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Third-grade teacher Audra Lessard coaches her students on words starting with "br" as part of a phonics lesson at the Sumner G. Whittier School in Everett. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

As literacy screening becomes a requirement in Mass., a look at what impact it makes in schools

A new state mandate requiring twice-a-year literacy screenings for kids in grades K-3 starting next year is intended to help school districts pinpoint what additional reading supports they can offer...

Education

04:13Dec 20, 2022

Rows of school buses parked on Pleasant Street in Belmont, Mass. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

Bids and buses: Why districts worry as competition plummets in school bus industry

School districts say they now face fewer choices, worries about steeper prices and more frustrated phone calls from families. A slim number are now moving to control busing themselves.

Education

04:45Nov 2, 2022

Kids play football in the parking lot before an NFL preseason football game between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants, Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017, in Foxborough, Mass. (Winslow Townson/AP)

What's behind the spike in childhood anxiety and depression in Massachusetts

In Massachusetts the share of kids ages 3 to 17 who had a clinical diagnosis of anxiety or depression reached 18% in 2020, higher than the national rate of 11.8%.

Education

06:29Aug 19, 2022

Kettlynn Prophete is Humanities Dean of Instruction at the Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter Public School in Hyde Park. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

School principals want more support in their demanding roles, report shows

Burnout among school principals is common and new data indicates retention in the profession is not getting that much better, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Education

05:41Aug 16, 2022

Kathryn Roldan stands near Bright Horizons, where she worked while studying for her high school diploma at Chelsea Opportunity Academy. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

Students juggling added pressures like jobs, anxiety seek out alternative high schools

With more flexible hours and self-paced learning, some alternative schools are seeing new interest from students coping with financial and emotional impacts of the pandemic.

Education

04:29Jul 19, 2022

The Massachusetts State House. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Child care is in crisis. Here's what's being done about it

The pandemic has made child care problems harder to ignore. Business leaders and politicians began to see them not as a private burden for families, but as an urgent public...

Education

07:02Jun 17, 2022

Most child care centers, like this one in Waltham, closed down in March 2020 as a precaution against the spread of COVID-19. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

Child care is a problem for employers, too. Now more of them want solutions

"I don't think that employers see it so much as their responsibility, as much as they see it as their enlightened self-interest because they desperately need workers," says Tom Weber,...

Education

05:09Jun 15, 2022

Why child care in Massachusetts costs so much

At over $20,000 a year, the average price of infant care in Massachusetts is the highest among the 50 states.

Education

04:44Jun 14, 2022

Deneen Coren plays with 22-month-old Tsifira. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

How child care can build kids' brains, one interaction at a time

The most rapid brain development happens in the first five years of life, and evidence suggests back-and-forth interactions between children and their caregivers play a pivotal role.

Education

04:49Jun 14, 2022

Current and former early educators in Massachusetts. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

We asked 8 child care workers about their joys and frustrations. Here's what they said

Staffing shortages and turnover have been problems in early education for years, but the pandemic took those issues from bad to worse. The child care workforce in Massachusetts is now...

Education

09:05Jun 13, 2022

Two characters race for a soccer ball in Miguel Tavares and Sidonio Lepes' video game "5V5." (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

Video game design gets Boston high schoolers back in the learning game

Video games and school work are two things that don’t usually go hand in hand. But for a group of high schoolers in Dorchester, gaming is the assignment.

Education

03:41Jun 2, 2022

Mayor Michelle Wu speaks to the news media during a press conference at Brighton High School on March 22, 2022, where Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius (left) announced she would resign at the end of the 2021-2022 school year. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Facing a potential state takeover, Boston promises 'urgent' improvements in its schools

Under the terms of the draft agreement, Massachusetts' largest school district would have to move quickly tackle problems raised by a state review: late school buses, unclean bathrooms, unclean data...

Education

07:12May 27, 2022

Papers on desks by window in classroom. (Getty Images)

Schools have policies to stop child sexual abuse. Advocates say they have too many weak spots

Charges against a former Brookline teacher have reignited discussions about what is needed to prevent sexual abuse from happening in schools.

Education

06:37May 3, 2022

Students file out through the main corridor of Hopkinton High School during dismissal. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

With masks now optional, Mass. students are learning to adjust

We checked in with a few kids recently to see how students are adjusting to new mask-optional policies at school.

Education

03:33Mar 18, 2022

Karen Peters, a social worker, is the BRYT clinical director at Amherst Regional High School in Amherst, Massachusetts. (Ben James/NEPM)

School mental health program eases transition from hospital to classroom

Psychiatric hospitalizations have increased across the U.S. for teens struggling with suicidal ideation and other mental health challenges. But after they leave the hospital, teens face what’s often a daunting...

Education

07:42Mar 16, 2022

In the days after federal charges against him were dropped, MIT professor Gang Chen wasted no time in speaking out about his ordeal. (Screengrab from Asian American Scholar Forum event)

The government dropped its case against Gang Chen. Scientists still see damage done

Researchers working in the United States say the China Initiative has harmed both their fellow scientists and science itself — as a global cooperative endeavor. But as U.S.-China tensions remain...

Education

04:41Feb 16, 2022

Josiehanna Colon is a student at New Mission High School in Hyde Park. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

As Mass. moves to relax mask rules, students say COVID is still taking a toll

"I haven’t learned anything when going to school," said senior Thy Nguyen. "And so I think that’s why many of us don’t have motivation anymore."

Education

04:34Feb 14, 2022

MIT president will leave behind complicated legacy

WBUR’s Max Larkin joined Morning Edition host Rupa Shenoy to discuss.

Education

04:48Feb 11, 2022

Massachusetts is lifting its statewide public school mask mandate at the end of the month. Districts will be left to decide whether to enact their own measures. (Getty Images)

Mass. will stop requiring masks in public schools. It's an uneasy milestone for many

State officials are phasing out the mask mandate in Massachusetts public schools — and reactions are reliably mixed.

Education

03:05Feb 10, 2022

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker speaks at a press conference at the State House in December 2021. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

With cases surging, Massachusetts officials will 'pivot' on COVID testing in schools

As he announced plans to provide free rapid antigen tests to schools and childcare providers starting next week, Gov. Charlie Baker spoke of a strategic “pivot”: away from cost-intensive and...

Education

05:02Jan 20, 2022

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As literacy screening becomes a requirement in Mass., a look at what impact it makes in schools

Bids and buses: Why districts worry as competition plummets in school bus industry

What's behind the spike in childhood anxiety and depression in Massachusetts

School principals want more support in their demanding roles, report shows

Students juggling added pressures like jobs, anxiety seek out alternative high schools

Child care is in crisis. Here's what's being done about it

Child care is a problem for employers, too. Now more of them want solutions

Why child care in Massachusetts costs so much

How child care can build kids' brains, one interaction at a time

We asked 8 child care workers about their joys and frustrations. Here's what they said

Video game design gets Boston high schoolers back in the learning game

Facing a potential state takeover, Boston promises 'urgent' improvements in its schools

Schools have policies to stop child sexual abuse. Advocates say they have too many weak spots

With masks now optional, Mass. students are learning to adjust

School mental health program eases transition from hospital to classroom

The government dropped its case against Gang Chen. Scientists still see damage done

As Mass. moves to relax mask rules, students say COVID is still taking a toll

MIT president will leave behind complicated legacy

Mass. will stop requiring masks in public schools. It's an uneasy milestone for many

With cases surging, Massachusetts officials will 'pivot' on COVID testing in schools