Governor talks education, housing and more with young adults in Boston

I think the Gov’s comment actually connects with 2 recent BMGer issues.  

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Student:

None of my (high school) friends went to college.  What are we doing here…so that more kids can take advantage of universities like this (Northeastern)?

Governor:

MA is top of nation in achievement and 3rd or 4th in world on tests like TIMMs.  

And yet we have achievement gap….kids of color, low-income families, special needs, English as a second language, etc.    

We need some urgency there, and I’ve introduced legislation….one creates Readiness Schools in districts, the other lifts cap on high-performing charters in lower-performing districts…I need some help in getting those passed by the Lege

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p>The 2 BMGer issues previously raised:

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p>1. Mark Bail said what bothers him among newspaper editorial boards is the premise that American education is in crisis.

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p>I take the Gov’s position to be:

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p>”American education may or may not be in crisis, but in Massachusetts, our suburban kids are doing quite well vis a vis China/India etc……..it’s the persistent achievement gap that we need to push on.”

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p>Basically, almost none (less than 10%) of the 9th graders in our urban schools ever get a college degree.  

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p>To some (me) that feels like crisis, and to other, it’s just the way things are, not something that K-12 can do much about.  

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p>2. Pablo questioned whether Massachusetts needs to raise the cap on charters in order to qualify for federal “Race To The Top” money.  

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p>If Massachusetts beats out a bunch of other states, we’d get a federal grant of about $300 million that would flow to MA school districts.  

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p>Some states, like Illinois, already lifted their caps to be able to compete for the grant.  But there’s not yet a final USDOE grant application that explains exactly how charter caps factor in.  

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p>I think the charter cap lift would help kids; Pablo thinks the net effect is to harm kids.  

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p>But I kind of agree with Pablo in a back-handed way: I don’t think the motivation for policy should be to get grants.  

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p>Yet the main reason it seems that the Lege is considering the cap lift is to position our state for the $300 million for districts.  

Most governors would be thrilled that their students once again outscored the nation in mathematics in the NAEP.  In fourth grade and eighth grade, on one of his precious standardized tests, again.

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p>Will the governor choose to recognize this accomplishment with a press release, or some salute to the effort of these students, or will he attempt to bury the good news?

mass.gov

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Celebrating Educational Achievement – Governor Patrick celebrated Massachusetts’ strong student achievement on the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) exams. Our 4th and 8th grade students ranked first in the nation in math for the third time in a row. The state’s 8th graders outscored students from every other state and ranked first alone, while the Commonwealth’s 4th graders tied for first with students from New Hampshire and Minnesota. “Yet again, our students are leading the nation. This is an extraordinary accomplishment and our students, teachers, administrators and parents should be celebrated for their achievements,” said Governor Patrick. “Now we must commit to building on our considerable success by ensuring that every child is empowered with the education they need to succeed in a 21st Century global economy.” Learn more here. Watch the Governor’s congratulatory video here.

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p>First link press release, second youtube video.