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Lost in a world of words

Students at Donovan Elementary improve their reading skills by using phonemic awareness exercises
Kids at Donovan Elementary learn to read using phonemic awareness exercises. (Randy Vazquez/ Globe Staff) ( Randy Vazquez )

More than half of Mass. third-graders can’t read proficiently. The state is failing its neediest learners.

Learning to read is the greatest gift a school can give a child. And yet here, in the birthplace of public education, outmoded teaching methods leave thousands of students struggling to gain this critical skill.
Join the discussion

What reading curriculum did your district use last year? Look it up here.

Nearly half of all districts were using a curriculum last year that the state has deemed “low-quality,” the Globe found.

More from the project

Mystery solved: Cambridge officials reveal identity of Fresh Pond’s so-called ‘Loch Fresh Monster’
Some visitors to Fresh Pond in Cambridge claim to have spotted a mysterious creature out in the water, which they’ve dubbed the “Loch Fresh Monster.” But Cambridge officials say they can explain what it is.

TRAVEL
No more FOMO or longing for the good old days. There’s a summer sleepaway camp for Jewish adults.
Trybal brings millennials together to experience the joy of summer camp all year long, powered by a potent mix of nostalgia and Jewish community spirit, fun and games, and maybe a little bit of alcohol.

What to know about Caroline Ellison, Newton native and key witness in Sam Bankman-Fried’s trial
As the head of Alameda and Bankman-Fried’s on-again-off-again girlfriend, Ellison had a singular insight into the onetime crypto titan’s personal and professional life.

Caroline Ellison, math whiz and Newton native, was bound for success. Then she got into crypto.
tribute

‘He never faded away’: Kelsie Snow pays tribute to her husband, Chris, and his valiant battle with ALS

The Snow family chose to live life with ALS in the public eye so people could see the devastation of a disease that many look away from, writes Chris's wife, Kelsie.
LOVE LETTERS

Turns out, there’s an age gap

She’s 21. I’m ... older.

Two men charged with murder in death of pregnant woman’s baby in Holyoke

Two men have been charged with murder after a pregnant woman riding a bus on Wednesday was struck by an errant bullet and the baby she was carrying later died in a hospital.

‘Don’t ... bring your liberal [expletive] to my state’: N.H. GOP voters perceive Mass. negatively, poll shows

The most prevalent view among likely Republican presidential primary voters in New Hampshire is that too many Massachusetts residents are moving to their side of the border.
N.H. GOP voters don’t see protecting abortion access as important in 2024 presidential race Poll shows Trump’s lead in N.H. holds

Trump uses presidential run to attack the institutions he says are after him
Experts say his rhetoric — and the ways he could act on it if elected — could endanger the very democratic institutions he is seeking to run.

Here are the top 20 frequent flyers and biggest carbon polluters out of Hanscom Field, report says

A new report identified these 20 top frequent flyers out of Hanscom Field, accounting for 10 percent of all private jet activity at the airport, and 14 percent of its private jet emissions.
Billionaires are responsible for large amounts of climate pollution from Hanscom, report finds Opinion: Massport’s plan to expand private jet space at Hanscom is a climate debacle

Boston College buys Mount Alvernia High School campus in Newton for $40.5 million
The sale was completed Tuesday, fewer than four months after the Catholic girls school for grades seventh through 12th closed its doors for lack of enrollment.

Haverhill man wanted for carjackings in N.H. captured by State Police in Dracut, officials say

Authorities say Nathan Saben was driving a Subaru stolen from Wolfeboro, N.H., when he and a woman he was driving with were stopped by police in Dracut on Thursday morning.

Bodies of two divers recovered at beach in Rockport

Police investigating illegal animal traps in Arlington

Man with gun seeking Wisconsin’s governor was arrested in Capitol. Then he returned with assault rifle.

