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The Great Divide
Race, class, and opportunity in our schools.

As district leaders hesitate, Cambridge School Committee pushes on middle school algebra

A district official said at a recent meeting that the plan for universal eighth-grade Algebra 1 by 2025 is not feasible.

RI EDUCATION
Schools are teaching math word problems all wrong. But some educators have found a better way.
In Central Falls, R.I., teachers are trying new strategies that move away from focusing on “key words,” the traditional, simplistic approach that often leads younger students astray

In Winchester, a ‘climate of deep mistrust’ stymies early literacy instruction, new report finds
Winchester commissioned the report earlier this year in response to mounting community pressure for a review following a Globe investigation into how Boston’s suburban districts are teaching children to read.

Credentials reinstated for N.H. teacher who was fired for lying to drive student to abortion appointment

The teacher, who was fired by a private school and subsequently hired by a public school, is contesting the New Hampshire Department of Education’s revocation of her license

Racial discrimination complaints mount in Metco program as families seek legal action

As racial tensions have intensified nationwide, the amount of discrimination Metco children have experienced from their classmates and educators has become more prevalent, parents and advocates say, prompting some parents to seek legal recourse.

Fired teacher accuses top N.H. education official of ‘misleading narrative’ about student’s abortion

The student was over 18, and the teacher didn’t seek to influence her decision on whether to undergo an abortion, according to a newly filed lawsuit.

About The Great Divide

The Great Divide is a reporting effort dedicated to investigating race, class, and inequality in Boston-area schools. It is jointly funded by the Globe and the Barr Foundation, a Boston-based foundation that has prioritized student success in high school and beyond. The Globe maintains editorial control and independence over the project.

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June 20: Broken Promises, Unfulfilled HopeJune 12: Anxiety-fueled school refusal leading to chronic absenteeismJune 5: Melrose Public Schools faces federal racial discrimination complaintClick here to see past issues

Education Headlines

David Murphy appointed as interim Cambridge schools superintendent

David Murphy was the district's chief operations officer and will serve for up to a year as interim superintendent.

Inflation is costing Mass. students hundreds of millions. Now, Gateway Cities and advocates are calling on the state to increase school aid.

Inflation is costing Massachusetts districts more than $460 million in state aid, the progressive think tank MassBudget calculated.

What led to Boston’s busing crisis? This graphic novel explains.

Massachusetts was the first state to abolish segregating public schools on the basis of skin color or race. But de facto segregation remained the norm 100 years later, when Black families sued for better education, and got busing instead.

NH EDUCATION

Teacher in N.H. fired for secretly helping pregnant student access abortion services

The teacher, who has since secured a position at a public school in the state, admitted she lied about having food poisoning when she called in sick from work and drove the student to a medical facility, according to records.

Cooking for the cameras: Culinary arts students from Revere star in local cable TV show

Northeast Cooks, produced by Northeast Metro Tech and RevereTV, is a local access cable TV show featuring Revere teens enrolled in the culinary arts program at the regional vocational high school in Wakefield.

One way to combat chronic absenteeism? Make school fun.

How one Salem school is reimagining middle school, and reducing absenteeism rates in the process.

COLUMN | DAN McGOWAN

Rhode Island’s takeover of Providence schools is a mess. Everyone deserves blame.

The state’s intervention finds itself at an important crossroads as key decisions are looming.

Experts discuss impacts of Boston busing 50 years after landmark civil rights decision

The Boston Desegregation and Busing Initiative organized a panel discussion Thursday at the John J. Moakley Courthouse in Boston to discuss the landmark busing decision issued on June 21, 1974.