Category Archives: Massachusetts

Voters Don’t Always Think Linearly: The Coakley/Brown Edition

Posted on November 26, 2019 by mikethemadbiologist

And, as always, people have to like this crap. I recently finished Ryan Grim’s We’ve Got People–which is excellent–and I came across this bad memory of Martha Coakley’s Massachusetts failed senate candidacy. To set the stage, after Massachusetts senator Ted … Continue reading →

Posted in Democrats, Fucking Morons, Healthcare, Massachusetts | 2 Comments

Charters And Following The Money

Posted on July 10, 2016 by mikethemadbiologist

Recently, a broad coalition of groups, including the NAACP, sued the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (God save it!) to prevent the state from lifting the cap on the number of charter schools. If you want to know what motivates many supporters, … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Massachusetts | 2 Comments

Some NAEP Thoughts

Posted on October 29, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

The NAEP (The National Assessment of Educational Progress) released the 2015 scores, and, surprisingly, the ensuing discussion was calm and supported with rigorous data-analysis. HA HA! I make the funny! Not so much, but that’s not what this post is … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Massachusetts | Comments Off on Some NAEP Thoughts

Massachusetts Proposes a Millionaire’s Tax

Posted on August 13, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

Over two years ago, when I lived in Massachusetts, I proposed a 10% income tax on every dollar over $780,000 (at the time, Massachusetts had a flat tax of 5.25%): With those assumptions, I find that overall income tax revenues … Continue reading →

Posted in Massachusetts, Taxes | 3 Comments

The Unasked Question About Sen. Warren’s Opposition To The TPP

Posted on May 14, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

President Obama’s recent mansplaining to Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren about the TPP reeks of desperation: if there is one lawyer in the Senate with the brains to understand the Trans-Pacific Partnership (‘TPP) trade agreement, it would be Warren, even under … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, Biotech, Economics, Massachusetts | 4 Comments

Some Thoughts on Charter Schools

Posted on February 12, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

So Monday’s post seemed to set off the charter school advocates. I’ll blame instructor error, but the little Twitter storm that erupted didn’t seem to deal with the larger–and factually accurate–claim that Massachusetts built one of the best educational systems … Continue reading →

Posted in Boston, Education, Massachusetts | 2 Comments

The Faith in the Not Seen Evidence For Education Reform

Posted on February 10, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

To use a phrase. One of the most infuriating things regarding education reform has been its ongoing and slow-motion implementation in Massachusetts. Massachusetts, certainly circa 2010, had an educational system worth emulating nationally–something I repeatedly have argued for: adopt the … Continue reading →

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Massachusetts Regains Sanity Regarding Teacher Licensure

Posted on November 18, 2014 by mikethemadbiologist

A while ago, we discussed the stupidity of a Massachusetts proposal to tie teacher licenses to teacher evaluations. Not employment at a particular school, but the ability to teach anywhere. Good news: the state pulled the proposal. Again, it’s worth … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Massachusetts | 1 Comment

The Educational Crisis of Absenteeism

Posted on November 7, 2014 by mikethemadbiologist

We’ve discussed before how missing school has a significant effect on student achievement, which can be greater than teacher effects. Not surprising–not only can’t a teacher teach when the student isn’t there, but chronic absenteeism often suggests health problems or … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Massachusetts | 1 Comment

Massachusetts Continues to Dismantle Its World-Class Educational System

Posted on November 5, 2014 by mikethemadbiologist

When we last checked in on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (God save it!), we observed that teachers were being drowned in administrative work and subject to ridiculous teacher evaluation procedures. Well, now we learn that Massachusetts is proposing to pull … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Fucking Morons, Massachusetts | 2 Comments