Op-ed: Mass. has to return to its high standards for education

Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter

Share on

LinkedIn

By Thomas F. Birmingham and William F. Weld JULY 05, 2018

Its 25th anniversary is an appropriate time to reflect on the success of Massachusetts’ 1993 Education Reform Act. Yet instead of rededicating ourselves to all the work still to be done, the Commonwealth seems to be turning away from the core principles of an approach that brought unprecedented success.

In the early 1990s, Massachusetts’ broken educational standards and financing system were in urgent need of reform. Wide funding disparities existed between wealthy suburban districts and poor urban and rural ones. Due to the misguided practice of social promotion, students frequently graduated from high school without the academic preparation to succeed in college or the workplace. Parents who desperately sought alternatives for children trapped in failing public schools had few options.

The 1993 act included comprehensive measures to address these challenges. We are proud to have played central roles in the creation of this law in our former positions as governor and Senate chair of the Legislature’s Joint Education Committee. Read the rest of this op-ed in The Boston Globe.

Check out our related analysis and commentary:

STUDY ESTIMATES COST OF TRANSITION TO NATIONAL EDUCATION STANDARDS AT $16 BILLION

February 22, 2012

New study finds that aligning state and local educational systems to the Common Core State Standards in English language arts and math will cost the 45 states plus the District of Columbia that have adopted them nearly $16 billion over seven years.

IS THE US DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION VIOLATING FEDERAL LAW BY DIRECTING STANDARDS, TESTS, AND CURRICULA?

February 9, 2012

Despite three federal laws that prohibiting the federal government from directing, supervising or controlling K-12 curricula, the U.S. Department of Education has placed the nation on the road to a national curriculum.

Pioneer to Participate in U.S. History Competition for Students

January 27, 2012

Pioneer to Participate in U.S. History Competition for Students; “We the People” promotes U.S. history and civics education

Virtual Schools, Actual Learning: Digital Education in America

0 Comments

December 5, 2011

Pioneer Institute event to feature state and national online education leaders.

Facilities Guide for New and Expanding Charter Schools

June 28, 2011

New report offers best practices from successful Massachusetts charter schools to help other charter leaders navigate the facilities development process

Expanding School Choice through METCO

June 16, 2011

Non-partisan Research Groups Urge Lawmakers to Expand Minority Students’ Access to METCO Program

Dumping Massachusetts’ Know-Nothing Amendments: Church, State, and School Reform

March 16, 2011

Pioneer released a research paper on Massachusetts Catholic schools, giving them high marks for providing a high-quality education and a safe learning environment for poor and working-class families at a substantially lower cost than the average public school’s per-pupil expenditure.