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Boston Globe
13 hours ago
- General
- Boston Globe
Five years after COVID closed schools, Mass. parents still worry about pandemic effects on kids
Here's a breakdown of the findings: Closing the digital divide About 68 percent of low-income parents report not having enough devices at home to support work and their children's education, a greater disparity than in 2020, when it was 80 percent. Among Latino families, the figure was 74 percent this year. Advertisement Jennie Williamson, state director for Ed Trust in Massachusetts, said this divide directly undermines student success and broader educational experiences, especially when it comes to students with disabilities or 'Access to devices and technology is not a luxury. It's a necessity,' Williamson said. Leonel Lainez, 55, from Brockton, has two children in college and a son in the eighth grade. Lainez, who works in construction, said his three children share one device and access poor internet service. Lainez said his son uses a device at school but is unable to bring it home, and the family can't stretch their budget to buy another one. 'He isn't up to speed with his peers, he needs a device,' Lainez said in Spanish. Advertisement Academic losses While the majority of parents agree educators are doing their best, more than 40 percent of parents expressed concern over their children's academic progress, up from 36 percent in 2022. Daniel Sosa, 33, from Revere, said his fourth grade son is falling behind in reading and math. 'I just feel like the classes are too full, so there's not enough attention to each student or the way the teacher teaches,' Sosa said. Sosa, who owns his own men's clothing business in downtown Boston, said when he briefly entered his son into an afterschool math program before school let out for the summer, his performance improved substantially, echoing a need for specialized instruction. Post-secondary expectations A majority of Black, Latino, and low-income parents have little expectation their children will earn a college degree, while their more affluent and white peers do. About 39 percent of Black parents and 31 percent of Latino parents expect their child to get a degree. Of families surveyed who earn less than $50,000, only 17 percent said they expect to complete college. By contrast, 62 percent of parents who earn over $100,000 said they expect their children to earn degrees. Williamson, the Ed Trust state director, said parents are reevaluating the cost-benefit of college, especially considering ballooning student debt and 'We find this gap to be really alarming, especially in a state like Massachusetts that has invested so heavily in making higher education more accessible and affordable,' Williamson said. John King, 33, from Boston, has a child entering the third grade at Saint Theresa of Avila School. He said he opted for his child to go to private Catholic school instead of Boston Public Schools to better prepare him for higher education, due to his own high school experience, where he felt he lacked college readiness and financial literacy education. Advertisement 'College might be a real optional thing for people. I start seeing a lot of people with degrees that don't have jobs. That's a lot of debt,' King said. Sosa said sending his kid to college is the family's priority. 'My parents, they didn't even finish school coming from a third world country, so now going forward, we have to do better than our parents,' Sosa said. Safety, fairness, and discrimination Of those surveyed, parents of color were more likely to report their children have experienced school-based bullying, violence, or racism. About 39 percent of Asian parents, 37 percent of Latino parents, and 30 percent of Black parents, also said their child received unfair treatment at school. King said multiple times he has needed to raise concerns to administrators for his son, who is one of the few Black students at school. He once raised concerns that school work his son was given promoted negative associations with the color black. 'You have to be a big advocate on those things, if not [educators] just assume everything is great,' King said. Lainez said his son has witnessed violence and drugs in his middle school. There's 'constant bullying for being Hispanic,' he said. Mental health concerns While concerns over their children's mental health and well-being improved from its peak during the height of the pandemic, 45 percent of parents Advertisement Christina Alquinta, 53, from Lynn, has a sophomore daughter who has ADHD and receives accommodations through a 504 plan. Alquinta said her daughter has benefited from her specialized program and will graduate high school with an associate's degree. Because of the support her daughter received through the specialized plan, Alquinta feels confident in her daughter's mental health. But three-quarters of parents whose children have individualized education plans do have greater concerns about student mental health. 'Families are still worried about their children's academic progress and emotional wellbeing, and many of the challenges that were exposed during the pandemic still persist today,' Williamson said. Maria Probert can be reached at