Former Globe rock writers Steve Morse and Jim Sullivan inducted into N.E. Music Hall of Fame
2023-24 men's college hockey preview

BU men’s hockey star Lane Hutson had a banner year in 2022-23, but there was one thing missing

The New England Player of the Year seemingly captured every award in sight, but the ultimate goal — a national title — eluded the Terriers.
bc at army | saturday, noon (CBSSN)

BC defense shined against Virginia but will face a challenge in Army

With a dual-threat quarterback in Bryson Daily and a 255-pound running back in Jakobi Buchanan, Army likes to play ball control, with some tricks.

The Country Club in Brookline to host four USGA events, including 2038 US Open, 2045 US Women’s Open

After hosting a wildly successful 2022 US Open, the US Girls’ Junior is coming to town in 2030 and the men's US Amateur will be held in Brookline in 2034.
Opinion
EDITORIAL

Democrats won’t miss Kevin McCarthy. Probably.

The California Republican was no friend to the minority party in Congress. But his replacement could be worse. If Democrats gain any influence over the selection process, they should use it to steer the House away from extremism.
IDEAS | Linda Rodriguez McRobbie

If your dog could speak, would you like what it said?
KIMBERLY ATKINS STOHR

Judges should meet Trump’s contempt with contempt orders
Nick Fuller Googins

Biden’s American Climate Corps is weak and won’t save us
banned books

Banned Books Week: ‘Between the World and Me’ by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Hispanic Heritage Month

On the air and off, Jose Masso has been heard

Rarely seen snapshots of Latino Boston

During Hispanic Heritage Month, doctor says R.I. can do better: ‘Taco Tuesday is not progress. It is appeasement.’

DEVRA FIRST

10 restaurants that capture the spirit of Hispanic Heritage Month

More recent News

Norwegian author Jon Fosse awarded the Nobel Prize in literature
Jon Fosse, a master of spare Nordic writing in a sprawling body of work ranging from plays to novels and children’s books, was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature on Thursday for works that “give voice to the unsayable.”

DeSantis blasts Massachusetts on migrants in Foxborough hotels
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis responded harshly to a report that veterans and service academy graduates are without lodging for December’s Army-Navy game at Gillette Stadium because their hotel reservations were canceled to provide rooms to migrant families.

Four Mass. residents awarded MacArthur ‘genius’ grants
Among those who received 2023 “genius” grants from the MacArthur Foundation were a local biologist, ecologist, computer scientist, and interdisciplinary scholar, along with two other fellows who have educational ties to Massachusetts.

These are the 2023 MacArthur ‘genius grant’ fellows
YVONNE ABRAHAM

At the Shattuck, good intentions collide

Turning the old hospital at the edge of Franklin Park into a desperately needed refuge for those battling addiction and homelessness is no simple proposition.

Gene therapy firm with operations in Lexington cuts 20 percent of workforce

Dutch company UniQure said Thursday it will cut about 20 percent of its workforce, or 114 jobs, as it joins the growing list of biotechs shedding workers.

Gun deaths rising sharply among children, Mass. researchers find

According to an analysis published Thursday, the rate of firearm fatalities among children younger than 18 increased by 87% from 2011-21 in the United States.

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Recommended reads

A greyhound racing magnate needed to sell the old Brockton Fairgrounds. The city made an offer.

After several failed attempts at a revival, the family who has controlled the Brockton Fairgrounds since the 1950s, the Carneys, put the 66 acres up for sale.

CHRISTOPHER MUTHER
JetBlue has launched a Boston-to-Amsterdam route. The catch: It may not last long.
Schiphol is the first mega airport in the world to begin reducing flights to mitigate carbon emissions. JetBlue executives now fear a cap on takeoffs and landings in 2024 will put the new route in peril.

Healey signs $1 billion tax package into law. Here’s what it means for your wallet.
It’s been more than two decades since the last significant tax cut, when voters — not legislators — approved a measure to slice the state’s income tax to 5 percent.

A developer proposed nearly 500 apartments on South Shore Plaza. Then residents killed it.
A plan for what would have been Braintree’s largest apartment project ran into a buzz saw of neighborhood opposition.

Culture & Lifestyle

It’s Banned Books Week. Now what?

