First Ladies of the Renaissance WOW!

On Friday, March 30, I was lucky enough to be invited to the Second Annual Breakfast with the First Ladies of the Boston Renaissance Charter Public School.  What a treat!   The First Ladies are part of the Voices of Renaissance Choir, which has performed at the White House several times.  It began when a group of girls charged gender discrimination because a mentoring program had been started for boys – The Young Kings (a very handsome group of youngsters in their black suits and gold bow ties!).   The school readily supported these young feminists and they chose the name “The First Ladies” for their group, which voluntarily meets on Wednesdays and Fridays at 7:25 a.m. before school.

The breakfast program began with a performance by The Young Kings and the First Ladies of the Renaissance.  Here is what I saw:

• JOY – These students seemed genuinely happy to be at school and truly enjoying their performance.  They were confident (and deserved to be since they were so obviously well-prepared), enthusiastic and all were participating. 
• DISCIPLINE – I couldn’t but help observe the self control these students demonstrated as they stood quietly yet attentively waiting for the “grown up” first ladies to be seated and settle down.  There wasn’t the usual class joker poking his neighbor or the girl who can’t keep her hands off the hair adornments of her friend.  These youngsters clearly showed that they were responsible for themselves and could behave appropriately – perhaps even more seriously than the adults. 
•  EXCELLENCE – I’ve sat through many school performances as my own children went through school, but rarely have I heard such high quality music – especially from elementary-aged kids.  The choices for the orations were also clearly sending these children a strong message about their own abilities and value.  Their practice and dedication was evident!  Listen for yourself!
• ACCOMPLISHMENT – These students had mastered every song and recitation.  Their training and performance skills were in evidence when young man had a temporary lapse of memory and needed a moment to recall his lines, managing to do so with dignity and charm. 

After a short slide show of inspiring photos of women trailblazers in a cross-section of professions and pursuits, it was time for one-on-one mentoring with a student.   I was matched with Sarah, a 4^th grader who wants to be a lawyer because she “cares about what is fair”.  She loves to read and we discussed books and annoying little brothers, as well as appropriate April Fools’ pranks.  I found her delightful and brimming with energy and self-assurance.  Her manners were also impeccable! 

 Massachusetts First Lady Diane Patrick then addressed the girls, letting them know that she didn’t always feel comfortable speaking in front of an audience of the size assembled and didn’t always have high self esteem herself.  Her inspiring message resonated with the attentive crowd and affirmed the message that the girls had recited earlier:   “… And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.  As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

As I watched the bright shining smiles of young ladies around me, and listened to the awe-inspiring songs and recitations, it renewed my commitment to MBAE’s mission to make sure that all of our children are given the opportunities to pursue their dreams and realize their full potential by receiving the high quality education these students are getting at the Boston Renaissance Public Charter School.

Raising the Drop Out Age — Will it Make a Difference?

MBAE’s goal of preparing all students for success in college and career is dependent on keeping them in school to earn a diploma and go on to the postsecondary endeavor of their choice.  So, it is heartening that the Legislature is poised to take action on dropout prevention measures.  Earlier this month, the Joint Committee on Education unanimously recommended a bill that would raise the dropout age to 18 and require school districts to take other steps to help students at risk of leaving school.   This move had been called for by Governor Deval Patrick and by President Barack Obama in speeches delivered in January.

You might assume that MBAE is cheering these policy makers on, but we are not convinced that this action will have any impact – except perhaps the unexpected kind.  Our concern is that raising the dropout age gives us the illusion of dealing with a problem that can only be solved with strong interventions to engage students in their learning and make the time they are in school productive.  As we said in our response to the state’s 2009 Graduation and Dropout Prevention and Recovery Commission:

Engaging students in learning so they are prepared for further training and gainful employment should be the goal of any dropout prevention initiative.  MBAE supports recommendations that build on evidence of what works – such as early warning systems that identify students at risk and interventions for these students that keep them on track to graduation.  According to Civic Enterprise’s Silent Epidemic, nearly 70% of dropouts were not motivated to work hard and two-thirds would have worked harder if more was demanded of them.  Over 80% said their chances of staying in school would have increased if classes were more interesting and provided opportunities for real-world learning.   Making it illegal for youth under age 18 to dropout of school will not address this reality.  MBAE supports action that will.