Boston Globe
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Carmen Pola, history-making Latina activist and civic leader, dies at 86
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up That day set the stage for Mrs. Polas's role in 'She was one of the pioneers. She had a real impact on the community,' said Garcia, who also was executive director of the United South End Settlements for 20 years, said Mrs. Pola 'was a leader, and leaders find a way to get in there and make change, and that's what she did.' 'Carmen's living legacy is a reminder to all of us — a reminder that every day we have an opportunity to lead, every day we have an opportunity to uplift voices and to open doors for others,' Heading community organizations and rallying hundreds of parents to attend meetings, Mrs. Pola was a key driving force behind the evolving approach to bilingual education in the Boston Public Schools in the 1970s and early '80s. 'We feel very strongly that any human being who has a knowledge of more than one language has a better understanding of people and can be of great service,' she told The Boston Globe in 1982. Two years earlier, Mrs. Pola had launched a historic primary election campaign to try to unseat Kevin Fitzgerald, the incumbent state representative in the Suffolk 17th District. Telling the Globe that she didn't like being 'put in the Spanish box,' she brought together a coalition of Latino, Black, Asian, and white campaign volunteers. Advertisement In a September 1980 editorial, the Globe endorsed her candidacy. 'A community activist who has worked especially hard on public housing and school issues, Pola has a solid grasp of the challenges confronting the Legislature and of the particular responsibilities she would bear as the first Hispanic representative from Boston,' the editorial said. She lost by a close margin, but her campaign set the stage for Latino candidates who followed. In the 1983 Boston mayoral election, she coordinated Flynn's campaign in the Hispanic community and introduced him in Spanish at events. Soon after Flynn was elected, he appointed Mrs. Pola to run the new mayor's office of constituent services. Her office was just steps away from Flynn's own in City Hall. As the administration began in 1984, the Globe called her 'the most influential' Latina official in Flynn's administration.' In Mrs. Pola's constituent services office, signs in English and Spanish welcomed visitors to 'la oficina del alcalde de servicios a los constituyentes.' In January 1985, Flynn named Mrs. Pola as his senior adviser on human needs. She was responsible for dealing with many of the city's major crises, such as fires, the homeless, and the hungry. She stayed in that job until leaving the administration in October 1986. Mrs. Pola accomplished her rise from Mission Hill community activist to the heights of City Hall with a background unlike most of her colleagues. 'I have a high school diploma and a library card,' she said in a 2014 interview with Eloise Libre. With a nod to Tremont Street, the thoroughfare that runs through multiple Boston neighborhoods, including Mission Hill, she added: 'I have a Ph.D. from Tremont University – at life.' Advertisement Carmen Aurora Villanueva-Garcia was born on May 1, 1939, in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, the daughter of Miguelina Garcia, a hospital secretary, and Manuel Villanueva, an attorney. Mrs. Pola, who graduated from high school at 14, moved to the United States with her mother after her parents' marriage ended in divorce. Living initially in the Bronx, N.Y., they moved to California, where as a teenager Carmen was a farmworker, picking cherries, grapes, and walnuts. 'I'll tell you something, I don't eat any of them anymore,' she told the Globe in 1984. 'We were slaves,' she said of the workers' conditions. 'We lived in shacks, we cooked outside, and we had one shower for everyone in the field to share.' Within a couple of years, she was in Oakland, studying at a college and becoming a community activist. In 1961, she married Juan Pola, who was a truck driver before working in maintenance for Sylvania Electric Products after moving to Boston. He died in 2012. Mrs. Pola told the Globe that her activism was possible because she and Juan were 'equal partners. Whoever gets home first gets the household chores done.' 'She was always trying to make sure everybody was doing what they were supposed to be doing, and if there were any issues, she would resolve them,' said their daughter Rose of Baltimore, who added that subsequent generations turned to Mrs. Pola for guidance as well. In addition to Rose, Mrs. Pola leaves a son, Juan Pola Jr. of Cambridge; two other daughters, Mary Pola and Jacqueline Williams, both of Pawtucket, R.I.; a stepdaughter, Lynette Pola of California; 15 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. Advertisement A celebration of Mrs. Pola's life will be held at 11:30 a.m. Monday in the Boston Teachers Union in Dorchester. Mrs. Pola's honors included being the state recipient of After leaving her City Hall job, she helped found community organizations and nonprofits, and she continued to advise elected officials on issues of importance to Latinos. In all her advocacy, she stressed the need for people from different backgrounds, races, and neighborhoods to pursue their common goals. 'If we work together a little bit more, we will have a better world,' 'Nothing works when you do it by yourself,' she said, 'so you have to create a coalition.' Bryan Marquard can be reached at
