MASC

Governor Deval Patrick today allocated $204 million from the federal Education Jobs Fund to school districts across the Commonwealth.A combination of state and federal dollars totaling $4.07 billion will ensure all school districts receive more state aid - at least $25 per student - than they did last year. The new funding, which follows yesterday's announcement that Massachusetts secured $250 million in federal Race to the Top dollars, will support an estimated 2,700 teaching positions.

The DESE has released a model plan to assist school districts in developing their own strategies to respond to and prevent bullying in schools. The model plan includes details on the roles of school leaders, required professional development for all school and district staff, identification of and access to appropriate and useful resources, development of age-appropriate instruction on bullying prevention for all grades and draft policies and procedures for reporting and responding to incidents of bullying and retaliation. The plan also suggests ways to involve families and partner with community resources.

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education cited the increased academic rigor and stronger expectations for student performance when it voted 8-0 to adopt the Common Core Standards in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics on Wednesday, making Massachusetts the 27th state to adopt the internationally benchmarked academic standards that promise to keep the Commonwealth's students national leaders in education.