Jazz Along the Charles to honor Boston’s legacy of women composers and musicians

‘Fat Ham,’ at the Huntington, updates ‘Hamlet’

Seu Jorge goes back to bossa nova with Antônio Carlos Jobim’s grandson

Special Projects

Boston thrives off the dreams of young people. But can they make it here?

Baby boomers and Gen Xers benefited from economic conditions that do not exist for millennials. And by many measures, the path ahead for Gen Z is even more fraught.

Boston doesn’t work if the T doesn’t work

With the MBTA engulfed by issues, everyday riders are feeling the pain.

How the missing become the uncounted

Inside the government’s flawed approach to finding missing persons.

Two Weeks in America

We sent a dozen journalists on the road across this complex country. They found it’s better than you think.

Opinion, ideas, and commentary

EDITORIAL

Abuse at residential schools for autistic children calls out for accountability, transparency
JEFF JACOBY

The real reason an ‘America First’ mindset dominates the Republican base

EDITORIAL

The Boston suburbs’ cynical ploy to keep poor families out: Use seniors as a shield
IDEAS | ANNE ZINK

Syphilis, the ‘Great Pretender,’ is back
EDITORIAL

Giving Haiti a fighting chance
IDEAS | Linda Rodriguez McRobbie

If your dog could speak, would you like what it said?

Metro

Two men charged with murder in death of pregnant woman’s baby in Holyoke

Two men have been charged with murder after a pregnant woman riding a bus on Wednesday was struck by an errant bullet and the baby she was carrying later died in a hospital.

Gun deaths rising sharply among children, Mass. researchers find

According to an analysis published Thursday, the rate of firearm fatalities among children younger than 18 increased by 87% from 2011-21 in the United States.
CRIME

Key moments from the first day of witness testimony in Logan Clegg murder trial

The 27-year-old is accused of shooting Stephen and Djeswende Reid of Concord, N.H., multiple times after encountering them randomly on a quiet trail in April 2022.
HOMELESSNESS

R.I. housing department eyes family shelter expansion this winter

Winter shelter beds will increase by 25 percent compared to last year, according to the state’s housing secretary.

Sports

bc at army | saturday, noon (CBSSN)

BC defense shined against Virginia but will face a challenge in Army

With a dual-threat quarterback in Bryson Daily and a 255-pound running back in Jakobi Buchanan, Army likes to play ball control, with some tricks.
2023-24 men's college hockey preview

BU men’s hockey star Lane Hutson had a banner year in 2022-23, but there was one thing missing

The New England Player of the Year seemingly captured every award in sight, but the ultimate goal — a national title — eluded the Terriers.

Bedbugs are making France anxious ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics

The government has been forced to step in to calm an increasingly anxious nation. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne called a meeting of ministers for Friday to tackle the bedbug crisis.
GOLF

The Country Club in Brookline to host four USGA events, including 2038 US Open, 2045 US Women’s Open
revolution

First Turner, now Petrovic: How the Revolution developed elite goalkeepers, then sold them for big money

PODCAST

Kathrine Switzer helped spark a revolution in women’s running: ‘If you want to lift a woman up, show her how to run’

Business

Gene therapy firm with operations in Lexington cuts 20 percent of workforce

Dutch company UniQure said Thursday it will cut about 20 percent of its workforce, or 114 jobs, as it joins the growing list of biotechs shedding workers.

US applications for jobless benefits inch up but layoffs remain historically low

In Massachusetts, about 2,027 individuals filed new claims for unemployment benefits last week, down 206 from the week prior, according to the Labor Department.
HOMELESSNESS

R.I. housing department eyes family shelter expansion this winter

What to know about Caroline Ellison, Newton native and key witness in Sam Bankman-Fried’s trial
magazine
MISS CONDUCT

My co-workers' jokes about suicide leave me rattled

Your Week Ahead

Five things to do around Boston, Oct. 2 - Oct. 15
The Education Issue

The 'anti-woke' legislation making N.H. teachers nervous
The Education Issue

Mass. schools are among the best. Except for financial literacy.

metro

Do Democrats support DiZoglio’s push to audit the Legislature? It depends who you ask

Providence’s tax-not-a-tax deals with its colleges get a vote tonight

Five things to know about literacy instruction in Massachusetts

sports

Can there be too much Taylor Swift on TV? The Chiefs’ Travis Kelce thinks maybe that is the case.