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Boston Teachers Union Celebrates 76 Graduates with $150K in scholarships
This morning, at the Boston Teachers Union (BTU) headquarters, 76 high school seniors were awarded $2,000 scholarships, totaling more than $150,000. The annual scholarship event brought together community members from across the city to celebrate the graduating seniors from all Boston Public Schools. Every student honored plans to pursue higher education, a goal BTU leaders are proud of. 'We're really excited, this is such a celebratory time of year,' said Erik Berg, President of the BTU. 'We want to support our young people as they head off into the rest of their lives with a little something that makes college more manageable. We know it's difficult, and we're proud to support our schools and community in this way.' Among the recipients was graduating senior Shiloh McLeod, who expressed heartfelt gratitude. 'I'm very fortunate and blessed,' she said. 'I'm grateful that [my mom] is a teacher, so that I was able to get the scholarship. I'm just really thankful.' The BTU awards scholarships to both students citywide and to children of union members, making the moment especially sweet for McLeod's mother, Simone, a longtime Boston Public Schools teacher. 'It's totally amazing—the impact of the BTU and all that they're doing,' she said. 'I'm really grateful. I'm a public school graduate myself, shout out to Madison Park High, and to see not only my daughter, but other students in our community receiving this support to prepare for college…it's just beautiful.' With just a few weeks left until graduation, these scholarship recipients have their eyes on the future, with some financial assistance and support of their loved ones. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
District 7 candidates debate land use, White Stadium at Boston forum
Nine candidates seeking to replace Boston District 7 City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson discussed a number of community issues during a virtual forum Thursday night. But the one issue that remained unsaid during the nearly three-hour forum was the reason Fernandes Anderson's seat is open — her conviction on federal corruption charges. The event, held on Zoom, was organized by the District 7 Advisory Council, a group formed by Fernandes Anderson to lead community efforts and create policies that benefit the area. Despite the elephant in the room, the candidates who participated in Thursday's forum largely praised Fernandes Anderson's work on the City Council, particularly her engagement with District 7 residents and her work increasing citizen participation in the city budget process. 'One thing that I appreciate, and many of the residents appreciate, from Councilor Fernandes is the approach she brought to educating everyone on the budget, but also the funding sources, like where the money comes from, for different projects,' Samuel Hurtado said. 'The residents felt that they were now ... more knowledgeable and more empowered to fight for our priorities.' Said Abdikarim, Mavrick Afonso, Said Ahmed, Miniard Culpepper, Hurtado, Jerome King, Roy Owens Sr., Wawa Bell and Tchad Cort participated in Thursday's forum. Five other candidates—Natalie Juba-Sutherland, Joao Gomes DePina, James Grant, Shawn Dwayne Nelson and Robert Stanley — are also running for the seat and returned nomination papers to be placed on the ballot. It is the largest field of candidates for any Boston city office in the 2025 election. One of the predominant issues in the discussion was the use of city-owned land for future development, particularly for housing. Multiple candidates said that much of the city-owned land in District 7 was taken by eminent domain during the 1960s Urban Renewal movement, which primarily affected families of color. Culpepper and Bell specifically called out Fernandes Anderson's 2022 proposal for a moratorium on the development of this land for housing, saying they would continue to support such an effort to get more community input about the future of the land. 'If you're not taking into account that the land that was stolen from families ... you're doing a disservice to the community,' Bell said. Another major topic of discussion was the redevelopment of White Stadium in Franklin Park. The project has been criticized by a vocal group of residents for its high cost and the fact that the city is partnering with a new professional women's soccer team that will share the Boston Public Schools facility. While some candidates were more strongly opposed to the project itself, all of them agreed that the city should have had more conversations with the community to ensure that the redevelopment was beneficial for all. Ahmed, who ran track for BPS and later became a coach, said the stadium was very special to him, but he believes the aging structure did need to be rebuilt. 