DESE Update: July 26th, 2019

1. Deeper Learning Reminder: Deeper learning – learning that involves mastery, identity, and creativity (see “In Search of Deeper Learning” by Jal Mehta and Sarah Fine) – was a major focus at Kairos, and it is central to the plans Commissioner Riley outlined in “Our Way Forward,” his recent report to the Board of Elementary and […]

DESE Update: February 15th, 2019

1. Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Meeting: The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education met on February 12 and voted to allow Excel Academy Charter School to add 56 more seats for students in Chelsea. The school has campuses in both Boston and Chelsea. The Board also voted to extend the probation of Paulo […]

DESE Update: November 2nd, 2018

1. Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Meeting Recap: The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education met October 30, 2018 in Malden, and a recording is available online at https://livestream.com/accounts/22459134. Agenda items included a discussion with a panel of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) educators and students, a review of the 2018 MCAS and […]

DESE Update: October 19, 2018

Librarian Surprised with Milken Educator Award: Jennifer Gordon, the librarian at Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School in Cambridge, had a surprising morning on October 16, 2018, when she was presented with a $25,000 Milken Educator Award. Ms. Gordon, who has worked at the preschool through grade 6 school for 17 years, was shocked. After the […]

DESE Update: October 12, 2018

1. Update on Alternative Structured Learning Day Programs: In February 2015 and 2016, DESE recognized locally approved “alternative structured learning day programs” as possible solutions to weather-related scheduling issues so the minimum student learning time requirement of 900 hours for elementary schools, 990 hours for secondary schools, and a total of 180 days may be […]