Massachusetts School Districts Research Articles

Communication Disparities and Trusted Sources of COVID-19 Information in Massachusetts School Districts.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to the closure of prekindergarten to grade 12 schools and an inequitable return to full-time in-person learning. To explore how ethnic and racial differences across school districts in Massachusetts correlate with parents' attitudes, beliefs, and trusted sources of information about COVID-19 and mitigation strategies. An electronic survey was distributed by school administrators to parents and guardians in November and December 2021 using existing school district contact lists and established methods of communication (email in 2 school districts; email and text message in 1 district). Three school districts in Massachusetts (Chelsea, Medford, and Somerville). Parents of prekindergarten to grade 12 school students attending public schools. Parental attitudes and beliefs regarding mitigation strategies for COVID-19 (surveillance testing, masking, and vaccination); trusted information sources about COVID-19; preferred methods of communication from schools. A total of 1496 survey responses were analyzed. Chelsea respondents were predominantly Hispanic/LatinX (88%); Medford and Somerville were predominantly White/non-Hispanic (80% and 68%, respectively). Testing, masks, and vaccination were supported by >80% of parents/guardians across districts. However, there were statistically significant differences between school districts regarding participation in testing programs, implications of a child testing positive, vaccination of young children, communication preferences, and trusted sources of information. Although primarily focused on COVID-19, these results highlight opportunities for public health personnel and school administrators to work directly with parents and guardians in their school districts to improve communication strategies and be a trusted source of information for a variety of public health issues.

Limited impact of lifting universal masks on SARS-CoV-2 transmission in schools: The crucial role of outcome measurements.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, education systems globally implemented protective measures, notably mandatory mask wearing. As the pandemic's dynamics changed, many municipalities lifted these mandates, warranting a critical examination of these policy changes' implications. This study examines the effects of lifting mask mandates on COVID-19 transmission within Massachusetts school districts. We first replicated previous research that utilized a difference-in-difference (DID) model for COVID-19 incidence. We then repeated the DID analysis by replacing the outcome measurement with the reproductive number (Rt ), reflecting the transmissibility. Due to the data availability, the Rt we estimated only measures the within school transmission. We found a similar result in the replication using incidence with an average treatment effect on treated (ATT) of 39.1 (95% CI: 20.4 to 57.4) COVID-19 cases per 1,000 students associated with lifting masking mandates. However, when replacing the outcome measurement to Rt , our findings suggest that no significant association between lifting mask mandates and reduced Rt (ATT: 0.04, 95% CI: -0.09 to 0.18), except for the first 2 weeks postintervention. Moreover, we estimated Rt below 1 at 4 weeks before lifting mask mandates across all school types, suggesting nonsustainable transmission before the implementation. Our reanalysis suggested no evidence of lifting mask mandates in schools impacted the COVID-19 transmission in the long term. Our study highlights the importance of examining the transmissibility outcome when evaluating interventions against transmission.