Some excellent examples of “supports and services” that better engage these students can be found in schools and districts participating in the state’s MassGrad initiative (MBAE represents employers on the Leadership Council).  A 2009 report from the Rennie Center also highlighted “promising practices” and successful efforts to raise graduation rates in many of Massachusetts’ “Gateway Cities”.  It is frustrating that after years of deliberation, we are still not focused on proven methods that offer students a range of alternatives to help them persist through graduation.  Instead, we are on the verge of forcing students to stay in school regardless of whether the support they need is in place.

As the bill goes to the Senate Ways and Means Committee for cost estimates, there is agreement that supports and services are essential, but there is great skepticism about whether we can afford these.  While it is absolutely essential to make sure what we are already spending is being used effectively, we must recognize that dropouts cost us more in the long run than what we would spend to help them graduate.   There are numerous estimates of the cost of dropouts to society and to the individuals who lack the education needed for self-sufficiency.  In 2007, the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern issued a report that focused attention on dropout prevention as an economic issue.    Professor Andy Sum and his colleagues found that the costs of social services and loss of tax revenues when a student drops out translates into “a net fiscal difference of $456,500 between high school graduates and dropouts” and the gap between “four year college graduates and high school dropouts was closer to $1.5 million”.

In 2007, MBAE testified in favor of a bill that proposed reducing the dropout rate by 50% by 2012 (yes, this year!) because it set a measurable standard by which to measure our progress and hold ourselves accountable.  The state’s goal has been that 90% of students will graduate ready for college and career without remediation by 2020.  If we are serious about reducing dropout rates, we need to set ambitious goals and do what we know is necessary to meet these – and the needs of our students.

Massachusetts Receives “No Child Left Behind” Waiver

Massachusetts is one of ten states that received the news today that its application has been approved for a waiver from the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA – also known as No Child Left Behind) requirement that all students reach proficiency in English and math by 2014.  

MBAE has been a staunch supporter of statewide accountability systems that are designed to raise student achievement and focus attention on areas for improvement since we helped make sure this was a central component of the Education Reform Act of 1993.  More recently, we have played an active role on the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (DESE) Accountability and Assistance Advisory Council, which helped link technical assistance and support to identified needs for district action through development of the new Framework for District Accountability and Assistance.  So, it was only because of our confidence in the potential of  this state system and the absence of action by Congress to address the problems with the current federal system that we supported the state’s application for an ESEA waiver.  

MBAE shared our concerns about the DESE request for the ESEA Waiver  during the public comment period, and supported the waiver “conditioned on Commissioner Mitchell Chester’s assurance that he has ‘no interest in watering down our standards and expectations’ and that he plans to continue the state’s vigorous support of high standards, rewards for strong performance, and aggressive pursuit of continuous improvement”.    

We will hold the Commissioner to this commitment and continue to advocate for high standards of performance and accountability for meeting these in every level of public education in the Commonwealth.

The state’s request, and the U.S. Department of Education’s response are online at the U.S. DOE website.   Additional information about the state’s application can be found on the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website.

Savings Impact of Municipal Health Care Reform Exceeds Expectations

When MBAE embarked on our examination of how the foundation budget for education was working, the last thing we thought it would lead to was savings for cities and towns of over $100 million on health insurance costs.  Yet, that is exactly what has occurred!   After years of debate about municipal health insurance reform, legislative leaders took bold action to give municipalities the ability to join the Group Insurance Commission, or otherwise benefit from group purchasing for employer health insurance.  MBAE’s report is credited in a column yesterday by Scot Lehigh of The Boston Globe with providing the evidence that was a catalyst for reform - the revelation “that soaring local health care costs were devouring dollars intended for education reform”.

A new analysis from the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation shows that savings for cities and towns  from municipal health reform are exceeding the $100 million projected to be gained.  Since the plan was first proposed a year ago, a dozen communities have negotiated changes through the traditional collective bargaining process that will save an estimated $30 million in the first year alone.  The list of  municipalities adopting the new approach and those with negotiations underway is growing.  We are delighted with these results and confident that some of these funds will help avoid cuts to education and children will be the beneficiaries.

Massachusetts Wins Early Learning Challenge Grant

Massachusetts got more good news – and potentially as much as $50 million – when the U.S. Department of Education announced that the Commonwealth is one of nine Early Learning Challenge Grant winners.   Exact award amounts are expected to be announced soon for the 4-year grants to expand pre-school education as part of an overall strategy to close achievement gaps. 

