September 29, 2025 • 39 mins
The latest MCAS test results were released, and it shows that Massachusetts students’ test scores are still below pre-pandemic levels. The results showed that high schoolers fared worse on the MCAS than grades 3-8. This was the first year that high schoolers took the test knowing that a passing MCAS score is no longer a graduation requirement…which may be playing a role in the results. What can be done to reverse course and get those tests scores back up? Should we be worried?
*Pedro Martinez, the Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, denied our invitation to join the conversation.*
*Pedro Martinez, the Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, denied our invitation to join the conversation.*
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's night Side with Dan Ray. I'm tell Youbsy Fostin's
me video.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Thank you Dan Watkins. And remember those games tomorrow night, everybody,
are at six pm East Coast time, so you can
sit and you can watch the game, and probably by
eight o'clock tomorrow night, certainly by the time the show
starts the game, the story will probably be told, and
you can watch the end of the game and listen
to Nightside. We'll entering the audio down on the TV set.
(00:27):
Simple as that. I'm delighted that the games are at
six o'clock and not at eight o'clock. Well, there was
a report that has come out in the last few
days which I want to talk about. And I know
that it's always tough to talk about numbers in radio,
(00:50):
so please bear with me, and I hope that some
of you will be interested in commenting. But the report
essentially says that more than five years reading from an
article that was in Bloomberg, more than five years after
the COVID nineteen pandemic shut down schools. Remember in twenty twenty,
(01:10):
they were shutting down schools. Kids couldn't wear masks. I mean,
it was an extraordinary set of circumstances that we dealt
with back in the day, and Massachusetts students continued to
lag far below pre pandemic levels on state tests. Now,
(01:34):
the MCAST exams were eliminated here in Massachusetts as a
prerequisite for graduation. So I think that was a mistake.
But I can understand how some families might say, well,
that puts additional pressure on students, and it was a
(01:56):
fairly close vote. But the eachers union, they were very
much in favor of eliminating the MCAST exams. But that
story's been written. The bottom line is that a lot
of states around the country I've had problems. But we
(02:21):
like to think of ourselves here in Massachusetts as an
education state for a couple of reasons. One, we like
to pride ourselves on the fact that public education was
founded by Massachusetts native Horace Man. There's a statue of
him at the state House. We like to think of
ourselves as a state with great universities from Boston to
(02:42):
the Berkshires, whether or not you're talking about UMass Amherst,
Amherst College, Williams College, North Adams State, All, Springfield College,
Worcester across the state. As we come back Worcester, lots
of different schools, private schools, public schools, and of course
here in mass and for the greater Boston are at Cambridge,
Harvard and MIT, Boston College, Northeastern, Boston University, Suffolk University,
(03:09):
on and on and on and on mass Maritime. And
we like to think about the fact that we have
a pretty highly educated adult population in Massachusetts. We have
lots of doctors, lots of scientists, lots of educators. Okay,
I certainly will mention lawyers, although I know you know something,
(03:33):
but you have to go to graduate from college and
then do probably three years if you're going full time,
maybe longer if you're going knights to become a lawyer.
And so we have a lot of communities in Massachusetts
where education should be one of our great natural resources.
(03:55):
It's not a natural resource, but just as the beauty
of our countryside here in Massachusetts, our landscape should be appreciated,
we should have a head start well. According to this report,
some states have received have recovered fully in some subjects,
(04:17):
while many others have some demographics back to some demographics
back to pre pandemic levels. This is a quoting the
Massachusetts Education Commissioner Pedro Martinez, not the former Red Sox pitcher,
but some states that he's referring to that are doing
better than US, Louisiana and Alabama. Now I don't I'm
(04:42):
not trying to denigrate any other state, but I'm simply
saying that, according to the Education Commissioner. Commissioner Martinez, according
to this article, he called the results sobering but not insurmountable,
and noted that there are dozens of districts in Massachusetts
(05:04):
at pre pandemic levels in grades three to eight in
at least one math or English, and he said that
there are thirteen communities, including Amherst and Arlington, that matched
pre pandemic levels in both of those subjects. However, however,
over forty two percent of Massachusetts students might have met
(05:26):
expectations on last spring's test before the pandemic. Half of
Massachusetts met the standards, so that means that that's an
eight percent drop, okay, And of those conversely who failed
(05:46):
before the pandemic, it was eleven percent now it's up
to eighteen percent, So the scores are not good at all.
In addition, Patrick Tuttweiler, who's the Secretary of Education, said
new test stores. New test scores are the first data
(06:08):
released reflecting Massachusetts student performance in the twenty twenty four
to twenty five school year, the one just completed. Those
scores continue a dismal trend shown in earlier data, including
prior years MCAST results and the twenty twenty four Nations
report Card tests, which showed students in Massachusetts and nationwide
(06:31):
continuing continuing to lose ground in fourth and eighth grade
reading and eighth grade math. According to Tuttweiler, this also
found in some researches at Harvard and Stanford found that
in twenty twenty four, Massachusetts students were nearly half a
(06:52):
year behind their twenty nineteen same gray peers. So that's
a half a year, that's four to five months. However
you described the year. Bottom line is that I can
(07:13):
read you. I can read your numbers along here, okay.
But these scores are abysmal. Okay. And it goes on
to say that early reading scores showed limited signs, limited
signs that Governor Moore Healey's investments in evidence based reading
instruction had taken hold. As yet, third grade students made
(07:35):
no progress from twenty twenty four, with forty two meeting expectations.
These are third graders on the reading test compared to
fifty six percent pre pandemic. So without the new form
of instruction, the student's pre pandemic fifty six percent. We're
getting the reading level in the third grade, which I'm
told by educators is probably the most important mark of
(08:00):
future success of a student. If they're reading out are
above grade level in third grade, they're on a really
good glidepath. If they're reading below, they're on a problematic liepath.
Simple as that. So we could go through all of these,
but I would like to find out from those of
you in Massachusetts and elsewhere how important is it to you.
(08:25):
These scores To me are critically important because this is
our future. And I don't care how old you are.
If you are out of high school, the people behind
you are going to be the future residents and employees
of Massachusetts. And unless we're going to import people who
(08:48):
are doing better than our own kids on math, reading,
and science, we're going to have problems going forwards. Now,
I'm somebody who believes that they need to go back
in Massachusetts in terms of reading to phonics. Now, I
(09:11):
know that some of you are going to say, oh, Dan,
it's look and I'm not advertising for any company. You know,
there's a whole bunch of phonics companies out there that
parents can can get for their kids. I spent some money,
not a law, and some time with my kids when
they were young, three and four years old and introduce
(09:34):
them to phonics, identifying letters and then putting letters together
to make words, and finally putting words together to make sentences.
That's a pretty simple concept. I would love to know
if you are old enough to have children, are you
teaching them to read in your home before they're going
(09:55):
to school? Or are you assuming that you're going to
leave it up to either the preschool, the kindergarten, or
the first, second, and third grade, Because if you're doing that,
that's a mistake. In my opinion, I think that you
have the primary responsibility to make sure your kids are
ready for school, and the most important element is reading.
