Christopher Huffaker
The Boston Globe
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Past articles by Christopher:
Boston to seek state funding for new building for merged Shaw, Taylor schools
Boston Public Schools plans to seek state funding for a new elementary school building in Southern Dorchester or Mattapan to house two merged elementary schools. → Read More
Everett School Committee weighs future of district superintendent who accused mayor of racism
The Everett School Committee is expected to vote Monday night on whether to renew the superintendent's contract. Superintendent Priya Tahiliani has accused some members of the School Committee, including the mayor, of racism and intentionally undermining her. → Read More
Number-crunching youth violence in Boston: Just how bad is it?
High-profile instances of violence involving local teens in recent months have added fuel to the debate over whether police officers should return to schools. → Read More
Report finds BPS data is inaccurate and incomplete, with wide-ranging consequences
The review by Ernst and Young consultants largely confirmed state concerns about district data, such as undercounting late buses and possibly overestimating high school graduation rates. → Read More
Boston Public Schools routinely overestimates future enrollment — and it matters
The district has put off hard decisions to close schools, even though it knew it already had excess space. → Read More
Woburn teachers, students return to class Monday morning after weeklong strike shuttered schools
The union’s strike began Jan. 30, after the city and educators failed to reach an agreement on a new contract following more than a year of talks. → Read More
BPS leaders unveil $1.4 billion budget, an increase of $65 million. Here’s how they’ll spend it.
The district plans to increase per-student spending to $28,800, up 39 percent since pre-pandemic. → Read More
Busing doesn’t improve academic outcomes for Boston students of color, study finds
Not everyone is convinced by the research — which looks narrowly at test scores and college enrollment — but for others, it serves as further evidence that it may be time for Boston to consider abandoning the busing system. → Read More
Consultant says Boston should consider bringing back school police, among other safety recommendations
Boston Public Schools should consider forming an internal police department that would place officers back on campuses, according to a recommendation made by an outside consultant that is likely to draw strong opposition. → Read More
Maine teen charged in alleged New Year’s machete attack on police officers in Times Square
Residents of the small Maine community said they are stunned and saddened by the news of Trevor Bickford’s arrest. → Read More
So, what actually is the Green New Deal for Boston Public Schools, anyway?
The Green New Deal for BPS would greatly accelerate the pace of construction in a school system that has built fewer than a dozen new schools over the last 40 years, and where some buildings date to the 1800s. → Read More
Black male teachers can make a big difference in the lives of their students — why are they so rare?
Statewide, just 1 percent of public school teachers are Black men. Even in Boston, which has the highest number of Black male educators, the proportion is just 7 percent. → Read More
Boston Public Schools’ enrollment drops for 8th consecutive year
This is the district’s eighth consecutive year of decline and brings the total loss of students over the last decade to more than 8,000. → Read More
Once underperforming, East Boston High School made gains through the pandemic. Can BPS replicate the success?
East Boston High School has become a model for the district, managing to continue years of academic gains even through the pandemic. → Read More
Boston schools lost 15,000 Black students in the past 20 years. Where did they go, and will they ever return?
In a dramatic reshaping of its makeup, Boston Public Schools has lost half its Black student population in the last two decades, as Black enrollment fell from from 29,300 in the 2002-2003 school year to 14,600 last year. → Read More
Two months into the school year, Boston schools struggle to fill more than 800 vacancies
The vacancies extend into far-ranging corners of Boston Public Schools, including administrative offices, classrooms, and cafeterias, and encompass about 175 teaching positions. → Read More
Nation’s Report Card spells out urgency for local, state leaders to address learning losses
Reading and math scores fell district, state, and nationwide in the National Assessment of Educational Progress, made public Monday. State and district leaders said the scores reinforce the need to work quickly to catch students up. → Read More
Jean McGuire, who led Metco, stabbed while walking her dog in Franklin Park
The 91-year-old and longtime leader of the Metco program is recovering Wednesday after being attacked and stabbed multiple times while walking her dog in Franklin Park on Tuesday night. → Read More
New MCAS data underscores missed learning of the pandemic. What if kids can’t catch up?
With the MCAS reinforcing prior data indicating many students are more than half a school year behind, the state and districts risk moving too slowly to make up that time. → Read More
See 2022 MCAS scores for schools across the state
Massachusetts students continue to struggle academically, posting below pre-pandemic levels on the MCAS exams taken in the spring. Explore our graphic to see scores over the last three testing years. → Read More