Social Issues | Education News
MA Advocates of Higher Ed Set Goals for Fair Share Revenue
Study: Students Still Struggle with Pandemic Learning Loss
SD Plan: More Students Could 'Make the Grade' in Career Readiness
NH Businesses, Public School Backers: Repeal 'Divisive Concepts' Law
The Center for State Policy Analysis found the Massachusetts millionaires' tax would raise about $1.3 billion in 2023 alone, and do so in a "highly progressive" way, likely to advance racial and economic equity for students in the Commonwealth. (Adobe Stock)
According to data from the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress, reading scores for New York fourth graders declined by six points from 2019. Meanwhile, eighth graders' reading scores remained unchanged. (Adobe Stock)
South Dakota's dual-credit program allows high school students to take college-level courses and earn credit toward a diploma, while racking up college credits ahead of schedule. (Adobe Stock)
The U.S. District Court of New Hampshire recently ruled in favor of allowing a lawsuit brought by the ACLU of New Hampshire and teachers' unions against the "divisive concepts" law to move forward. (Adobe Stock)
Kathryn Carley, Producer
Advocates for higher education in the Commonwealth will gather today to collaborate on how to use revenue generated by the Fair Share Amendment which has officially been signed into law.
Voters approved the creation of a surtax on million-dollar incomes to help pay for public education, but lawmakers must still guarantee how the money will be used.
Femi Stoltz, Massachusetts policy director for the nonprofit uAspire, said she hopes the funding will help lower costs for tuition and fees at state colleges, which have increased nearly 60% in the past two decades.
"This new funding revenue hopefully gives us the chance to be innovative, think outside the box and hopefully think of better ways to serve students," Stoltz stated.
Stoltz pointed out the cost of public college has risen faster here than in any other state, while the average student borrower in Massachusetts is burdened with nearly $32,000 in federal student loans.
The UMass system currently holds some $3 billion in debt itself, and at Mass State Colleges, it is more than $1 billion. It is estimated students pay more than $2,500 in annual fees just to help cover their school's debt.
Stoltz noted the MassGrant system, the state's largest need-based grant for students, is also grossly underfunded, leaving disadvantaged students with few pathways to earn a debt-free degree.
"That grant a couple decades ago used to cover about 80% of a student's tuition and fees at a public school, and now it covers about 8% of tuition and fees for a student in the UMass system," Stoltz explained.
Stoltz and other higher education advocates said Fair Share revenue could also go toward repairs of campus infrastructure, fair and equitable pay for all faculty and staff, and more hiring of desperately needed student counselors.
In one of the country's wealthiest states, Stoltz argued, there should be ample resources to ensure all students get the education they deserve.
Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.
Event information MassINC 2023
Question 1 Ballotpedia 11/08/2022
Testimony The Education Trust 12/13/2022
Campus debt Massachusetts Teachers Assn. 2022
Analysis Tufts Univ. Jan. 2022
Students are still struggling with learning loss from the COVID-19 pandemic.
A study from the research group NWEA showed 2022 test scores are not rebounding to the same level as they were pre-pandemic.
In New York, math scores declined sharply throughout the state, according to the Empire Center for Public Policy.
Researchers said the issue goes beyond test scores. The study also found existing education inequities were amplified by the pandemic.
Elisa Villanueva Beard, CEO of Teach for America, said the learning loss is also the result of numerous issues coming to a head. She described it as trains on a collision course.
"On one train, we have children who are not well, both from a learning perspective and also from an overall wellness perspective," Villanueva Beard observed. "On another train, we have a teacher crisis happening where teachers are being asked to do more with less."
Villanueva Beard argued another issue is having an outmoded system which could not meet the moment. Some solutions she thinks will get kids back on track are hiring and retaining good teachers, and providing students with equitable learning opportunities, but noted a lack of innovation within the current education system could be a challenge.
Students have been facing problems with mental illness, due in part to the pandemic. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 44% of students felt persistently sad or hopeless during the first two years of the pandemic.
Villanueva Beard is concerned it will affect children in the long term.