(10:20):
In my opinion, second most important element is some fundamental
understanding of math. So they're not sitting there in the
first grade and it's all going over their heads. So
I want to know do you agree with me? Have
you employed that tactic? And then the other question is
how do we take care of the kids in Massachusetts
whose parents may not be interested in doing that. A
(10:46):
lot of families have internal strife, and look, not every
family is. No family's perfect as far as I'm concerned,
but some families are better than others. How do we
take care of the kids in Massachusetts who are coming
from tougher circumstances where maybe education is not as valued
as it should be. I'm going to open this up
(11:09):
for conversation, and I really hope and expect that some
of you are interested in sharing your viewpoints on this,
because it is about your future, our future here in Massachusetts,
and right now we for all the advantage advantages that
we have, we are failing miserably, and our politicians are
fail of failing our kids miserably. Not as bad as
(11:33):
that superintendent in des Moines, Iowa today that I read
about who has found out he's the superintendent of public
schools in Des Moines, Iowa and he is here as
an illegal immigrant and has actually had a court order
to depart the country. Is that once the superintendent of
public schools at Des Moines, Iowa. Hopefully we have nothing
like that. Here. Here are the numbers, six, one, seven, two, five,
(11:55):
four to ten thirty six one seven, nine, three one,
ten thirty. This is not a tough topic, but it's
a topic that people need to weigh in on. I'm
a firm believer in everything I've said. I hope you
are as well. If you disagree with me, that's fine too.
How do we help kids? Because I want kids when
they graduate from high school here in Massachusetts to be
(12:17):
prepared either to go on to college or to join
the workforce. That's their choice and it's their aptitude. But
we're not helping them along the way those first eighteen years.
Once you're out of high school, you never that's over.
You were then launched. Come on back on Nightside, let's
hear from.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
You with Dan Ray. I'm Boston's news Radio.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
Well, it seems to me that maybe people aren't interested
in this topic. So what I'm gonna do is I'm
gonna give you one more shot here and then we'll
change topics at ten thirty. That's fine with me. But
I think if you're not interested in this topic, you're
not thinking because whether or not, again, I would love
to know, for those of you who have kids, how
(13:09):
much preparation did you provide for your kids before they
entered school formally, whether it was again preschool, kindergarten, or
first grade. Well, I guess everybody goes kindergarten these days.
I never went to kindergarten. I hit first grade. How
much time did you spend prepping your kids or did
you just say, hey, they're fine, they're going to and
(13:31):
maybe they did really well. Simple as that. If you
are a student or a younger parent, what are you
doing with your kids right now? If fIF three, four, five,
six years old, are you basically saying, okay, you know,
we'll put them on the big yellow school bus and
they'll be all set. I guess some kids do that
(13:54):
and it works. I think that's a risk. I really
think that is a risk. It's all also a real risk.
I care, and I'm telling you the truth when I
say this, I care more about I care as much
about my kid's success as I care about the success
(14:14):
of every kid in the cormauth of Massachusetts. I know
the politicians give that a lot of lip service. We
compensate teachers in Massachusetts very well. And I know there
was someone going to say, well, this school district, they're
a little bit behind, but teachers now are striking. We've
gone through all of that in Newton and a whole
(14:34):
whole group of other communities. I don't know that that
is good Newton, remember a couple of years ago lost
I think the entire month of January, or virtually the
entire month of January because of a teacher strikes. That's
a kind of a secondary topic here. But we have
(14:54):
on balance on whole, we have really well paid teachers
at the elementary, junior, high, in high school levels here
in Massachusetts, particularly compared to other parts of the country. Now,
cost of living here is a little bit more expensive,
might even be arguably in certain cities and communities much
more expensive. And I'm not opposed to compensating teachers. That's
(15:18):
not the purpose of what I want to talk about.
I want to talk about is what are we doing,
either as a society or as individuals with our own
kids to get our kids ready. Must tell you that
once a child falls behind educationally, it's almost impossible for
(15:42):
them to catch up. It's sad, but it's true. It is.
Sometimes you can say to a kid, well, the kid
maybe is a he'll catch a growth spirit, and all
of a sudden, some kid who was five foot two
and in the seventh grade or whatever, or fourth foot
(16:03):
eleven in the seventh grade is six' two by time
they were junior in high. School, Okay i'm not talking
about physical. Growth i'm talking, about you, know educational, growth
growth and scholastic. Growth the numbers don't. Lie we are
doing horribly In. MASSACHUSETTS i don't think it's necessarily the
teacher's false. Fault i'm not making that argument at. All
(16:25):
i'm not suggesting that teachers should should should be penalized
if their students don't. WELL i think it is a.
Combination the schools have to be, better in my, opinion
but the parents have to take more interest in their,
kids because no one will take more interest in your
(16:47):
kids than. You it's just a fact of. Life SO
i will once more give you the opportunity six, one, seven, two, five,
four ten. THIRTY i introduced these topics BECAUSE i think
these are topics that everyone can relate. To last hour
was a very specific topic about a group of people
(17:07):
whose homes will be taken from them and whether or
not they will be adequately compensated under the laws of eminent.
Domain and you don't want that to happen to you
under any. Circumstances but this topic is a topic that
everybody should be thinking, about, because however old you are
(17:28):
or however young you, are we need good people In
massachusetts in the. Pipeline and the politicians give it a
lot of, talk but do they really. Care and when
you look at these, numbers these are frightening, numbers frightening
numbers that we are not doing as well With massachusetts
(17:51):
kids as they are In louisiana And. Alabama that isn't even.
Close that's not a close. Call six, one, seven, two, five,
four ten. THIRTY i have one line, there AND i
have well dot desk field AND i have two lines
at six, one, seven, nine, three one ten. Thirty AND
i am gratified many of you are calling in and
(18:13):
we will get to all of, YOU i. Promise and
there's no right and wrong answer. Here this is this
is a perfect night side, topic in my, opinion for
those who actually, think just keep it going. Here and
by the, way if you are a first time caller
AND i see a bunch of names here WHICH i don't,
recognize please let us. Know we'd always love to acknowledge
first time. Callers the only available line right now is six, one, seven, nine, three,
(18:35):
one ten. Thirty we'll be back On nightside right after.
Speaker 1 (18:37):
This if you're On Night side With Dan ray on
You Bzy boston's News.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
Radio so the lead story in the newscast is exactly
what we're talking. About AND i appreciate everyone who's called
in this is this is one WHERE i think we
can truly learn from one. Another let me go To
linae in. Situate, Hi, linee welcome To. Nightside how are?
Speaker 3 (18:59):
YOU i am.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
GOOD i got a Feeling i've ever talked to you, before.
Speaker 4 (19:06):
Maybe a very long time.
Speaker 5 (19:07):
Ago, okay well.
Speaker 2 (19:09):
Come around more. Often so what's your take on this?
Speaker 4 (19:12):
One listen To, So, yeah my mother was kindergarten and
first grade, teacher so she taught all of us to
read before we entered. School and like, you we didn't
go to kindergarten because you had to pay to go to.
Kindergarten it wasn't public, school so none of us went to.
Kindergarten and then WHEN i had my, GIRLS i did
(19:35):
the same sort of. Thing we started sounding out letters and.
THINGS i used phone letters in the bathtub with them
that would stick to the wall and we could spell
words that. Way, YEAH i tried to turn everything that we,
know going to the grocery, store everywhere we went into
a learning experience in some, way you, know just talking
(19:56):
about the names of the vegetables and that sort of.
Thing and then like with, math you, know when we
were dividing up something at, home we would talk, about you,
know how many is this and how many is?
