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

Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on
LinkedIn
+

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 Finds Declining Student Achievement and Increased Harm to School Choice Since Common Core

Read coverage of this report in The Daily Caller, Breitbart News,…

Video Highlights Long-Running Journal that Publishes History Essays by High School Students

BOSTON - A new video highlights the work of Will Fitzhugh, who…

New Study Warns of Emergence of Two-Tiered Public Education System in Massachusetts

Contact Jamie Gass, 617-723-2277 ext. 210 or jgass@pioneerinstitute.org Overall…

Study: No Longer A City On A Hill: Massachusetts Degrades Its K–12 History Standards

/
The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education…

Study: UMass Amherst Admissions Standards Now Higher for MA Students than Non-Residents

Freshman admission to the University of Massachusetts’ flagship…

Study Finds MA Inter-District School Choice Program a Success, but Should Be Updated

Policy makers should raise tuition rate, cap on program enrollment BOSTON…

Press Release: Birmingham Touts 1993 Ed Reform Act’s Success, Expresses Concerns about Recent Policies

/
BOSTON - Massachusetts Education Reform Act co-author and former…

Draft History and Social Studies Frameworks Continue Trend Toward Dumbing Down Public School Content

Weaker ELA and math standards have already produced declines…

New Documentary Highlights Impact of Bigoted “Blaine Amendments”

Read op-eds about the film, by Raymond Flynn, former Ambassador…

Press Release: Definitive Biographer of Pope St. John Paul II to Keynote Cristo Rey High Schools Event

Update: Watch the event videos below, in order. https://youtu.be/KP73PcC6uKk https://youtu.be/DEQLGcG6CnY https://youtu.be/MMq6eVfWASI https://youtu.be/PUDVuCUM5bA   Pioneer…

Press Release: Pioneer Files Amicus Brief on Behalf of Plaintiffs in Boston Charter School Case

Joins with Black Alliance for Educational Options and Cheryl…

Extended Summer Enrichment Programs Most Effective, Cost-Efficient

/
Part III of Pioneer Institute study series cites three approaches BOSTON…

Study: States Should Provide Parents With More Information About Homeschooling Options

Practice is growing rapidly; practitioners are becoming more…