News

An effective public agenda is best shaped by including policymakers and the public in the process of generating, reviewing, and sharing new information. The Rennie Center is dedicated to widely disseminating its independent research to enrich policy conversations on key educational issues and, in service of this goal, available as a valuable resource to national and local media. 

For media inquiries please contact Catherine Rauseo at (617) 354-0002.

In the News

New website breaks down Massachusetts early childhood systems

Colin A. Young
State House News Service

With Beacon Hill poised to address the dual challenges of access and costs of early childhood education and care this session, advocates on Thursday launched a new website that aims to give lawmakers, parents and others a better view of the constellation of services and supports for children ages 5 and younger. The Rennie Center for Education & Research Policy and the Massachusetts Early Childhood Funder Collaborative unveiled Early Childhood 101, an interactive website that maps out all the various ways in which young kids and parents interact with programs and services like health care, housing support, employment assistance and more. 

Schools flush with cash, but need better plan on how to spend it

Chad d'Entremont
CommonWealth Magazine

In 2010, a young Mark Zuckerberg partnered with a rising political star, then-Mayor Cory Booker, to donate $100 million dollars to Newark Public Schools. The idea was that a massive infusion of wealth could fundamentally alter learning within the community. New money led to modest change but did little to address major challenges in schools. Roughly a decade later, even before the onset of the COVID pandemic, two-thirds of young students in Newark were unable to read at grade level and more than a quarter of all students were chronically absent from school. Massachusetts schools have now received an unprecedented influx of resources. Through federal Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding, the Commonwealth’s education system has received $2.9 billion, with the vast majority going directly to districts. Now it’s up to districts to invest wisely and avoid the fate of Newark...

About $2B In Fed Education Funds Remain in Mass.

Michael P. Norton
State House News Service

Only about a third of the $2.9 billion in education funding authorized by the federal government since COVID-19 hit has been spent in Massachusetts, leaving "a lot of money on the table," according to a top state education official. During an EdImpact Research Consortium briefing Tuesday morning, Matt Deninger, chief strategy and resource officer at DESE, said EESSER  funding for Massachusetts was authorized in three tranches: about $200 million at the start of the pandemic in March 2020, $739 million in December 2020, and $1.66 billion more in April 2021.

Let’s celebrate STEM Week by expanding career pathways for youth

Mary Skipper and Bob Giannino
CommonWealth Magazine

The Boston area has a thriving innovation economy and is home to numerous companies in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields. Yet, access to mutual learning opportunities with these booming industries remains limited for Boston’s educators and students. Today is the start of the annual Massachusetts STEM Week, a time to raise the visibility of these issues.

Five Lessons from Massachusetts that Can Help District Leaders Use Evidence to Simplify Decision-Making

Annelise Eaton

As students return to school for the first time in three years without most COVID precautions in place, the impact of the pandemic lingers on in our nation’s classrooms. Educators, who work tirelessly to ensure students are cared for and academically challenged, face ongoing, unprecedented challenges as they seek to accelerate learning.

Diversity in educator pipeline is crucial

Chad d'Entremont, Meghan Volcy, and Sophie Zamarripa
CommonWealth Magazine

The demands of teaching during a pandemic have undoubtedly taken a toll on educators. From dealing with ever-changing public health protocols and staff shortages to addressing lost learning time and supporting students’ wellbeing, teachers are overworked and overwhelmed. A new study found that turnover among Massachusetts teachers was at least 15 percent higher over the past two years than in 2019. And in a nationwide poll by the National Education Association, 55 percent of teachers said they would leave the profession earlier than planned because of the pandemic. Is the “Great Resignation” starting to impact Massachusetts schools? And if this trend continues, will we have enough new teachers to step in?

Officials meet to discuss current state and future of Massachusetts education system

RYAN TROWBRIDGE & KRISTIN BURNELL |  WESTERN MASS NEWS
Western Mass News

A school-focused ‘State of the State’ discussion played out in the Bay State on Wednesday. Massachusetts education leaders were in attendance as they looked at a newly released report on the current condition of education in the Commonwealth. State leaders met today morning to discuss the future of education in Massachusetts. During the virtual event, the Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy in Boston released their ninth annual report on the condition of education in the Commonwealth…

Learning disruptions caused by the pandemic reinvigorate debate over MCAS

STELLA LORENCE
THE SUN CHRONICLE 

If there were to be a multiple-choice test question about the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System exam, it might read something like this: Facing a drop in students’ scores on the MCAS exam, the state should: A) Rethink the structure of the MCAS B) Keep the MCAS as is but use the data to change the strategies in the classroom C) Eliminate the MCAS completely D) Make no changes to the MCAS or in the classroom. Unlike the real MCAS, this question has no objective right answer. But educators, parents and policy experts have advocated for those options — or combinations of them — in a renewed debate about the test spurred by this year’s lower scores.