The state’s application promises to ensure that all children, but particularly those with the greatest need, have access to high quality pre-K education. 

Specific components of the state’s plan include the following:

• Enhancing the quality of all early education programs in the state by securing universal participation in the Massachusetts tiered Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS), which uses a definition of quality and standards designed to elevate the quality of care in state early care and education systems and to ensure growth as children develop. Currently over 2,000 programs out of the 12,000 early education and care and out of school time programs licensed by the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC)  are engaged in the Massachusetts QRIS.
• Aligning birth to age five early learning and development standards, including the creation of English Language Development standards for birth to age five. 
• Creating the Massachusetts Early Learning and Development Assessment System (MELD) from birth to grade three by expanding screening for children and developing a common tool for a kindergarten entry assessment.  
• Increasing culturally and linguistically appropriate engagement with parents, families and community members regarding literacy, universal child screening and other statewide priorities.  
• Providing essential support to early educators and enhance their effectiveness in practice by providing educational opportunities and targeted professional development.
• Creating greater alignment between early education and grades K-3 to promote healthy child development and to support successful school transitions.

MBAE congratulates EEC Commissioner Sherry Killins and her team for putting together a strong proposal and for her commitment to making early childhood education a strong foundation for the state’s college and career readiness continuum.   We also commend our friends at Strategies for Children and the  Early Education for All   campaign for their tireless work on behalf of young children that put the state in such a unique and strong position to qualify for this award. 

Now, just as with the K-12 Race to the Top competitive grant program, the hard work begins.  The funding is important, but what really matters is that state policy makers, educators and  community leaders all have a clear road-map for improving educational opportunities for children and that we succeed in reaching the goals set in these proposals.  

MBAE recently reported on first year progress on Race to the Top – read the report here.

PARCC Releases Common Core Content Frameworks

The Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC) Consortium is a group of 24 states, including Massachusetts, that have joined together to create new assessments based on the Common Core State Standards.  

The Consortium has released “model content frameworks” for English language arts/literacy and mathematics that were influenced by responses to an initial draft during a public review in August, 2011. The intention of these model content frameworks is to identify the big ideas in the Common Core State Standards  for each grade level and to help determine the focus for various PARCC assessments being developed by the consortium. The frameworks are being created through a collaborative process that includes state experts and members of the team that wrote the Common Core State Standards.

PARCC intends to continue to invite feedback from a wide group of stakeholders during future public review periods.  The Model Content Frameworks are intended to be dynamic and responsive to evidence and on-going input.  In this way, the Model Content Frameworks can evolve to reflect the experiences of educators and students as these are used in classrooms across the country. For more information or to view the frameworks, visit http://parcconline.org/parcc-content-frameworks.

Employers have a lot at stake in the successful implementation of the Common Core State Standards!  These “college and career ready” standards were designed to better prepare students for postsecondary education and success in the workplace.  MBAE and other business groups endorsed adoption of these standards after an extensive review by WestEd concluded that these were as rigorous as what Massachusetts had developed AND included features that were of particular value to employers – strategic thinking, reading of complex non-fiction texts, and persuasive writing among these.  The business community must be vigilant to make sure that the potential of these new standards is realized as curriculum and assessments are developed and used in our classrooms.

Check out MBAE’s blog posts for more information and resources page for links to the WestEd analysis!

Good News for Education Reform

Today’s education clips summary from the Education Commission of the States brought some good news for education reform.  I was particularly pleased to see topics related to MBAE’s goals and work.   Although we are not satisfied until the job is complete, it is nice to see progress in the direction we think education policy ought to go. 

Teacher Tenure - As part of our goal for every child be taught by an effective teacher every year, we have often stated that tenure should be meaningful – a hard standard to meet and one that brings significant benefits.  So, it is heartening to see that with New York City’s new, stronger evaluation system, teachers who don’t meet high performance standards are not getting the lifetime protection of tenure.  The rate of eligible teachers awarded tenure has dropped from nearly 100% to 58%, according to an article in the New York Times.  Decisions for 39% of teachers eligible for tenure (up from 8% a year ago) were deferred, giving them a chance to improve.  There are criticisms of the new system and it will take time to work out these issues.  But, it is certainly good news for those in the teaching profession to know that in New York, leaders are serious about giving teachers the respect professionals earn and students the education they deserve. 

