University of Massachusetts President Robert Caret spoke to Boston reporters Sep. 29 about some new initiatives he would like to undertake during his tenure. I talked to him about his thoughts on closing the achievement gap between white students and students of color. Caret also talked about his thoughts on why public higher education should remain accessible to students of all economic backgrounds. “More money is spent on prisons than on higher education,” he said.
I spoke with Boston Public Schools superintendent Dr. Carol Johnson Feb. 4 about school closings, the district’s Acceleration Agenda, the budget, student assignments and programs for English Language Learners. Johnson also spoke about the challenges of preparing students to compete in the global economy.
By Talia Whyte
Supporters of Gov. Deval Patrick and Lt. Gov. Tim Murray gathered at the Park Plaza Hotel Nov. 2 to see if their candidates made it first to the finish line. Most of the people I spoke to at the beginning of the night were skeptical about who was going to win because the race between Patrick and Baker was too close to call in the last few days. Many people in the room were actually shocked when the first precinct results showed that not only was Patrick leading in large margins, but virtually all the Massachusetts Democratic candidates were winning their races.
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(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
By Talia Whyte
theGrio
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is expected to announce that he is making a $100 million donation to create an educational foundation for the Newark, N.J. school system on The Oprah Winfrey Show today. He will appear alongside New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Newark Mayor Cory Booker, who is expected to find matching donations for a total of $200 million.
Under an agreement with Gov. Christie, Booker will take back most authority over the school system, which has been under state control for the last 15 years due to mismanagement in the city in the early 1990s. The donation is much needed, as Newark has one of the worst school systems in the country, where nearly half of the city’s high school students end up dropping out. In addition, New Jersey recently missed out on a $400 million federal education grant due to a clerical mistake. So, Zuckerberg’s “friending” of this school system with about 40,000 students and a budget this year of nearly $940 million comes at an optimal moment.
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