A new leader for better schools
SELECTING A new state education commissioner might prove easier if the Board of Education could wait until spring, when the Patrick administration is scheduled to unveil a 10-year strategic plan to improve public education. But Governor Patrick wants a permanent commissioner appointed in January. Now the board's challenge is to identify the state's educational priorities and decide which of the three finalists is the closest match - and the best equipped to build upon past reforms.
All three candidates enjoy solid reputations for leadership. Richard Laine, education director of the Wallace Foundation in New York, comes closest to a nontraditional candidate. He has never taught in the classroom, but knows education reform from his funding work. He is also considered politically astute. Karla Brooks Baehr, the only local candidate, has served as a school superintendent both in tony Wellesley and in Lowell, the state's fourth-largest city. Mitchell Dan Chester worked his way from classroom teacher to senior associate state superintendent in Ohio. He has a strong policy background, especially in the areas of assessment and accountability.
Many tests await the next commissioner. The most important will be to close the achievement gap between minority students in the cities and their white suburban counterparts. To prevent the persistent failure that leads to dropping out, the next commissioner must be prepared to make a mainstream urban movement out of promising experiments with an extended school day. And education must start early. Numerous studies point to the benefits of education for 3- and 4-year-olds. But the state's good intentions in this area have yet to materialize fully.
School superintendents across the state spend inordinate time and effort trying to protect their budgets by undermining the state's effective charter school movement. Massachusetts needs a commissioner who recognizes the need for more charter schools or in-district alternatives where student achievement trumps union work rules. Much of the state's progress, especially in poorer school districts, is linked to the MCAS graduation requirement test. The next commissioner needs the courage to persevere on MCAS regardless of complaints from short-sighted school boards or educators.
The state Department of Education struggles when it comes to designing effective strategies for failing schools. Structural and staff changes in the department itself may be needed before schools can be saved.
Wisely, the Board of Education has arranged for at least 25 representatives from business, nonprofit organizations, students, parents, educators, and the clergy to participate in public interviews of the finalists on Jan. 7. Additional priorities should emerge. And so should the state's next education chief. 