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Education Activity at the State House |
New Commissioner, New Governance Structure, New Readiness Report
 Mitchell Chester, a senior education official in Ohio, was the unanimous choice of the Board of Education as the next Commissioner of Education. MBAE welcomes Chester to Massachusetts and looks forward to continuing our collaboration with the Department of Education on high school reforms to improve the college and career readiness of our state's high school graduates.
Governor Deval Patrick's bill to reorganize the education governance structure in the Commonwealth by creating an Executive Office of Education and a Secretary of Education is on track to gain approval with broad legislative support. The proposal is designed to improve policy coordination across all sectors of education from early education and care through higher education. MBAE views collaboration between early childhood, K-12 and higher education as essential to help students achieve their potential from "cradle to career". What is most important is that key state agencies be aligned to accomplish the goals of attracting and retaining outstanding teachers, holding students and schools accountable for meeting high standards, and preparing every student for success in college and career. |
The Readiness Project has issued an Update to the Governor which laid out three focus areas of the Project where immediate action can be taken - early childhood education, extended learning time, and student progression from high school to college and career. The Readiness Project has been charged with developing a 10-year strategic plan to strengthen education in the Commonwealth and educate citizens for a global workforce and society.
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Employer Survey Finds College Grads Not Ready for Workplace |
Colleges Seek Advice About How to Assess and Improve Student Learning |
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 MBAE has shared employers' concerns about the work readiness skills of high school graduates in its report, Preparing for the Future. Now, a national survey conducted for the Association of American Colleges and Universities shows that employers see a need for significant improvement in the skills and knowledge of recent college graduates as well. 57% of employers surveyed this year said half or fewer of today's college graduates have the full set of skills and knowledge necessary to advance in today's workplace.
Critical thinking and communication skills were among the deficiencies cited by Massachusetts employers in MBAE's report, and these same areas were identified by the 301 business leaders responding to the AACU survey. The findings also suggest that colleges find ways to assess a student's ability to apply college learning to real-world settings. Employers surveyed find college transcripts unhelpful and reject multiple choice tests and institutional assessments in favor of qualitative evaluations of internships, senior projects, and the results of individual essay tests that measure students' abilities to write, solve problems, and think analytically.
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Strong American Schools |
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Focus on Education in the Presidential Election |
Strong American Schools is a nonpartisan public awareness and action campaign aimed at elevating education to the top of the list of our nation's priorities through a vigorous and detailed discussion of the issue by the candidates for president in 2008. As the presidential primary schedule moves ahead, this organization is reminding candidates and voters that all of the issues being debated share a common underpinning. Without a highly educated citizenry, our nation's potential is limited, our competitiveness and security is undermined, and our ability to solve the most complex challenges we face as a society is severely threatened.
Candidates are being asked to address three priorities for improving education:
1) American education standards. Regardless of where they live, all students need to acquire knowledgeand skills that prepare them for college, for the workplace, and for life. How can we make that happen?
2) Effective teachers in every classroom. We have to enable teachers to improve their skills, measure their performance in the classroom, and reward them for superior results or taking on challenging assignments. How do we accomplish this?
3) More time and support for learning. We need to provide successful and struggling students alike more time for in-depth learning and greater personal attention. How can we give all students what they need to succeed?
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