Reports - Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education

December 10, 2023

Accelerating Student Learning: The Need for Urgency and Innovation

The pandemic has had a deeply negative effect on learning across whole communities in Massachusetts for all students—regardless of racial/ethnic background, family income, or other factors. In certain communities, the percentage of students experiencing significant learning loss is quite large. […]

October 23, 2023

Lifting Our Communities: Building Education Pathways to Economic Opportunity for All

MBAE partnered with Latinos for Education and Education Trust in Massachusetts on this report that examines and highlights systemic educational inequities, primarily affecting Black and Latino students, that result in unequal representation in higher education and careers in high-paying, high-growth […]

March 22, 2023

Expanding Access to & Participation in Computer Science in Massachusetts: A State Level Strategy

In the 2020-2021 school year, just 5.8% of Massachusetts high school students were enrolled in a computer science course, urban schools were less likely to offer computer science than suburban and rural schools, and only 28.4% of students enrolled in […]

June 30, 2022

High School Redesign: Building Stronger Pathways to College and Careers

As state leaders seek to strengthen the Commonwealth’s pipeline of workers, ensure greater equity of opportunity for all students, and close wage and wealth gaps, a key focus should be on programs that provide pathways for high school students to […]

October 14, 2021

The P-TECH Model of Early College High School: A Timely Opportunity for Massachusetts?

P-TECH is a pioneering high school model that stands out as an effective strategy to better prepare students for workforce opportunities in STEM, and to build a diverse, highly skilled workforce pipeline. There are more than 127 P-TECH high schools […]

September 30, 2021

SEIZING THE MOMENT: Leveraging Federal ARPA Funding to Enable Student Recovery and Promote Innovation in K–12 Education

This MBAE paper calls for using the extraordinary federal relief funding to build a stronger, more equitable, more aligned education system than before the pandemic and includes policy recommendations and steps the state and districts can take to promote the […]

September 2, 2021

Analysis of District/Teacher Contracts Negotiated During the Pandemic

Read our analysis of 2020/2021 Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) negotiated between school districts and teachers’ unions during the pandemic. The report shows how MOUs shifted and adapted educator work rules to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. It finds that MOUs […]

April 8, 2021

Summary Report from Our Review of District Strategies for the 2020-21 School Year

Read our summary report findings of our review of districts’ teaching and learning plans for the 2020-21 school year when districts were operating remote or hybrid due to the COVID-19 pandemic. View the power point presentation.

November 23, 2020

Choosing a Return to Better: Moving Beyond Normal in the Return to School and Learning

The COVID-19 pandemic is necessitating a reinvention of teaching and learning that could serve as a defining moment in education that can minimize student learning loss now, and bring about long-term, sustainable improvements that lead to better opportunities and outcomes […]

November 8, 2020

School District Continuity of Learning Plan Comparison Tool

This database captures information about how Massachusetts school districts plan to meet students’ needs and move learning forward during disruptions from the pandemic in the FY 2020-21 school year. It tracks information including whether districts require a minimum number of […]

September 14, 2020

Missing the Mark: How Chapter 70 Education Aid Distribution Benefits Wealthier School Districts and Widens Equity Gaps

An analysis of state education aid distribution by the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education (MBAE) and the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce (GBCC) shows Massachusetts distributes more aid to wealthier school districts than the state formula determines they need at […]

June 20, 2019

School-level funding analysis and searchable database

This MBAE analysis of school-level funding data shows schools that serve similar student populations and spend the same amount per student can achieve dramatically different results with the respect to student performance. The analysis also shows that although the state […]

November 17, 2016

2016 MA Employer Survey on Education and Workforce Readiness

The MassINC Polling Group conducted three focus groups and an online survey of business executives in Massachusetts on the topic of public education and workforce readiness. The survey was distributed by more than 40 business associations across the state to […]

February 12, 2015

Educating Students for Success: A Comparison of the MCAS and PARCC Assessments as Indicators of College- and Career-Readiness

This February 2015 report compares MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System) and PARCC (Partnership of Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) as indicators of readiness for credit-bearing college courses and the work force, and concludes that MCAS does not indicate a […]

March 24, 2014

The New Opportunity to Lead: A vision for education in Massachusetts in the next 20 years

November 16, 2011

Year 1 Race to the Top in Massachusetts: An Education Progress Report

In 2011, one year after Massachusetts was awarded a $250 million Race to the Top grant that required implementation of far-reaching and some controversial policies, MBAE commissioned this report to examine progress on several key initiatives, including implementation of the Common Core […]

October 11, 2011

Teacher Quality Roadmap: Improving Policies and Practices in Springfield, MA

This 2011 study, sponsored by MBAE and Springfield Business Leaders for Education and conducted by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ), on teacher policies in the Springfield Public Schools found that improving the teacher evaluation system so that all teachers get feedback […]

December 9, 2010

School Funding Reality: A Bargain Not Kept

This 2010 study on school funding and spending trends in Massachusetts found that the explosive growth in the cost of school employee health insurance has crowded out funding for other portions of school budgets that directly impact students such as […]

July 19, 2010

Analysis of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts State Standards and the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics

This non-ideological, side-by-side comparison of the Common Core State Standards and Massachusetts then under development K-12 English and math standards found that Common Core not only draws heavily from Massachusetts standards, but improves upon them by incorporating some of the […]

February 23, 2010

Human Capital in Boston Public Schools: Rethinking How to Attract, Develop and Retain Effective Teachers

This MBAE and National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) report on Boston Public School policies that have an impact on teacher quality, concludes that while the district has many smart, strategic policies in place, improving teacher rules could help the […]