Speaker 2 (20:07):
This so ABSOLUTELY i used to do that with fruit
out of the get fruit out of the, uh out
of the. Refrigerator, yeah apples and oranges and how many
apples and make them count how many? Oranges, okay let's
put them? Together how many they? Together that sort of. Thing,
well you, know it's it's so it's so, easy and
(20:28):
it's actually fun with kids in my, life it's.
Speaker 4 (20:30):
Fun, yeah it's fun to do with your. Kids so,
yeah SO i like it WHEN i hear other people
in the, store in the grocery, store you, know they're
doing similar things that they're talking with their kids about various,
things and.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
That the problem is what do you do for what
do you do four kids who don't have a mom like,
you who is turning you, know every day activities into you,
know a learning. Experience what what do you do to
those kids who come into the first grade and they
don't know their alphabet right? Letters how can you learn
(21:05):
to read if you don't know your? Letters you got
to you, know it's all. Fundamentals AND i don't know
that THEY i don't know. That maybe there's some teachers
out that the whill tell me that that they. Give
you don't want to think that a kid coming in
the first grade has to do remedial letters or remedial.
Alphabet you'd like to think the remedial courses are for
(21:27):
kids in high school when they're taking Remedial french or remedial.
Speaker 4 (21:30):
This but, right, YEAH i know WHEN i was in first,
grade we had reading, groups and because there were, two
only two of us in the class who could already,
read she was so limited in what was in her.
Classroom it was all pre primer, literature you. Know shee
spot run those kinds of, things and she didn't want
(21:52):
us to be, bored so she was to put us
out in the hallway and tell us to read the.
Encyclopedia and that was she handled.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
It now that there are a lot of schools that
are getting rid of that would be sort of AN
ap course in first grade or kindergarten or the equivalent
of AN api. Course, now a lot of schools they
get rid of those. Courses they don't want they want
everybody to, graduate and know you, know they're not going
to have a person who's the number. ONE i was
(22:18):
never number one in my, class so believe, ME i
could care. Less but you, know if a kid is
the smartest kid in the, class you, know the kid
who's the best football, player the, quarterback he's going to
get he's going to get. Acknowledged why shouldn't another, kid
another young man or young, woman be acknowledged as the
smartest kid in the. CLASS i just think that there's
this drive toward, mediocrity which doesn't help anyone in my.
Speaker 4 (22:41):
Opinion SO i don't know if teachers now can divide
students into you, know reading, groups and maybe they have
an aid in the, class it's something that could lead one.
Speaker 2 (22:52):
Group, well that's exactly that's where we have. Gone AND
i would love to hear from teachers on. That but
all teachers, now WHEN i went to, school there were
no teaching aids in. School there was one nun for fifty.
KIDS i remember we had three kids, no we had
fifty kids in a class At. St Anne school In.
Revillain my first grade, teacher Sister, geraldine she dealt with
fifty kids in the class AND i know it sounds
(23:16):
insane by today's, standards but that was that's what and
that's what she had to, do and we didn't appreciate,
it didn't understand it at the. TIME, linee thank you
so much for. CALLING i don't know how long it's,
been BUT i didn't recognize your, Name so please call
back again a little bit, more uh more.
Speaker 4 (23:35):
Frequently, okay all, RIGHT i do listen to that.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
Though that's. Okay never stopped at and we started year
nineteen On, wednesday SO i expect to at least hear
you at some point next. Year, okay Thanks. Lenae that's
your homework. Designment thank, you good. NIGHT a couple of
folks dropped, off SO i got some. Lines if you
called and got a busy signal six, one, seven, two, five,
four ten. Thirty if you were driving and you you
(24:00):
lost the, signal call us. Back Harvey silverglade has checked,
in my great friend From cambridge And Harvard Law school In. Princeton, harvey,
welcome how are.
Speaker 5 (24:10):
You, FINE i might have said this before, then but you,
KNOW i think that one of the problems with public
education is that the teachers. Unions have you ever dealt
with a teachers?
Speaker 2 (24:28):
Union not, directly but, OKAY i THINK i understand where
you're going with. This go.
Speaker 5 (24:35):
AHEAD i have dealt directly with the teachers. Union as
strongly AS i am in favor of unionization in the private,
SECTOR i think it's essential the protection of. Labor, YEP
i am as equally opposed to unionization in the public.
(24:59):
Sector and the reason is, this in the private sector
there are two, sides each negotiating with their own. Money
there's the company or, shareholders and there's labor labor. Union
in the public, sector in the bargaining between the teachers'
(25:20):
union and the and the school committee or whatever it is,
called And cambridge is called the school, committee there's only
one side because the School committee is bargaining with OH,
pm other people's. Money, sure, Absolutely and years, ago let
(25:43):
me tell you the. Story in the in The Martin
Luther King Junior school In, cambridge a fellow Named Robert
moses was introducing a new math who was developing a
new math, curriculum and he, decided because he was A cambridge,
(26:07):
resident he would ask The Cambridge Public schools if he
could teach fifth grade math. Algebra his thesis was that
the reason kids had trouble with math was that they
didn't understand minus. Numbers they could they could envision two
(26:32):
cats or three, cats they couldn't envision minus. Three, okay
he gets, understandable so he had unless.
Speaker 2 (26:42):
You took, it unless you had him watch A patriots football,
game and when the quarterback gets tackled and, sacked or
the running back that gets the ball in its stopped
three yards behind the, line it's no longer first and,
ten it's second and.
Speaker 5 (26:54):
Thirteen go ahead is excepted every rule, Anyway so he
asked The cambridge The School committee for permission to, teach
but that no. Salary he was doing this out of
his own, pocket and the school committee approved. It, obviously
(27:22):
the teachers union raised the huge. Fuss he was not
a member of the Teacher he had A harvard pH.
D but he was not a member of the teachers.
Union so the school committee reversed the. Decision elsa AND
i or else To my late wife organized a group
(27:45):
of parents to show up at the school committee, being
and we nearly had a riot over, there and they
reversed themselves again despite the. Union And bob Taught isaac's
fifth grade, class and every kid in that, class and
(28:12):
with one single, exception ended up going to college and
having a successful. Life bob was, right and how he
taught the negative numbers was. Brilliant he took us AND
i went with him BECAUSE i was curious about. This
(28:33):
he took us on the red line and he starts
At Park. Street he, said, okay, Kids, Todd Harvard square's plus.
Numbers So Mass General brigham is plus ONE, M i
t is. Plus the other direction IS. M and the
(29:00):
kids understood. Immediately my.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
Thumb he could have used my my analogy of a
football play, too same, Principle. HARVEY i, am by the, Way,
harvey it's just it's not funny, here but it's sort of.
Ironic there's a story that the globe is just. Breaking,
okay and this is, this this has just, happened it
(29:26):
Says cambridge. Superintendent the superintendent Of Cambridge public schools a.
Finalist before he was A Cambridge Public school, finalist he
lost seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars on a crypto,
scam then sued his. Bank, so first of, all how
(29:46):
do you make seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars in
late twenty twenty. One in early twenty, two this finalist
withdrew seven hundred and fifty one, thousand five hundred dollars
to invest in and purported crypto currency. Platform according to
a lawsuit he, filed the money was gone in what
he called a, scam and later sued his bank for
(30:07):
letting him do. It this will be in The globe,
tomorrow and this gentleman is not the superintendent. Now he
is currently an assistant superintendent In revere and has not
(30:30):
yet answered. Questions according to The globe story written By
Spencer buell that hit their website at five point thirty four,
today he's currently an assistant superintendent In revere has not
yet answered questions publicly about the lawsuit or about separate
allegations made against him in some twenty thirteen. Divorce as
(30:52):
the city moves forward toward filing the seat vacated by
its former, Superintendent Victoria, career the school committee voted in
twenty twenty four to end her contract. Early That's cambridge.
