One year ago, Massachusetts was awarded a $250 million Race to the Top grant that required implementation of far-reaching and some controversial policies with the goal of completing the unfinished work of education reform – closing achievement gaps and raising […]
Although many of us tuned in this week to learn the results of the 2012 MCAS exams and were pleased to find continued growth in the number of 10th grade students reaching proficiency in ELA (88%) and math (78%), there […]
In 2011, one year after Massachusetts was awarded a $250 million Race to the Top grant that required implementation of far-reaching and some controversial policies, MBAE commissioned this report to examine progress on several key initiatives, including implementation of the Common Core […]
Stay the course on standards and assessments. That’s MBAE’s position on the Common Core standards and the transition away from MCAS. And now it’s advice to Governor-elect Baker coming from the Boston Globe. In Friday’s editorial, Noah Guiney of the […]
At Harvard Business School the faculty leads the U.S. Competitiveness Project which is “…a research-led effort to understand and improve the competitiveness of the United States – that is, the ability of firms operating in the U.S. to compete successfully […]
This spring, about 81,000 Massachusetts students took the PARCC (Partnership for Assessing College and Career Readiness) exam for a test-drive. Some schools only took PARCC, some the usual MCAS tests, some both. As districts consider whether to administer PARCC or […]
The early deadline for districts’ to choose giving the PARCC test or the now 17-year-old MCAS exam next school year has passed. As of June 30th, 297 districts have made a binding decision of which assessment to administer next spring […]
At Harvard Business School the faculty leads the U.S. Competitiveness Project which is “…a research-led effort to understand and improve the competitiveness of the United States – that is, the ability of firms operating in the U.S. to compete successfully […]
Reproduced from a special report sponsored by the James B. Hunt, Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy. Across the nation, thoughtful, state-specific strategies for Common Core State Standards implementation are being developed and put into action. Teachers, governors, business leaders […]
May 2011 In this issue: States Take Aggressive Action on Human Capital Policies —States across the country are advancing legislation that will dramatically change human capital policies in schools. Senate Passes Municipal Health Reform Measure — Last week the Massachusetts Senate passed a municipal health reform proposal, joining the House in enabling cities […]
March 2011 In this issue: Creating a New Teacher Evaluation System — Debate over linking teacher evaluations to student achievement will be ratcheted up in March when the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Task Force on Educator Evaluation releases its recommendations […]
Reproduced from a special report sponsored by the James B. Hunt, Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy. Across the nation, thoughtful, state-specific strategies for Common Core State Standards implementation are being developed and put into action. Teachers, governors, business leaders […]
Although many of us tuned in this week to learn the results of the 2012 MCAS exams and were pleased to find continued growth in the number of 10th grade students reaching proficiency in ELA (88%) and math (78%), there […]
Although MBAE has expressed skepticism about the cumbersome new model system that Massachusetts has developed to implement new teacher evaluation regulations, recent news from the state’s two largest districts – Boston and Springfield – give us reason to be cautiously […]
Another survey has confirmed teacher enthusiasm for the Common Core State Standards. Yes, it is a project of Scholastic and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which the standards’ detractors characterize as the all-powerful Oz, but the data is indisputable. […]
“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” […]
Despite a steady stream of misinformation in recent weeks, the new Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks that include the Common Core State Standards will better prepare students for higher education and the workplace. For the record: When nearly 40% of MA […]
The 1993 Education Reform Act (that has been credited with raising student achievement in Massachusetts to the top of the nation) had as two of its core principles high standards and an accountability system for measuring whether these standards were […]
The Education Trust issued a report this week that analyzes NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) data to examine how state performance on this measure compared to the nation as a whole over the past decade. Uneven at the Start: […]
Is Common Core really taking control away from teachers? According to a new report, the answer is no. Latest research by the Center on Education Policy (CEP) finds that it is local teachers and districts that are leading the charge […]