Jun
30
On Tuesday June 29th, along with the Colleges of Worcester Consortium and the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Worcester Education Collaborative hosted a Community Briefing to entitled Education Reform at Seventeen: Where We’ve Been, Where We Are, Where We’re Going. The over sixty people in attendance represented a broad spectrum of our community and heard from a distinguished panel of experts who considered the evolution of education reform, the challenges that we currently face, and the opportunities offered in new state and federal legislations and initiatives.
Participants and guests reflected upon the academic generation of reform and the new phase of work ahead of us.
Dr. Robert Antonucci, current president of Fitchburg State College and past Commissioner of Education spoke of the issues facing the Commonwealth that led to the passage of the 1993 Education Reform legislation including the need to equalize funding across districts by the creation of the foundation budget, to provide assessments of student learning, and to begin to lay the groundwork for the cultivation of a skilled workforce of the 21st century.
Kevin O’Sullivan, president of MassBiomed Initiatives and past member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives recalled the politics surrounding the bill’s passage. He also considered from his current vantage point the fruits that Education Reform yielded in the form of graduates prepared to make meaningful contributions in a knowledge and innovation based economy.
Deputy Commissioner for Elementary and Secondary Education, Karla Brooks Baehr spoke of the recently enacted Act to Address the Achievement Gap, commonly known as Education Reform II. She noted aspects of the new law that support innovation in schools, support as well as accountability for underperforming schools, and the push to address those needs of students burdened by poverty through complementary services.
Secretary of Education Paul Reville spoke more broadly of the need to attend to the ongoing development of literacy, of the critical importance of pre-kindergarten experiences as a foundation for later learning, and for the view of education as a continuum from pre-school to college and career. He also addressed the clear links among sound public education, long term economic development, and community stability.
Thomas DelPrete, Professor of Education at Clark and Director of the Hiatt Center for Urban Education identified the opportunities presented in Education Reform II to advance implementation of best practices to foster educational attainment among students. He also considered the tools and resources required to enhance and support teachers as professional and to continue to support the entry and retention of talented, enthusiastic, people into the profession.
Superintendent of the Worcester Public Schools, Melinda Boone wove the panelists’ remarks together and shed light on the challenges faced by our district and on the opportunities to address them presented by federal and state reform initiatives. She also noted that the ability to thoughtfully mine the wealth of data generated by the requirements of reform offered a distinct opportunity for the district, the schools and community, as well as families to respond nimbly to existing and emerging strengths and needs at the district, school, and individual level.