Speaker 5 (31:09):
Sleep Public hardy The People's republic.
Speaker 2 (31:13):
Of Came, yes we got. That, thanks we'll talk. SOON
i don't laugh at the Nord Is harvey laugh at
the problems that other people. Have BUT i just how
do you lose seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars if
your your career is in public? SCHOOL i don't, know
but we'll have to see the rest of the globe.
(31:34):
Store All, right we get. BACK i Got audrey And
Peabty tom In South. BOSTON i will get you both.
In you stay there if you guys want to continue
to talk about this in the next hour weeken or
we can change topics six one, seven, two five four
to ten thirty six one seven.
Speaker 1 (31:47):
Nine It's Night side With Dan ray on W boston's news.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
Radio let me go To audrey And. Peavity, Hey, audrey
appreciate your holding on your next On.
Speaker 6 (31:58):
Nightside, Hi, dan this Is, audrey And i'm looking at
your topic.
Speaker 3 (32:04):
From a dual.
Speaker 6 (32:04):
Perspective i'm a parent as well as a retired. Teacher.
Yeah so when you, know my son was, young we
would always read to. Him his grandmother was a librarian
At harvard for forty, years so he was a really
very strong. Reader he was very, advanced but going to,
(32:27):
school you, know they weren't pushing him to get.
Speaker 3 (32:34):
Better it was more he was almost bored in.
Speaker 6 (32:38):
School because he was a little bit ahead of the
rest of the.
Speaker 1 (32:43):
Group it.
Speaker 6 (32:44):
Happened and then, yeah so when he was in like eighth,
grade they had put him in like a special educational.
Speaker 7 (32:54):
Class and he kept on.
Speaker 6 (32:56):
Coming this was a math, class and he was coming home,
saying you know what grade and would say this to their, Parents,
mom math is so. Easy i'm doing third grade.
Speaker 3 (33:04):
MATH i just don't get. IT i don't understand my
like it's so.
Speaker 6 (33:08):
Easy i'm getting, hundreds and the other students aren't doing really.
Speaker 2 (33:11):
Well.
Speaker 6 (33:12):
Well in any, EVENT i called the school AND i
spoke to the guidance, counselor and this was very, interesting
AND i, said you, Know i'm calling the god my
son and she, said, well what is his.
Speaker 3 (33:26):
Name and all, that AND i, said, well he's.
Speaker 6 (33:29):
Complaining that his math class is too, easy and she, goes,
oh we were going over the M pas scores and
he was one of the students that actually scored advanced in.
Math AND i, said, well can you check his schedule
or whatever to see because he's not in the right,
placement and needless to, say they found out he was
(33:51):
in a special ed class that was doing like remedial
math addition and, subtraction and he scored advanced on the
eighth grade m. Cast so they by the time the
whole thing was, rectified which was like after the winter,
vacation The christmas, break they changed the schedule and put
(34:12):
him in a regular math. Class so what happened to
him was he never got the basic basic stuff for.
Algebra so now they're doing they're getting more advanced in,
algebra and he never got the basic information and he
became deficient in math. Forever he ended up going To
(34:33):
Governor's academy and went to a really good. School always did,
very very poorly in, Math AND i really do blame
it to the public.
Speaker 3 (34:42):
School that he went.
Speaker 7 (34:43):
To that, boy and it was his homeroom teacher and
all the students in that. Class being a, teacher myself
had to be on AN, iep an individual educational, plan
and they never caught it UNTIL i. Called so, luckily
being a, TEACHER i was able to figure.
Speaker 3 (35:03):
Out what was going on and make the phone. Call but,
There i'm sure there Are that's the.
Speaker 2 (35:07):
Point you, know you, know you did right by your,
son but how many other, people, uh we're in a
similar situation would not have identified? That oh do that's
an amazing. STORY i hope he's doing. Well is he
going off to? College is he in?
Speaker 6 (35:20):
College or is He oh, yeah, yeah, yeah he's, graduated
he's got a master's That.
Speaker 3 (35:27):
But now let me just let me add my second.
Speaker 6 (35:30):
Perspective so being a, Teacher, Okay i'm a retired, teacher
so when you're, instructing.
Speaker 7 (35:37):
You you can't you have to teach.
Speaker 3 (35:40):
To the lower end of the.
Speaker 6 (35:43):
Kids so you can't really push like the ambassed place
advanced placement. Courses OH i.
Speaker 2 (35:49):
Understand, YEAH i totally get. That AND i think that's
why they need probably to you, know to to maybe
not put kids in uh classes by their, age but
maybe you have a kid who's a third grade age
but move him up to fourth grade and uh and
and not let kids get. Lost if there's a kid
(36:09):
in fourth grade who can't handle, it have him take
some courses in the third. Grade there has to be
more individualized understanding of what kids. Needs what kids needs
Are in my, Opinion, AUDREY i wanted to try to
get one more in here before the. Break thank? You
have you called? Before is this your first?
Speaker 3 (36:26):
Time, No i've called. BEFORE i want you to keep.
Speaker 2 (36:30):
Calling, okay thank you so.
Speaker 3 (36:31):
Much okod night you.
Speaker 2 (36:34):
Too let me go To tom And South, Boston tommy
next on, NIGHTS i get you in here before the.
Newscast go right, Ahead.
Speaker 8 (36:38):
Tom, Hey, dan how you doing, good? Sir just going
back to the beginning when you, Started, yeah we're talking
about education In boston and the.
Speaker 2 (36:51):
History, yeah In massachusetts, generally but Certainly boston is a great. City.
Speaker 8 (36:56):
Yep you talked About western mass and all the colleges
In boston and the history and the families and all that,
stuff and that was.
Speaker 5 (37:06):
Great that was.
Speaker 8 (37:07):
Great and then we jumped to some of the stuff
About cambridge AND i had to laugh when you you
were talking to the fellow about negative, numbers Because i'm
an electrical, guy SO i learned a lot about negative
(37:29):
numbers and that was kind of. Funny but and you
related it to sports and everything in the red dye
and that was. Good that was. Good but then we
got into the, uh the teaching pat of things and
how do we how do we get the kids on?
(37:49):
Board AND i THINK i disagree with. YOU i think
there were pockets In boston that have a good education
that teaching the, kids and there are good people bringing
the kids. Up and it's little pockets like The Perry
(38:10):
school In South. Boston you, know people are trying to
people are trying to make things.
Speaker 2 (38:18):
Better i'm not criticizing. People i'm just saying THAT i
think the system right now is. Broken if the results
across the state are as deplorable as they, are we
got to look at doing something, better that's. All you.
Know if if The, patriots you, know had started off
zero to four and they were going to have another terrible,
season god knows where they're going to end, Up, tom
(38:39):
you sometimes got to shake it up a little, bit you.
Know that's All i'm.
Speaker 8 (38:42):
Saying i'm with, You i'm with, You BUT i think
there's some good stories out, there.
Speaker 2 (38:47):
And well you know WHAT i you, know when when
there's a good, Story i'll do. It and if our
scores were, great i'd Be i'd be shouting from the.
