Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

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  1. 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.  

  2. 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?

    • Deval Patrick Committee

      Friends:

      Today, Massachusetts schools received some excellent news: our 4th and 8th grade students ranked first in the nation in math for the third time in a row. This is an impressive day for our educators and our students. The rankings coming from the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Math exam. African-American 8th graders made the most significant gains, with the percent of students scoring Proficient or higher spiking from 13 to 23 percent.

      But as strong as our schools rank nationally, we must not stop working to improve them. We still have some schools that chronically under-perform, and we must also push forward to ensure our strongest schools continue to lead the way and prepare our students for the new economies of the 21st century.

      Currently, essential reforms proposed by the Governor and his Administration aimed at closing the achievement gap are being discussed in the legislature and within the Joint Committee on Education. These reforms represent a turning point in the history of education in Massachusetts and are an opportunity to launch the next era of excellence for Massachusetts schools. This legislation will transform under-performing schools and create new opportunities for educators and partners to develop innovative schools of excellence. I encourage you to find out more about this legislation here.

      The Governor has a deep understanding of the importance education plays in transforming lives because it is what transformed his own. That is why he will continue in Massachusetts’ proud tradition of investing in our students and teachers. This type of investment is also why early indicators show our Commonwealth is poised to emerge from this economic crisis sooner and stronger than the rest of the US.

      Sincerely,

      Charlotte Golar Richie
      Executive Director
      Deval Patrick Committee

      • But not everyone who might be interested in this information is on the “Patrick Committee,” which is to whom this missive is addressed.  This is for political supporters. Then there’s everybody else.      

        • you choose not to… hell, even my mother gets them, and she’s as apolitical as it gets. I have little idea how she ever ended up on their lists.  

          • So Deval Patrick, as political figure, is happy to trumpet these scores to people who want to give his committee their email address, but Deval Patrick as executive of the Commonwealth isn’t.

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            p>This tells me that Deval’s people see political value in this happy news, but don’t expect it to affect policy in a significant way.

            • that Patrick is not on top of the state house dome shouting to anyone who will listen.  Doesn’t he care about the work of school children!!!

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              p>Oh, and by the way, WBUR quoting Patrick:

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              In a statement, Gov. Deval Patrick heralded the news as an “extraordinary accomplishment.”

              • I’m glad that Deval is announcing this both as a policy maker and as a politician.  Better that he do it a day late than never…it was my goal to make sure he didn’t choose the second option.

            • invent an email random generator that emails to every possible combination of letters in existence? If people want Governor Patrick’s news, it’s inherently easy to get it. If they don’t, they respect that.  

    • Even for a non-Deval fan like you, sab, this strikes me as uncharacteristically negative.  Why on earth would a Governor try to “bury” news that students are doing well?  And, as is obvious from the links johnk and I posted downthread, the Gov has done just the opposite.  His political committee put out a blast.  His Education Department put out a press release with big quotes from the Gov, as well as the Speaker, the Sen Prez, and others.  And the Gov himself recorded a video – a much bigger commitment of time and effort than having his press people put out a release.

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      p>What would you have him do?

      • I’m glad Governor Patrick released this statement for I wanted families and students to hear it.  Let me clarify — the data was released well before to government officials, merely embargoed until yesterday.  Given that Governor Patrick often gives a rather one-sided view of public education (part of his “crisis” line of reasoning), I thought this was an extension of the pattern. Since the governor likely knew the results well in advance, I was concerned that his administration chose to ignore them on the day they were in the news.  I figured that if he wasn’t going to make a deal of it the day it’s in the news, when was he?

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        p>I’m quite pleased that Governor Patrick is recognizing the work of the students of the Commonwealth.

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  3. 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.

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