THE PIONEER BLOG

Jim Stergios

MA tops nation in reading for 3rd time in a row

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From the Department of Education’s press release: “Massachusetts 4th and 8th Graders Rank First in Reading on 2009 NAEP Exam. Results Mark Third Time in a Row MA Students Have Outscored the Nation.” Great news! According to results of the 2009 NAEP exam, the state’s 4th graders scored an average of 234 on the reading assessment, well above the national average of 220 and first in the nation. At grade 8, Massachusetts students achieved the highest average of 274, which exceeded the national average of 262 and tied for first with five other high performing states: New Jersey (273); Connecticut and Vermont (272); and New Hampshire and Pennsylvania (271). Some cause for concern is the flattening out of performance. Commissioner […]

Steve Poftak

Pitching 38

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Curt Schilling (formerly of the Red Sox, ahem) is now seeking a deal for his video game company, reportedly talking with Rhode Island to see what tax incentives might be provided. His inspiration? The film tax credits which he saw in action in his home town. Now, Curt’s got every right to get the best deal for his company but he might want to consider a few facts: 1) RI’s corporate tax rate is 9% while Massachusetts was 9.5% and is supposed to drop to 8.75% this year, then to 8% over the next few years, 2) RI’s personal income tax rate is progressive and rises pretty fast — it gets to 7% quickly and tops out at 9.9%. Not […]

Jim Stergios

So whaddaya think about Sunday's vote?

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Many thoughts but here are three key ones: 1) What a wasted opportunity to get it right. Little learning from existing experiments like MA’s was drawn upon, and there are no real market mechanisms used to contain costs. Top-down cost containment will just lead to cost-shifting. 2) What a wasted opportunity by Republicans in the early 2000s. Why didn’t they do more than pilot programs to address skyrocketing premiums? 3) What a mess this will be going forward. It is going to be super-expensive for the taxpayer, and it will again shift a lot of the burden to people with private insurance. Two analyses, at antipodes of the ideological spectrum, are worth highlighting. First is Kimberley A. Strassel’s opinion piece […]

Jim Stergios

Little settlement with words

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Words have history, and that is really why they have power. All it takes is one breath to dredge up all sorts of memories and associations. It’s eye-popping when you read a great observer (plug in your favorite literary reference), but in the realm of politics that history is mainly playing off emotions and seeking to motivate one to action or inaction. Education is probably the place where the jargon and sharp-edged words are most prominent; e.g., “drill and kill,” “the field” (guess what you are excluded!), “choice,” and so on. This morning reading through the news, and I was curious about the statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that East Jerusalem was not a “colony.” It struck me […]

Jim Stergios

Prop 2 1/2 Jersey style

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David Halbfinger of the New York Times reports that Governor Christie is proposing “deep cuts” in state spending, which will amount to something like 5 percent of the state budget. Interestingly, Christie is taking a page out of Massachusetts’ lore and seeking to replicate Prop 2 1/2: Mr. Christie’s idea for a 2.5 percent cap on increases in property taxes, modeled on Proposition 2 ½ in Massachusetts, would allow no exceptions except by local referendum and would apply to towns, school boards and counties. He also is calling for new handcuffs on towns and school districts as they bargain with unions, to prohibit towns from awarding contracts with pay increases, including benefits, of more than 2.5 percent.

Jim Stergios

NPT: Rumblings in the non-profit underground?

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The Non-Profit Times sends almost daily emails with surveys and tips on management. I never really open them (catchy eblast titles is something they need a little work at…). Today’s stood out: Survey: No Cash On Hand At 12% of Charities Wow. That’s an eye-catcher. Admittedly, I am not going to dig into the methodology today, as we have a lot on the plate, but, if accurate, things are even more volatile in the non-profit world than I had thought. America’s nonprofits expect that 2010 will be financially more difficult or as difficult as 2009, according to a survey, the results of which were released by Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF). And, some of them don’t have enough cash on hand […]

Jim Stergios

Calling all reporters!

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My last blog noted that states will now have to adopt the common core standards or give up much of a chance at the RttT funds. And, yes, I did call Arne Duncan a schoolmarm. 😉 So, one wonders, what exactly did DESE represent to their USED interrogators [;-)] earlier this week? Isn’t that a matter of public record? Will some reporter ask that question? If they don’t, we will.

