During the COVID-19 pandemic, federal relief funding flowed into the Massachusetts early education and care sector to stabilize providers and preserve affordable access to education and care for families. In the years since, the Massachusetts state government has maintained this heightened level of investment, resulting in significant progress in…

In education systems with strong student performance, teaching is a highly-respected, well-supported profession. This view, backed by policy and investment, leads to the recruitment of top candidates into teaching and high retention of teachers and leaders in schools, both of which are critical for educational excellence. Looking at the strategic…

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…

Since 2020, the federal government has distributed almost $2 billion to American school districts to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 pandemic school closures. Released in three separate tranches through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) fund, the Trump and Biden administrations outlined parameters for spending this…

In this essay, the authors examine a congressional proposal -- the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA) -- to allow taxpayers to redirect their federal tax dollars to organizations that would provide funding for students to enroll in private school or to help pay for outside educational supports. Based on the implementation of similar…

Emerging research indicates an immense burden on children and families related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study uses data from semi-structured interviews and focus groups with early childhood service providers (n=19) to demonstrate the pandemic's impact on families with very young children and early childhood services in two high-need…

On average, only about 16 percent of annual union dues paid by members in 19 Massachusetts public school districts stayed with local union chapters. The remaining 84 percent of dues revenue went directly to the state (Massachusetts Teachers Association) and national (National Education Association) union affiliates. But what about public higher…

New research finds that increased spending on public education improves student achievement, thereby debunking the notion that "money doesn't matter" and making the case for greater investment in preschool-12 public education. How money is spent matters, but funding must also be adequate, equitable, and stable from year to year so that…

Schools have widespread impacts on students' educational attainment. However, little is known about how specific school characteristics affect young children's development during early elementary school. To address this need, the current study examined relations between key school constructs (school achievement, novice teachers, teacher…

Congress amended and extended the "Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education" ("Perkins IV") in 2018 with passage of the "Strengthening Career and Technical Education Act for the 21st Century" ("Perkins V"); the law became effective on July 1, 2019. "Perkins V" increases federal funding for…

School districts increasingly rely on weighted student funding (WSF), yet there is little research on this allocation model. This study collects more than 70 measures on each of 19 districts using WSF in 2018 for a landscape analysis of formula features and implementation practices. While districts report common reasons for adopting WSF (equity,…

Despite decades of research that points to the importance of family and staff engagement, the average school district in the United States is not designed to empower families and teachers to shape school improvement. The COVID-19 pandemic offers an opportunity to change that. Pandemic-fueled disruption helped seed ideas with families and educators…

This study used qualitative multiple case study analysis to explore community inclusion implementation among developmental disability service providers in Massachusetts. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (and its affirmation of community inclusion in Olmstead vs. L.C., 1999) set the stage for rights-based understanding of community…

Research suggests that there are several positive impacts of mental health programming in K-12 educational settings, including improvements in students' overall health, academic and social outcomes. Additionally, comprehensive and effective school mental health systems can lead to a variety of beneficial outcomes for schools and communities,…

The number of students experiencing homelessness in Massachusetts has grown substantially over the last few years. More than 31,000 Massachusetts students experienced homelessness during the 2023-2024 school year, a 20 percent increase from the previous year. We know homelessness puts an immense strain on child development and that experiencing…