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MCAS scores tell a story: Are we listening?

October 20, 2023

Executive Director of 826 Boston Corey Yarbrough sits on a chair, holds a mic, and speaks animatedly.

Community problems require community solutions, and it will take a village—and a lot of hard work—to respond to the growing disparities faced by today’s youth. But I know we’re up for the challenge.

The Bay State Banner and CommonWealth just published an op-ed by our new Executive Director Corey Yarbrough. In the piece, Corey takes a closer look at the recently published MCAS scores and shares ideas on how to work together to narrow the achievement gap—especially for Black and Latino students.

“Boston Public Schools students performed below the Massachusetts average across all grade levels and all subjects measured by the exam—and Black, Latino, and other marginalized student communities fared worse than their white and Asian counterparts,” he writes.

According to Corey, the key to narrowing this gap for Black and Latino students is to invest in programs supporting educators, and programs that provide individualized instruction for students, much like 826 Boston’s model of personalized, high-dosage tutoring.

A recent 826 National study shows that investing more time and resources in writing education has led to significant growth in learning. In 2022, students in 826 Network programs showed a statistically significant 6% improvement in writing assessment scores, with Black students experiencing the most significant improvement, with a 12% gain. You can read more about this study here.

Read Corey’s full op-ed published in the Bay State Banner and CommonWealth.

 


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