School districts in Massachusetts have struggled with educational inequity for decades. Stemming from disadvantages in certain communities and a lack of government funding, inequities in education lead to unfair advantages for some school systems and less than adequate resources for others. Massachusetts, despite being ranked as the state with the “best school system” in the United States, is a textbook example of a public school system rife with educational inequity. To fight this, Cambridge public schools have implemented initiatives such as “controlled choice.” But have these solutions worked?
The Root History of Educational Inequity and its Consequences
Educational inequality in Massachusetts arose as a result of some of the U.S.’s earliest laws. In an interview with the Harvard Political Review, Katherine K. Merseth, a senior lecturer at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, explained the consequences of school districts that were set up in the 1700s. “We defined it based on neighborhoods where you lived.” Referring to the Northwest Ordinances of 1785 and 1787, Merseth noted how early laws established “that every member of the town must pay for the education of the children.”
This practice has led to disproportionate educational systems across communities. Zip codes with wealthier homeowners have higher property taxes to support their schools, while larger rental communities have much less money actually going back to schools.
The dangers of educational inequity become clear when looking at the people it impacts the most. “We continue to be a racist society,” Merseth exclaimed. “People of color find it harder to get jobs. There is housing and food they can’t afford. Frankly, indigenous people have gotten screwed in every turn.”
The Massachusetts Educational Equity Partnership echoes Merseth’s claims about the dangers of educational inequity. Early education is an important factor in this, as Genesis Carela, the Massachusetts Policy Associate at The Education Trust, which leads and convenes MEEP, stated. “In Massachusetts, only about 5.4% of families can afford infant care, according to the Health and Human Services index.” Carela also pointed to the proven racial disparities that contribute to these gaps, such as a lower amount of Latinx children being enrolled in early-education programs as compared to their white counterparts.
With a lack of funding, access to AP courses, tutoring, and representation of teachers that reflect student’s identities, inequities in resources are further enhanced. “Those disparities in graduation are not a result of a student’s inability to learn or their racial, ethnic, socio-economic background. It’s really the opportunities that they don’t get,” Carela said.
Carela explained how educational inequality follows students after graduation and “affects students’ lifetime earnings, social and economic mobility, and their overall quality of life and healthcare access.” A lack of fair educational access exacerbates economic and social disparities. These gaps divide our country, perpetuating an inequality that is a danger to the well-being of our society.
Current Initiatives in Massachusetts
Chanthy Lopes, the Assistant Director for Engagement and Communications for Massachusetts, explained that Massachusetts’ top-ranking education takes away from students getting the attention they deserve when they do face inequities, which hinders students in the state. MEEP is working to combat these problems. They do this in three ways: “Drawing attention to both educational inequities and Massachusetts, advocating for policies and practices that improve outcomes and opportunities for traditionally underserved students…and [working] alongside students, families, and communities to build both urgency and collective will,” said Lopes.
Over the past few years, MEEP’s work has created a conversation across the state by putting together an agenda to further its mission. MEEP assembled a report, titled “There is No Excellence Without Equity: A Path Forward for Education in Massachusetts” to highlight the historical inequities in Massachusetts and to recommend changes that advance the educational system and promote equality within it.
MEEP representatives recognize the consequences of educational inequities in Massachusetts, but they acknowledge that educational changes must work alongside other groups: “We’re not asking anyone to do this alone. We are asking leadership to lean on the organization, and people that are committed to the work that have expertise and lived experience, to lean on us to be able to support,” Lopes explained.
A potential successful example of groups working together toward educational change can be found in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In the 1970s and 1980s, consultant Michael Alves proposed an initiative to the Cambridge Public School District called “controlled choice,” meaning that parents could choose which school to send their students to. CPSD was the first school district in America to adopt this system, which has allowed districts to become more racially and socioeconomically balanced despite gentrification and other sources of inequality.
