Editing Springfield, Massachusetts (section)

==Education==

[[File:Springfield City Library, Central Branch.jpg|thumb|right|Central Branch of [[Springfield City Library]]]]

===Grade schools===
[[The Springfield Plan]] for [[citizenship education (subject)|citizenship education]] drew national attention in the 1940s for its efforts to combat racism.

====Public schools (K–12)====

Springfield has the second-largest school district in Massachusetts and in New England. It operates 38 elementary schools, six high schools, six middle schools (6–8), and seven specialized schools. The main high schools in the city include the [[High School of Commerce (Massachusetts)|High School of Commerce]], [[Springfield Central High School]], [[Roger L Putnam Vocational-Technical High School]], and the [[Springfield High School of Science and Technology]], better known as Sci-Tech. There are also two charter secondary schools in the City of Springfield: SABIS International, which ranks among the top 5% of high schools nationally in academic quality, and the Hampden Charter School of Science.

The city is required under a 1970s court order to balance schools racially, which had necessitated busing. However, since then, the city and the school's population has shifted and many of the neighborhoods are more [[Racial integration|integrated]], calling into question the need for busing at all.

In June 2015, [[Governor of Massachusetts|Massachusetts Governor]] [[Charlie Baker]] announced $3.2 million in grants to three underperforming middle schools in Springfield.<ref>{{cite news|last=Williams|first=Michelle|title=State awards $4.48 million to school turnaround efforts in Springfield, Worcester|website=[[The Republican (Springfield, Massachusetts)|MassLive.com]]|publisher=[[Advance Publications]]|url=https://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2015/06/state_awards_over_four_million.html|date=June 8, 2015|access-date=June 23, 2018|archive-date=November 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113170437/https://www.masslive.com/news/2015/06/state_awards_over_four_million.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Private schools====

The [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts|Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield]] operated five Catholic elementary schools in the city, all of which were consolidated into a single entity, St. Michael's Academy, in the autumn of 2009.<ref>[http://www.masslive.com/metrowest/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-17/1232787365176350.xml&coll=1 Catholic grade schools remade] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328171232/http://www.masslive.com/metrowest/republican/index.ssf?%2Fbase%2Fnews-17%2F1232787365176350.xml&coll=1 |date=March 28, 2012 }}, ''The Republican'', January 24, 2009</ref> The non-denominational [[Pioneer Valley Christian School|Pioneer Valley Christian Academy]] is located in the suburban [[Sixteen Acres, Springfield, Massachusetts|Sixteen Acres]] neighborhood, educating K–12.<ref>[http://www.pvcama.org/ Pioneer Valley Christian Academy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170310195435/http://pvcama.org/ |date=March 10, 2017 }}. Retrieved April 22, 2010.</ref> Non-sectarian elementary schools within the City of Springfield include the Pioneer Valley Montessori School in Springfield's Sixteen Acres neighborhood and Orchard Children's Corner in suburban [[Indian Orchard, Springfield, Massachusetts|Indian Orchard]], a Pre-Kindergarten, among others.

The diocese runs [[Pope Francis Preparatory School]] (previously Cathedral High School), which is the largest Catholic high school in Western Massachusetts. Two [[nonsectarian]] private schools are also located in Springfield: Commonwealth Academy<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.commonwealth-academy.org/|title=Massachusetts Academy|access-date=April 27, 2016|archive-date=February 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204122211/http://commonwealth-academy.org/|url-status=live}}</ref> located on the former campus of the [[MacDuffie School]] (which moved to [[Granby, Massachusetts]], in 2011 after 130 years in Springfield), and teaches grades four through twelve, soon to enroll students in grades K–12; and the Academy Hill School,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.academyhill.org/|title=Academy Hill School|website=Academy Hill School|access-date=July 12, 2017|archive-date=July 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701012249/http://www.academyhill.org/|url-status=live}}</ref> which teaches [[kindergarten]] through grade eight.

Within {{convert|15|mi|km|0}} of Springfield are many private prep schools, which can serve as day schools for Springfield students; they include the [[Williston Northampton School]] in Easthampton, Massachusetts; [[Wilbraham & Monson Academy]] in Wilbraham, Massachusetts; and [[Suffield Academy]] in [[Suffield, Connecticut]].