Prevalence and Risk Factors for School-Associated Transmission of SARS-CoV-2

School-associated SARS-CoV-2 transmission is described as uncommon, although the true transmission rate is unknown. To identify the SARS-CoV-2 secondary attack rate (SAR) in schools and factors associated with transmission. This cohort study examined the risk of school-based transmission of SARS-CoV-2 among kindergarten through grade 12 students and staff in 10 Massachusetts school districts during 2 periods: fall 2020/spring 2021 (F20/S21) and fall 2021 (F21). School staff collected data on SARS-CoV-2 index cases and school-based contacts, and SAR was defined as the proportion of contacts acquiring SARS-CoV-2 infection. SARS-CoV-2. Potential factors associated with transmission, including grade level, masking, exposure location, vaccination history, and Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), were analyzed using univariable and multivariable logistic regression models. For F20/S21, 8 school districts (70 schools, >33 000 students) were included and reported 435 index cases (151 staff, 216 students, and 68 missing role) with 1771 school-based contacts (278 staff, 1492 students, and 1 missing role). For F21, 5 districts (34 schools, >18 000 students) participated and reported 309 index cases (37 staff, 207 students, and 65 missing role) with 1673 school-based contacts (107 staff and 1566 students). The F20/S21 SAR was 2.2% (lower bound, 1.6%; upper bound, 26.7%), and the F21 SAR was 2.8% (lower bound, 2.6%; upper bound, 7.4%). In multivariable analysis, during F20/S21, masking was associated with a lower odds of transmission compared with not masking (odds radio [OR], 0.12; 95% CI, 0.04-0.40; P < .001). In F21, classroom exposure vs out-of-classroom exposure was associated with increased odds of transmission (OR, 2.47; 95% CI, 1.07-5.66; P = .02); a fully vaccinated vs unvaccinated contact was associated with a lower odds of transmission (OR, 0.04; 95% CI, 0.00-0.62; P < .001). In both periods, a higher SVI was associated with a greater odds of transmission. In this study of Massachusetts schools, the SAR for SARS-CoV-2 among school-based contacts was low during 2 periods, and factors associated with transmission risk varied over time. These findings suggest that ongoing surveillance efforts may be essential to ensure that both targeted resources and mitigation practices remain optimal and relevant for disease prevention.

Lifting Universal Masking in Schools — Covid-19 Incidence among Students and Staff

BackgroundIn February 2022, Massachusetts rescinded a statewide universal masking policy in public schools, and many Massachusetts school districts lifted masking requirements during the subsequent weeks. In the greater Boston area, only two school districts — the Boston and neighboring Chelsea districts — sustained masking requirements through June 2022. The staggered lifting of masking requirements provided an opportunity to examine the effect of universal masking policies on the incidence of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in schools.MethodsWe used a difference-in-differences analysis for staggered policy implementation to compare the incidence of Covid-19 among students and staff in school districts in the greater Boston area that lifted masking requirements with the incidence in districts that sustained masking requirements during the 2021–2022 school year. Characteristics of the school districts were also compared.ResultsBefore the statewide masking policy was rescinded, trends in the incidence of Covid-19 were similar across school districts. During the 15 weeks after the statewide masking policy was rescinded, the lifting of masking requirements was associated with an additional 44.9 cases per 1000 students and staff (95% confidence interval, 32.6 to 57.1), which corresponded to an estimated 11,901 cases and to 29.4% of the cases in all districts during that time. Districts that chose to sustain masking requirements longer tended to have school buildings that were older and in worse condition and to have more students per classroom than districts that chose to lift masking requirements earlier. In addition, these districts had higher percentages of low-income students, students with disabilities, and students who were English-language learners, as well as higher percentages of Black and Latinx students and staff. Our results support universal masking as an important strategy for reducing Covid-19 incidence in schools and loss of in-person school days. As such, we believe that universal masking may be especially useful for mitigating effects of structural racism in schools, including potential deepening of educational inequities.ConclusionsAmong school districts in the greater Boston area, the lifting of masking requirements was associated with an additional 44.9 Covid-19 cases per 1000 students and staff during the 15 weeks after the statewide masking policy was rescinded.

Winter Storms and Unplanned School Closure Announcements on Twitter: Comparison Between the States of Massachusetts and Georgia, 2017-2018.

This project aimed to quantify and compare Massachusetts and Georgia public school districts' 2017-2018 winter-storm-related Twitter unplanned school closure announcements (USCA). Public school district Twitter handles and National Center for Education Statistics data were obtained for Georgia and Massachusetts. Tweets were retrieved using Twitter application programming interface. Descriptive statistics and regression analyses were conducted to compare the rates of winter-storm-related USCA. Massachusetts had more winter storms than Georgia during the 2017-2018 winter season, but Massachusetts school districts posted winter-storm-related USCA at a 60% lower rate per affected day (adjusted rate ratio, aRR = 0.40, 95% confidence intervals, CI: 0.30, 0.52) than Georgia school districts after controlling for the student enrollments and Twitter followers count per Twitter account. A 10-fold increase in followers count was correlated with a 118% increase in USCA rate per affected day (aRR = 2.18; 95% CI: 1.74, 2.75). Georgia school districts had a higher average USCA tweet rate per winter-storm-affected day than Massachusetts school districts. A higher number of Twitter followers was associated with a higher number of USCA tweets per winter-storm-affected day. Twitter accounts of school districts in Massachusetts had a lower tweet rate for USCA per winter-storm-affected days than those in Georgia.