Remembering the remarkable Chris Snow and his valiant battle with ALS

Revolution slip in the standings after suffering first loss at home on late goal by Crew

business

Powerball jackpot up to $1.4 billion after no one matches all the numbers and hits it rich

Auto worker strike highlights disparities between temporary and permanent employees

Construction on Providence’s Superman building to begin ‘this month,’ owner says

politics

Prosecutors say former George Santos campaign treasurer will plead guilty to unspecified charge

Trump uses presidential run to attack the institutions he says are after him

Biden’s dog Commander no longer at White House after biting incidents

Nation

Man with gun seeking Wisconsin’s governor was arrested in Capitol. Then he returned with assault rifle.

Adnan Syed goes before Maryland Supreme Court facing ‘specter of reincarceration,’ his lawyers say

Auto worker strike highlights disparities between temporary and permanent employees

World

Russian strike on village kills at least 51, Ukrainian officials say, as Zelensky seeks more Western support

Bedbugs are making France anxious ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics

Norwegian author Jon Fosse awarded the Nobel Prize in literature

opinion

The real reason an ‘America First’ mindset dominates the Republican base

Syphilis, the ‘Great Pretender,’ is back

Banned Books Week: ‘The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian’ by Sherman Alexie

lifestyle

Turns out, there’s an age gap

Monday is Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Boston. Here’s how to celebrate it.

06Monsters

food & dining

B-Side cocktail maven Dave Cargle modestly opens Humble Taco; El Tacuba comes to Medford

Fall food guide: 12 often overlooked best places to eat and drink in Rhode Island this fall

Your guide to fall fun this long weekend in New England

travel

Artsy views from Boston to Brattleboro, plus the bottom line on comfortable seating

Author Caroline Kepnes on pillowcases, peppermint patties, and the passenger from hell

Passport wait times are getting shorter

Arts

Preserving Portuguese history and culture in ‘Mouros’

In Renaissance Italy, women artists quietly persisted

When seeing is believing meets believing as seeing

Books

James Frankie Thomas writes a queer ‘elegy to a bygone era of the internet’ in ‘Idlewild’

Watertown Zine Fest celebrates marginalized voices through DIY publishing; new poetry anthology commemorates demolition of Salem power plant; Brattleboro Literary Festival opens on Friday

Author readings around Boston Oct. 8-14

Movies

‘The Exorcist: Believer’: No sympathy for the devil

‘Joan Baez I Am a Noise’ is a ‘visual memoir’ of a monumental voice in music

Selma Blair helps White House salute landmark disability legislation

Television

‘Tiger King’ animal trainer ‘Doc’ Antle gets suspended sentence for wildlife trafficking in Virginia

Patrick Stewart memoir recalls ‘Next Generation’ dust-up

‘Survivor’ winner Richard Hatch representing himself in federal court in R.I.

music

Former Globe rock writers Steve Morse and Jim Sullivan inducted into N.E. Music Hall of Fame

‘I’ve always wanted to bring people together,’ says Handel and Haydn Society’s new director

‘You feel like you are emitting some of the best sounds on Earth’

Theater/Dance

‘Fat Ham,’ at the Huntington, updates ‘Hamlet’

Spiro Veloudos, larger-than-life force in Boston theater, dies at 71

‘The Full Monty’ takes a while to show what it’s got

Health

Latest COVID vaccine rollout facing canceled appointments, pricey insurance bills

In its first year, calls to 988 Lifeline increase 50 percent in Rhode Island

Dana-Farber deal highlights a surprising trend: New cancer centers are in vogue

Obituaries

James Jorden, creator of an essential opera blog, dies at 69

John Gordon, artist who helped design Packers’ distinctive ‘G’ team logo, dies at age 83

Spiro Veloudos, larger-than-life force in Boston theater, dies at 71