Later this month we'll release our newest Condition of Education in the Commonwealth series including a Data Dashboard, an Action Guide, and a virtual event featuring the three state education commissioners and the Massachusetts Secretary of Education. This examination of the future of learning is more critical than ever as schools and students enter their third year of living and learning amid a pandemic. But before we look ahead, we feel it’s important to take a look back.
Featured below are the Action Guides we've released over the past seven years. The research, recommendations, and examples featured in these reports are particularly relevant now as schools and communities continue to navigate unprecedented challenges. Our research on social-emotional learning can help schools support students facing trauma amid the pandemic. Our recommendations for putting students at the center of their learning, elevating their voices, and finding more relevant ways to assess learning can help our state build an equitable education system. And examples of local schools offering learning experiences that connect with the lives of students and families can guide communities as they work together to support students through this challenging time.
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COMMUNITY-SCHOOL CONNECTIONS
Shaping the Future of Learning through Collaboration
This Action Guide examines the crucial role community plays in education, which became critical during COVID school closures. We provide recommendations for how schools, families, and community organizations can build on their collaboration to work toward a more equitable approach to education.
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MEASURING STUDENT SUCCESS
Innovative Approaches to Understanding Diverse Learners
This Action Guide highlights ways to measure progress beyond traditional academic assessments, expanding the definition of success in order to support—and celebrate—the aspirations and achievements of all learners.
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STUDENT VOICE
How Young People Can Shape the Future of Education
This Action Guide examines the role students play in shaping our education system. As educators and leaders look to improve schools, students themselves are rarely given a seat at the table. This report offers recommendations for elevating the voice of students in classrooms, schools, and communities.
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RESETTING THE PACE OF ED REFORM
Lessons of Continuous Improvement
This Action Guide reflects on the pace and progress of school improvement in our state, highlighting how practitioners are learning to achieve and sustain meaningful improvement through locally constructed change processes.
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PUTTING STUDENTS AT THE CENTER OF REFORM
This Action Guide offers a series of policy and practice changes to support a student-centered approach to education, one which begins with the needs and interests of the individual learner and engages students as drivers of their own learning.
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TOWARD A MORE COMPREHENSIVE VISION OF STUDENT LEARNING
This Action Guide identifies social-emotional learning as a critical next step in education reform, noting where the state has made progress and how leaders can support a more comprehensive and research-based vision for social-emotional learning for all educators, students, and their families.
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ACHIEVING THE VISION
Priority Actions for a Statewide Education Agenda
This Action Guide highlights three areas where statewide action can build on existing, effective practice to improve outcomes for all students: expanding early childhood programming; developing a robust statewide approach to holistic student support; and replicating innovative early college designs.
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WE'RE HIRING!
PRINCIPAL, COLLEGE AND CAREER PATHWAYS
We’re looking for a new team member to lead our work in supporting pathways to college and career. We currently have several ongoing or forthcoming projects focused on the transition to postsecondary, and we need someone with significant experience in this field to oversee the work and pursue future growth opportunities. The ideal candidate would bring experience in early college or a related field, the ability to facilitate planning conversations among practitioners at the high school and college levels, strong research and writing skills, and a passion for building relationships with potential partners and funders.
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 UPCOMING EVENT
Condition of Education in the Commonwealth
9:00 AM | ZOOM
Join us on January 26 for a critical discussion on the future of teaching and learning with all three state education commissioners and the Massachusetts Secretary of Education. We’ll share the latest data on progress in student achievement, whole child support, and equity in schools. And we’ll release our 2022 action guide that looks at how our education system can support teachers in navigating this crisis, adapting to the changing times, and providing culturally responsive, innovative, and engaging learning experiences for years to come.
REGISTER>
Trauma-Informed Practices for School Mental Health
Various dates from January through May
Thriving Minds and the Center on Child Wellbeing & Trauma are hosting a professional development series for school and district staff to understand the causes of trauma and identify its symptoms, incorporate trauma-sensitive practices within and outside the classroom, establish systems to collect and use data on effective interventions, and build a trauma-sensitive school culture.
REGISTER>
Integrating Social-Emotional Development & STEM Learning
Various dates from January through April
The Rennie Center and the PEAR Institute are offering a six-session learning opportunity for middle school science teachers to learn about PEAR’s social and emotional development framework and its connections to STEM learning. During sessions, practitioners will identify ways to promote SEL through the lens of equity within their science curriculum and will collaborate with colleagues from across the state to incorporate strategies in upcoming lessons.
REGISTER>
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