Lead contamination of public drinking water and academic achievements among children in Massachusetts: a panel study

BackgroundPublic drinking water can be an important source exposure to lead, which can affect children’s cognitive development and academic performance. Few studies have looked at the impact of lead exposures from community water supplies or their impact on school achievements. We examined the association between annual community water lead levels (WLLs) and children’s academic performances at the school district level.MethodsWe matched the 90th percentile WLLs with the grade 3–8 standardized test scores from the Stanford Education Data Archive on Geographic School Districts by geographic location and year. We used multivariate linear regression and adjusted for urbanicity, race, socioeconomic characteristics, school district, grade, and year. We also explored potential effect measure modifications and lag effects.ResultsAfter adjusting for potential confounders, a 5 μg/L increase in 90th percentile WLLs in a GSD was associated with a 0.00684 [0.00021, 0.01348] standard deviation decrease in the average math test score in the same year. No association was found for English Language Arts.ConclusionsWe found an association between the annual fluctuation of WLLs and math test scores in Massachusetts school districts, after adjusting for confounding by urbanicity, race, socioeconomic factors, school district, grade, and year. The implications of a detectable effect of WLLs on academic performance even at the modest levels evident in MA are significant and timely. Persistent efforts should be made to further reduce lead in drinking water.

School Nurses Practices Promoting Self-Management and Healthcare Transition Skills for Adolescents with Chronic Conditions in Urban Public Schools: A Mixed Methods Study.

Background: Adolescents and young adults (AYA) with chronic conditions should acquire self-management skills as part of their healthcare transition (HCT) from pediatric to adult-focused care. HCT/self-management skills have the potential to help mitigate health disparities among minority AYA with chronic conditions. This study investigated school nurses' practices promoting HCT/self-management skills in urban public schools. Methods: Seventy-nine nurses from three urban school districts in Massachusetts completed a survey of 32 Likert-type questions on HCT/self-management skills, eight demographic questions, and five open-ended practice questions assessing how often they have asked students with chronic conditions about HCT/self-management skills, based on the UNC TRxANSITION IndexTM. Results: Among the 79 school nurses who participated (response rate 76%), 67% never or rarely assessed students' knowledge of HCT/self-management, and 90% would use a tool that promotes/measures HCT/self-management skills. Conclusion: In our study sample, most school nurses acknowledged the importance of assessing HCT/self-management skills. The majority favored using a tool to promote these skills.

Lead contamination of public drinking water and academic achievements among children in Massachusetts: a panel study

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Public drinking water can be an important source exposure to lead, which can affect children's cognitive development and academic performance. Few studies have looked at the impact of lead exposures from community water supplies or their impact on school achievements. We examined the association between annual community water lead levels (WLLs) and children's academic performances at the school district level. METHODS: We matched the 90th percentile WLLs with the grade 3-8 standardized test scores from the Stanford Education Data Archive (SEDA) on Geographic School Districts (GSD) by geographic location and year. We used multivariate linear regression and adjusted for urbanicity, race, socioeconomic characteristics, school district, grade, and year. The model resembles a difference-in-difference (DID) approach in a panel data setting and can have a causal interpretation if certain assumptions are met. We also explored potential effect measure modifications and lag effects. RESULTS:After adjusting for potential confounders, a 5 μg/L increase in 90th percentile WLLs in a GSD was associated with approximately a 0.00684 [0.00021, 0.01348] standard deviation decrease in the average math test score in the same year. No association was found for English/Language Arts. CONCLUSIONS:Using a DID causal modeling method, we found an association between the annual fluctuation of WLLs and math test scores in Massachusetts school districts, after adjusting for confounding by urbanicity, race, socioeconomic factors, school district, grade and year. The implications of a detectable effect of WLLs on academic performance even at the modest levels evident in Massachusetts are significant and timely. Persistent efforts should be made to further reduce lead in drinking water. KEYWORDS: Heavy metals, Neurodevelopmental outcomes, Children's environmental health, Environmental epidemiology

