Mandy McLaren

In the aftermath of the pandemic, lofty promises to reinvent schooling abounded, but little innovation has come to fruition. Chelsea‘s experiment stands as an example of what’s still possible with the right resources and leadership.

With teachers on strike in Beverly, Gloucester and Marblehead, officials say the rapidly rising cost of special education is among the reasons why they cannot afford the pay raises educators are seeking.

The Globe obtained more than 2,600 individual settlements from 141 Massachusetts school districts, most spanning 2013 to 2023.

Hundreds of Massachusetts parents of students with special needs have been forced to sign nondisclosure agreements to secure the free and appropriate education their children are legally entitled to.

From expanding civil legal aid to bolstering the special educator workforce, here are five avenues Massachusetts can pursue to make out-of-district settlements more equitable.

The state education board placed Holyoke under receivership in 2015 following years of languishing academic performance.

The administration’s literacy efforts will also be bolstered by a new five-year, $38.4 million federal grant.

In one case, a school told a mother her son had been put in a closed-door timeout 56 times during one school year, for a total of 49 hours.

Caught in the middle of a battle between her mother and Braintree Public Schools over her education, Samantha Frechon is again facing the start of school with nowhere to go.

‘Who’s responsible?’: State error lands autistic students from Mass. at unregulated boarding school