School Committeeman Refuses Standardized Testing for her Child

School Committeeman Refuses Standardized Testing for her Child

By: Amy Berard In a 2016 memo, Massachusetts Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester explains, “We ask principals and test proctors to handle refusals with sensitivity. Students should not be pressured to take the test, nor should they be punished for not taking the test.” You read that correctly. You can refuse standardized testing for your child. […]

An Opportunity to Get Standardized Testing Right

An Opportunity to Get Standardized Testing Right

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is due to make a formal recommendation on whether to adopt the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) test or to continue with the MCAS test at their meeting on November 17. In the final weeks leading up to the decision, the debate […]

Here’s A Guaranteed Fix for Lawrence Schools: The Children of Lawrence Deserve Real Reform

Here’s A Guaranteed Fix for Lawrence Schools:  The Children of Lawrence Deserve Real Reform

THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX SIMPLE MATH Only 25 percent of Lawrence’s eighth grade students, based on MCAS test results, are proficient in mathematics. The percentage of proficient students increases to only 27 percent in tenth grade (winter 2011), but this can hardly be considered progress since there are roughly 12 percent fewer students remaining to […]

Chester’s Coup d’etat

Chester’s Coup d’etat

  By: Peter Larocque – January, 2012 As of the time this article went to print, The Massachusetts Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education, Mr. Mitchell Chester held meetings with the Lawrence Teacher’s Union, Lawrence Parents and Community members, and finally with the Lawrence Public School Personnel. His message to all is that he is […]

DiZoglio Discusses Voter ID

  By: Diana Dizoglio – July, 2012   About a year ago, I wrote an article regarding civic engagement and community involvement. The article was inspired out of my encounter with a group of high school honor students from the Merrimack Valley. In the piece, I discussed the lack of understanding that the students seemed […]

Lawrence Schools Need to Focus

  By: Jamison Tomasek – April, 2011 While everyone wants to feel good and say nice things, it is hard to feel good or say nice things about what is going on in the Lawrence Schools. Yes, there are successful students there. Yes, there are great teachers, and yes there are good programs and happy […]

It’s the Money, Stupid!

VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL  AUGUST, 2010 Late last month Massachusetts education officials decided to discard the MCAS testing requirements and adopt a new federal program called the Common Core State Standards.   In recent years, Massachusetts has ranked at the top or near the top compared to all other states when it comes to the education […]

Laboy: Race Politics is Ruining Lawrence

Laboy: Race Politics is Ruining Lawrence

Tom Duggan (07/03/07) Lawrence Superintendent of Schools Wilfredo Laboy has been under fire by critics over the last month for his decision to house newly arrived immigrant students with lack of English proficiency in the “old” high school building on Haverhill Street once the new $110 million campus is officially opened. Teacher’s union president Frank McLaughlin […]

Lawrence Uses Education Funds for Inaugural Party

Lawrence Uses Education Funds for Inaugural Party

  By: Tom Duggan – March 2006 While suburban cities and towns like North Andover are cutting their teaching staff and eliminating art and music programs due to lack of funding, Wilfredo Laboy and the Lawrence School Committee have chosen to use state education dollars for out of state travel conferences (to the tune of $4,000) […]

If You Can’t Make History Try Re-Writing It (opinion)

If You Can’t Make History Try Re-Writing It (opinion)

By: Ralph Wilbur – May, 2005   During the “Public Participation” portion of the North Andover School Committee Meeting on April 12th, Ms. Cynthia Jalbert rose to complain about the brochure I distributed before North Andover’s recent town election. Specifically, she suggested that my praise for Dr. Ormsby’s efforts to improve the quality of education […]