Obesity and Hunger Threaten the Foundations of Child Health

Obesity and Hunger Threaten the Foundations of Child Health

Targeted Linguistic Simplification of Science Test Items for English Learners

In this experimental study, 20 multiple-choice test items from the Massachusetts Grade 5 science test were linguistically simplified, and original and simplified test items were administered to 310 English learners (ELs) and 1,580 non-ELs in four Massachusetts school districts. This study tested the hypothesis that specific linguistic features of test items contributed to construct-irrelevant variance in science test scores of ELs. Simplifications targeted specific linguistic features, to identify those features with the largest impacts on ELs’ test performance. Of all the linguistic simplifications used in this study, adding visual representations to answer choices had the largest positive effect on ELs’ performance. These findings have significant implications for the design of multiple-choice test items that are fair and valid for ELs.

Small City School Districts’ Capacity for Improvement and the Struggle for Educational Equity

The problems faced by many small city school districts are often overshadowed by concerns for big city and rural school districts. We focus on some of the challenges faced by three small city school districts in Massachusetts with high percentages of students from low-income homes. Comparisons are made between these districts and three relatively affluent, high-achieving districts along with three big city districts, also in Massachusetts. We found that the three small city districts with high percentages of low-income homes struggle to provide significant percentages of their students with a high-quality education. We hope policy makers and researchers devote greater attention to helping small city educators overcome their challenges.

The Fueling Learning Through Exercise (FLEX) Study

PURPOSE: Throughout the elementary school years school-time moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) tends to decrease while sedentary time (SED) increases, contributing independent effects on health outcomes. There is insufficient research on how physical activity (PA) programming may impact SED in children. Our objective was to determine whether two innovative school-based PA programs impact school SED in children and if program reach differed by sex, race/ethnicity, and weight status. METHODS: Eighteen schools from lower-income Massachusetts school districts were enrolled in the Fueling Learning through Exercise Study (FLEX) and randomized to 100 Mile Club (100MC; walking/running program), Just Move (JM; active classroom breaks), or a Control group. Third- and fourth-grade children (n=883) were recruited and measured at baseline (Fall 2015) and short-term follow-up (Spring 2016) for height/weight and 7-day accelerometry (ActigraphGT3x). Demographic information was obtained by parent questionnaire. PA program effects on SED were examined using mixed-effects models adjusting for child sex, race/ethnicity, free or reduced-price lunch (FRPL) eligibility, weight status, accelerometer wear time, average daily temperature, and controlling for school-level clustering. RESULTS: 793 children (8.7 ± 0.7 years, 44% male, 65% non-white, 53% FRPL, 41% overweight/obese) had valid accelerometer wear-time (33 days, 310hrs/day) at both study visits. At baseline, few children achieved the recommended 30 minutes of school-time MVPA (9%; 18.1 ± 7.9 min) and children were sedentary for 59.7% (233 ± 43 min) of their school day. There was a significant effect of program on SED (p=0.041) with Control and JM increasing in SED (6.2 [95%CI: 2.7, 9.5], p<0.001 and 4.3 [95%CI: 0.9, 7.7] mins/day, p=0.012 respectively) while 100MC did not change (p=0.88). There were no differences in program effects by sex (p=0.58), race/ethnicity (p=0.08), or weight status (p=0.19). CONCLUSIONS: Short-term follow-up of program implementation during a two-year PA intervention demonstrates a potential effect of 100MC on mitigating an increase in SED that may occur over the elementary school years. Longer-term findings will demonstrate whether the effects of PA programming on SED are sustained.

Healthier Standards for School Meals and Snacks: Impact on School Food Revenues and Lunch Participation Rates.