Mountaintops but they're, not and we got to do something
to make them. Great, TOM i Got jim before the,
break BUT i gotta let you run BECAUSE i got
my newscast coming at. Me, okay good, talk great talk with,
You talk Soon. Okay if you're on the, line like
(39:09):
to stay, there love to continue the, conversation and if,
not we will move on to a different. Topic on
the other side of the eleven o'clock news
It's night Side with Dan Ray. I'm tell Youbsy Fostin's
me video.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Thank you Dan Watkins. And remember those games tomorrow night, everybody,
are at six pm East Coast time, so you can
sit and you can watch the game, and probably by
eight o'clock tomorrow night, certainly by the time the show
starts the game, the story will probably be told, and
you can watch the end of the game and listen
to Nightside. We'll entering the audio down on the TV set.
(00:27):
Simple as that. I'm delighted that the games are at
six o'clock and not at eight o'clock. Well, there was
a report that has come out in the last few
days which I want to talk about. And I know
that it's always tough to talk about numbers in radio,
(00:50):
so please bear with me, and I hope that some
of you will be interested in commenting. But the report
essentially says that more than five years reading from an
article that was in Bloomberg, more than five years after
the COVID nineteen pandemic shut down schools. Remember in twenty twenty,
(01:10):
they were shutting down schools. Kids couldn't wear masks. I mean,
it was an extraordinary set of circumstances that we dealt
with back in the day, and Massachusetts students continued to
lag far below pre pandemic levels on state tests. Now,
(01:34):
the MCAST exams were eliminated here in Massachusetts as a
prerequisite for graduation. So I think that was a mistake.
But I can understand how some families might say, well,
that puts additional pressure on students, and it was a
(01:56):
fairly close vote. But the eachers union, they were very
much in favor of eliminating the MCAST exams. But that
story's been written. The bottom line is that a lot
of states around the country I've had problems. But we
(02:21):
like to think of ourselves here in Massachusetts as an
education state for a couple of reasons. One, we like
to pride ourselves on the fact that public education was
founded by Massachusetts native Horace Man. There's a statue of
him at the state House. We like to think of
ourselves as a state with great universities from Boston to
(02:42):
the Berkshires, whether or not you're talking about UMass Amherst,
Amherst College, Williams College, North Adams State, All, Springfield College,
Worcester across the state. As we come back Worcester, lots
of different schools, private schools, public schools, and of course
here in mass and for the greater Boston are at Cambridge,
Harvard and MIT, Boston College, Northeastern, Boston University, Suffolk University,
(03:09):
on and on and on and on mass Maritime. And
we like to think about the fact that we have
a pretty highly educated adult population in Massachusetts. We have
lots of doctors, lots of scientists, lots of educators. Okay,
I certainly will mention lawyers, although I know you know something,
(03:33):
but you have to go to graduate from college and
then do probably three years if you're going full time,
maybe longer if you're going knights to become a lawyer.
And so we have a lot of communities in Massachusetts
where education should be one of our great natural resources.
(03:55):
It's not a natural resource, but just as the beauty
of our countryside here in Massachusetts, our landscape should be appreciated,
we should have a head start well. According to this report,
some states have received have recovered fully in some subjects,
(04:17):
while many others have some demographics back to some demographics
back to pre pandemic levels. This is a quoting the
Massachusetts Education Commissioner Pedro Martinez, not the former Red Sox pitcher,
but some states that he's referring to that are doing
better than US, Louisiana and Alabama. Now I don't I'm
(04:42):
not trying to denigrate any other state, but I'm simply
saying that, according to the Education Commissioner. Commissioner Martinez, according
to this article, he called the results sobering but not insurmountable,
and noted that there are dozens of districts in Massachusetts
(05:04):
at pre pandemic levels in grades three to eight in
at least one math or English, and he said that
there are thirteen communities, including Amherst and Arlington, that matched
pre pandemic levels in both of those subjects. However, however,
over forty two percent of Massachusetts students might have met
(05:26):
expectations on last spring's test before the pandemic. Half of
Massachusetts met the standards, so that means that that's an
eight percent drop, okay, And of those conversely who failed
(05:46):
before the pandemic, it was eleven percent now it's up
to eighteen percent, So the scores are not good at all.
In addition, Patrick Tuttweiler, who's the Secretary of Education, said
new test stores. New test scores are the first data
(06:08):
released reflecting Massachusetts student performance in the twenty twenty four
to twenty five school year, the one just completed. Those
scores continue a dismal trend shown in earlier data, including
prior years MCAST results and the twenty twenty four Nations
report Card tests, which showed students in Massachusetts and nationwide
(06:31):
continuing continuing to lose ground in fourth and eighth grade
reading and eighth grade math. According to Tuttweiler, this also
found in some researches at Harvard and Stanford found that
in twenty twenty four, Massachusetts students were nearly half a
(06:52):
year behind their twenty nineteen same gray peers. So that's
a half a year, that's four to five months. However
you described the year. Bottom line is that I can
(07:13):
read you. I can read your numbers along here, okay.
But these scores are abysmal. Okay. And it goes on
to say that early reading scores showed limited signs, limited
signs that Governor Moore Healey's investments in evidence based reading
instruction had taken hold. As yet, third grade students made
(07:35):
no progress from twenty twenty four, with forty two meeting expectations.
These are third graders on the reading test compared to
fifty six percent pre pandemic. So without the new form
of instruction, the student's pre pandemic fifty six percent. We're
getting the reading level in the third grade, which I'm
told by educators is probably the most important mark of
(08:00):
future success of a student. If they're reading out are
above grade level in third grade, they're on a really
good glidepath. If they're reading below, they're on a problematic liepath.
Simple as that. So we could go through all of these,
but I would like to find out from those of
you in Massachusetts and elsewhere how important is it to you.
(08:25):
These scores To me are critically important because this is
our future. And I don't care how old you are.
If you are out of high school, the people behind
you are going to be the future residents and employees
of Massachusetts. And unless we're going to import people who
(08:48):
are doing better than our own kids on math, reading,
and science, we're going to have problems going forwards. Now,
I'm somebody who believes that they need to go back
in Massachusetts in terms of reading to phonics. Now, I
(09:11):
know that some of you are going to say, oh, Dan,
it's look and I'm not advertising for any company. You know,
there's a whole bunch of phonics companies out there that
parents can can get for their kids. I spent some money,
not a law, and some time with my kids when
they were young, three and four years old and introduce
(09:34):
them to phonics, identifying letters and then putting letters together
to make words, and finally putting words together to make sentences.
That's a pretty simple concept. I would love to know
if you are old enough to have children, are you
teaching them to read in your home before they're going
(09:55):
to school? Or are you assuming that you're going to
leave it up to either the preschool, the kindergarten, or
the first, second, and third grade, Because if you're doing that,
that's a mistake. In my opinion, I think that you
have the primary responsibility to make sure your kids are
ready for school, and the most important element is reading.
