Education
ALL EDUCATION REPORTS
New Federal Spending Makes It Crucial to Add State Funds for Education and Transportation
The federal and state governments act as partners to ensure high-quality education and transportation. In response to the COVID pandemic, the federal government has made available billions of one-time dollars for the Commonwealth. Federal funding for transportation and education from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), from other relief bills passed by Congress during the pandemic, and enhanced funding opportunities in the newly signed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework (BIF) are important but insufficient sources of revenue for the Commonwealth to move beyond the pandemic to a future with equity at its center. ...
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The American Rescue Plan Act and Federal Relief Funds for K-12 Schools in Massachusetts
K-12 Schools During the COVID Crisis Each day, Massachusetts schools continue to persevere through the challenges of the COVID pandemic to teach our young people. The need for unprecedented safety measures, the rapid shift to remote learning, the importance of looking at students’ holistic needs, and the logistics of returning to in person learning, all create significant hurdles for schools to overcome in their vital role of educating young people across our state. Just as not all students need the same support, communities across Massachusetts faced the pandemic from different starting points. Many school districts that have historically been under-resourced ...
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Testimony to the Joint Ways and Means Committees on Using Federal ARPA Funds to Invest in Public Higher Education
October 1, 2021 Chairman Rodrigues, Chairman Michelwitz, and distinguished members of the Joint Committee on Ways and Means: Thank you for the opportunity to testify on plans for using the unassigned federal American Rescue Plan Act funding in Massachusetts. My name is Anastasia Martinez and I am a policy analyst at the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, a nonpartisan research organization that works with partners and policymakers to advance racial and economic equity in the Commonwealth. Today, I will be sharing how COVID-19 has exacerbated inequities in our public higher education system and urge for investments in our students. Overall, ...
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The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) Explained
Public Higher Education and COVID-19 With the correct supports in place, public higher education has the power to open up countless opportunities for low-income students and families of all races and backgrounds. Throughout the pandemic, colleges and universities have continued to educate their students virtually, while also planning logistics for a safe return. These unprecedented logistics for both virtual teaching and welcoming students to a safe, clean environment have presented clear financial obstacles. Public higher education in Massachusetts has been underfunded for decades. These disinvestments have led to increased tuition, as well as larger percentages of students graduating with larger ...
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Envisioning Equity: Federal Relief Funds for K-12 Schools in Massachusetts
Interested in learning what American Rescue Plan Act funds mean for the Commonwealth's K-12 public schools? Watch the full briefing and Q&A discussing how these federal programs can support our schools through the pandemic and into recovery.
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SUMMARY – The Cost of Universal, Affordable, High-Quality Early Care & Education Across Massachusetts
Massachusetts families depend on early care & education (ECE) to promote healthy child development and so parents can go to work knowing their children are safe. However, our ECE sector faces many systemic challenges. Care is often unaffordable and teachers are chronically underpaid. These concerns have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. High-quality ECE—including strong curriculum and supportive teaching in classrooms, professional development, small class sizes, well-compensated teachers, and full-time schedules—has been widely linked to positive benefits for kids that can carry forward into elementary school and beyond. This includes exemplary programs in Massachusetts. Existing public programs, such as Head ...
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Care for Our Commonwealth: The Cost of Universal, Affordable, High-Quality Early Care & Education Across Massachusetts
Early Care and Education is Critical for Families Across the Commonwealth, while adults work to provide for their families, they depend on reliable and nurturing learning environments for their children. For those parents with young children under 5, being able to work often depends on the early care and education (ECE) system and the thousands of ECE providers across our state. To meet their vital need for ECE services, many families today have to navigate an often unreliable, disconnected, and costly system of care. For high-level details on the ECE system in Massachusetts, see the box below and Appendix I.1 Despite ...
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Choosing Equity: Options for Affordable Public Higher Education in Massachusetts
This page presents a preview excerpt that explains the problem in public higher education. Click here to view the full report.
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Bruised Budgets: A Higher Education Funding History Lesson For An Antiracist Future
A well-funded public higher education system has the power to open up countless opportunities for low-income students and families of all races and backgrounds. For many students and families of color, higher education is a necessary element in a journey toward upward economic mobility and stability. Those with completed post-secondary education are more likely to be healthier [1], earn twice as much as those with a high school diploma[2], and people with even some college education are less likely to be fired and more likely to be hired back during and after economic downturns.[3] Because of this, families place priority on their ...
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Bringing in the Relief Part II: The Census Counts for Equity
More than $3.3 billion in CARES Act funding comes to our Massachusetts communities based on population estimates from the census. Learn how the Commonwealth can get its fair share of power and money through a complete, accurate 2020 Census count in our latest report.
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Municipal Budgets, Local Aid, and Property Taxes Amid COVID-19
As a result of the pandemic, municipalities face increased spending needs and declining revenues. Many have the ability to raise property taxes, though others are constrained by Proposition 2 1/2. Moreover, property taxes tend to fall hardest on those with lower incomes. Without sufficient municipal aid, cities and towns may be forced to make public cuts which would slow the economic recovery.
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Road to Recovery: How to Safely Reopen Early Education in Massachusetts
As the Commonwealth's early education and care sector reopens, many providers are at risk of closing permanently unless there is a significant new source of funding. Learn more about COVID-19's impact on early education in our latest report, and what it will take to safely reopen.
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Statement on Reopening the Commonwealth
Read the full statement by Marie-Frances Rivera, president of the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget), in response to the Governor's Reopening Massachusetts plan amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
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FAQ: Status of the Mass. Early Education Sector During and Beyond the Coronavirus Outbreak
Introduction Quality early education and care (EEC) is not only critical for helping young children to learn and grow, it’s also vital to our economy by providing support for working parents. The current public health and economic crisis caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is dramatically impacting the provision of early education and care for young children in the Commonwealth. The disruption to early education programs is occurring while the broader effects are felt across the health system, economy, and in the daily lives of all residents adjusting to the unprecedented measures to slow down the spread of COVID-19. This ...
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Federal Student Loan Debt Relief Significant, but Insufficient
A college degree is an important first step for many to pursue their dreams. Unfortunately, this dream is increasingly out of reach for many students from low-income backgrounds, including students of color and non-traditional students.
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