LATEST PUBLICATIONS
Raising Readers Together - Program Overview
Raising Readers Together is a collaborative community-wide effort to increase literacy achievement among children from birth and build a culture of literacy across the city of Worcester, MA.
WEC Bulletin - Summer 2024
Our summer 2023 bulletin includes details about the launch of a citywide literacy initiative, highlights from our recent events, other program updates.
WEC Bulletin - Winter 2024
Our winter 2024 bulletin includes highlights from Worcester Public Schools, WEC programs, initiatives, other recent happenings.
WEC Bulletin - Summer 2023
Our summer 2023 bulletin includes highlights from WEC programs, initiatives, other recent happenings.
WEC Impact Report 2022-2023
The outcomes and achievements of our organization’s programs, initiatives, and activities.
WEC Strategic Plan 2022-2025
Our key strategies for advancing excellence and equity in education for all Worcester Public School students.
WEC Bulletin - Summer 2022
Our summer 2022 bulletin includes highlights from our Reading Together and Woo-Labs initiatives as well as other recent happenings.
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Searching For Excellence - January, 2022
In this report, we take a close look at data related to enrollment, staffing, and financial planning for the 2022 school year. This report serves to guide and engage the Worcester community. Made in collaboration with Worcester Regional Research Bureau.
WEC Bulletin - Winter 2021
In our Winter 2021 Bulletin we are delighted to share recent happenings from September - December 2021.
12th Annual Meeting Learning Beyond Limits: Commissioning a New Way
Following a presentation on Woo-Labs, Juana Matias, Chief Operating Officer of MassINC, facilitated a critical conversation with Massachusetts Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley and Massachusetts Higher Education Commissioner Carlos Santiago. The conversation, “Reimagining Education; Breaking Down Walls,” covered topics related to in- and out-of-school alignment and shifting to a P-16 Continuum.
WEC Bulletin - Summer 2021
In our Summer 2021 Bulletin, we take stock of the work we’ve done and the outcomes we’ve seen between May-August 2021. We are so grateful to the existing and new partners who are supporting us as we make our way back to in-person opportunities with students. Learn more about our recent launch of “Woo-Labs” and say hello to our new Assistant Director, Emily Dodge.
WEC at 10 (PLUS)
Developments at WEC from 2019-2021. Introducing the Worcester Education Equity Roundtable, trauma-informed community trainings, and more.
Fostering Civil Discourse
Fostering civil discourse is a necessity in today’s classroom and the implications and consequences of how well that is done determine how well students when they become adults, can build well-adjusted, productive, and inclusive families and communities.
We’ve invited Facing History and Ourselves to help us understand how we can use the lessons of history and current events to stand up to bigotry and hate.
February 2021
Lunch & Learn
Considerations for the Worcester Public Schools ‘21-’22 Budget with Brian Allen, Worcester Public Schools, Chief Financial Officer
February 2021
Now Is the Time to Address the Digital Divide
September 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown into relief the need for us to reassess the use of technology in education, public access to digital devices, and robust, reliable broadband as we make the shift from face-to-face to remote solutions for teaching and learning. Inequities in the education sector have never been more obvious as our students with the greatest need are most affected by a lack of access to technology and devices.
Troubling Trends, Promising Opportunities
February 2020
We must embrace the promising opportunities of the Student Opportunity Act. Our report shows how Education leaders can keep interests of historically underserved students at the center to turn around troubling trends in student outcomes.
No. 1 for Some:
Opportunity and Achievement in Massachusetts
September 2018
25 years after MERA, Black, Latino, and low-income students continue to have dramatically different experiences in Massachusetts schools than their White and higher-income peers — and these disparities have real consequences for students, their communities, and our state’s economy and democracy. If Massachusetts truly wants to be No. 1, the next phase of educational improvement must focus on confronting and addressing these inequities.
Urgency of Excellence:
Considerations for the School Committee and New Superintendent of Schools in Worcester
January 2016
In the winter of 2016, the WPS began a search for a new Superintendent of Schools. In response, WEC and the Worcester Regional Research Bureau (WRRB) hosted a forum and produced a paper, The Urgency of Excellence calling for a review of the status of the district and the development of a multi-year strategic plan.
not present, not accounted for:
School suspensions in worcester
May 2013
Read more about the discipline and out of school suspension data in Worcester Public Schools in this report
RAISING READERS: The Importance of Early and Sustained Literacy for School Success
Spring 2011
A substantial body of research points to the importance of early language development, early mastery of reading, and the ongoing development of reading skills for academic success. The purpose of this document is to serve as a primer, a brief introduction to the topic of early language development and reading mastery for academic success. This brief is a compilation of information relevant to the interested layman.
A Primer on the FY11 Worcester Public Schools Budget
Summer 2010
The 319 page Worcester Public Schools budget can be an intimidating document. However, its pages lay out in a logical way the vast set of services provided by the Worcester Public Schools, focusing on what they cost, and from where the money to support them comes. Overall, the budget tells a story about public education in Worcester – a story of education and career goals and dreams, as well as barriers and potholes on the road to achieving those dreams. It shows that funds are scarce, and that a great deal of effort has already been made to identify cost savings.
The purpose of this Primer to provide a guided tour of the budget. It offers insight into the ways that the monies from federal, state, and local resources support our schools. It highlights those areas that are affected by increasingly tight budgets. This Primer is also an invitation to look more closely at the current education picture, and perhaps to formulate some suggestions about what Worcester as a community could do better to continuously improve our schools.
Who is Running our Schools?: A Primer on School Governance and Management in Worcester
Spring 2010
The purpose of this document is to serve as a primer, a brief introduction to the topic of school governance in Massachusetts and Worcester in particular. This brief does not strive to be an exhaustive look at models of governance nor does it analyze the research on what works. It is, rather, a compilation of information culled from secondary sources including the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Rennie Center, the US Department of Education, Bridgestar, the National Association of Independent Schools and the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. It seeks to identify the major
actors and stakeholders affecting the schools in Worcester and the roles that they play in supporting schools and educating children.
A Primer on Education Reform in the Commonwealth: Federal and State Policy
Spring 2010
For nearly twenty years, state and federal policy have played an increasingly important role in education at the local level as we work to prepare all students for the opportunities and challenges of life in a rapidly changing world. As interested citizens concerned about what works in the education of our children, it is important for us to have an understanding of the policies, laws, assumptions, and ideals that inform our current circumstances. The purpose of this document is to serve as primer, a brief introduction to the topic of education reform both at the federal level and in Massachusetts. This brief does not strive to be an exhaustive look at reform efforts, nor does it probe deeply into the nuances of policy decisions or their effects. It is a compilation of information culled from secondary sources, public presentations, and individual interviews. It is the first in a series of documents that seek to serve as a point for thoughtful, civil, and critical discussion around educating our children and to bringing each and every student to a level of proficiency for the security of their individual futures and our community life.
