Education

The Massachusetts Constitution guarantees to every student the right to a quality education. It also holds the key to the future of the Commonwealth. Our economic, social and democratic future is dependent upon a well-educated people. Education must be a partnership between the state and the cities and towns of Massachusetts, with the state providing more aid than it currently does.
We should heed the Constitutional guarantee of a quality education made to every person in the Commonwealth. We can do that by:
 Increasing state funding for our existing educational programs, both K-12 and higher education;
 Reimbursing communities for all METCO expenses and extraordinary special education costs;
 Guaranteeing free all-day kindergarten programs in every community;
 Extending the length of the school day; and
 Extending the length of the school year.
The Education Reform Act established curriculum standards at all grade levels for schools across the state. The standards, if implemented properly, will assure that all students in Massachusetts are educated in core learning areas. They should provide sufficient flexibility to allow innovative teaching methods at the local level.
The Education Reform Act also mandates that student achievement be measurable: "The system shall employ a variety of assessment instruments... As much as is practicable, especially in the case of students whose performance is difficult to assess using conventional methods, such instruments shall include consideration of work samples, projects and portfolios, and shall facilitate authentic and direct gauges of student performance."
The MCAS tests were created in response to that mandate. A statewide standard test may be useful, but it is not appropriate to prohibit students who have demonstrated academic proficiency from graduating simply because they do not pass the MCAS. I support using a statewide standard test to allow students to demonstrate a higher level of learning, similar to the New York state Regents exam, but which is not a barrier to graduation.
Vocational schools are an oft-forgotten part of our public education system. They should not be treated as a dumping ground for students with learning difficulties or behavior disorders. They are a valuable part of our system. They should be able to educate students who are not continuing to college in a trade. They should prepare students who wish to further their education to enter the finest colleges in the country.
We should not forget students with learning disabilities. The legislature made a tragic mistake when it retreated from "maximum feasible benefit" standard for special education students, despite the fact that there was no evidence that the change would either save money or educate our students better. It seems likely that it will cause further confusion and litigation that benefits no one.
The state needs to provide communities with the aid needed to cover the health care costs of SpEd students while in classrooms and to fund the extraordinary costs of out-of-district placements needed by students who cannot be educated in those classrooms.
Massachusetts is one of the wealthiest states in the nation. It must do more to help our cities and towns educate our youth.