Dive Brief:

• An estimated 2,000 Boston students walked out of class yesterday to call attention to budget cuts that might slash or eliminate foreign language classes; hundreds later marched to Faneuil Hall and protested outside the offices of Gov. Charlie Baker and Mayor Marty Walsh.
• Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson marched with the students, and encouraged them to protest elected officials, while district officials arranged for robocalls to be made to parents ahead of the protest, telling them to encourage students to remain in class. 
• The amount of the budget deficit in question is estimated to be $50 million; a concrete amount has not been released.

Dive Insight:

Because Massachusetts is a national leader for education, and what is unfolding in Boston is relevant in other districts. Elected officials seem divided on whether or not to support the student protests, in addition to being divided over the actual fiscal issue at hand. 

In January, Education Week released its 20th annual edition of Quality Counts, a report that grades the overall education performance of the U.S. Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maryland, and Vermont topped the list. In Ed Week's "State of the States" report card, the Bay State earned a grade of "B+," up from last year’s "B." Massachusetts also earned an "A-" in the Chance-for-Success category, tracking the role education plays in individuals' lives after schooling.

The state has also used an innovative model for turning around failing schools. Since 2008, schools have gotten district-wide support. That's because Massachusetts considers a district only as good as its worst school. By empowering experienced school leaders to share knowledge with new school leaders, low-performing school become part of of a "broader district ecosystem" and are supported by school leaders who are succeeding.