinian College pursuing its historical service-based commitments while shifting priorities toward research. With limited time and resources, these two aims can create tension at institutional and faculty levels. This single institutional case study shares the work of faculty and College leadership to…

In 2014, the Nellie Mae Education Foundation began funding three projects that together comprise the Grassroots Portfolio: Civic and Family Engagement, Community Organizing, and Amplifying Student Voice and Leadership. This work was part of the Public Understanding and Demand component of NMEF's grantmaking strategy. Following a Foundation-wide…