Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

• But an expansion in access to federal financial aid through Pell Grants for those who are incarcerated will soon make higher education a bit more available.
• As of 2014, only 15% of people earn a college degree or postsecondary certificate either before or during their incarceration.
• Joshua Dankoff, who works as director of strategic initiatives at the nonprofit Citizens for Juvenile Justice, collects data on prison education.
• The Second Chance Pell Experiment, launched by the Obama administration in 2015, reinstated Pell Grants for incarcerated students who are Pell-eligible.
• The Biden administration is expanding Second Chance Pell access by adding 73 schools, including 24 historically Black colleges and universities.

Prison-run education programs

• Researchers call educational opportunities like these “prison education.” The programs are designed and carried out by correctional staff.
• Although prison education programs may strive for universal benchmarks such as passing HiSET or GED high school equivalency tests, the guidelines for who can participate are set by prison administrators in partnership with state agencies.
• For example, in Massachusetts, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education provides curricular standards and funding for adult basic education and testing both within and outside of prison.
• It is also because the systems are oriented toward punishment rather than education.

College-run programs in prison

• Students in “college in prison” programs are usually enrolled into college-level degree-granting programs, including certificates, associate and bachelor’s degrees.
• These are the types of programs that will grow under the Pell Grant expansion.
• The programs often offer library research support, accessibility services and academic advising as well – in line with best practices for colleges in general.

Power of language

• In my experience, many prison educators are dedicated to the transformational power of education, just like their college-in-prison counterparts.
• However, another small but I believe important difference is that prison-run programs typically refer to incarcerated students as “prisoners” or “inmates,” continuing Department of Correction language choice.

• The report explains the advantages of the property tax compared to other local taxes and demonstrates how states can adopt policies to address criticism of the property tax.
• A well- designed system of state aid can offset differences in per-pupil property values and in the costs of providing quality education.
• State-funded property tax credits can reduce economic hardships for taxpayers facing high property tax burdens, especially those with low incomes.
• Notably, states must resist calls to stop using local property taxes to fund schools while also improving the equity and efficiency of their property tax systems.

• Alysha Hearn has been promoted to Associate Vice President (AVP) of School Services, and Shannon Osgood has been hired as Director of Operations.
• Hearn joined VHS Learning in July 2021 as Director of Operations.
• In her new role as AVP of School Services, she will lead the School Services team, develop new school partnerships, and build upon relationships with existing school partners.
• Prior to joining VHS Learning, Osgood was an AP Psychology teacher at Newburyport High School, where she also served as the VHS Learning site coordinator for 13 years.

• "Boston's schools are failing most students," said Dr. Cara Candal, author of " The Boston Public Schools' Road to Receivership ."
• These students are drastically under-represented at the city's exam schools and face long waitlists to attend Boston charter public schools.
• Parents, students, the business community and the media all knowthe Boston Public Schools are failing," said Pioneer Executive Director Jim Stergios.
• Receivership generally gives the state, through an appointed receiver, broad power to intervene to improve schools.