Massachusetts

Massachusetts struggling to get kids back to school after pandemic

Published

12 months ago

January 13, 2024

Massachusetts struggling to get kids back to school after pandemic

State Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler is putting his face front and center as officials try to get more kids back into the classroom and overcome high absenteeism rates fueled by the pandemic.

Tutwiler appears in television and radio public service announcements, billboards, transit ads, emails and social media messages in a multilingual public outreach campaign geared at increasing attendance rates that officials launched last week.

“The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted a lot of routines including the habit of attending school everyday. Even now, students are missing more days of school than before,” Tutwiler says in a 30-second commercial. “But school can be a place to heal and grow, to be with friends, to have the support of a whole team of adults. Let’s work together to make attendance a priority. After all, school is where kids belong.”

Campaign messages refer the public to resources offered by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to combat chronic absenteeism — defined by at least 10% of days in a school year missed for any reason.

Chronic absenteeism across Massachusetts increased by 72% from 2019 to 2023, state figures show. The percentage did drop from 28% at the pandemic peak to 22% last school year as the recovery continues, but officials say too many students are still not showing up everyday.

“While students should stay home when they’re sick, regular attendance should be as much a part of students’ lives as it was before the pandemic,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a release. “We’re proud to launch this ad campaign to spread the word about resources available to families and schools to help get kids back into the classroom.”

High rates of absenteeism have been tied to risks of lower literacy and reduced academic achievement and graduation, among others. The measurable impact of the rise is “startling,” officials have said.

Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, or MCAS, exam scores broadly reflect a wide gap between chronically absent students and others, Curtin said. On the 2023 English MCAS exam for grades three to eight, for instance, 46% of non-chronically absent students and only 25% of chronically absent students met or exceeded expectations, figures show.

The new public outreach campaign coincides with a $4 million recovery initiative, funded with the education department’s remaining federal COVID relief allotment, to address the issue.

Participating districts and educational collaboratives are using $10,000 each from the state to create or strengthen family engagement and student tracking and monitoring programs, among other efforts.

“Absenteeism is really a manifestation of an unmet need,” Tutwiler said in a release. “We need to work with students and families to understand the barriers to attending school they’re facing — and remind them that when students aren’t in the classroom, they’re missing out on much more than their education,”

Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley in November proposed increasing the weight of chronic absenteeism in the district and school accountability system “to highlight the importance and urgency of the issue.”

The accountability system uses targets for attendance, MCAS scores, graduation rates, transportation and other metrics to evaluate districts’ performance and direct funding.

Attendance is currently weighted at 10% of districts’ scores, but officials said the weighting could shift to prioritize the problem area. Federal requirements mandate a high level of focus on measures of achievement and growth.

“Chronic absenteeism affects almost three-quarters of the schools in our state,” Riley said in a release. “No matter where we’re from — rural, suburban or urban districts — we’re in this together as one community,”

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Massachusetts

Bay State museums make great winter excursions

Published

4 hours ago

December 26, 2024

Press Room

Bay State museums make great winter excursions

It’s cold and gray and the idea of heading outside is literally chilling. You need beauty, history, intrigue and warmth.

Fortunately the Bay State is blessed with fantastic museums, both major institutions and small, unique versions.

Consider adding these museums to your cold winter venture list.

The One With the Heist

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston (https://www.gardnermuseum.org) is worth a winter visit for its beautiful indoor courtyard, lovely café and intimate art display rooms.

But there’s so much more. First, the story behind how the museum was founded is told via photos and written word along one wall of the museum. It’s a great story with a female lead: Isabella herself commissioned it all after the art collector inherited just under $2 million back in the late 1800s.

But then there’s The Heist: the largest and still-unsolved art theft that went down in the wee hours of March 18, 1990 is the stuff of legend – and documentaries. Read up – or watch up – on it before a visit.