'However, there were a lot of missed opportunities,' he said. 'Some community members feel that they didn't get a voice. ... I want to make sure we utilize that facility and make sure it stays in the hands of Boston Public Schools.' Fernandes Anderson attended the Zoom call Thursday evening and spoke at the end of the forum to thank the candidates for participating and the organizers for hosting it. She also participated in the discussion, repeating the questions asked or adding her own comments. At times, she disagreed with the candidates, particularly about the work the District 7 Advisory Council had done. On one occasion, when Afonso said he would add new subcommittees to the council, she wrote, 'That exists.' After Tchad Cort suggested adding a student representative to the council, Fernandes Anderson noted that one of those subcommittees was a 'youth group' and said she was 'looking forward to helping with passing on the baton." 'Great minds think alike,' she said on camera at the end of the event. Fernandes Anderson was arrested in December on charges that she ran a kickback scheme with a family member whom she employed in her City Hall office. She admitted to using public funds to help with her own financial struggles. She pleaded guilty earlier this month. Though Fernandes Anderson has indicated she would resign, she has not yet stepped down. After her sentencing, scheduled for July 29, Fernandes Anderson's seat is expected to remain vacant until a new councilor is elected in November. District 7 voters will narrow down the field of candidates in the Sept. 9 preliminary election before selecting the next councilor on Nov. 4. MIT announces plans to wind down DEI office, eliminate equity VP job Arrested by ICE? Witness an arrest? These are your rights Harvard commencement speaker says it's fitting to 'hear from an immigrant like me' Poll: Trump's approval is soaring with this group of voters Many foreign students already fleeing Harvard University due to Trump order Read the original article on MassLive.
Boston Globe
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Students put on big performances at City Hall festival
'Our teachers work really hard at our schools every day — practicing with their students, teaching them skills," said Amy Wedge, executive director for the Arts of BPS. 'This is an opportunity for them to be able to perform.' Advertisement On Tuesday, students and teachers from the Warren-Prescott School, Boston Latin School, Thomas J. Kenny Elementary, and more brought a lively, albeit chaotic, energy to the plaza. Students, finished with their performances, took pictures in their costumes — some in pirate-like green garbs and pointy hats — while others took to the hot concrete to create colorful chalk drawings as the next school took to the stage. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Boston Latin School Gospel Choir Director Koriana Lewis Bradford looked out onto the scene fondly. 'It's the highlight of the year,' she said about her students' yearly field trip to City Hall. 'It's the one time that we get to all be together, all these different Boston Public Schools.' Advertisement Bradford teaches seventh- and eighth-graders who performed 'oldies, but goodies of Gospel music,' including 'This Is The Day' by Fred Hammond and 'You Are Good' by Israel Houghton. 'These kids are my heart,' Bradford said. 'It's a joy to be able to share everything that I've poured into them. To see it come to life on stage takes everything to another level.' Bradford, eyes welling with prideful tears, said she felt inspired by the sight of the talent her students displayed. 'This is an opportunity to really showcase what they've been doing [in the classroom], but on a wider scale,' Wedge said. 'I think it's important for our students to share their voice, an opportunity for them to tell their own stories and see themselves as artists, as part of the community.' While Tuesday brought theatrical scenes to Downtown Boston with the 'Arts Extravaganza,' the coming days will offer a variety of experiences for attendees. Wednesday's 'Music: Wired' will fill the Plaza with modern tunes of jazz, pop, rock, and R&B from upbeat student ensembles, as well as a special performance from GBH Music's Quartet in Residence, the Ulysses Quartet. The next day, musicians from several groups will bring a rawer energy to the scene and amps will be unplugged in favor of acoustic and concert bands and choirs for Thursday's 'Music: Unplugged.' Friday's 'Dance and Theatre Finale' clears the way for young dancers from various companies to hit the makeshift dance floor, courtesy of the Boston Dance Alliance. Boston's own Naheem Garcia, an actor and performing arts educator, will reprise his role as festival host once again. Advertisement Students from the Eliot K-8 Innovation School Band performed on Boston City Hall Plaza as part of the Boston Public Schools Citywide Arts Festival May 27, 2025. Annielly Camargo Marianna Orozco can be reached at