===Higher education===

====Universities and colleges====

The [[Knowledge Corridor]] boasts the second-largest concentration of higher learning institutions in the United States, with 32 universities and [[liberal arts colleges]] and over 160,000 university students in Greater Hartford–Springfield. This includes two college consortia, the [[Five Colleges (Massachusetts)|Five Colleges]], and the [[Cooperating Colleges of Greater Springfield]], whose member institutions often collaborate in greater outreach programs. Within {{convert|16|mi|km|0}} of Springfield's [[Metro Center, Springfield, Massachusetts|Metro Center]], there are 18 universities and liberal arts colleges, which enroll approximately 100,000 students.<ref name="nu">{{cite web |url=http://nuwnotes1.nu.com/apps/wmeco/webcontent.nsf/AR/econ_review_2010/$File/2010_wmeco_Review.pdf |date=January 10, 2011 |title=Western Massachusetts 2010–2011 Economic Review |access-date=October 16, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150202012925/http://nuwnotes1.nu.com/apps/wmeco/webcontent.nsf/AR/econ_review_2010/$File/2010_wmeco_Review.pdf |archive-date=February 2, 2015 }}</ref>

As of 2015, Springfield attracts over 20,000 university students per year. Its universities and colleges include [[Western New England College|Western New England University]]; [[Springfield College]], famous as the birthplace of the sport of basketball (1891) and the nation's first [[physical education]] class, (1912); [[American International College]], founded to educate America's immigrant population, is notable as the inventor of the [[Model Congress]] program. [[UMass Amherst]] relocated its urban design center graduate program to [[Court Square]] in Metro Center.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.springfieldcityhall.com/planning/elm_street.0.html |title=Court Square Springfield, Mass.: Home Page |publisher=Springfieldcityhall.com |date=July 13, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719162257/http://www.springfieldcityhall.com/planning/elm_street.0.html |archive-date=July 19, 2011 }}</ref>

Several of Greater Springfield's institutions rank among the most prestigious in the world. For example, [[Amherst College]], {{convert|15|mi|km|0}} north of Springfield, and [[Smith College]], {{convert|13|mi|km|0}} north of Springfield, consistently rank among America's top 10 liberal arts colleges. [[Mount Holyoke College]]—the United States' first women's college—consistently ranks among America's Top 15 colleges, and it is located only {{convert|9|mi|km|0}} north of Springfield. [[Hampshire College]] is located {{convert|14|mi|km|0}} north of Springfield. The 30,000-student [[University of Massachusetts Amherst]] is located {{convert|16|mi|km|0}} north of Springfield. Approximately {{convert|10|mi|km|0}} west of Springfield, across the Memorial Bridge in Westfield, is [[Westfield State University]], founded by noted education reformer [[Horace Mann]]. Westfield was the first university in America to admit students without regard to sex, race, or economic status.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wsc.ma.edu/prospective-students/undergraduate-admissions/after-you-apply/ |title=After You Apply : Undergraduate Admissions : Prospective Students : Westfield State University |publisher=Wsc.ma.edu |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604041344/http://www.wsc.ma.edu/prospective-students/undergraduate-admissions/after-you-apply/ |archive-date=June 4, 2011 }}</ref>

Just outside Springfield's northern city limits is [[Elms College]], a Catholic college. Likewise, just {{convert|2|mi|km|1}} below Springfield's southern city limit in [[Longmeadow]] is [[Bay Path University]]; both schools were once all-women but are now co-ed.

====Community colleges====

In 1968, following the Pentagon's controversial closing of the [[Springfield Armory]], Springfielders founded [[Springfield Technical Community College]] on {{convert|35|acre|ha|1}} behind the Springfield Armory National Park. Springfield Technical Community College is the only polytechnic community college in Massachusetts, and was founded to continue Springfield's tradition of technical innovation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://shaysrebellion.stcc.edu/shaysapp/about/project.jsp |title=Shays' Rebellion—About This Project |publisher=Shaysrebellion.stcc.edu |access-date=May 30, 2011 |archive-date=July 20, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720050248/http://shaysrebellion.stcc.edu/shaysapp/about/project.jsp |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Holyoke Community College]], {{convert|8|mi|km|0}} north of Springfield, offers more traditional community college programming in Greater Springfield, as well as instruction in the culinary arts.