• The World Wide Classroom Massachusetts' First Virtual School

    Josh Heffner's favorite school lesson in recent memory didn't involve using a book or sitting at a desk. Instead, he was dressed up in an oversized button-down shirt, his hair styled all wild and crazy. He was a mad scientist, working with his mom in his family's kitchen-turned-lab. "I did a little experiment with super hot water and super cold water, to see which dissolved salt," the 7-year-old from Greenfield explains. "That's pretty cool, isn't it?" Josh's mom says he happily did science projects for most of the day and then completed a lab sheet about them - on the Internet. Read More »

Local Education Guide News

  • When Kids Skip School to take family vacations two teachers' perspective

    Has your boss ever told you that he can spare you for vacation time only in the fall, or have you and your spouse come to the realization that you can afford that Caribbean trip if you go in springtime? You certainly will avoid the crowds if you travel in the off-season and save a bundle of money, too. So, you think, we'll just take the kids out of school. After all, it will only be for a week.

  • Innovation School for Motivated Learners

    Looking for an alternative high school education but the latest cyber schools in Massachusetts and (across the country) are not your thing? If you live in Central Massachusetts, the Pathways Early Innovation School in Gardner is worth checking out. And even if you don't live in the area, take note, as the school serves as a model for other school systems to emulate.

  • The New School Nutrition Law But What About Ice Cream on Fridays?

    No more chocolate milk or ice cream treats in the cafeteria? An end to bake sales and fundraisers selling sweet treats? Is the state trying to regulate what I put in my child's lunch bag? These are just some of the questions swirling about a new school nutrition law that takes effect August 2012.

  • The Voice of the Child Special Education Surrogate Parenting Program (SESPP)

    “I found my calling both personally and professionally,” says Special Education Surrogate Parent Janet Duncan of Falmouth. As the mother of a child with special needs, she learned to navigate the ins and outs of the public education system and, like many other parents, dove in feet first to become familiar with the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process. Suddenly evaluations, diagnoses, therapies, 504 plans, education laws, annual review meetings, impromptu team meetings and seemingly endless paperwork became the agenda of every day.

  • Failure to Check Before they Enter the Classroom...

    Any Massachusetts public school employee could have a criminal conviction and be hired to work in your child's school without anyone's knowledge. That's right. Massachusetts is the only state in New England, including New York, that conducts background checks on an applicant's record in-state only.

  • Sex what you don't want them to learn on the school bus

    My husband and I knew we did not want to leave our three children's sex education up to bus rides, classrooms and the news.

Your Experts