(10:20):
In my opinion, second most important element is some fundamental
understanding of math. So they're not sitting there in the
first grade and it's all going over their heads. So
I want to know do you agree with me? Have
you employed that tactic? And then the other question is
how do we take care of the kids in Massachusetts
whose parents may not be interested in doing that. A
(10:46):
lot of families have internal strife, and look, not every
family is. No family's perfect as far as I'm concerned,
but some families are better than others. How do we
take care of the kids in Massachusetts who are coming
from tougher circumstances where maybe education is not as valued
as it should be. I'm going to open this up
(11:09):
for conversation, and I really hope and expect that some
of you are interested in sharing your viewpoints on this,
because it is about your future, our future here in Massachusetts,
and right now we for all the advantage advantages that
we have, we are failing miserably, and our politicians are
fail of failing our kids miserably. Not as bad as
(11:33):
that superintendent in des Moines, Iowa today that I read
about who has found out he's the superintendent of public
schools in Des Moines, Iowa and he is here as
an illegal immigrant and has actually had a court order
to depart the country. Is that once the superintendent of
public schools at Des Moines, Iowa. Hopefully we have nothing
like that. Here. Here are the numbers, six, one, seven, two, five,
(11:55):
four to ten thirty six one seven, nine, three one,
ten thirty. This is not a tough topic, but it's
a topic that people need to weigh in on. I'm
a firm believer in everything I've said. I hope you
are as well. If you disagree with me, that's fine too.
How do we help kids? Because I want kids when
they graduate from high school here in Massachusetts to be
(12:17):
prepared either to go on to college or to join
the workforce. That's their choice and it's their aptitude. But
we're not helping them along the way those first eighteen years.
Once you're out of high school, you never that's over.
You were then launched. Come on back on Nightside, let's
hear from.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
You with Dan Ray. I'm Boston's news Radio.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
Well, it seems to me that maybe people aren't interested
in this topic. So what I'm gonna do is I'm
gonna give you one more shot here and then we'll
change topics at ten thirty. That's fine with me. But
I think if you're not interested in this topic, you're
not thinking because whether or not, again, I would love
to know, for those of you who have kids, how
(13:09):
much preparation did you provide for your kids before they
entered school formally, whether it was again preschool, kindergarten, or
first grade. Well, I guess everybody goes kindergarten these days.
I never went to kindergarten. I hit first grade. How
much time did you spend prepping your kids or did
you just say, hey, they're fine, they're going to and
(13:31):
maybe they did really well. Simple as that. If you
are a student or a younger parent, what are you
doing with your kids right now? If fIF three, four, five,
six years old, are you basically saying, okay, you know,
we'll put them on the big yellow school bus and
they'll be all set. I guess some kids do that
(13:54):
and it works. I think that's a risk. I really
think that is a risk. It's all also a real risk.
I care, and I'm telling you the truth when I
say this, I care more about I care as much
about my kid's success as I care about the success
(14:14):
of every kid in the cormauth of Massachusetts. I know
the politicians give that a lot of lip service. We
compensate teachers in Massachusetts very well. And I know there
was someone going to say, well, this school district, they're
a little bit behind, but teachers now are striking. We've
gone through all of that in Newton and a whole
(14:34):
whole group of other communities. I don't know that that
is good Newton, remember a couple of years ago lost
I think the entire month of January, or virtually the
entire month of January because of a teacher strikes. That's
a kind of a secondary topic here. But we have
(14:54):
on balance on whole, we have really well paid teachers
at the elementary, junior, high, in high school levels here
in Massachusetts, particularly compared to other parts of the country. Now,
cost of living here is a little bit more expensive,
might even be arguably in certain cities and communities much
more expensive. And I'm not opposed to compensating teachers. That's
(15:18):
not the purpose of what I want to talk about.
I want to talk about is what are we doing,
either as a society or as individuals with our own
kids to get our kids ready. Must tell you that
once a child falls behind educationally, it's almost impossible for
(15:42):
them to catch up. It's sad, but it's true. It is.
Sometimes you can say to a kid, well, the kid
maybe is a he'll catch a growth spirit, and all
of a sudden, some kid who was five foot two
and in the seventh grade or whatever, or fourth foot
(16:03):
eleven in the seventh grade is six' two by time
they were junior in high. School, Okay i'm not talking
about physical. Growth i'm talking, about you, know educational, growth
growth and scholastic. Growth the numbers don't. Lie we are
doing horribly In. MASSACHUSETTS i don't think it's necessarily the
teacher's false. Fault i'm not making that argument at. All
(16:25):
i'm not suggesting that teachers should should should be penalized
if their students don't. WELL i think it is a.
Combination the schools have to be, better in my, opinion
but the parents have to take more interest in their,
kids because no one will take more interest in your
(16:47):
kids than. You it's just a fact of. Life SO
i will once more give you the opportunity six, one, seven, two, five,
four ten. THIRTY i introduced these topics BECAUSE i think
these are topics that everyone can relate. To last hour
was a very specific topic about a group of people
(17:07):
whose homes will be taken from them and whether or
not they will be adequately compensated under the laws of eminent.
Domain and you don't want that to happen to you
under any. Circumstances but this topic is a topic that
everybody should be thinking, about, because however old you are
(17:28):
or however young you, are we need good people In
massachusetts in the. Pipeline and the politicians give it a
lot of, talk but do they really. Care and when
you look at these, numbers these are frightening, numbers frightening
numbers that we are not doing as well With massachusetts
(17:51):
kids as they are In louisiana And. Alabama that isn't even.
Close that's not a close. Call six, one, seven, two, five,
four ten. THIRTY i have one line, there AND i
have well dot desk field AND i have two lines
at six, one, seven, nine, three one ten. Thirty AND
i am gratified many of you are calling in and
(18:13):
we will get to all of, YOU i. Promise and
there's no right and wrong answer. Here this is this
is a perfect night side, topic in my, opinion for
those who actually, think just keep it going. Here and
by the, way if you are a first time caller
AND i see a bunch of names here WHICH i don't,
recognize please let us. Know we'd always love to acknowledge
first time. Callers the only available line right now is six, one, seven, nine, three,
(18:35):
one ten. Thirty we'll be back On nightside right after.
Speaker 1 (18:37):
This if you're On Night side With Dan ray on
You Bzy boston's News.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
Radio so the lead story in the newscast is exactly
what we're talking. About AND i appreciate everyone who's called
in this is this is one WHERE i think we
can truly learn from one. Another let me go To
linae in. Situate, Hi, linee welcome To. Nightside how are?
Speaker 3 (18:59):
YOU i am.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
GOOD i got a Feeling i've ever talked to you, before.
Speaker 4 (19:06):
Maybe a very long time.
Speaker 5 (19:07):
Ago, okay well.
Speaker 2 (19:09):
Come around more. Often so what's your take on this?
Speaker 4 (19:12):
One listen To, So, yeah my mother was kindergarten and
first grade, teacher so she taught all of us to
read before we entered. School and like, you we didn't
go to kindergarten because you had to pay to go to.
Kindergarten it wasn't public, school so none of us went to.
Kindergarten and then WHEN i had my, GIRLS i did
(19:35):
the same sort of. Thing we started sounding out letters and.
THINGS i used phone letters in the bathtub with them
that would stick to the wall and we could spell
words that. Way, YEAH i tried to turn everything that we,
know going to the grocery, store everywhere we went into
a learning experience in some, way you, know just talking
(19:56):
about the names of the vegetables and that sort of.
Thing and then like with, math you, know when we
were dividing up something at, home we would talk, about you,
know how many is this and how many is?
Speaker 2 (20:07):
This so ABSOLUTELY i used to do that with fruit
out of the get fruit out of the, uh out
of the. Refrigerator, yeah apples and oranges and how many
apples and make them count how many? Oranges, okay let's
put them? Together how many they? Together that sort of. Thing,
well you, know it's it's so it's so, easy and
(20:28):
it's actually fun with kids in my, life it's.
