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Mid-terms and the national education debate

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The national standards may have been approved in nearly 40 states, but the fact is that after the mid-terms the policy conversation is going to change dramatically. So much so that there are good political reasons to wager that this effort at developing national standards will collapse, as did similar attempts under George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. As the Gucci Gulch types inside the Beltway admit, the road to implementation will require getting a lot of things — very big things — right. Big things like professional development, changes in ed school curricula and teacher certification. These big things raise big questions about how the federal government will motivate states to keep moving in lockstep with the its priorities […]

Unresolved Safety Net Hospital Issues

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Mr. Keefe, First, thank you for taking the time to read my post and comment. There is no question that you have played a significant leadership role in health care reform both as a CEO of a major integrated healthcare delivery system, and now as the chair of the board for the Massachusetts Hospital Association. It is clear that your intent is to advocate for the best interest of your organization. However, I did want to offer a few comments in response: Recent Actions: Credit is due for moving forward more aggressively to reduce costs than other organizations in similar situations. I understand CHA attempted to strike a balance and find cuts in different ways, which have not always resolved […]

Roslindale Parade Update

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As regular readers know, I’m a big fan of parades (see here and here). Once again, I’ve tried my best to divine political trends from watching this year’s marchers: 1) Kudos to City Councillor Rob Consalvo for both marching in the parade and for sponsoring the Boston Crusaders Senior Marching Band. Other Hyde Park politicians (looking at you Rep. Scaccia) should be so thoughtful about the Roslindale portion of their districts. 2) Absolutely no statewide officeholders marched in the parade or participated in any way. Tsk, Tsk. 3) Of Boston’s four at-large city councilors, only John Connolly marched (and got the standard strong positive reaction). It’s basically a homegame for Councillor Connolly but it’s surprising that no one else participated. […]

Next Step in Reform: Cost Control

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The President & CEO of Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM), an employer association of 6,000 Bay State businesses and institutions, has an interesting piece in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette today that sets the goal line for reform. “We will know the reform works when the same employers who supported a 2006 reform that expanded coverage but did not control costs no longer suffer a sick feeling in the stomach every time they sit down to review premium increases with their health plans. We will know the reform works when employees no longer wonder whether they can afford rising deductibles. And we will know the reform works when the cost of health insurance ceases to be a structural impediment to […]

Causes of Boston's Bus Problems

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Today’s Globe has an op-ed decrying the problems with the buses taking kids to the Boston Public Schools — they’ve been plagued with delays since school started. The article points out two potential causes of the problem — issues implementing a new routing software system and resistance/noncompliance by the drivers union. (Given that their union has seen fit to traffic in the coarsest forms of racially-charged attacks in the past, it can’t be ruled out.) Other issues, that might not be obvious to non-residents are: 1) Broad eligibility: Any elementary school child over a mile away from their school (or with an intervening major thoroughfare between them and school) is eligible. That’s a lot of kids. 2) Huge coverage area: […]