Mass EdForum - Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education

May 30, 2018

A Model for School Funding Reforms

The Denver Public School’s recently released budget document, the Budget Transparency Guidebook, provides detailed information about how the district spends its money, breaking down how much goes directly to schools, how much is spent centrally and for what services, and […]

May 29, 2018

Closing the Skills Gap with Credentials

New Regional Labor Market Blueprints created for the Regional Workforce Skills Planning Initiative by teams of educators, workforce and labor market development professionals in seven regions across Massachusetts identify workforce trends and challenges as well as growth strategies for key […]

March 29, 2018

Federal law requires reporting of per pupil spending by school

Amidst the current debate about school funding in Massachusetts and growing calls for spending more, comes a potentially game-changing new federal requirement that will bring greater transparency to school spending. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), passed with bi-partisan support […]

March 1, 2018

Expanding Access to Career Vocational Technical Education

MBAE is a member of the Alliance for Vocational Technical Education (AVTE), a broad-based association of diverse partners from across Massachusetts that seeks to increase access to high quality vocational education for middle and high school students in the Commonwealth—a […]

December 20, 2017

MBAE Urges State to Take Action on Computer Science

Technology jobs are no longer relegated to the high tech industry. Jobs requiring computer science skills can be found across many industries including retail, healthcare and finance. Studies by Burning Glass Technologies on the digital skills employers demand for workers […]

September 12, 2017

Biz groups unite to oppose rollback of ed reforms

MBAE and its 22 Business Affiliates, along with Associated Industries of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation and the Massachusetts Business Roundtable issued a statement today opposing bills that would place a three-year moratorium on statewide standardized testing and gut the […]

July 12, 2017

Job Opportunities Grow, Schools Must Respond

In Massachusetts, most new jobs between 2010 and 2020 will require more than a high school diploma. High school graduates should be well-prepared to pursue opportunities in our fastest growing fields. A Massachusetts Biotechnology Education Foundation job trends report released […]

May 26, 2017

MBAE & Affiliates Take Action to Protect Reforms that Made MA #1

The MBAE Affiliate Network let Senators know this week why employers oppose Senate budget amendments that would dismantle education reforms that have made Massachusetts number one in the nation in student achievement. The Network urged the Senate to reject budget […]

January 31, 2017

Changes Would Weaken Teacher Evaluation

A proposed change to the state’s teacher evaluation regulations would substantially weaken them and make it harder to achieve the critical goal of ensuring every student in the Commonwealth is taught by a highly effective teacher every year. In written […]

November 17, 2016

Employer Survey: Trouble Finding Candidates, Deficiencies in New Hires

A new survey of employers on public education and workforce readiness found 75% of respondents are having trouble finding qualified candidates to fill open positions, up from 69% in 2013. The problem affected a wide range of positions across industries […]

October 24, 2016

Digital Literacy: An Essential Skill for the 21st Century

MBAE, through Future Ready Massachusetts, is committed to digital equity in our schools to make sure every student acquires the knowledge and skills to access and use technology, computers and the Internet. Earlier this year, the Massachusetts Board of Elementary […]

July 1, 2016

SJC Overturns AG’s Certification of Common Core Ballot Question

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court issued a ruling today in favor of the ten plaintiffs who appealed the Attorney General’s certification of the ballot measure that would repeal the common core education standards in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Business Alliance for […]

March 23, 2016

Harvard Study Shows Educator Support for Common Core

“I firmly believe that the Common Core State Standards provide a strong foundation for a high quality STEM education,” Revere High School math teacher Will Schwartz, also a recipient of the National Science Foundation’s Robert Noyce Teaching Fellowship, told the […]

January 28, 2016

Common Core Ballot Question Threatens Student Progress

Flying mostly under the radar in recent months, the ballot measure that would repeal the Common Core has escaped the close examination it deserves. If passed, it would have a devastating impact on Massachusetts schools, upending every district in the […]

November 12, 2015

Time to Move to PARCC

The Mass Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will make a major decision regarding standardized testing for the Commonwealth next Tuesday, November 17th. Massachusetts led standards-based education reform twenty years ago by establishing the highest set of education standards in the […]

November 4, 2015

Foundation Budget Review Commission Issues Final Report

The Foundation Budget Review Commission completed its work of the past year and released its recommendations to the legislature on Monday, November 2, 2015. The most significant recommendation was to increase the foundation budget allocation for health insurance by linking […]

September 20, 2015

Editorial Calls for MA to Adopt PARCC

On September 20, The Standard-Times published a strong endorsement of PARCC in an editorial “Mass. should adopt PARCC.” Citing conversations with local educators and administrators, the editorial says “As we hear more and more educators and parents give Common Core a chance, […]

August 20, 2015

Independence: A Recommendation for School Reform

As we celebrate Independence Day, many school districts are bringing on new leaders who have plans and ambitions for improving the education opportunities for students in their communities. The Superintendent’s job is a tough one – demanding the skill of a diplomat, […]

March 24, 2015

PARCC Test Fairness and Security

The business community relies heavily on data for measuring and understanding its performance and opportunities. So, it is no surprise that MBAE has strongly supported the effective use of data to improve instruction and assess the performance of many aspects of our […]

March 24, 2015

Foundation Budget Review – An Opportunity to Update Funding System

The Foundation Budget Review Commission held its sixth and last public hearing on the re-examination of the Chapter 70 school finance law on March 9th in Boston. MBAE testified for funding strategies that will make effective use of resources to support […]