In 2012, the updated U.S. Department of Agriculture school meals standards and a competitive food law similar to the fully implemented version of the national Smart Snack standards went into effect in Massachusetts. This study evaluated the impact of these updated school meal standards and Massachusetts' comprehensive competitive food standards on school food revenues and school lunch participation. Revenue and participation data from 11 Massachusetts school districts were collected from 2011 to 2014 and analyzed in 2015 using multilevel modeling. The association between the change in compliance with the competitive food standards and revenues/participation was assessed using linear regression. Schools experienced declines in school food revenues of $15.40/student in Year 1 from baseline (p=0.05), due to competitive food revenue losses. In schools with 3 years of data, overall revenues rebounded by the second year post-implementation. Additionally, by Year 2, school lunch participation increased by 15% (p=0.0006) among children eligible for reduced-price meals. Better competitive food compliance was inversely associated with school food revenues in the first year only; an absolute change in compliance by 10% was associated with a $9.78/student decrease in food revenues over the entire school year (p=0.04). No association was seen between the change in compliance and school meal participation. Schools experienced initial revenue losses after implementation of the standards, yet longer-term school food revenues were not impacted and school meal participation increased among children eligible for reduced-price meals. Weakening the school meal or competitive food guidelines based on revenue concerns appears unwarranted.

Impact of Nutrition Standards on Competitive Food Quality in Massachusetts Middle and High Schools.

To examine changes in competitive foods (items sold in à la carte lines, vending machines, and school stores that "compete" with school meals) in Massachusetts middle and high schools before and after implementation of a statewide nutrition law in 2012. We photographed n = 10 782 competitive foods and beverages in 36 Massachusetts school districts and 7 control state districts to determine availability and compliance with the law at baseline (2012), 1 year (2013), and 2 years (2014) after the policy (overall enrollment: 71 202 students). We examined availability and compliance trends over time. By 2014, 60% of competitive foods and 79% of competitive beverages were compliant. Multilevel models showed an absolute 46.2% increase for foods (95% confidence interval = 36.2, 56.3) and 46.8% increase for beverages (95% confidence interval = 39.2, 54.4) in schools' alignment with updated standards from 2012 to 2014. The law's implementation resulted in major improvements in the availability and nutritional quality of competitive foods and beverages, but schools did not reach 100% compliance. This law closely mirrors US Department of Agriculture Smart Snacks in School standards, suggesting that complying with strict nutrition standards is feasible, and schools may experience challenges and improvements over time.

The Relationship between Childhood Obesity, Low Socioeconomic Status, and Race/Ethnicity: Lessons from Massachusetts.

Previous studies have shown race/ethnicity, particularly African American and/or Hispanic status, to be a predictor of overweight/obese status in children. However, these studies have failed to adjust for low socioeconomic status (SES). This study assessed whether race/ethnicity remained an independent predictor of childhood obesity when accounting for variations in SES (low-income) among communities in Massachusetts. This study was based on 2009 summarized data from 68 Massachusetts school districts with 111,799 students in grades 1, 4, 7, and 10. We studied the relationship between the rate of overweight/obese students (mean = 0.32; range = 0.10-0.46), the rate of African American and Hispanic students (mean = 0.17; range = 0.00-0.90), and the rate of low-income students (mean = 0.27; range = 0.02-0.87) in two and three dimensions. The main effect of the race/ethnicity rate, the low-income rate, and their interaction on the overweight and obese rate was investigated by multiple regression modeling. Low-income was highly associated with overweight/obese status (p < 0.0001), whereas the effect of race/ethnicity (p = 0.27) and its interaction (p = 0.23) with low-income were not statistically significant. For every 1% increase in low-income, there was a 1.17% increase in overweight/obese status. This pattern was observed across all African American and Hispanic rates in the communities studied. Overweight/obese status was highly prevalent among Massachusetts students, varying from 10% to 46% across communities. Although there were higher rates of overweight/obese status among African American and Hispanic students, the relationship disappeared when controlling for family income. Our findings suggest low SES plays a more significant role in the nation's childhood obesity epidemic than race/ethnicity.

