Romney's education reform plan

[paineinthearse]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nashobaschools/message/4746

The following is far more detailed than the Globe article this morning, and may be interesting reading for listserv members.

Alice DeLuca
Stow
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Governor's Education Reform Blueprint
Thu, 22 Sep 2005 17:30:38 -0400
Glenn Koocher, MASC

Governor Romney unveiled a blueprint for his Education Reform Initiative for 2005. He presented a "Powerpoint" document to an afternoon press conference and indicated the information would be available at www.mass.gov later today. As of this moment, it is not yet posted. When it is, we will circulate it and link to it from our own web site (www.masc.org). Lt. Governor Healy contacted MASC President Ken Pereira this morning to alert us to the press conference and to note contents of the bill based on some of MASC's recommendations.

Legislators were not present to respond. The press conference conflicted with an Education Committee hearing on key bills. We expect that the legislature will begin developing its own proposal shortly and may, or may not consider the items introduced this afternoon.

Major points in the Governor's blueprint include:

1. Strengthening management rights and severely curtailing union
roles in teacher assignment and evaluations.
2. Creating merit pay in key areas.
3. Providing for turnaround schools initiatives with possible
conversions to charter schools..
4. Reorganizing the Office of Educator Quality and Accountability
(EQA) and subjecting it to the Department of Education.
5. Establishing major initiatives to recruit and mentor science and
technology educators.
6. Mandating parent education in some cases; offering it in others.
7. Providing every middle and high student with a laptop computer.

When the legislation is formally drafted and available, MASC will
provide a more detailed analysis. Also, this is a plan that must go to
the legislature. No legislators were present for the rollout as the
Education Committee was holding its weekly hearing on bills while the
Govenor was holding his press conference. It is unclear if they were
informed about the provisions of the blueprint.

MASC members may be pleased that some of our own recommendations for
further reform are addressed in principle (i.e., strengthening "STEM"
subjects including science, technology, engineering, and math;
expediting teacher credentialling in some cases; recognizing that
over-regulation has become a crisis; strengthening management rights at the bargaining table; recognizing that appropriate incentives may be important components of improving teacher performance; expanding
technology resources for students; helping underperforming schools, etc.).

At the same time, we hope to work with the legislature to add some
critical provisions missing from any reform bill including:

* requiring the coordination of services among the several other
agencies and programs that serve children.
* restructruring Chapter 70 funding provisions for equity and adequacy.
* promoting arts, language, and other subjects that round out the
education of the whole child.
* identifying and funding what are currently unfunded mandates.
* encouraging and funding extended day and year programs for
students at risk.
* preventing "profiteering" by organizations that use "education
reform" to enrich themselves.
* implementing strategies to contain employee health insurance costs.
* requiring that all mandates be funded for the long term and not
just for start-up.

The Governor's plan focuses principly on science, math, technology, and engineering. Highlights include the following general areas (with
specific legislative language to follow):

* Folding the Office of Educator Quality and Accountability into the
Department of Education. NOTE: It is unclear how this might
respond to widespread complaints about EQA, but the program would
be placed directly under the Commissioner of Education.
Theoretically, this does respond to the pleas to coordinate the
extraordinary regulatory burden for school districts.

* Removing school and district administrators and all Commonwealth
charter school employees from unions, or making them ineligible to
join unions.

* Plans to provide every middle and high schooler with a free laptom
they may keep. The MIT Media Lab presented a prototype of a
computer that could cost as little as $100 and can be powered
independently with a built in, hand operated generator. (Cost to
State: $54 million)

* All highschools would be required to offer AP calculus, chemistry,
biology, and physics either in the classroom or via the virtual,
on-line high school. AP teachers could earn bonuses for teaching
if students met certain achievement levels. Accelerated math
starting at grade 7 would begin in 2006. (Cost to State, $3.5 million)

* A dual enrollment program would allow students to take college
courses in math and science with transferable college credits.
(Cost: $2 million)

* Math-Science exam schools would be established in the seven
largest metropolitan areas. (Cost; $1.9 - $4.8 million by FY 10)

* Introduction of an applied academics program for job linkage,
focus on job need areas, and with issuance of Certificates of
Occupational Proficiency that test to the skill levels. A web
portal for career and educational planning would be set up. (Cost:
$13 million)

* Adding 1,000 highly qualified math and science teachers by
expediting certification to qualified (passing MA Test for
Educator Liceensure, or MTEL) and providing incentives with $5,000
initial end of year bonus, mentoring, and other incentives. (Cost:
$10 million)

* Special Math and Science Teacher Training. (Cost: $8 million)

* Pay for Performance bonuses of $5,000 for exemplary evidence of
value-addes student learning available to top 1/3 of teachers,
subjectto DOE approval of evaluation plans and local match. (Cost:
$55 million if every district participates)

* Taking teacher evaluations out of the collective bargaining
agreement. Recrafting teacher evaluations to be based primarily on
student learning, with the state crafting before and after
measurements. School administration and peer reviews will be added
to student performance. Evaluations would be linked to standards
and pay.

* General math literacy will be added to MTEL.

* All elementary math teachers must pass the MTEL by 2008.

* Programs for Turnaround Schools will cut the turnaround time for
underperforming schools from six to three years. Charter School
caps would be lifted in low-performing districts.

* Empowering superintendents to make personnel assignments, require
teacher testing, provide extra pay, and dismiss teachers for
non-performance. DOE will be authorized to contract with a
turnaround partner for up to $200,000 per year. If schools fail
to "turnaround" the schools could be converted to charter schools
or placed under private management. (Cost: $35 million)

* Parental preparation will be integrated into kindergarten
registration, with the training being required for parents
enrolled in state-assisted child care services. A new curriculum
will beintroduced on the importance of good parenting. (Cost: $8)

* Creation of a new Secretariat of Education to head an executive
office overseeing the Boards of Education, Higher Education, and
Earlyu Childhood and care.

[Erika]

1. How did this state let such a nut in power?

Some strong women ought to ask him whether he is going to call his wife up into heaven. Under his religious belief, women don't go to heaven unless their husbands call them up. The man has the total control.