CLE director Paul Weckstein was recently quoted in a front-page Boston Globe article published on July 20, 2024, titled: “‘We’re taking the wrong kids’: High-needs students lose out in vocational school admissions.” The article, written by Mandy McLaren and Christopher Huffaker, details patterns of discrimination in admission to career and technical education schools throughout the Commonwealth for English learners, low-income students, students with disabilities, and students of color. Weckstein is quoted supporting a lottery admissions scheme, stating that “‘it’s not that the problem is kids wanting to go to college…It’s that the schools end up wanting to fix the game,’ stacking their rolls with top achievers.”
The article also mentions CLE’s 2023 federal civil rights complaint against the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education alleging that the Department’s failure to ensure CTE schools and programs are not discriminating against students of color, English learners, and students with disabilities violates federal civil rights law.
A link to the full Boston Globe article can be found here.
A link to the federal civil rights complaint filed with the United States Department of Education Office for Civil Rights can be found here.
Photo courtesy of bostonglobe.com
