Gov. Patrick has new plan for schools

Wants to bridge learning gap, ready children for school, keep them there until graduation

By Owen Boss

BOSTON — Gov. Deval Patrick unveiled information Monday regarding a multifaceted program that would improve public schools through his ‘Readiness Project,’ an education reform intitiative that would improve the quality of education in public schools across the state. The conference, which was held at the Boys & Girls Club in Dorchester, was the first of a three-day series of press conferences that will grant the governor the opportunity to periodically release bits and pieces of the legislation, while highlighting how each section will play its own part in bettering the state’s public schools. Throughout his speech, Mr. Patrick emphasized the growing importance of providing children with a well-balanced education as the world’s marketplace becomes increasingly global. “Education transforms lives, and there is no better way to position Massachusetts for prosperity in the 21st century than to prepare our children with the skills they need to compete anywhere,” said Mr. Patrick. “It is time to build on the remarkable achievements of the past 15 years, and take public education to the next level.” Since the Education Reform Act was passed in 1993, Massachusetts has led the nation in education achievement, with state students consistently scoring at the top on national tests. However, when measured against top-scoring students in other nations, Massachusetts does not rank among them. Daniel Asquino, president of Mount Wachusett Community College, and member of Mr. Patrick’s Leadership Group, said that he plans to be in attendance for the two remaining sessions this week, and expects that when the report has been fully released residents will appreciate how much work went into preparing the plan. “This is all about challenging the current network of schools to be more innovative,” said Dr. Asquino. “We met as a group many evenings and weekends and I think that when the people of Massachusetts see the whole report, a large number of people will be very, very pleased.” He added that it is important to remember that this is not meant to make an immediate change on the way the state’s public school system works, and that the governor continually stresses that this is a 10-year plan, and it may be a decade before the Leadership Group can look back and appreciate the fruits of their labor. One statistic that Mr. Patrick said spurred the development of this program is that although Massachusetts has been reforming its educational policy for 15 years, considerable achievement gaps still exist between African-American and Latino students, and white and Asian students. “Addressing the achievement gap requires that teachers are given the tools and the time to focus on the educational needs of each child,” said Paul Reville, secretary designate of education. “The recommendations outlined in Gov. Patrick’s Education Action Agenda provide a blueprint to guide us through the next phase of education reform with our partners in the Legislature and the many committed stakeholders across the commonwealth.” Among the proposed changes to the state’s public schools are: • The development of a comprehensive, statewide child and youth data and reporting system that would lead to the development of a “Readiness Passport” for every child and youth enrolled in Massachusetts schools • The establishment of a statewide birth-to-school age strategy to ensure the healthy development of children, particularly those from low-income families • Reduce class sizes in K-2 classrooms in high-need districts • Increase the availability of state Adult Basic Education and English for speakers of other languages • Launch an Urban Schools Early Warning and Dropout Prevention Project • Place “student support coordinators” in every low-income school to assist teachers • Establish a commonwealth Child and Youth Readiness Cabinet • Increase funding for universal prekindergarten within the 2010 fiscal budget • Continue state support for high-quality, full-day kindergarten in every high-need district The second of the three-part conference will occur today at the first-ever joint meeting of the state’s education boards: The Board of Early Education and Care, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Board of Higher Education and the University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees. oboss@thegardnernews.com

Appeared on Page 1 on 6/25/2008 (Vol. 206 No. 150)