“Cambridge has been a controlled choice district for over 30 years. The impact that has had on our students and families, we’ve actually been able to diversify our 18 schools very differently, I think more than other schools and school districts across the country who do not have control choice,” said Dr. Victoria Greer, the superintendent of CPSD.
Greer explained that controlled choice is measured through numerous methods, ranging from students who qualify for free and reduced lunch to the reflection of diversity in the city.
Managing controlled choice districts is not an easy task, as it requires complex planning and analysis. This includes the complicated transportation system provided by the district, consisting of 32 buses and 134 routes. Transportation is provided regardless of a family’s chosen school, even if it is miles away.
However, the rewards of the system are worth the trouble. “Our students and our families are able to engage with communities that they may otherwise not engage with or individuals in the community they will not otherwise engage with.” Greer notices a difference in her district’s community, seeing families embracing each other’s culture and backgrounds. “I think that we’ve been able to create a really kind and inclusive community by our controlled choice opportunities,” Greer said.
In addition to controlled choice, in 2021, the CPSD created the Office of Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging. The OEIB evaluates and problem-solves equity-related challenges, evaluating each level of the district to ensure a commitment to “long-term, multi-generational, and multifaceted initiatives,” according to Dr. Greer. Additionally, collaboration with Lesley University, where an early college program encourages first-generation high school students to take courses for credit, has helped provide a bridge to access higher education.
To help combat inequities and cultivate diversity and inclusion within the district, CPSD has also made many accommodations for minority groups. According to Dr. Greer, these changes include the addition of Juneteenth, the provision of a prayer space, the recognition of the Islamic holiday Eid-al-Fitr, and financial support for the Gay-Straight Alliance and Rainbow Clubs. Furthermore, the district has dedicated resources to support students and promote equity and inclusion by providing stipends to families involved in the school communities.
Greer champions these efforts because she recognizes the impacts of educational inequities and their potential to negatively affect a school district. “All institutions of public education are being challenged by it. The achievement and the opportunity gap is most prevalent when we think about our most vulnerable students. Whether it’s socio-economic differences or cultural-race differences, the inequities tend to feed into the growing gap between students,” she reflected.
Inequities within education also filter through to employment. Greer noted that, “We’re also finding that our Black and Brown males are either unemployed or underemployed in the city. While we’re only steps away from one of the most progressive biotech squares in the nation, many of those positions and jobs and opportunities are not held by our young people of color.”
Greer hopes that the initiatives of the Cambridge Public School District will continue to help bridge the gap of educational inequity among students and is looking forward to the future. “I am just very excited about just all that we have happening in our schools and the partnership that we have with our city. Without our city, government, our city manager, and all the people that partner with us, we will not be able to do the work that we do,” she said.
Solutions for All
How can continued education reform actually be achieved? According to Lopes, “The next phase for us in particular, after this education agenda, which was more about centering the conversation, is getting really concrete.” This means researching, writing letters, and advocating championing specific programs.
While controlled choice has done much to promote diversity and inclusion in Cambridge, it should not stand alone. To help struggling school districts in Massachusetts and beyond, controlled choice and similar tools must be considered for more widespread implementation.
Greer believes that the push for universal preschool is a huge step in the right direction. In the fall of 2024, Cambridge is slated to launch a free, universal preschool program. Expanding this across the state could go a long way toward helping families provide educational opportunities for its residents from an early age.
Carela would also like to see an allocation of funding, such as setting aside funds from the American Rescue Plan Act, to specifically address issues like academic mental health and social-emotional learning. “We’re really encouraging school districts to address some of these gaps in the learning losses that students will experience and really prepare students for the next grade levels. I think that’s really a concrete opportunity that I would point to.”
CPSD and other Massachusetts districts have been making progress in bridging the gap of educational inequity, but there is always room for improvement throughout the state and country. Through implementing programs such as controlled choice, universal preschool, and diversity accommodations, our education system can finally become the great equalizer that it ought to be.
