Katherine Clark's Community Website

Massachusetts has lost one third of its manufacturing jobs since 1990, and yet it has become conventional wisdom that the key to our competitive growth is increasing highly paid jobs performed by college graduates. But as the 2010 report Massachusetts Forgotten Middle Skill Jobs demonstrates, it is actually “middle skills” occupations, jobs that require more than a high school diploma but not a four-year degree, that make up the largest segment of job growth nationally and here in Massachusetts.… [more]

Last week I joined Governor Patrick and students and educators from around the state to celebrate the recent announcement that Massachusetts has been selected to receive a $50 million grant to expand pre-Kindergarten education. As part of the federal Race to the Top: Early Learning Challenge program, Massachusetts was one of nine states awarded grants to develop new approaches to early learning and close the school readiness gap.… [more]

by Katherine Clark
Last summer, the state’s inspector general accused the director of Merrimack Special Education Collaborative of diverting $11.5 million in public funding to boost his salary and those of a few top executives. In response, last week the State Senate passed legislation to reform the Commonwealth’s system of education collaboratives, increasing the transparency, accountability and oversight of these important institutions.… [more]

With the cold weather upon us, it’s a good time to think about making our homes more energy efficient. Energy efficiency improvements, many of which can be done easily and at relatively low cost, save money and energy and make our homes more comfortable. And with fuel costs running considerably higher than last year, these improvements can make a real difference.… [more]