Scaling Social-Emotional Learning: A Student’s Practicum at City Hall
For two-and-a-half years before enrolling at SPH, Corryn Barter taught at Match, a charter public high school located next to Agganis Arena on BU’s Charles River Campus. First, she taught physics, and then she pivoted to teaching health. She found that while her students overwhelmingly struggled with math problems, they were deeply empathetic and skilled in reading a room. But with such a rich emotional life comes challenges, she says, and without a specific curriculum targeting their social-emotional development, her students were struggling to achieve personal and academic well-being.
Report points to Trump cuts as latest obstacle to region’s housing growth
As more people in the Boston area feel squeezed by the housing market, they’re facing a new hurdle: a drop in the economic growth that normally spurs new construction.
So far, the slowdown has done little to relieve a growing affordability gap for buyers and renters, according to the Greater Boston Housing Report Card released on Nov. 12 by The Boston Foundation, its researchers at Boston Indicators, and Boston University’s Initiative on Cities. But, in contrast with previous reports, researchers went beyond local regulatory hurdles to blame federal funding cuts, immigration policies, and tariffs introduced under President Trump for creating “deep uncertainty” in what has long been one of the country’s least affordable housing markets.
The Secret Fossil Fuel Network Running Through America’s Backyards
Millions of Americans live surprisingly close to fossil fuel infrastructure—not just oil wells and power plants, but also refineries, storage sites, and pipelines that make up a vast, mostly hidden energy network.
Former Brookline firefighter whose legal battle put a spotlight on racial discrimination has died
Gerald Alston, a onetime Brookline firefighter whose yearslong legal battle against the town pulled back the curtain on racial discrimination, has died at age 57. Four years ago, Brookline reached a landmark $11 million settlement with Alston, who was fired after he complained of racial bias in the workplace and reported a supervisor who left a racial slur on his voicemail.
Child Gun Injury Risk Spikes When Children Leave School for the Day
In the United States, child firearm violence prevention focuses largely on school shootings, even though the majority of child gun injuries occur outside of schools. A new study led by School of Public Health researchers provides additional insight into this gun violence threat, showing that children’s risk of being shot rises as soon as the school day ends.
GBH Daily: 85% of renters can’t afford to buy a starter home
Half of renters in the Boston area spend more than a third of their income on rent, and only 15% earn enough that they could afford to buy a starter home in the region, according to the Greater Boston Housing Report Card, released yesterday by the Boston Foundation. That means households need an income of $162,000 a year to afford one of the region’s less expensive homes. Just four years ago, researchers estimated 30% of Boston-area renters could afford to buy a starter home.
Report card: Affordability gap grows for those seeking starter homes in Mass.
While housing construction is up and home prices have stabilized, researchers expect home buyers and renters will continue to face affordability headwinds in Massachusetts. Home prices and rents have flattened in 2025 but are still “historically” high, according to a 108-page Greater Boston Housing Report Card 2025 released by The Boston Foundation and Boston Indicators on Wednesday.
Can you afford a “starter home” in the Boston area? Housing report says only 15% of renters make enough.
A new report shows it’s increasingly difficult for renters to make the leap to home ownership in the Boston area. The Boston Foundation’s 2025 Housing Report Card says that just 15% of renter households can afford a “starter home” in Greater Boston. The report defines a starter home as one that’s in the bottom tier of home values because it’s smaller or in a less expensive neighborhood.
Report: Affordability gap grows for those seeking starter homes in Greater Boston
While housing construction is up and home prices have stabilized, researchers expect home buyers and renters will continue to face affordability headwinds in Massachusetts. Home prices and rents have flattened in 2025 but are still “historically” high, according to a 108-page Greater Boston Housing Report Card 2025 released by The Boston Foundation and Boston Indicators on Wednesday.
Housing permits dip while prices remain high, report says
Let’s start with the good news: Massachusetts has added nearly 98,000 new housing units in the past five years, including 71,000 in Greater Boston.