Jim Stergios

EdWeek: Adopt standards or forget RttT funds

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Yesterday, the Globe published an editorial that made the reasonable argument that if Massachusetts’ academic standards are higher than the final product coming out of two trade groups, supported by the Obama administration, then the state should not adopt them. But the piece said more. It noted that The Obama administration isn’t going to force states to adopt the new standards. But it is implying that uncooperative states could hurt their chances for federal grants. There ought to be a way that Massachusetts can qualify for such funds without making unnecessary curriculum changes. Problem is that EdWeek‘s Catherine Gewertz published a report the very same day entitled “Ed Dept to States: In Race to Top, Only Common Core Will Do” […]

Steve Poftak

Public Higher Ed Committee Member Rips MA K-12 Standards

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Lane Glenn, vice president of academic affairs at Northern Essex Community College, had an astounding quote in yesterday’s Globe: “The fear is, of course, that we’ll be asked to do what our K-12 colleagues have been asked to do, come up with seven to eight important things and then teach to the test,’’ Glenn said. “We’re not interested in that.’’ He’s speaking in reference to a plan by MA public higher ed institutions to put new accountability measures in place. Its a good goal, but Glenn’s disdain of K-12 accountability standards reflects an almost comical level of ignorance. Massachusetts’ strong accountability standards have been a key part of a larger effort that has shown undeniable results — world class performance […]

Jim Stergios

Don't give up pole position on standards!

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There is little to add to today’s Globe editorial on academic standards other than to applaud the detail and effort that went into hearing out all sides and making the right, nuanced judgment. “Don’t let national ed reform push down standards in Mass.” is a strong piece: MASSACHUSETTS JUMPED wholeheartedly into the fight to raise academic standards when other states were content to maintain a low profile and low expectations. Now, the Obama administration and the National Governors’ Association are trying to prod those other states into action by setting national standards for achievement in English and math. If the federal government starts awarding grants for adopting those standards, Massachusetts could stand to gain — but not if it is […]

Jim Stergios

A world without public sector unions?

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The Cato Institute just released a brief history of public-sector unionization and some recent data. The recommendation is as you might predict–a ban on collective bargaining in the public sector–but that is hardly an extreme position unless you think North Carolina and Virginia alien territory. After all, they do in fact ban it. Yeah, I know. But it is worth a read!

Steve Poftak

Let Them Eat Cake

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Please, please, my friends at the Greenway — don’t get too precious about vetting what foods are healthy enough to be sold on the Greenway. You need to draw people, put whatever people want to come and eat. I’m all in favor of healthy, local options on my own dime but you need an infusion of people, not a monument. This quote gives me pause: “You can imagine people squeezing fresh lemons or fresh oranges,’’ said Nancy Brennan, executive director of the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy. “You can imagine high-end grilled cheese sandwiches with local cheese as the centerpiece of really good bread.’’ I can also imagine families and workers that would rather have something tasty and affordable. And […]

Steve Poftak

Border Tolls Are Coming

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I’m not sure how much of this is political theater or unrelated events, but both Connecticut and New Hampshire are pretty seriously considering border tolls. It seems pretty certain that Massachusetts would respond by putting up a border toll on I-93 (seeing as how the Pike tolls largely act like a border toll now on the short piece of I-84 in our state). Drivers are not going to like it, but it will leave each state with more transportation money. The last piece of the puzzle would be a move to open-road tolling, which seems to happening here.

Jim Stergios

Kudos to Anne Wass

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Jamie Vaznis leads the Globe with a story that really needs a lot of attention — no matter what your view is. We’ve said it many times before: High academic standards are the lifeblood of high student achievement in our public schools — all of our public schools. We love public charters because they are effective delivery mechanisms, but would we want charters without high academic standards? No thanks. That’s one of the principal reasons why charters in other states often are as ineffective as their district school peers. You’ve seen my view on standards in many a blog post, so let’s applaud others for theirs — and let’s hope they remain strong on this issue. First kudos go to […]

Jim Stergios

NY Times decades behind on standards

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The editorial on the national standards in today’s New York Times is uninformed as to beggar belief. “National School Standards, At Last” argues that: The countries that have left the United States behind in math and science education have one thing in common: They offer the same high education standards — often the same curriculum — from one end of the nation to the other. The problem with the proposed national standards is not that they would be uniform, though there are good reasons to fear what they would mean for states like Massachusetts, which have used federalism to push ever higher. The principal problem is that the proposed standards are not high at all. The Times goes on to […]