A Longitudinal Study of Special Education Due Process Hearings in Massachusetts

Of the three formal dispute resolution procedures provided by the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act of 2004(IDEA), due process hearings are the most costly in terms of time, fiscal resources, and impact on relationships between school personnel and parents. This study examined 258 due process hearings held over the past 8 years in Massachusetts to examine the characteristics of students at the center of these disputes, the issues that were addressed in the hearings, and the representation utilized by parents and school districts. The findings from this study indicated that (a) Massachusetts school districts utilized attorney representation and won due process hearings at notably higher levels than parents, and (b) the most frequently addressed issues at due process hearings were Individualized Education Program (IEP) development/implementation and educational program placement, which are issues that represent the core mandate of IDEA to provide a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment (34 C.F.R. §300.300, 300.550). The authors present recommendations for policy actions and areas for future research.

Unintended Consequences: The Impact of Proposition 2½ Overrides on School Segregation in Massachusetts

I investigate a possible unintended consequence of Proposition 2½ override behavior—that it led to increased segregation in school districts in Massachusetts. This can occur because richer, low-minority towns tend to have more successful override votes that attract similar households with relatively high demands for public services who can afford to pay for them. To evaluate this hypothesis, I collect panel data on override behavior from 1982 to 2012 and merge this with data on school district enrollments and other district- and town-level characteristics. I find evidence that passing overrides earmarked for schools results in a significant decrease in the percent of nonwhite students enrolled in Massachusetts school districts. This happens in districts with below-average nonwhite school enrollments, and hence increases segregation.

Introduction to Special Issue on the Property Tax and the Financing of K–12 Education

reschovsky@lafollette.wisc.edu The property tax is the mainstay of local K–12 education revenue. Public schools derive over 80 percent of their local own-source revenue from the property tax (Reschovsky 2014). At the same time, nearly half of total property tax dollars collected in the United States is used to finance public elementary and secondary education (U.S. Census Bureau 2013, 2014). This close link between property taxation and school finance is one motivation for this special issue. Another motivation is the state and local fiscal aftermath of the Great Recession. Over the past few years the financing of public elementary and secondary education has become particularly challenging. In real per pupil terms, total revenues devoted to public education fell by 6.2 percent between the 2008–09 and 2011–12 school years.2 Although comprehensive revenue data are not yet available for the most recent years, existing evidence points to a continued decline in financial support for public education. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Quarterly Summary of State and Local Tax Revenue indicate that per capita real local government property tax revenues (for school and non-school purposes) declined by 3 percent between fiscal years 2011 and 2013 (Collins and Langley 2014). And a survey conducted by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that in 33 states, real

Integrating Disciplinary Perspectives: The Poincaré Institute for Mathematics Education

We describe the development of the Poincaré Institute, an NSF‐MSP supported program developed through Tufts University Departments of Mathematics, Education, and Physics and by TERC, in partnership with nine school districts in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine. We focus on the challenges of developing an inter‐disciplinary program aimed at improving the teaching and learning of mathematics from grades 5 to 9, the choice of mathematical and educational content of the program, the course structure, and the progress of the first cohort of participant teachers. We also outline the changes we are implementing for future cohorts.

Strategic interaction among public school districts: Evidence on spatial interdependence in school inputs

This paper provides evidence on strategic interaction among public school districts in Massachusetts. The open enrollment program in Massachusetts is unique in testing the strategic competition thesis because it allows students to attend public schools located outside their home district. For each student who transfers out, funds are deducted from the sending district's local aid distribution and added to the receiving district's local aid. Thus, school districts no longer have the assurance of a ready supply of students and funding, instead they have to compete with neighboring districts, and enact strategies that will help retain as well as attract more students. A spatial econometric framework is applied to disentangle the correlation due to strategic interaction from the one that is simply due to spatially correlated error shocks. The results show that public school districts respond positively to the expenditure decisions of neighboring districts, thereby acting strategically when setting their own spending levels.