Graduation Rates - Accurate data to understand where we stand on education measures has always been a priority for MBAE.  It is especially important to know how many of our children are earning a high school diploma.   and each got a boost from the U.S. Department of Education.  We will get a much more honest picture now that the U.S. Department of Education has established a uniform formula for calculating how many students finish high school.  Until now, states have used a variety of methods to calculate this rate.  Now, with each student tracked individually, it’s likely that many states will find out their graduation rates are lower than reported – perhaps by as much as 20%.  The number may shock some states, including ours, but it is more important to have valid numbers.  We’ll be looking carefully at how Massachusetts fares and will continue to work to raise graduation rates as part of the MassGrad initiative and other efforts to change state policy and district performance.

There are other good things happening – but these two were particularly gratifying moves toward closing achievement gaps!

Municipal Health Insurance Reform – Massachusetts is not Wisconsin

No, this is not Wisconsin!   Although labor leaders initially objected to giving cities and towns more control over health care plan design as an attack on collective bargaining rights, they ultimately worked with legislative leaders in Massachusetts and key stakeholders, including municipalities and employers, to craft a compromise that all could accept. 

MBAE commends all involved in addressing the challenge of controlling exorbitant and unsustainable municipal health care costs.  The reform provision included in the FY12 budget gives cities and towns the potential to save an estimated $100 million, which is desperately needed to maintain jobs and services.  

Now that the dust has settled, it’s time to ask what made the debate more constructive here than it has been elsewhere?  A few observations:

1.  Evidence-based Decision Making

The reforms adopted in Massachusetts were not driven by ideology.  MBAE is proud to have played a role, albeit somewhat unexpectedly.  We produced a report on the foundation budget, that was designed to see how it was meeting education needs after 17 years.  What we found was that rising health insurance costs were not consuming education funds across the board, but were disproportionately affecting classroom expenditures.  Legislators who had consistently funded education at “foundation” levels, had the facts they needed for constructive discussion of solutions.  This report followed two others issued earlier by The Boston Foundation (which funded MBAE’s project) showing what could be saved if municipal officials had the authority to control health insurance costs and make decisions to join the state’s Group Insurance Commission’s plans - The Utility of Trouble – Leveling the Playing Field: Giving Municipal Officials the Tools to Moderate Health Insurance Costs and The Utility of Trouble – Municipal Health Care and the GIC: Success and Limitations.  Indeed, the debate in Massachusetts was based on a series of analyses that gave House and Senate leaders the evidence they needed to take bold action.    The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation provided critical analyses at several junctures, including Municipal Health Plans: Gilded Benefits from a Bygone Era, which outlined the discrepancies between municipal health benefits and plans offered by other sectors.  Finally, the Boston Municipal Research Bureau’s The Real Cost of the Contract: An Analysis of Salary & Benefits of Boston Public School Teachers, gave a clear picture of the situation in the state’s largest district.   In Massachusetts, data rather than rhetoric was able to drive much of the negotiations over how to provide the relief that cash-strapped communities and taxpayers need to prevent cuts in essential municipal and school services.   

    2.  Equity with State Employees – Fair and Reasonable Approach

The proposal was never about denying benefits or balancing budgets at employee expense.  It was about paying for health insurance in a more efficient way.   Municipal labor unions continue to have greater bargaining power than their colleagues in state government, and local plans will have to be at least equivalent to state employee plans.   What changes is that cities and towns can opt for an expedited collective bargaining process to negotiate new benefit plans for employees. If municipalities and unions fail to reach agreement in 30 days, the case would be submitted to a three-person review panel for resolution.  The panel would include a union appointee, a municipality appointee and an appointee selected by the Secretary of Administration and Finance (essentially appointed by the governor). The three-person panel would need to act within ten days. Municipalities can use this process to adopt copayments and deductibles and other cost-sharing health plan features that are no higher than those offered by the state-run Group Insurance Commission (GIC). Municipalities may also transfer employees into the state-run plan if it would result in at least a 5% savings compared to the local health care plan. The reform adopted allows a portion of savings to be returned to employees and includes protections for retirees and employees with existing health concerns who are likely to incur higher copayments,. This is a balanced and fair reform that will preserve municipal jobs and services.

