BOSTON – Hundreds of boisterous charter school supporters rallied on Boston Common across from the State House on Wednesday to demand that lawmakers lift the state cap on the number of such institutions, as more than 37,000 students languish on waiting lists for admission.
"We are here from every corner of Massachusetts," roared KIPP Academy Boston Principal Nikki Delk Barnes, who led the rally organized by Great Schools Massachusetts. "This is a revolution of parents, students, educators and community leaders, united in a common goal, to tell the state Senate to lift the cap on charter schools."
BALTIMORE — U.S. Roman Catholic bishops issued an election-year guide stressing a moral imperative to evaluate candidates according to their position on marriage and abortion. The decision Tuesday followed a brief debate at their national assembly over whether the document reflected the priorities of Pope Francis.
The guide, called "Faithful Citizenship," addresses a broad range of issues in Catholic social teaching, including protecting immigrants and the environment, fighting racism and poverty, and opposing the death penalty. However, the bishops said they consider opposition to gay marriage and abortion rights paramount in this presidential election season and beyond.
