Linda Dorcena Forry

This was a big week on the Education front.  Just today, President Obama announced Massachusetts as one of only nine national winners of the Early Learning Challenge competition.  The grant will be used to invest in and improve the quality of early education statewide.  “As a mother of three, I am happy to see a renewed focus on ages 0 to 5,” Rep. Forry said.  “We know these are the most critical learning years in child development and it’s important for all of our children to have access to quality care and educational opportunities.  This program represents one more step in providing that access and closing the achievement gap.” 

In addition to the grant, Representative Forry has filed legislation, H2992 An Act creating an earned income tax credit for early educators, that seeks to establish an Early Educators Earned Income Tax Credit. This tax credit will lighten the financial burden on our early educators and increase their ability to provide quality care.  Not only will the bill maintain high educational standards, but it will also contribute to creating and maintaining jobs in the small business sectors.

Additionally this week, the College Board Advocacy & Policy Center released a report ranking Massachusetts second in the country for the highest college completion rate, with 53.7% of residents aged 25 to 34 possessing at least an associate’s degree compared to the national average of 41.1%.  The report cites the need to advance the quality of education for all residents and to create enough job outputs for them.  “Despite our academic success, the report nevertheless highlights that we have much work left to do,” said Rep. Forry.  It has been estimated that by 2018, 2.4 million jobs, that is 68% of all jobs in Massachusetts, will require residents to have college degrees. Elected officials across the state are working together to meet the projected needs of our economy by investing in programs and organizations that have demonstrated successful results and improvements in schools statewide.

On Wednesday, Representative Forry joined with her colleagues in sending a letter to Governor Deval Patrick requesting his support of one such program in the 2013 budget.   “The Massachusetts Math and Science Initiative (MMSI) has worked for years to ensure that our high school students graduate and are prepared for future college success,” Rep. Forry said.  More than 7,000 students in 53 schools across the state currently participate in advanced placement courses that have already increased the college eligible scores by 50% among African-American and Hispanic students and by 70% among low-income students.