     3.  Non-Partisan Leadership, not Political Grandstanding

Massachusetts may be criticized for conducting too much legislative business behind closed doors, but this example demonstrates that the system works.  Communication was generally not conducted through the media but in honest and frank discussions, face-to-face.  Credit has to go to House Speaker Robert DeLeo, Ways & Means Chairman Brian Dempsey and Vice Chairman Stephen Kulik; and in the Senate to President Therese Murray, Ways & Means Chairman Stephen Brewer, Vice Chairman Steven Baddour.    Public Service Committee Chairs Rep. John Scibak and Sen. Katherine Clark, Conference Committee members and all Representatives and Senators who supported reform deserve recognition.  At critical points, Governor Deval Patrick and his administration’s leaders made reasonable compromises to broker a solution.

Although this process included its contentious moments with examples of bad behavior, it generally demonstrated a productive and mature approach to problem-solving.  Massachusetts should be proud of its ability to work constructively to serve the people represented by all constituencies in this debate.

Coalition Urges Governor to Sign Municipal Health Insurance Reform

When the House and Senate crafted a fair and reasonable compromise on municipal health insurance reform that was approved as part of the FY12 budget and sent to the Governor, we thought that this issue had been addressed in a very responsible way.  So, we are concerned that the Governor has not embraced the compromise and MBAE has joined a coalition urging him to do so.

As we have pointed out in past posts and in testimony on this issue, municipal health insurance reform has become the ultimate education issue.  MBAE’s report on the foundation budget showed that funds intended for kids in the classroom are being diverted by cash-strapped cities and towns to cover health insurance premiums.    The proposal on the Governor’s desk does not put municipal employees at risk – it provides the same care and benefits that state employees receive.    We applaud the work done by the House and Senate to craft a solution to this perennial concern and urge the Governor to sign it!

The Boston Globe has weighed in on this issue, taking the same position as the Coalition statement below:

In January of this year, Governor Patrick announced his plan to address the untenable increases in municipal health care costs, which would require all cities and towns to either join the GIC or institute a program of equivalent value and cost by the start of fiscal year 2012.

Last week, the Legislature sent the Governor a municipal health reform plan that provides a local option for large and immediate savings to fiscally strapped cities and towns.   Municipal employees will continue to receive excellent health care, which at a minimum will be the same that state workers receive, and they will retain greater bargaining power than afforded state employees.  The Legislature’s plan will achieve real savings within the next fiscal year, while preserving generous benefits for retirees and employees and ensuring labor a meaningful seat at the table.

We urge the Governor to sign this reform into law without amendments, and meet his commitment to provide cities and towns with the tools they need to save jobs, control costs, and deliver vital public services, while preserving labor’s significant role in the process.

Associated Industries of Massachusetts,

The Boston Foundation,

Boston Municipal Research Bureau,

Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce,

Massachusetts Business Roundtable,

Massachusetts High Tech Council,

Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation,

Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education, and

Stand for Children

A New Beginning for Educator Evaluation

With what some members called a “game changing” vote today, the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education approved new regulations that will make student performance a “significant factor” for the first time in the evaluation of teachers and administrators.    MBAE’s position during the year-long process of development of these regulations has consistently been that we must leverage this opportunity to strengthen the Commonwealth’s ability to ensure that there is an effective teacher in every classroom and that an effective administrator leads every school. 

To satisfy the Race to the Top requirement that a state must include student achievement in evaluation, states across the country are focusing on the role of evaluation in a functional human resource system.  Developing multiple measures of student achievement for use in evaluation has been the most contentious issue here.  To most of us, the use of student performance measures is astonishing not because it is new but because we can’t understand why it hasn’t been done before.  In most jobs, evaluation is about results.  This hasn’t been the case in education, where “professional practice” has been the focus of evaluation.  Today, that is changing. 

After all, if the purpose of education is to teach children what they need to know and be able to do to be successful, productive citizens, then why wouldn’t a teacher’s effectiveness be measured by that result?  MBAE thinks it should be and applauds the Board’s action. 

In testimony this morning, MBAE Chairman Henry Dinger expressed support for the regulations as a “big step forward” despite the fact that we would have liked to see a minimum weighting for student achievement and greater encouragement for districts to adopt a consistent statewide “Model System”.   Overall, we see these guidelines as an improvement over the existing system and as sufficient to allow for development of a new system that will be a critical component of larger efforts to attract, develop and retain the effective educators we need.

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