The School Series

Since the passage of the Massachusetts Education Reform Act in 1993, the Commonwealth’s education system has been the gold standard for schools across the nation and world. However, despite consistently ranking as one of the top states for education, disparities in access to quality schools and the resources needed for academic success remain prevalent. The social and economic consequences of failing to address these inequities are profound.

The Council has a longstanding history of supporting and advancing education policies that balance state financial aid with high standards of student assessment and empowerment and accountability for educators, and ensure all public-school students and parents have access to innovative and high-performing institutions. In 2019, the Council provided a testimony to the Joint Committee on Education to support House Bill 70, An Act to Promote Equity and Excellence in Education, also known as the Student Opportunity Act. As an affiliate of the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education, the Council continues to advocate for policies that improve our schools and provide equitable access to resources, a fundamental piece for closing opportunity, and eventually, achievement gaps.

Photo by Vanessa Loring from Pexels

One of the most important challenges and opportunities our Commonwealth faces in our efforts to move the state towards greater equity for all is the continued improvement of Massachusetts’ public schools. By addressing inequities within the state’s education pipeline, current levels of income inequality could reduce dramatically, which is essential to sustaining Massachusetts’ post-pandemic economic recovery and long-term economic well-being. Specifically, the Commonwealth must maintain and enhance the quality achieved by many public school districts, while accentuating efforts to close and eliminate persistent opportunity gaps that separate low-income students, English language learners, students with a disability, and students of color from their peers.

Public Charter Schools, private and parochial schools each provide important and successful models that tackle these inequities head-on. To truly make Massachusetts the world’s most attractive place to live and work, and to create, operate, and grow high technology businesses, it is critical that ALL Massachusetts students, regardless of ZIP code, have access to high-quality education that equips them for a lifetime of success and provides our innovation economy with the talent-based fuel that powers it.

The School Series: Addressing Education Opportunity Gaps

In 2021, the Massachusetts High Technology Council proudly launched The School Series, a Diversity, Equity and Opportunity (DEO) Initiative series dedicated to addressing educational opportunity gaps by connecting members and other leaders with K-12 schools and programs that operate in low-income and under-resourced communities across the state. Through events, partnerships, and data-driven insight, The School Series will feature institutions that are making an impact in the lives of low-income students and highlight the importance of ensuring these schools have the resources and tools needed to provide students with a path to limitless opportunity.

Student Pathways to Success Coalition

The High Tech Council is a proud member of Student Pathways to Success, a cross-sector coalition of organizations committed to educational equity representing students, parents, educators, and employers. It aims to universalize access to a meaningful and relevant high school education for all students that puts them on a pathway to college and career success.

Student Pathways to Success recognizes that a “one size” approach to education, particularly in high school, is not working to meet either graduate or workforce needs. We designed the goals to expand options for students, including:

Led by the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education (MBAE), coalition partners include Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM), Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, Massachusetts Competitive Partnership, Massachusetts Parents United, Massachusetts Business Roundtable, Mass Technology Leadership Council, the Boys & Girls Club of Boston, The Education Trust, Teach Plus, Urban League of Springfield, Latinos for Education, and Educators for Excellence.

Sponsors & Partners

Upcoming Events & Programs

The demand for STEM-educated talent has never been greater, yet too few students pursue studies in these critical fields. During the next School Series program, we will examine how organizations can help nurture future tech talent in underrepresented communities through internship programs. Join 2022 annual sponsor Analog Devices, Inc. and MITRE on November 17 to learn about two distinctive high school internship programs that are working to nurture early interest in STEM fields, especially within underrepresented communities, while helping to close the representation gap.

Join the Student Pathways to Success coalition on November 29 for Sparking Student Breakthroughs: Improving Educational and Economic Opportunities for All, a webinar that will highlight steps states and schools are taking to better connect student learning to future career opportunities. The event will feature state and national leaders including Lieutenant Governor-Elect Kim Driscoll, Assistant Secretary of the U. S. Dept. of Education Amy Loyd, CEO and Partner of Getting Smart, Tom Vander Ark, a national expert on innovative learning, and Executive Director of the MBAE, Ed Lambert.