Friday, May 11, 2012

Massachusetts' Gateway Cities Education Agenda

Part of Governor Deval Patrick's second term education agenda includes focusing more resources on Gateway Cities in an effort to close the achievement gap among students. The 24 Gateway Cities are:

  • Barnstable
  • Brockton
  • Chelsea
  • Chicopee
  • Everett
  • Fall River 
  • Fitchburg
  • Haverhill
  • Holyoke
  • Lawrence
  • Leominster
  • Lowell
  • Lynn
  • Malden
  • Methuen
  • New Bedford
  • Pittsfield
  • Quincy
  • Revere
  • Salem
  • Springfield
  • Taunton
  • Westfield
  • Worcester

Massachusetts' Gateway Cities are home to many of the state's immigrant, low income and English Language Learner students. Pittsfield, for example, is 55.2% low income while Revere is 48.1% First Language not English. Thus, the state's education agenda will focus on these cities where achievement gaps are most persistent. The education strategy will focus on four main goals:
  1. Getting every child to read proficiency by the third grade
  2. Providing every child with a healthy platform for education
  3. Creating a differentiated education system that meets each student, particularly English Language Learners, where they are
  4. Preparing all students for college and career success 
The Gateway Cities education agenda serves as part of Governor Patrick's Achievement Gap Act of 2010.

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