Speaker 4 (20:30):
Fun, yeah it's fun to do with your. Kids so,
yeah SO i like it WHEN i hear other people
in the, store in the grocery, store you, know they're
doing similar things that they're talking with their kids about various,
things and.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
That the problem is what do you do for what
do you do four kids who don't have a mom like,
you who is turning you, know every day activities into you,
know a learning. Experience what what do you do to
those kids who come into the first grade and they
don't know their alphabet right? Letters how can you learn
(21:05):
to read if you don't know your? Letters you got
to you, know it's all. Fundamentals AND i don't know
that THEY i don't know. That maybe there's some teachers
out that the whill tell me that that they. Give
you don't want to think that a kid coming in
the first grade has to do remedial letters or remedial.
Alphabet you'd like to think the remedial courses are for
(21:27):
kids in high school when they're taking Remedial french or remedial.
Speaker 4 (21:30):
This but, right, YEAH i know WHEN i was in first,
grade we had reading, groups and because there were, two
only two of us in the class who could already,
read she was so limited in what was in her.
Classroom it was all pre primer, literature you. Know shee
spot run those kinds of, things and she didn't want
(21:52):
us to be, bored so she was to put us
out in the hallway and tell us to read the.
Encyclopedia and that was she handled.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
It now that there are a lot of schools that
are getting rid of that would be sort of AN
ap course in first grade or kindergarten or the equivalent
of AN api. Course, now a lot of schools they
get rid of those. Courses they don't want they want
everybody to, graduate and know you, know they're not going
to have a person who's the number. ONE i was
(22:18):
never number one in my, class so believe, ME i
could care. Less but you, know if a kid is
the smartest kid in the, class you, know the kid
who's the best football, player the, quarterback he's going to
get he's going to get. Acknowledged why shouldn't another, kid
another young man or young, woman be acknowledged as the
smartest kid in the. CLASS i just think that there's
this drive toward, mediocrity which doesn't help anyone in my.
Speaker 4 (22:41):
Opinion SO i don't know if teachers now can divide
students into you, know reading, groups and maybe they have
an aid in the, class it's something that could lead one.
Speaker 2 (22:52):
Group, well that's exactly that's where we have. Gone AND
i would love to hear from teachers on. That but
all teachers, now WHEN i went to, school there were
no teaching aids in. School there was one nun for fifty.
KIDS i remember we had three kids, no we had
fifty kids in a class At. St Anne school In.
Revillain my first grade, teacher Sister, geraldine she dealt with
fifty kids in the class AND i know it sounds
(23:16):
insane by today's, standards but that was that's what and
that's what she had to, do and we didn't appreciate,
it didn't understand it at the. TIME, linee thank you
so much for. CALLING i don't know how long it's,
been BUT i didn't recognize your, Name so please call
back again a little bit, more uh more.
Speaker 4 (23:35):
Frequently, okay all, RIGHT i do listen to that.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
Though that's. Okay never stopped at and we started year
nineteen On, wednesday SO i expect to at least hear
you at some point next. Year, okay Thanks. Lenae that's
your homework. Designment thank, you good. NIGHT a couple of
folks dropped, off SO i got some. Lines if you
called and got a busy signal six, one, seven, two, five,
four ten. Thirty if you were driving and you you
(24:00):
lost the, signal call us. Back Harvey silverglade has checked,
in my great friend From cambridge And Harvard Law school In. Princeton, harvey,
welcome how are.
Speaker 5 (24:10):
You, FINE i might have said this before, then but you,
KNOW i think that one of the problems with public
education is that the teachers. Unions have you ever dealt
with a teachers?
Speaker 2 (24:28):
Union not, directly but, OKAY i THINK i understand where
you're going with. This go.
Speaker 5 (24:35):
AHEAD i have dealt directly with the teachers. Union as
strongly AS i am in favor of unionization in the private,
SECTOR i think it's essential the protection of. Labor, YEP
i am as equally opposed to unionization in the public.
(24:59):
Sector and the reason is, this in the private sector
there are two, sides each negotiating with their own. Money
there's the company or, shareholders and there's labor labor. Union
in the public, sector in the bargaining between the teachers'
(25:20):
union and the and the school committee or whatever it is,
called And cambridge is called the school, committee there's only
one side because the School committee is bargaining with OH,
pm other people's. Money, sure, Absolutely and years, ago let
(25:43):
me tell you the. Story in the in The Martin
Luther King Junior school In, cambridge a fellow Named Robert
moses was introducing a new math who was developing a
new math, curriculum and he, decided because he was A cambridge,
(26:07):
resident he would ask The Cambridge Public schools if he
could teach fifth grade math. Algebra his thesis was that
the reason kids had trouble with math was that they
didn't understand minus. Numbers they could they could envision two
(26:32):
cats or three, cats they couldn't envision minus. Three, okay
he gets, understandable so he had unless.
Speaker 2 (26:42):
You took, it unless you had him watch A patriots football,
game and when the quarterback gets tackled and, sacked or
the running back that gets the ball in its stopped
three yards behind the, line it's no longer first and,
ten it's second and.
Speaker 5 (26:54):
Thirteen go ahead is excepted every rule, Anyway so he
asked The cambridge The School committee for permission to, teach
but that no. Salary he was doing this out of
his own, pocket and the school committee approved. It, obviously
(27:22):
the teachers union raised the huge. Fuss he was not
a member of the Teacher he had A harvard pH.
D but he was not a member of the teachers.
Union so the school committee reversed the. Decision elsa AND
i or else To my late wife organized a group
(27:45):
of parents to show up at the school committee, being
and we nearly had a riot over, there and they
reversed themselves again despite the. Union And bob Taught isaac's
fifth grade, class and every kid in that, class and
(28:12):
with one single, exception ended up going to college and
having a successful. Life bob was, right and how he
taught the negative numbers was. Brilliant he took us AND
i went with him BECAUSE i was curious about. This
(28:33):
he took us on the red line and he starts
At Park. Street he, said, okay, Kids, Todd Harvard square's plus.
Numbers So Mass General brigham is plus ONE, M i
t is. Plus the other direction IS. M and the
(29:00):
kids understood. Immediately my.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
Thumb he could have used my my analogy of a
football play, too same, Principle. HARVEY i, am by the, Way,
harvey it's just it's not funny, here but it's sort of.
Ironic there's a story that the globe is just. Breaking,
okay and this is, this this has just, happened it
(29:26):
Says cambridge. Superintendent the superintendent Of Cambridge public schools a.
Finalist before he was A Cambridge Public school, finalist he
lost seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars on a crypto,
scam then sued his. Bank, so first of, all how
(29:46):
do you make seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars in
late twenty twenty. One in early twenty, two this finalist
withdrew seven hundred and fifty one, thousand five hundred dollars
to invest in and purported crypto currency. Platform according to
a lawsuit he, filed the money was gone in what
he called a, scam and later sued his bank for
(30:07):
letting him do. It this will be in The globe,
tomorrow and this gentleman is not the superintendent. Now he
is currently an assistant superintendent In revere and has not
(30:30):
yet answered. Questions according to The globe story written By
Spencer buell that hit their website at five point thirty four,
today he's currently an assistant superintendent In revere has not
yet answered questions publicly about the lawsuit or about separate
allegations made against him in some twenty thirteen. Divorce as
(30:52):
the city moves forward toward filing the seat vacated by
its former, Superintendent Victoria, career the school committee voted in
twenty twenty four to end her contract. Early That's cambridge.