"We are living in a society where uncertainty is the only guarantee," Villanueva Beard asserted. "Our children actually need to be able to be creative, have very clear skills around reading and math computational thinking."
She added a community approach must be taken to ensure kids fully recover from the pandemic, in terms of social emotional health and educational skills.
Study NWEA 11/16/2022
Learning loss data Empire Center 01/05/2023
Mental health data CDC 03/31/2022
Score data Nat'l Assessment of Educational Progress 10/24/2022
Like other states, South Dakota has a program allowing high school students to take courses offered at universities and technical colleges. Now, there is a legislative plan to help ensure younger students get a chance to participate and get a head start on a career path.
Under South Dakota's dual-credit program, juniors and seniors can apply for state aid to defer the costs of courses like auto-body welding or accounting.
Rep. Kameron Nelson, D-Sioux Falls, has introduced a bill to expand aid to tenth graders. He said expenses for courses can be a barrier, and thinks students also deserve a chance to start collecting credits if they have a career in mind.
"A sophomore might be able to start this dual-credit program, collect credits by the time that they graduate from high school, receive and earn their associate's degree," Nelson explained.
He noted it could especially help in health care-related fields. It is projected South Dakota will need at least 14% more registered nurses to meet demand in the years ahead. Nelson's bill is seeing bipartisan support, in terms of sponsors, but no hearings have been scheduled.
Nelson acknowledged at the start, enrollment for sophomores would likely be lower than for other grade levels, but he noted the additional costs are forecast at around $900,000 if there's strong demand. He is convinced it would be a worthwhile investment for the state.
"Anytime we can invest in our young people to become more educated, I will always back that," Nelson emphasized.
South Dakota has a budget surplus of more than $400 million, but some leaders, including Gov. Kristi Noem, have a range of other ideas to put the money to use, including tax cuts.
Nursing shortage data S.D. Assn. of Healthcare Organizations 07/08/2022
Advocates for public education in New Hampshire are asking state lawmakers to repeal what's known as the "divisive concepts" law, which educators say undermines their training and ability to teach about race or gender.
The law restricts educators from teaching that one class of people is inherently racist or oppressive, and it is enforced by citizens who can report teachers for potential violations, possibly costing them their jobs.
Sarah Robinson, education justice campaign director for the group Granite State Progress, said the law has had a chilling effect in classrooms across the state.
"It's just, because there's no way of knowing if what you're talking about applies to the law or not," said Robinson, "folks will just not talk about it."
Supporters of the law say it stops teachers from creating lessons that pit one race or gender against another, but educators say the law is so vague that it prevents rational classroom discussions about American history and the challenges the country faces today.
Despite overwhelming public opposition to the "divisive concepts" law in 2021, including from some of New Hampshire's largest employers, the measure was inserted into a budget trailer bill and signed by Gov. Chris Sununu.
A recent public hearing on efforts to repeal it drew big crowds, including those opposed to restricting public employees' ability to promote diversity or unconscious bias training.
Michelle Veasey, executive director of New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility, said companies find great value in having inclusive workplaces.
"We feel like it's important to develop a culture in which everyone can share ideas, because then we come up with the most innovative solutions," said Veasey. "And so, that's something that obviously translates into a strong bottom line."
Veasey said it's important that the state's future workforce be exposed to open-minded conversations about topics like racism and sexism.
She said she feels the divisive concepts law can also hurt employee retention efforts in a state already struggling with a worker shortage.
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NH Businesses and Organizations Stand in Opposition to Legislative Efforts to Limit Workplace Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Training New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility 3/30/21
COMPLAINT CHALLENGING NH DIVISIVE CONCEPTS BILL HB2 (lawsuit as filed) ACLU 12/20/21
HB544: Relative to the propagation of divisive concepts (first version of the divulsive concepts law) the New Hampshire Legislature 2021
New Hampshire labor force participation rate BLS 1/20/23
Last year, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation dubbed the "Stop Woke Act," which restricts certain race-based conversations and analysis in schools and businesses. (Pixabay)
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