The glass ceiling in our schools

Mike Kirby
THE SUN CHRONICLE 

A new study shows that just 39% of Massachusetts school districts are led by a woman. But the Bay State is doing better than the rest of America; only 27% of the nation’s school superintendents are women. That matches the percentage in the Attleboro area where three of the 11 school districts have female superintendents. Amy Berdos in Foxboro and Teresa Murphy are the only two women leading local kindergarten-Grade 12 school districts while Ingrid Allardi is head of Norfolk’s elementary-level schools.

Most teachers are women. But male educators take a ‘glass elevator’ to leadership positions

Stephanie Ebbert
The Boston Globe

Ever notice that school systems are typically led by male superintendents while the teaching staff predominantly consists of women? A new report confirms that disparity, finding that women represent 76 percent of teachers in Massachusetts’ largest public schools but only 39 percent of the superintendents.

Press Releases

Educators conduct panel discussion on education in Western Mass.

Trent Levakis
The Reminder

A meeting of Western Massachusetts leaders in education took place at the Delaney House in Holyoke on June 9 for the Condition of Education (COE) in Western Massachusetts event. The event was organized by the Rennie Center for Education and Research Policy, an independent, non-partisan, nonprofit organization whose mission is to inform decision making on education across the state.

New Report Tracks Progress, Areas for Improvement in Mass. Education

The Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy released its annual status report to an audience of 300 state leaders, legislators, students, and educators yesterday morning. The Condition of Education in the Commonwealth report looks at school performance in Massachusetts, highlighting successes while zeroing in on areas in need of improvement. This year's report examines the need for new ways of measuring student success.

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Rennie Center and Transforming Education Win National 'How Learning Happens' Grant

The Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy and its partner Transforming Education today announced they have won a $30,000 grant from America’s Promise Alliance, a national organization, to support a community convening to advance young people’s social, emotional, and cognitive development.

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New Report Examines Student Voice in Action in Mass. Schools

The Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy released its annual status report to an audience of 300 state leaders, legislators, students, and educators this morning. The Condition of Education in the Commonwealth report looks at school performance in Massachusetts, highlighting successes while zeroing in on areas in need of improvement. This year's report examines the role students play in shaping our education system.

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Excellence through Social Emotional Learning Network Featured in Report from National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development

The Excellence through Social Emotional Learning (exSEL) Network is included as an exemplary approach to supporting students’ social, emotional, and academic development in a report released this week by a prestigious national commission. The Aspen Institute National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development’s “From a Nation at Risk to a Nation at Hope” asserts that our nation is at a turning point, understanding that social, emotional, and cognitive development underpins children’s academic learning.

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LEADERS TO GATHER FOR “STATE OF THE STATE” OF EDUCATION EVENT

The Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy invites journalists to the release of its annual Condition of Education in the Commonwealth report. This report looks at state-level indicators of school performance, highlighting successes while zeroing in on areas in need of improvement.

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RENNIE CENTER NAMES NEW BOARD CHAIR

The Rennie Center has made long-time board member Dr. Celine Coggins its new board chair. Dr. Coggins, who has been involved with the Rennie Center since its founding in 2005, was recently appointed Executive Director of Grantmakers for Education. She previously led Teach Plus, a nonprofit with a mission to empower educators. She originally launched Teach Plus as a subsidiary of the Rennie Center and has since overseen its rise to a national network of more than 24,000 teachers.

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THE RENNIE CENTER FOR EDUCATION RESEARCH & POLICY AWARDED $100,000

The Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy is one of 100 local nonprofits to receive $100,000 through the Cummings Foundation’s “$100K for 100” program. The organization was chosen from a total of 597 applicants during a competitive review process. The Rennie Center will use this funding to support select school districts in designing initiatives to support the development of students’ social and emotional skills. 

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SPRINGFIELD’S EARLY LEARNING PROGRAMS RECOGNIZED IN STATEWIDE REPORT

Springfield Public Schools is featured in a report released by the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy that looks at student progress in Massachusetts while pointing to areas for continued improvement. This year’s Condition of Education in the Commonwealth report highlights Springfield’s innovative early childhood education program as a model of success.

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EDUCATION AND BUSINESS LEADERS TO DISCUSS STATE OF EDUCATION IN WESTERN MA

The Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy invites journalists to a discussion on the status of education in Western Massachusetts and the impact of local early learning programs. Springfield’s innovation around early childhood education was highlighted as a model of success in this year’s Condition of Education in the Commonwealth Report.

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