Speaker 5 (31:09):
Sleep Public hardy The People's republic.
Speaker 2 (31:13):
Of Came, yes we got. That, thanks we'll talk. SOON
i don't laugh at the Nord Is harvey laugh at
the problems that other people. Have BUT i just how
do you lose seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars if
your your career is in public? SCHOOL i don't, know
but we'll have to see the rest of the globe.
(31:34):
Store All, right we get. BACK i Got audrey And
Peabty tom In South. BOSTON i will get you both.
In you stay there if you guys want to continue
to talk about this in the next hour weeken or
we can change topics six one, seven, two five four
to ten thirty six one seven.
Speaker 1 (31:47):
Nine It's Night side With Dan ray on W boston's news.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
Radio let me go To audrey And. Peavity, Hey, audrey
appreciate your holding on your next On.
Speaker 6 (31:58):
Nightside, Hi, dan this Is, audrey And i'm looking at
your topic.
Speaker 3 (32:04):
From a dual.
Speaker 6 (32:04):
Perspective i'm a parent as well as a retired. Teacher.
Yeah so when you, know my son was, young we
would always read to. Him his grandmother was a librarian
At harvard for forty, years so he was a really
very strong. Reader he was very, advanced but going to,
(32:27):
school you, know they weren't pushing him to get.
Speaker 3 (32:34):
Better it was more he was almost bored in.
Speaker 6 (32:38):
School because he was a little bit ahead of the
rest of the.
Speaker 1 (32:43):
Group it.
Speaker 6 (32:44):
Happened and then, yeah so when he was in like eighth,
grade they had put him in like a special educational.
Speaker 7 (32:54):
Class and he kept on.
Speaker 6 (32:56):
Coming this was a math, class and he was coming home,
saying you know what grade and would say this to their, Parents,
mom math is so. Easy i'm doing third grade.
Speaker 3 (33:04):
MATH i just don't get. IT i don't understand my
like it's so.
Speaker 6 (33:08):
Easy i'm getting, hundreds and the other students aren't doing really.
Speaker 2 (33:11):
Well.
Speaker 6 (33:12):
Well in any, EVENT i called the school AND i
spoke to the guidance, counselor and this was very, interesting
AND i, said you, Know i'm calling the god my
son and she, said, well what is his.
Speaker 3 (33:26):
Name and all, that AND i, said, well he's.
Speaker 6 (33:29):
Complaining that his math class is too, easy and she, goes,
oh we were going over the M pas scores and
he was one of the students that actually scored advanced in.
Math AND i, said, well can you check his schedule
or whatever to see because he's not in the right,
placement and needless to, say they found out he was
(33:51):
in a special ed class that was doing like remedial
math addition and, subtraction and he scored advanced on the
eighth grade m. Cast so they by the time the
whole thing was, rectified which was like after the winter,
vacation The christmas, break they changed the schedule and put
(34:12):
him in a regular math. Class so what happened to
him was he never got the basic basic stuff for.
Algebra so now they're doing they're getting more advanced in,
algebra and he never got the basic information and he
became deficient in math. Forever he ended up going To
(34:33):
Governor's academy and went to a really good. School always did,
very very poorly in, Math AND i really do blame
it to the public.
Speaker 3 (34:42):
School that he went.
Speaker 7 (34:43):
To that, boy and it was his homeroom teacher and
all the students in that. Class being a, teacher myself
had to be on AN, iep an individual educational, plan
and they never caught it UNTIL i. Called so, luckily
being a, TEACHER i was able to figure.
Speaker 3 (35:03):
Out what was going on and make the phone. Call but,
There i'm sure there Are that's the.
Speaker 2 (35:07):
Point you, know you, know you did right by your,
son but how many other, people, uh we're in a
similar situation would not have identified? That oh do that's
an amazing. STORY i hope he's doing. Well is he
going off to? College is he in?
Speaker 6 (35:20):
College or is He oh, yeah, yeah, yeah he's, graduated
he's got a master's That.
Speaker 3 (35:27):
But now let me just let me add my second.
Speaker 6 (35:30):
Perspective so being a, Teacher, Okay i'm a retired, teacher
so when you're, instructing.
Speaker 7 (35:37):
You you can't you have to teach.
Speaker 3 (35:40):
To the lower end of the.
Speaker 6 (35:43):
Kids so you can't really push like the ambassed place
advanced placement. Courses OH i.
Speaker 2 (35:49):
Understand, YEAH i totally get. That AND i think that's
why they need probably to you, know to to maybe
not put kids in uh classes by their, age but
maybe you have a kid who's a third grade age
but move him up to fourth grade and uh and
and not let kids get. Lost if there's a kid
(36:09):
in fourth grade who can't handle, it have him take
some courses in the third. Grade there has to be
more individualized understanding of what kids. Needs what kids needs
Are in my, Opinion, AUDREY i wanted to try to
get one more in here before the. Break thank? You
have you called? Before is this your first?
Speaker 3 (36:26):
Time, No i've called. BEFORE i want you to keep.
Speaker 2 (36:30):
Calling, okay thank you so.
Speaker 3 (36:31):
Much okod night you.
Speaker 2 (36:34):
Too let me go To tom And South, Boston tommy
next on, NIGHTS i get you in here before the.
Newscast go right, Ahead.
Speaker 8 (36:38):
Tom, Hey, dan how you doing, good? Sir just going
back to the beginning when you, Started, yeah we're talking
about education In boston and the.
Speaker 2 (36:51):
History, yeah In massachusetts, generally but Certainly boston is a great. City.
Speaker 8 (36:56):
Yep you talked About western mass and all the colleges
In boston and the history and the families and all that,
stuff and that was.
Speaker 5 (37:06):
Great that was.
Speaker 8 (37:07):
Great and then we jumped to some of the stuff
About cambridge AND i had to laugh when you you
were talking to the fellow about negative, numbers Because i'm
an electrical, guy SO i learned a lot about negative
(37:29):
numbers and that was kind of. Funny but and you
related it to sports and everything in the red dye
and that was. Good that was. Good but then we
got into the, uh the teaching pat of things and
how do we how do we get the kids on?
(37:49):
Board AND i THINK i disagree with. YOU i think
there were pockets In boston that have a good education
that teaching the, kids and there are good people bringing
the kids. Up and it's little pockets like The Perry
(38:10):
school In South. Boston you, know people are trying to
people are trying to make things.
Speaker 2 (38:18):
Better i'm not criticizing. People i'm just saying THAT i
think the system right now is. Broken if the results
across the state are as deplorable as they, are we
got to look at doing something, better that's. All you.
Know if if The, patriots you, know had started off
zero to four and they were going to have another terrible,
season god knows where they're going to end, Up, tom
(38:39):
you sometimes got to shake it up a little, bit you.
Know that's All i'm.
Speaker 8 (38:42):
Saying i'm with, You i'm with, You BUT i think
there's some good stories out, there.
Speaker 2 (38:47):
And well you know WHAT i you, know when when
there's a good, Story i'll do. It and if our
scores were, great i'd Be i'd be shouting from the.
Mountaintops but they're, not and we got to do something
to make them. Great, TOM i Got jim before the,
break BUT i gotta let you run BECAUSE i got
my newscast coming at. Me, okay good, talk great talk with,
You talk Soon. Okay if you're on the, line like
(39:09):
to stay, there love to continue the, conversation and if,
not we will move on to a different. Topic on
the other side of the eleven o'clock news
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