In the 1840s, nativist movement leaders formed official political parties and local chapters of the national Native American Party (later the American Party), although they continued to be commonly known as the Know-Nothing Party. Politicians sought to insert provisions into state constitutions against Catholics who refused to renounce the pope. The Know-Nothing movement brought bigotry and hatred to a new level of violence and organization.
The party’s legacy endured in the post-Civil War era, with laws and constitutional amendments it supported, still today severely limiting parents’ educational choices. A federal constitutional amendment was proposed by Speaker of the House James Blaine prohibiting money raised by taxation in any State to be under the control of any religious sect; nor shall any money so raised or lands so devoted be divided between religious sects or denominations. These were then named the Blaine Amendments of 1875.
in recent decades, often in response to challenges to school choice programs, the U.S. Supreme Court has demonstrated great interest in examining the issues of educational alternatives and attempts limit parental options. Massachusetts plays a key role in this debate. The Bay State was a key center of the Know-Nothing movement and has the oldest version of Anti-Aid Amendments in the nation, as well as a second such amendment approved in 1917. Two-fifths of Massachusetts residents are Catholic, and its Catholic schools outperform the state’s public schools, which are the best in the nation.
Life Cycle Delivery of Public Infrastructure
/0 Comments/in Better Government, Transportation /by John MillerLife-cycle delivery of infrastructure projects demands our attention. As the Commonwealth faces the interlocking threats of massive finding deficits, creeping levels of deferred maintenance, and unabated demands for expansion, public-private partnerships (PPPs) offer some potential relief.
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Strengthening Standards-Based Education
/0 Comments/in News, Related Education Blogs /by Editorial StaffRecommendations to Policy Makers on 21st Century Skills Author(s): Jim Stergios and Jamie Gass — Publication date: 2008-11-11 Category: Education Abstract: In May of 2008, then-Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) Chairman Paul Reville named more than 20 individuals from education, not-for-profit organizations, and business to a task force on “21st Century Skills.” He charged the task force with finding ways to better integrate so-called 21st century skills into the public school curriculum. According to Patrick administration officials, this effort is tantamount to a manifesto that will move Massachusetts into the next phase of Education Reform.
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Strengthening Standards-Based Education
/0 Comments/in Academic Standards, Education /by Jim Stergios and Jamie GassThe purpose of Pioneer’s policy brief is to spell out the successful standards-based reforms that have made Massachusetts the highest performing K-12 state in the country, and to suggest how the BESE and the 21st Century Skills Task Force can strengthen the state’s nationally recognized curriculum frameworks, student assessments, educator licensure regulations, and teacher subject area tests.
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