The One With the Murder Mystery

Did Lizzie Borden take an ax? Head down to Fall River and spend some time in the home where the infamous murders took place on Aug. 4, 1892. The Lizzie Borden House (https://lizzie-borden.com) offers property tours, ghost tours, cemetery tours and even a 10 p.m. -midnight ghost hunt.

The day tours are the only time you get access to every room, including the one that Abby Borden, Lizzie’s stepmother, was murdered in.

You can stay overnight should you wish, sleeping (or staying awake listening for ghostly creaks) where it all happened.

Hosts share facts and encourage opinion and speculation about the murders, the existence of ghosts and more.

“The Trial of Lizzie Borden” by Cara Robinson is a perfect fireside read, and will get you up to speed on all the nuances of the case before you visit.

The One with the Cat in the Hat

You never grow out of Dr. Seuss, and a winter visit to The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum in Springfield (https://seussinspringfield.org) is a great place to celebrate Theodor Geisel – his childhood in Springfield, creativity, success and more.

There are family friendly games, amazing displays and a setting that warms your heart. You’re treated to kid-friendly biographical information, and a Seuss trivia quiz.

The One With the Heroes

The Hull Lifesaving Museum isn’t big, but it packs a huge and amazing story.

Located in the former Point Allerton US Lifesaving Station on Nantasket Avenue (https://www.hulllifesavingmuseum.org) which opened in 1889 under the leadership of Joshua James who is considered a “father” of the US Coast Guard, the museum celebrates not just the founding of the Coast Guard, but “skills, courage and caring,” the hallmarks of sea lifesaving programs,

You’ll learn about the history of these lifesaving skills, the people who helped innovate those programs and more about the sea, ships and more.

The Museum has a standing collection as well as special exhibits and is open year-round. Before your visit, read up on the deadly Great Blizzard of 1888 in which more than 200 ships were either grounded or wrecked on the East Coast.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River. (Photo Mark Medeiros Photography)

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Massachusetts

Search underway for missing woman Owen Kasozi in Beverly, last seen walking dog on Christmas Eve

Published

15 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Press Room

Search underway for missing woman Owen Kasozi in Beverly, last seen walking dog on Christmas Eve

CBS News Boston

Live

BEVERLY – A search is underway in Massachusetts for missing woman Owen Kasozi, who police say is “possibly endangered.” Police said she was last seen on Tuesday at about 3 p.m. near the JC Phillips Nature Preserve in Beverly.

Her family tells WBZ-TV she was walking her dog at the time.

I-Team sources say police are looking into reports that Kasozi was walking or running after her dog when she went missing. A dog believed to be Kasozi’s was found wet in Topsfield, and her car was found nearby.

Missing woman Owen Kasozi

Photos provided by family

A Massachusetts State Police helicopter was helping to search the area around 801 Cabot St. in Beverly on Wednesday. Anyone who has seen Kasozi or has information is asked to call Beverly police at 978-922-1212.

Neal Riley

Neal J. Riley is a digital producer for CBS Boston. He has been with WBZ-TV since 2014. His work has appeared in The Boston Globe and The San Francisco Chronicle. Neal is a graduate of Boston University.

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Massachusetts

What’s open and closed in Massachusetts on Christmas Day?

Published

24 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Press Room

What’s open and closed in Massachusetts on Christmas Day?

It’s Christmas Day! Time to open presents, be with loved ones and celebrate the beauty of giving. Even on Christmas, there are still a few places you can go for last-minute provisions. But can you go to the bank or post office or catch a bus?

Here’s what is open and closed on Dec. 25, 2024.

Government

City and town offices: Closed

State offices: Closed

Registry of Motor Vehicles: Closed

State and local courts: Closed

Federal courts: Closed

Finance

Banks: Closed. Most ATMs will remain open.

Stock market: Both the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq are closed.

Alcohol and recreational drugs

Liquor stores: Open

Cannabis dispensaries: Massachusetts regulators don’t identify specific holidays when cannabis dispensaries must close, according to the Cannabis Control Commission. It’s up to the respective cannabis store as to whether they choose to be open or closed on Christmas Day.