EDUCATION
For more than a year, I have traveled across Massachusetts, visiting schools and talking with parents, educators, and students. As the parent of a child in a public school that is already underfunded, facing teacher layoffs, and losing educational programs, I have seen these challenges firsthand. I've also visited schools with abundant resources, offering Advanced Placement courses, arts programs, athletics, electives, and other opportunities that many communities can only dream of. The disparities are impossible to ignore. The Healey administration often points to Massachusetts' top ranking on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) as evidence that our education system is the nation's best. But statewide averages don't tell the whole story. They can mask the significant differences in resources, opportunities, and outcomes across school districts in the Commonwealth.
However, this average masks extreme, well-documented disparities across the state. The dual narrative exists because:
Averages vs. Demographics: While affluent suburban districts (like Needham and Wellesley) continue to soar past pre-pandemic scores, poorer, more diverse urban districts (like Lynn, Everett, and Revere) show lagging or dropping scores.
Statewide vs. Subgroup: Massachusetts often ranks first when evaluating overall student averages, but significant achievement and reading gaps persist among students of color, low-income students, and English language learners. For instance, a report revealed that over 60% of Massachusetts schools remain segregated, which heavily correlates with funding and performance disparities.
The problem with MCAS wasn’t its name
Massachusetts voters made their voices heard in 2024, with nearly 60% voting to end MCAS as a high school graduation requirement. Many saw it as an opportunity to move away from high-stakes testing and toward graduation requirements that better reflect student learning. Now, new statewide graduation proposals include standardized end-of-course exams, a move the Massachusetts Teachers Association argues goes against what voters approved. According to the MTA, Question 2 ended 30 years of high-stakes testing and created an opportunity to rethink graduation requirements, but this administration's new proposal risks replacing one statewide testing requirement with another.
Whether you support standardized testing or not, the larger question is one of accountability: when voters make a decision at the ballot box, should state leaders advance policies that closely resemble what voters chose to end?
Education should open doors for every student, not limit their future. Our public schools deserve meaningful investment, and every graduate should leave high school with a clear pathway to success, whether that's college, a career, an apprenticeship, or another opportunity. Right now, too many students are graduating without those pathways in place.
As Governor, I will expand K-12 community schools that provide comprehensive educational opportunities for all students with on-campus services focused on helping those families who need it, with the resources to be healthy and thriving as their children receive truly the best education in the country, that’s not just a deceptive slogan. I will invest in trade schools and high school work study opportunities for students who must work during their high school years, and make college education at state schools free.
Education Funding Strategy
Funding will combine Fair Share revenue, restored state higher-ed funding, and improved financial aid.
Education FAQs
Fair Share helps, but is not the only funding source. The state must restore public investment in higher education.