For over a decade, Massachusetts has been a leader in generating robust education data. This information has been used to make judgments about how effective schools are in helping their students meet academic standards. The data are beginning to give administrators another indicator of teacher performance. And they are useful at telling us how well schools and teachers serve different groups of students.

But where we're still fundamentally lacking-particularly at the local level where it matters most-is the ability to understand how a particular approach or program impacts student learning over time. This is precisely the information needed to determine how to best allocate resources and monitor investments to ensure that what worked elsewhere (or in the past) performs here and now.

Over the next three years, Boston University's School of Education, MassINC, and the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy will be working with Gateway City schools districts and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to help develop this local evaluation capacity. With support from a $1 million grant from the Institute for Education Sciences (R305B140043), we will be connecting Gateway Cities with seasoned researchers from all around the country. These researchers will help the districts utilize the data they have on hand to perform rigorous outcome evaluations. In the process, they will build local capacity to both collect and analyze data and to partner with academic researchers on future projects.

The context of this work is critically important. Together, these 26 communities educate half of all low-income children in Massachusetts. Given the well-established link between individual well-being and educational achievement, Gateway Cities have an outsized role in determining what kind of Commonwealth we will be in the future. By developing their ability to rigorously test how they deploy state and local resources, these communities will be better positioned to provide disadvantaged children with the learning experiences fundamental to success in our knowledge economy.

       Chad d'Entremont, Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy 

       Scott Solberg, Boston University

       Ben Forman, MassINC 

Education

Revere is one of five New England school districts to split $16 million from the Nellie Mae Foundation for student-centered learning initiatives, the Item reports.

This month's issue of School Administrator recognizes Silvia Elementary in Fall River for successfully redesigning learning around a longer school day.

The Foundation Budget Review Commission hears about Gateway City challenges during a Western Massachusetts hearing.

Gov. Charlie Baker announces a $4 million grant to UMass Lowell for a Printed Electronics Research Lab. The lab also receives a $4 million private donation from the CEO of MFS, Robert Manning, the Sun reports.

Gov. Charlie Baker tours the Robert Frost Middle School in Lawrence, touting the state's takeover of the city's schools as an example of the kind of aggressive pursuit of improvement that should be the goal across the state, the Eagle-Tribune reports. CommonWealth dove deep on the Lawrence school turnaround effort here.

Malden Public Schools approves a program in collaboration with Sprint that will provide a laptop to every high school student and staff member.

Leominster School Committee unanimously approves a motion to prevent the creation of a proposed charter school in Fitchburg, citing incompatibility with Leominster's current education systems and too great a financial burden. 

School and city officials in Fall River meet with the Massachusetts School Building Authority to work on securing funding for a new high school. 

Housing & Economic Development

New Bedford says the city's new marine terminal is not dependent on Cape Wind, CommonWealth reports. The South Terminal will still have plenty of business despite the potential collapse of the giant offshore wind project. Cape Cod Times coverage is here.

A tax break is awarded to a downtown Haverhill housing project, the Eagle-Tribune reports.

Mayor Dan Rizzo is looking to kickstart Plan Revere, an all-inclusive look at development across the city and he hopes to work with Economic Development Director John Festa to highlight the city's strengths moving forward.

Transportation

After nearly a year of collaboration and study, Worcester's federally funded transportation "incubators" will present their solutions to improve transportation infrastructure.

Olympics

Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty backs Lake Quinsigamond for rowing events, the Telegram & Gazette reports. WCVB scouts Olympic opportunities in Lowell.

Communities/People

Lawrence native Francisco Urena named Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Eagle-Tribune reports.

Gateway Cities Innovation Institute Fellow and New Bedford resident Colleen Dawicki leaves the UMass Dartmouth Urban Initiative to join the Working Cities Challenge team, the Standard Times reports.

Paul McMorrow, one of our colleagues at CommonWealth and a friend to Gateway Cities everywhere, joins the Baker administration as director of policy and communications under Secretary Jay Ash in the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development.